Pick the City team

[Shaggy]

Trying to pick their team is ****ing ridiculous. Pick YOUR team, plus seven subs, and we'll bump it on day one to see whose team was nearest to the real thing. I reckon we could get all sorts of different permutations.

What XI, plus subs, would you pick out of this lot?

No.		Position	Player

1		GK	Shay Given (vice-captain)
2		DF	Micah Richards
3		DF	Wayne Bridge
4		DF	Nedum Onuoha
5		DF	Pablo Zabaleta
6		MF	Michael Johnson
7		MF	Stephen Ireland
8		MF	Shaun Wright-Phillips
10              FW      Robinho
11		MF	Adam Johnson
12		GK	Stuart Taylor
14		FW	Roque Santa Cruz
15		DF	Javier Garrido
16		FW	Jo
17		DF	Jérôme Boateng
18		MF	Gareth Barry
19		DF	Joleon Lescott
20		FW	Felipe Caicedo
21		MF	David Silva
24		MF	Patrick Vieira
25		FW	Emmanuel Adebayor
26		GK	David González
27		GK	Joe Hart
28		DF	Kolo Touré (captain)
29		MF	Kelvin Etuhu
30		DF	Shaleum Logan
32		FW	Carlos Tévez
33		MF	Vincent Kompany
34		MF	Nigel de Jong
36		DF	Javan Vidal
39		FW	Craig Bellamy
40		MF	Vladimír Weiss
42		MF	Yaya Touré
44		DF	Dedryck Boyata
45		DF	Greg Cunningham
48		MF	Abdisalam Ibrahim
52		FW	Alex Nimely

[ntto]

given
boateng toure kompany kolorav
toure barry
silva tevez johnson
adebayour

[Shaggy]

given
boateng toure kompany kolorav
toure barry
silva tevez johnson
adebayour

7 subs god dammit!

[-V-]

Do you want us to pick our team or what we think Mancini will pick?

[Shaggy]

Do you want us to pick our team or what we think Mancini will pick?

Like I said, 'YOUR team' - not the team you think he'll pick.

But then we can see who thinks like Mancini after he's picked his first side.

[Craig_H]

This is a bit pointless now, because in another week or two, they'll probably have signed another 4 expensive players.

[Shaggy]

Then simply edit your post accordingly

[Craig_H]

Or shall i just put Kolorov at leftback now?

[Shaggy]

Well he's in both teams so far.

To be fair I thought he'd signed.

[-V-]

It just occured to me how **** their defence is. Soooo mediocre. Check my team


..................Joe Hart
.....Boateng...Toure....Kompany
....................Yaya.............

A.Johnson......Tevez......Bellamy
..........Silva..........Robinho
.................Adebayor



subs- Given, Lescott, Richards, Zabaleta, Ireland, Barry, De Jong

[Shaggy]

It just occured to me how **** their defence is. Soooo mediocre. Check my team


..................Joe Hart
.....Boateng...Toure....Kompany
....................Yaya

Johnson........Tevez......Bellamy
..........Silva..........Robinho
.................Adebayor

-----------------------Given------------------------

Boateng---------Toure------Kompany------------Kolarov---

-----------------De Jong------Toure-------------

Silva----------------Tevez------------Robinho----------

------------------Adebayor(or new striker, Dzeko, Balotelli?)

Subs: Hart, Lescott, Richards, Barry, Ireland, Johnson, new striker

That means the following won't make the match-day squad: (I'm assuming Bellamy will leave)

Onuoha
Garrido
Bridge
Zabaleta
SWP
Michael Johnson
Weiss
Vieira
Jo
Santa Cruz

[Shaggy]

OK I've changed my mind. They're not that good are they. Yet. Average defence, loads of decent DMs, good forwards and maybe two world class in Tevez and potentially Silva.

[-V-]

So despite all those attackers you still managed to pick 2 defensive midfielders? Essentially only 4 attackers in your 11?

Boring *******, your just doing that because you know Mancini will play 2 or 3 defensive mids

[-V-]

Can Zabaleta play left back? I would sign him up for us if he can. Or sign him and move Johnson to left back

[Shaggy]

So despite all those attackers you still managed to pick 2 defensive midfielders? Essentially only 4 attackers in your 11?

Boring *******, your just doing that because you know Mancini will play 2 or 3 defensive mids

Am I ****.

Yeah, 'only' 4. With Robinho and Silva as the nominal wide two the full backs will get precisely zero protection so the two DMs will cover instead. I did pick a 4-3-3 at first but scrapped it, as all of the candidates in midfield are defensively minded.

It's the team I'd pick. There's nothing wrong with 4-2-3-1 with the right personnel and I think they've got it.