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Man City – Players Review

With over half the Premier League season having been completed, I thought it would be a good time to rate how the players have done so far.

Goalkeepers

Joe Hart – Hart has generally coped very well in his first full season as City’s number one. He has made numerous good saves, but maybe needs to work on his distribution. He will look to cement his place in the first team even if Mark Hughes brings another goalie in – B+

Kasper Schmeichel– The young Dane has had very few opportunities this year, only making a couple of starts, notably in the Carling Cup and also the away defeat to Santander when City had already qualified. It’s likely that Schmeichel will leave the club if we sign another ‘keeper – C

Joe Hart Kasper Schmeichel

Hart, on the left, is ahead of Schmeichel in the pecking order

Defenders

Pablo Zabaleta– After a shaky debut at home to Chelsea, Zabaleta has been outstanding. The Argentinean has improved immensely, showing a willingness to get forward from the back, and also looking solid while defending. Maybe needs to work on his tackling, as he has a dangerous tendency to lunge into tackles – A

Vedran Corluka– The Croatian only played a handful of matches for the Blues this season before moving to London to join Tottenham, but he scored in the first game of the season against Aston Villa, and also scored a crucial penalty in the UEFA Cup – B 

Shaleum Logan –  Been on the bench a couple of times, but not yet started a game this season. Would benefit from going out on loan – C

Micah Richards– In my eyes, he has been hugely disappointing after his wonderful form last year. Looks very lethargic and lazy during the game, although he was much improved at the weekend against Wigan, when he played in the right-back position – C+ 

Richard Dunne – Like Richards, has been poor this season. The popular Irish centre-back has won the player of the year award on the previous four occasions, but this time around he may struggle to finish in the top eleven. Needs to cut down on own-goals and red cards, and although many fans want him gone, I have full faith in him to rediscover his best form – C+

Nedum Onuoha– Has got a degree in accountancy and has three A’s at A-Level, and will have had plenty of time to swat up this year due his lack of playing time. Underused by Mark Hughes, although he has had a couple of injuries. When fit and firing, he’s a top-class, solid defender – B-

Glauber Berti – What a signing!! Brought to the club on a free transfer after being released by his German club once they got relegated, but not played a single minute for the first team. Has appeared on the bench a few times, but still awaiting his debut – C

Tal Ben-Haim– Signed as a panic buy when we had no money, but has not shown any of the qualities which persuaded José Mourinho to sign him him for Chelsea. Has been dreadful so far, especially away at Hull when he gifted the Tigers a goal. Looks to be on his way out of City, possibly to Sunderland – C-

Javier Garrido – Much improved on last year, which wasn’t difficult, but looks set for a spell on the bench due to the arrival of Wayne Bridge. Looks good going forward, but still a tad shaky at the back. Gets an extra grade because I met his parents!!! – B+

Michael Ball – I’m not his biggest fan, and the once-capped England left-back has done nothing this season to change my views. Has looked slow whenever he’s played, and hopefully will be on his way shortly – C

Wayne Bridge – At the time of writing, only played one game, his debut against Wigan, but seems to be a shrewd acquisition. Bombs forward down the left, and looks assured in defence – B+

  

Zabaleta has been the star defender

Midfielders

Shaun Wright-Phillips– Welcome home SWP!! Once a Blue, always a Blue!! Came back to City in the hope of playing regular first team football, and has been a key player for the Blues this season. Adds energy and spark to the right, links up well with Zabaleta and is capable of scoring special goals. A fantastic signing – A

Kelvin Etuhu – Started off the season brightly, but unfortunately acquired a long-term injury against West Ham, which has kept him out until now. Hughes says he’s on the way back, so will be a useful addition to the squad, although he will struggle to get in the team – C

Elano Blumer – The mercurial Brazilian has been poor by his standards this season, failing to reach the heights he showed at the start of last year. Has thrown his dummies out of the pram once already this season, by complaining about his lack of playing time, but I hope that he knuckles down and start to focus, because on his day he can be brilliant – B-

