Best Player in the World!

[Mosiah]

Sorry, Karl, yuh not going to get me to big up Arsenal.

Well, I will in this way - they are the best team to watch! The fluid passing and moving is a joy to watch, but not that effective as the teamwork of Man City.

[Bricktop]

explain why Toure can push forward without worrying too much about defending...

[Karl]

explain why Toure can push forward without worrying too much about defending...

A wah di?
He pushes forward because that is a part of his game. Has nothing to do with worrying...worrying about anything!!!

...btw - You do know he is in a TEAM with highly competent players?

Yes? Yes!
OK!

You do know when a TEAM goes forward players must support the man on the ball?

Well? How much of worrying about defense do you worry about when in a good TEAM?

Not at all?!
Not at all! Thank you!

You defend when you lose the ball!!! ...not when on attack!!! ...and that's a fact!!!

Perhaps it is coaches like you why JA national TEAMs have such a big problem being TEAM???!!! Just thinking on same!!!

[Bricktop]

Fernandinho allows Toure the freedom to roam on the pitch and take chances...Fernandinho is a live wire...he is all over the pitch making crunching tackles...this leaves Toure free to operate...you think it's a coincidence that Toure has scored the same amount of goals he scored all of last year halfway through the season...if you can't see that you need to give up on the football thing

[Bricktop]

City already have a number of central midfielders on their books, with the most notable being Yaya Toure. Last season—without a top quality holding midfielder alongside him—Toure was forced to drop further down the field more than he perhaps liked, and played as a more box-to-box man rather than in his favoured attacking role. The Ivorian was still able to drive forward and contribute to attacks—creating 45 goalscoring chances with seven goals and five assists—but he, for the most part, is a central midfielder. Toure didn’t give City the attacking threat that they received from him earlier in his City years.

With Fernandinho slotting seamlessly in to the defensive midfielder role, Toure once again has the freedom to push forward into attack. A strong and complete midfielder, Toure loves to orchestrate attacks and rack up plenty of touches, as we’ve seen in the first few games so far this season, scoring two goals in three Premier League games. He obviously still has defensive responsibilities, but the same pressure isn’t on him as there was last season.

Toure holds all the skills required to be a top-class central midfielder, and has already proven himself to be just that. With Fernandinho alongside him, the Ivorian international now possesses even more freedom to roam and create City’s attacks without the same defensive impetus that he carried last season. It’s little surprise to see him ranked as City’s best overall player so far this season and it’s something that will likely continue throughout the remainder of the season, if he and Fernandinho can continue to combine as they have done thus far.

You are a fossil Karl...out of touch

[Karl]

Sorry, Karl, yuh not going to get me to big up Arsenal.

Well, I will in this way - they are the best team to watch! The fluid passing and moving is a joy to watch, but not that effective as the teamwork of Man City.

Well we do not have their strikers!
...so in January we need Suarez...or the silky but deadly striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves has urged Arsene Wenger to sign Dimitar Berbatov from Fulham in January.

The former Manchester United striker has over six months left on his contract at Craven Cottage. The 32-year-old has been a transfer target for Arsenal while their north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur were also believed to be interested in his services, according to ESPN.

The Gunners have Olivier Giroud and Nicklas Bendtner as the first choice strikers. However, the Dane has spent most part of his time on the bench, leaving Wenger to field the French international in most of Arsenal's games this season.

Groves claims top teams would be unwilling to let their star players leave in the mid-season transfer window and Wenger should bring Berbatov to the Emirates in January as a strike partner for Giroud.

"The top teams aren't going to let their best players go and you want quality to go in. You could probably get him [Berbatov] for a million or £2m for the last six months of his contract," Groves told talkSPORT.

"He is in a team that's struggling because he won't close full-backs down, he won't go in the channels. But I think, he thinks he's too good for Fulham. Sometimes his body language is, 'what am I doing here? They can't even feed me the ball'."

The former Arsenal winger believes Berbatov's addition will be beneficial for the Gunners as he would be available for £2m in January. Should Wenger manage to sign the former United striker, it will give the Frenchman more options to lead his side's strike force.

"If he goes to Arsenal he's not going to think he's better technically than the Arsenal players, he'll think, 'oh I've got players on my level'. Basically it's a no brainer. If you got a year-and-a-half out of him, which I think you can, then he will be a brilliant option if you want to rest Giroud. He wouldn't alter the team pattern at all," he added.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian striker's agent Emil Dantchev earlier confirmed that Berbatov is looking for a move away from Fulham in January.

"I don't usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he [Berbatov] is not happy at Fulham. He would like, if possible, to find another option," Dantchev explained.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-january-agent

[Bricktop]

Or our midfielders...or our class

[Karl]

Fernandinho slotting seamlessly in to the defensive midfielder role

How many matches has this man played?
Is he his own unique player...but adds the identical qualities Toure does but to a lesser degree? ...that is, he defends and attacks very well and does both often?

Look Bricktop: It is this 'fossil' who came on this site saying from '20xx how long' "give me on-the-field X1 fast, tactically and technically excellent players and I would use a system where formations are meaningless as my players would rotate as the game dictates. Being able to fit in anywhere on the field (in the context of 'keeper being the only true specialist position)".

I have been pointing out from that same '20xx how long' that TEAM is everything and all players must be able to contribute on defense. I have used Thomas Mueller the current German goal-scorer supreme as possible that TEAM's best defender. ...I have pointed out over and over that Theo Walcott is a luxury my GUNNERS cannot afford when we meet the 'big teams' as he is downright awful on defense - i.e. he gives only 'half presence'.

Fernandinho is as defensive a midfielder as is Toure. Fernandinho is as attacking a midfielder as is Toure. ...as also at moving and passing/passing and moving. He may not be as accomplished as Toure on either end of the field or at each position on the field...but then he is, as is Toure, his own unique player.

A Toure and a Fernandinho fits seamlessly into my idea of TEAM each providing attack and defense...each being creative and goal-scorers as would all X1 of my TEAM (inclusive of my sweeper 'keeper - who because of ability to play could be used as sub on open play and definitely as Penalty taker as necessary).

Fossil?
Joke yuh a joke!!!

When did you join us?
Yuh mussi a newbie?

[Bricktop]

You still haven't explained Toure matching his goal output of last year halfway through the current season...and you can look at the stats + heat maps and rubbish your claim that Toure assumes just as much defensive responsibilities as Fernandinho...total nonsense

[Karl]

You still haven't explained Toure matching his goal output of last year halfway through the current season...and you can look at the stats + heat maps and rubbish your claim that Toure assumes just as much defensive responsibilities as Fernandinho...total nonsense

City is a better TEAM than it was last year.
Toure is, as is all your forwards, getting more 'look-ins' at goal and he has been so far very efficient.

What is so difficult to see?

[Bricktop]

Now explain the heat maps and the tackling statistics...woieee...defend it till the end Karl