Attacking scares the shit out of the opposition

On the rare occasions Bobby decides to employ an attacking line up, we do look awesome.

When NDJ came off, we seemed to step up a gear and go for it.

I'd really prefer Nasri to Barry with Aguero on from the start instead of AJ.

An attacking line up of Nasri, Yaya, Silva, Dzeko and Aguero would send out shock waves.

If Tevez replaced Dzeko.....

NDJ off?!?! We will get murdered if he doesn't play against other oppositions... another rag comment by you...

To be fair we didn't need two DMs today. Thought both Barry and De Jong looked rusty first half, both came into it more in the second though.

NDJ looked to be hobbling a bit when he came off..

one point to note, when we replaced Silva with Savic we shifted to a 3-5-2 formation for the final 10 minutes, possibly why Swansea had a little sniff in the end.

Good to give that formation a quick whirl when we were 3 nil up.

P/Gsus
I think you're wrong re topdawg,we all have different opinions and we won't all agree but to call him a rag is unfair and similar to labelling someone a paedophile
As for the game,Dzeko had his best game in a city shirt and I think he will score plenty this season.I'm still not sure starting with Johnson is the way to go,he gets a bit lost at times,I'd much rather see him introduced after about an hour when the opposition are tiring.I've no idea why Gareth Barry was playing,we don't need 2 players to do what de Jong can do on his own.We looked a lot tighter with Clichy at left back,he looks a decent signing
Lescott is making the centre back position his own,another really good game and his distribution is improving,seemed less panicked on the ball.
And silva and Aguerro were ok

Paedophile!!! Didn't realise being a rag is the same!
If he is not a rag then he shouldn't be offended. Its an open blog so I will say what I desire and I don't have an issue with others doing the same. Sorry that's just me.

Taking NDJ off wasn't a tactical move, he was injured though I was amazed he brought Kun on rather than another defender.

PG, I didn't say NDJ should be replaced in the starting line up.

Read my post again and you'll see I said that I'd replace Barry and AJ with Nasri and Aguero.

There is always a place for NDJ (when fit).

Ok topdawg, but watch it!

Sorry but I thought AJ had a good game last night and Mancini took him off at the right time. He linked up well and was a part of the first 2 goals and he and Silva joined up the attacking options.

I think playing Johnson from the start in this game was putting up 2 fingers to the press who have gone on about him being unsettled.

No he wasnt unsettled, he wasnt dropped he was injuered and he did play in the last 10 games of last season.



TBH I dont think at this level he's a 90 minute player but I do think when he's on he earns his cash.

Still think he's far better as an impact sub

Possibly PP but I think he did his fair share of softening up Swansea on the right flank and he was always providing the space for Silva in passing interchanges.



Lets face it Mancini will pick his team for eack individual match, whats more important is that we have a squad that can handle all options.

PPLF,

"Lescott, his distribution is improving"

Really?



I also agree, AJ should only be an impact sub.

Lescott was actually looking for someone to pass it to instead of toe bunging it like last year.Thats improvement in my book

I guess i'll agree there Rich, he still never found a blue shirt though .

He still scares the shit out of me when Hart rolls the ball out to him, i honestly believe he hasn't got a fuckin clue what to do with it

We don't want confidence players. Leacott is playing better because he is being included. I still think he is a donkey and doesn't deserve to be playing alongside kompany,dejong,silva,.... see we need players that can just come of the bench and play well, we don't have time and its not fair to other players if we nurture donkeys.

I hate hughes for bringing him, hughes said he is the best in the prem, my evertonian mate said he wasn't even the best at everton. That's what I was thinking at the time.

Think you're being a bit unfair to Lescott. He's certainly not a donkey



He played superbly last season when he came into the side & had a proper run. OK he's not great in his distribution but he's a solid defender gives 100%, scores goals & he's better than Kolo, Boyata & Richards at CB ( Savic is a bit of an unknown at this stage)



And I don't give a fuck what Everton fans think ! What the fuck do they know?

I'm still on the fence tony! :-)

He makes me nerves, against top sides (strikers) he is useless, can't tackle and can't pass...