Stephen Ireland– The transformation from last season to this one for Superman has been nothing short of remarkable. He worked hard in pre-season and has reaped the rewards. He has outshone both SWP and Robinho with his constantly superb performances. He has added new dimensions to his game and it must be hoped that he can continue this form until the end of the season – A+

Dietmar Hamann– The vastly experienced German midfielder has played a peripheral role this season, starting only five Premier League games. He has looked off the pace all the time, and his City career looks to have finished with the news that he has ruptured his Achilles tendon in training. If this is the case, it will be the sad end to a great career – C+

Michael Johnson– The talented midfielder has missed the vast majority of the season with a variety of injuries. According to sources, he has been out clubbing, further supporting the strong belief that Johnson is a ‘party-boy’. It’s possible that he will leave this January, but more likely that he will depart in the summer – C-

Gelson Fernandes
– Awful – F

Vincent Kompany – Signed in the summer for a bargain £6 million, he could be the buy of the season. Has displayed his talents in a variety of positions, including defensive midfield and centre-back. Has been superb wherever, commanding the midfield, winning the ball back and laying it off to our more attacking players – A-

Martin Petrov – For me, he is the one player we have missed the most this season. Picked up an injury early on which has kept him out for a while. Is expected to return near the end of the season. We sorely miss his pace and ability to cross the ball – C

Adam Clayton– The academy product has not featured yet this season, but has been named on the bench a couple of times. Has impressed Hughes in training and will look to push on. Another one who would benefit from going out on loan – C

Vladimir Weiss– The tricky Slovakian winger is one for the future, having starred in City’s FA Youth Cup triumph last year. Was on the bench against Wigan and will look to improve on that – C

Ireland has been the stand-out midfielder

Forwards

Valeri Bojinov– The desperately unfortunate Bulgarian was dealt a huge blow against Aston Villa in the first game of the season, when he picked up an injury in the warm-up which has kept him out until now. Hughes has announced that the striker will return to first team training in the near future. Will be a great asset tot he squad – C

Jo– I think it’s fair to say that he hasn’t adapted well to English football. Looks lankier (is that a word?) than Peter Crouch and has failed to show any semblance of the form which persuaded City to pay £19 million for his services. I believe we should send him out on loan for the rest of the season to build up some weight and some confidence – C

Felipe Caicedo– After a poor start to his City career last season, he has sprung into life this time around. Well… not really. He only managed to get into the squad for the match away at Santander, where he came off the bench to score a consolation, and since then, has been more prolific than Fernando Torres. Scored three times in four games, but has since been dropped – B

Robinho– The Brazilian superstar has impressed everyone with his skill and trickery, but still fails to convince away from home when the going gets tougher. Has shown patches of brilliance, most notably against Arsenal, when he impudently chipped the ball over Manuel Almunia to seal the win, and also against Stoke, when he scored a clinical hat-trick – A-

Ched Evans – The young Welshman has failed to break into the side on a regular basis this season and looks destined to head out on loan, with Celtic favourites to land him. Has shown glimpses of promise, but with the extra investment, he will struggle to break into the first-team – B-

Danny Sturridge – Has shown more promise than Evans and is in the process of signing a new deal. Has scored three goals this season, but needs to add to that tally if wants to become a regular – B

Benjani Mrawurawi – Struggled with a thigh injury towards the start of the campaign, but has since returned to lead the line. Has not been effective at this, and recently picked up another injury. Likely to leave either now or in the summer – B

Darius Vassell – Gives you 100% effort, but nowadays, that is not good enough in the Premiership. Needs to go soon as he adds nothing to the side – C

Robinho has been far and away the best striker at the club

Top 5 Players So Far:

5) Robinho
4) Vincent Kompany
3) Pablo Zabaleta
2) Shaun Wright-Phillips
1) Stephen Ireland

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