Garcia

[Moonchesteri]

Really can't see this happening. Destination seems so unlikely. A great example of the silly season. Garcia to score a hat trick on Sunday.

Why? They have money and can offer him good wages and European football (likely even CL football)

[blues2win]

He can cover the ground so much better than Garcia. The way we play you have to be able to cope with on rushing pacy midfielders. Every time that happens Garcia simply can't cope. He's left for dead.

[Goaters 103]

If we can get back near what we paid it will represent good business.

Promote Milner to cent midfield holding role, sign Isco with the Garcia/Rodwell/Sinclair/Reikik/Guidetti sales and squad is complete.

[PrezIke]

would be good business to get near what we bought him for.

ted, i hear you on fernando vs. garcia, but we seem to like him for a reason. he's a bit more tenacious it seems than garcia, and considered better for creating counter attacks which we seek to generate. garcia is a more "solid," dm who is perhaps better in the air. fernando has more pace though, which we can see is a theme we are going for. also gives fernandinho someone to talk to, if that matters much at all.

it's quite early days so we shall see, but i think he will fit better into our style.

will certainly wish garcia the best of luck wherever he goes. he has been a good soldier, and gets credit for showing us something after he seemed to be a poor signing.

[PrezIke]

If we can get back near what we paid it will represent good business.

mind...read...

[PrezIke]

He can cover the ground so much better than Garcia. The way we play you have to be able to cope with on rushing pacy midfielders. Every time that happens Garcia simply can't cope. He's left for dead.

this, indeed.

[Ted Hughes]

Fernando is faster than Garcia & CAN catch people & do all these things, but he actually isn't doing.

The last thing of note Fernando did in a City shirt was stand there like a twat whilst Liverpool ran past him & scored. Garcia would have just stood in front of the bloke & cleaned it up without even the slightest problem.

Fernando actually has to do this shit, not 'be able' to do it. We are all expecting he will, but right now he isn't. So far, he's not as good for City as Garcia has been.

[blues2win]

He's hardly played for City. He needs a little time to adjust. No doubt he'll start in the Charity Shield and almost certainly in the Newcastle match with Fernandinho just back from the World Cup. The Club have been after him for ages so they clearly see him as a significant improvement on Garcia. Now we've got him I don't see a place for Garcia as third choice defensive midfield behind Fernandinho and Fernando. We need to free up an overseas CL place too and to be honest to trim the wage bill. Personally I hope Pellegrini will bend a little in some key matches and play three in central midfield. I think that will make a big difference to Yaya and to our defence.

As far as the Zenit story is concerned it's not a done deal obviously but it does seem that Garcia is for sale at a price and from his point of view he's not going to get much football if he stays and probably be out of the CL squad. Would you want to stay in those circumstances?

[Ted Hughes]

He's hardly played for City. He needs a little time to adjust. No doubt he'll start in the Charity Shield and almost certainly in the Newcastle match with Fernandinho just back from the World Cup. The Club have been after him for ages so they clearly see him as a significant improvement on Garcia. Now we've got him I don't see a place for Garcia as third choice defensive midfield behind Fernandinho and Fernando. We need to free up an overseas CL place too and to be honest to trim the wage bill. Personally I hope Pellegrini will bend a little in some key matches and play three in central midfield. I think that will make a big difference to Yaya and to our defence.

As far as the Zenit story is concerned it's not a done deal obviously but it does seem that Garcia is for sale at a price and from his point of view he's not going to get much football if he stays and probably be out of the CL squad. Would you want to stay in those circumstances?

No, & I expect Fernando to become a much better player for City. But he has just over a week to do so, otherwise we are weakening the squad in that area if we sell Garcia.

[twosips]

I think sometimes you've just gotta take mild leaps of faith and trust in your instincts and I'm sure that's all the club is doing by selling Garcia. They've probably seen enough of Fernando in training to know he'll get there very soon and improve on him.

[blues2win]

Appears to be a genuine picture tweeted of Garcia at Manchester airport leaving for somewhere.... Martin Blackburn says Zenit aren't far off City's valuation.

[Dameerto]

I remember Fernando turning the afterburners on to get back chasing one counter attack (successfully) and remember him getting his foot in a few times in octopus fashion too, I think some people are being a bit unforgiving about his preseason.

[getdressedmctavish]

Agree with Ted, Fernando aint mopping up nearly well enough yet, though he does look decent moving and passing.That said, that position is impossible when the back 4 is all over the place, look how shite Nige used to look under Hughes.

[Dameerto]

He's looked far more comfortable than Rodwell with Pellegrini's instructions so on that basis the squad is already upgraded, the rest will come after several prem games (just as it did for our first choice midfielders after their first few games last season). I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting almost as many games as Fernandinho over the full season (as first choice rotation option).

[Dubciteh]

Not even on the bench yesterday must mean he is off?

[blues2win]

I think he's in St Petersburg agreeing terms. He can't be forced to go there but he's surplus to requirements as far as the club is concerned.

[lets all have a disco]

I'd have liked Garcia in the middle yesterday over the squid.

[blues2win]

I wouldn't blame Fernando. We played two in central midfield and Yaya did fuck all off the ball so he pretty much had to cope on his own. The World Cup has not given us a very good pre season.

[Ted Hughes]

I'd have liked Garcia in the middle yesterday over the squid.

I agree.

Fernando did ok on his own & got in plenty of interceptions, but it was a case of reaction rather than prediction; he didn't read the game & stop danger before it happened like Barry used to do, & Garcia had started to do.

[lets all have a disco]

I'd have liked Garcia in the middle yesterday over the squid.

I agree.

Fernando did ok on his own & got in plenty of interceptions, but it was a case of reaction rather than prediction; he didn't read the game & stop danger before it happened like Barry used to do, & Garcia had started to do.

This is why it's madness IMHO to get rid of Javi if he is out of the Champs squad promise him the cups and tell him he can go in Jan if he wants.
At the moment playing Fernando is leaving us exposed as he isnt up to speed.