Striking Partnerships

[Ted Hughes]

We have one: Tevez /Aguero.

That's it.

They are both small, so Kolarov/Maicon starting, or 3 at the back or various other systems become useless the way we use them, as we put crosses in for a bloke who isn't there. Those systems require a striker with presence & an aerial threat or Mancini to insist on low crosses, which for some reason he doesn't.

When Dzeko or Balotelli play with either Tevez or Aguero, none of them have any understanding whatsoever & keep mistiming runs, ignoring each other, generally just two geezers running around up front with no plan to play together.

The systems Bob has been using recently require a strike partnership, one of whom can get on the end of crosses, or they don't work; Everton was almost like a traditional 4-4-2 but where it needed Alan Smith & Ian Wright, we had Dzeko etc.

Dzeko has got on the end of several crosses & bottled it tbf, but that doesn't change the fact that there is no partnership up front & had he scored (as Ian Wright would do tomorrow with the same crosses) it would only have masked the situation.

Imo, Bob has to either put shitloads of work into getting the strikers playing together or sell some of them. They still play together as they did when they first signed.

All 4 strikers should be able to pass & move & link up together if required.

[Alioune DVToure]

The only downside to Carlos having come back is that we've got one more forward to keep happy, so we're playing the predictable (and markable) two up top as opposed to the much more fluid amd effective 'Yaya just-off [Sergio]'.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Balotelli with Aguero on Sunday.

[tikatakamcfc]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Balotelli with Aguero on Sunday.

Me neither. Balotelli can surprise you sometimes. If that fails, bring Tevez on the half and later on bring Dzeko in.

Ontopic - Dzeko at least tries to pass the ball to his teammate, whilst Aguero and Tevez rarely pass the ball to him.
That's why they dont link up, while two of them pass each other with no hesitation, including Silva between three of them.

On the other hand, Balo is in his own world...

That's how I see it. I just think that Tevez and Aguero are little bit more selfish than Dzeko, sometimes I see him at least try playing for the team, even though he bottles it up.

[dazby]

Bring back Cole/Vassell. Now that was a partnership.

You are right Ted. I'd like us to go back to playing one striker for a bit. Flood the midfield with one up top.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Bring back Cole/Vassell. Now that was a partnership.

You are right Ted. I'd like us to go back to playing one striker for a bit. Flood the midfield with one up top.

We did that last night with Tevez playing very deep and I think we will do it again on Sunday.

[Dubaimancityfan]

Bring back Cole/Vassell. Now that was a partnership.

You are right Ted. I'd like us to go back to playing one striker for a bit. Flood the midfield with one up top.

We did that last night with Tevez playing very deep and I think we will do it again on Sunday.

Tevez looks like he can play an attacking midfielder role, so when he's on with say Dzeko, we are in effect playing with 1 striker. Last night I saw Tevez on more than 1 occasion back in our half starting an attacking move. Of course with Silva and Yaya back in the side, he wont be able to do that. So we're back to where we started ! I think it's up to Mancini to work on developing a big striker/small striker partnership (Toshack/Keegan partnership comes to mind) because even though the Carlos/Kun partnership is our best at the moment, they do play in a very similar style and tend to hang on to the ball and not pass a bit too much.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Bring back Cole/Vassell. Now that was a partnership.

You are right Ted. I'd like us to go back to playing one striker for a bit. Flood the midfield with one up top.

We did that last night with Tevez playing very deep and I think we will do it again on Sunday.

Tevez looks like he can play an attacking midfielder role, so when he's on with say Dzeko, we are in effect playing with 1 striker. Last night I saw Tevez on more than 1 occasion back in our half starting an attacking move. Of course with Silva and Yaya back in the side, he wont be able to do that. So we're back to where we started ! I think it's up to Mancini to work on developing a big striker/small striker partnership (Toshack/Keegan partnership comes to mind) because even though the Carlos/Kun partnership is our best at the moment, they do play in a very similar style and tend to hang on to the ball and not pass a bit too much.

I don't agree that when Yaya and Silva are back that Tevez can't play a deeper playmaker role.The whole system should allow for quick passing and interchanging of positions.It shouldn't matter which of the 3 ( 4 if Nasri plays) makes the more attacking moves as long as there is plenty of movement.

[Bluemoon16]

Play Tevez in midfield and Yaya as a striker.

[aaron bond]

I think Tevez can definitely play the attacking midfielder role. I've thought that for a while now and he's shown it in games this season. I think we should particularly make use of it whilst Yaya is playing so badly. Furthermore, we should use it when Yaya is away in January.

Tevez will cover all the ground a midfielder does and gets the ball moving quickly too.

When looking at our various attacking midfield options, I would probably rate Tevez as second only to Silva at the moment. Yaya can be great, but is just not showing it at the moment. Nasri is then a long way behind...

[getdressedmctavish]

This is one reason I am sceptical about the coaching quality.Ted asks for low crosses. Zab has delivered them all season long. But where is the plan to get on the end of them. They inevitably get cut out. How often do we see our strikers running for the same spot, I've lost count. Its schoolboy stuff.Basics. And its not happening.Lots of teams come with inferior players who have got all this off as a matter of routine.

[Plain Speaking]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Balotelli with Aguero on Sunday.

Atkinson has form for dismissing Balo. His last 2 games Arsenal and Liverpool.

[Fergiesnose]

And this s why Bob is an idiot, the only two strikers that play well together rarely start, he is obsessed with mario playing and that 'potential' ... And that's all it is, potential after 2 n a half years. Also everything gets slowed down in midfield courtesy of g.barry.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Balotelli with Aguero on Sunday.

Atkinson has form for dismissing Balo. His last 2 games Arsenal and Liverpool.

He could have sent him off much earlier at Arsenal. The Liverpool one was a joke, though.

[sheblue]

Tevez is a world class footballer, if he doesn't play behind aguero in a deeper role on Sunday Mancini should be shot. Balo and dzeko subs.