I think he had a tough time after the long, bitter, protracted transfer saga & Moyes & the rest of the Blue Dippers have addded fuel to the fire on several occasions



He's not worth the money Hughes paid for him & with many City fans it seems he will have this hanging over his head for ever but I think he's settled into the team nicely,he's experienced,he's English & he gives 100%



No one's perfect. Even Vince fucked up in the Charity Shield & Vidic & Ferdinand supposedly 2 of the best CBs in the business have made plenty of fuck ups in the past

I'm with TMG on this. It's not his fault he's been saddled with the £24m defender tag and it's a hell of a label to live up to. But he looks steady enough and he wasn't the one who let Nani past him last weekend. And I have to say, out of the two CBs we started with last night, I thought it was Vinny who had the shakier start.

Plus, he's never asked for a transfer, he's never said he hates the club or the city and he's not behaved like a twat.

Lescott constantly makes mistakes against top strikers simply because he is not good enough, he is no where in the same league as the likes of vidic and kompany that make the odd mistake here and there... thats just my opinion, unless Lescott proves that he can play against top strikers (which he proved that he couldn't last season) he is still no good enough.

Kolo is quicker and can tackle but he has too many lapses of concentration since the malaria incident... so he is no reliable.

I think what mancini did yesterday is on the cards to slowly replace Savic with Lescott at CB.

Lescott is doing fine, he is improving and has scored a couple of invaluable headers - and TBF Kolarov and Edin have also improved.



What about the new lad though:D

The new lad? Yeah, he is "decent"!

I agree with Mr Power RE Johnson. He didn't particularily do anything wrong, but he didn't particulariy do anything either. Dzeko got decent service last night, but for an out and out winger, how many times did you see Johnson get to the byeline and put a cross on to Dzeko's forehead? - you can see how Nasri would replace Johnson and that would be our strongest five man midfield.

In terms of Lescott, there were a couple of times he got on the ball and dribbled/ made an off the ball run to the front towards the end - not sure if I want to see that again, something unnatural about it.

I did however see Johnson get the shot in that Edin scored off. Put the pass in to Micah on the overlap for Agueros first goal and the back heel to Edin who then set Aguero running for Silva to score.

That's the thing though isn't it, Johnson got the shot in that Edin scored off, it's all well and good when we come away with the result, but his primary role is to be a goal provider, not a goal scorer.

There was another moment in the match where he got the ball in the Swansea penalty area, and straight away he tried to get a shot off, no awareness of what is around him. I don't know if he thinks he needs to score goals to impress Mancini or maintain his spot in the starting eleven, but I didn't see him once get down near the corner flag and whip a decent ball in for Dzeko to have a go at, we're wasting Edin's goal threat in that way.

Until he starts to get his head up more, in my opinion, there's no place for him in our strongest starting eleven.

Grated, he's playing how Mancini wants him to play.



If Mancini wanted him to reach the by line and whip crosses in then he would play him on his natural left wing with his natural left foot.



But he doesnt.



He deliberately plays him on the right so that he can cut in and shoot, the same way that the last england manager did (oh he's still there). That way leaves room for Micah to overlap as he did for the second goal.



You cant blame Johnson for doing the job that Mancini gives him surely.

Cut in fair enough, but shoot? Not so sure. If it was cut in and make an assist I could live with it, but he'll go for goal 80% of the time when he does this, and like I said earlier, in my opinion he should be there as a goal provider not a goal scorer.

If he is being told to get down the line, cut in and shoot then I would question what he is actually contributing to the team, this seems more a tactic to use for an impact sub in a game where we need a goal, not a tactic for a player on from the start for 80mins or whatever he played. Fair enough Dzeko got a goal off the rebound last night, but that's not usually the case.

Think we will have to agree to disagree on this grated. But isnt it great being able to discuss talented players for a change

Isn't it just! Yeah I think we just might have too, to be honest I see the midfield that started last night as our strongest five man midfield with Nasri replacing Johnson if/when we get him (maybe Milner instead of Barry?) - and then you can take Barry out to go for a 4-4-2. Johnson will still have plenty of oppertunities to prove himself though this season I'm sure.