The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll: No Kolo

Monday, 22 February 2010

No Kolo

One of the best things about yesterday was the sight of the two best centre backs at the club - Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany - playing together in the heart of our defence. Aside from Kompany nearly conceding a penalty to Yossi Benayoun, they were very solid against an admittedly witless Liverpool side.

I'm afraid to say that we're a better team without our club captain Kolo Touré in the side. Not only does Vincent Kompany improve on Touré's defensive capabilities, but Shay Given improves on his captaincy.

I'd like to see this arrangement survive for the rest of the season. (I am sure that in the summer we will spend big on a new centre back, regardless of who the manager is.) But I imagine that at least one of Lescott or Kompany will suffer an injury recurrence. And then there is Kompany's versatility - he could well lose his place in defence by getting moved into midfield.

But they've got Ricardo Fuller and Mamady Sidibé to contend with in mid-week, which isn't the worst preparation in the world for Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on Saturday. I may have to revise my opinion after those games.

4 comments:

thomas said...: . I may have to revise my opinion after those games.

haha, at least your honest!

I happen to agree, thought both defenders looked comfortable and composed together at the back, coping the big lads at stoke should be a good test!; 22 February 2010 at 13:39
Johnny Crossan said...: Kolo got a knock in training at Carrington on Saturday. He limped off very disconsolately and I was surprised to see he made the bench yesterday.

The attempted late tackle by Kompany on Benayoun in the penalty area was completely stupid and he should be dropped immediately. He could have finished our season right there. Unforgiveable.; 22 February 2010 at 13:52
Blue Phoenix - Moving on up! said...: I think you have a good point here.

Earlier in the season I felt that Lescott and Toure were unworkable together and due this Bridge was being stretched and the team shape was all over the show at the back.

I also thought the right backs were not communicating as well as they should have been when Toure was in the team.

I thought that Kompany and Toure worked together quite well before his injury.

I hope I'm making sense here but in a nutshell I think that with Kompany and Lescott communicating well and strengthening the back 4 our full backs are getting better and better too and feeling more confident.

Bridge has put in some good performances of late and Zabaletta was a star against Liverpool.

Obviously the full backs have Nigel De Jong and the fighting spirit of Barry covering their backs which for me gives us a really string look defensively.

Having said that we are now more defensive full stop and I think there is a little way to go before the midfield starts to gel more with the front line. I think that is where Patrick Viera was coming in as he was feeding balls forward.

However we still haven't been using our width effectively enough so far and I guess that is why Mancini wants Tevez back as he likes to be playmaker in front of midfield and he was help gives us the width and tear defences apart. Also he is a great striker who can make something out of nothing.

We are not far off at all and I predict that in a few weeks it will start to fall into place.

Am I being too Hopeful? No I don't think so I think we as fans will just have to bear with it as Mancini is tactically very very good.

We just need the right players to plug into the squad to make that happen.

I am glad that I fans are starting to hear the penny drop and that we are starting to ignore the trollop that the press like to print.

All they want is entertainment; they will get it and they and us will just have to wait.; 22 February 2010 at 14:06
Norfstander said...: "The attempted late tackle by Kompany on Benayoun in the penalty area was completely stupid and he should be dropped immediately. He could have finished our season right there. Unforgiveable".

Stupidest thing i've read all week, maybe all year.

Best defender on our books by a country mile.; 22 February 2010 at 23:00