While Man C does have alot of Midfielders, there are not that many that have the European experience that Reyna does. And while I don't expect him to start, I expect to see him on the bench.
While Man C does have alot of Midfielders, there are not that many that have the European experience that Reyna does. And while I don't expect him to start, I expect to see him on the bench.
I conclude that Fowler's a striker, Reyna's not. More relevantly, Bosvelt and Siberski were chosen over Reyna as backup midfielders. Nicolas "6 goals in 6 matches" Anelka says hi.
with such an abundance of midfielders, i'd like to think that kev didn't want to risk the hassle of having reyna on the team with fulham supporters "singing his disgrace". i expect reyna to be on the team on thursday. he might even start!
i think that coleman is a competent manager and can only get better (he's a baby for god's sake!), but the facts remain that city is the bigger club, with the better players, and a euro spot.
It takes more than a week to regain match fitness after the injury Claudio's had... I would be happy to see him starting regularly by the end of October.
Well fitness could be an issue (even though he was playing 70 minutes in July already) and maybe Keegan didn't want to play Reyna in front of the Fullham crowd, but more likely, Reyna has not earned a spot on the game-day roster, much less the starting lineup, yet.
Apples and oranges. Anelka is a striker, Claudio is not. And Claudio is a better all-round player, but obviously Anelka is much better in front of goal. Some of Anelka's goals are penalties and he has enjoyed good service from Macmanaman and company in midfield.
Then you should've said, "I don't see a single MIDFIELDER more valuable than Claudio Reyna." Anelka's scored goals this year that most strikers wouldn't have. Saying that he's less valuable than Reyna right now strains credibility.
Reyna to Fullback? so if worse comes to worse and Reyna can't crack the top 4 midfielders, could he go to the back 4? And has Keegan ever played a 3-5-2?
Everybody needs to chillout. Give Claudio a little time and he will be in the starting 11 either in midfield or at right back. City is a good team with a lot of quality players. KK will play Claudio when he is ready.
Actually, I didn't say Anelka was less valuable, I said I didn't see anyone more valuable, i.e. Anelka is at best of equal value. This is quite a subjective matter, but when I consider what Reyna brings defensively, what he brings to distribution and possession, the leadership he brings, and the experience and decision-making, I think this offsets what Anelka brings to the table in terms of goals. Anelka is an incredible athlete, and I don't take anything away from his striking ability, but there are players with more skill. He has 6 goals, but I believe half of those (?) are from penalties. Reyna is not the player to score goals for you, and if you don't have a striker like Anelka to combine with him plus other midfield support, you aren't going to win many games (see Sunderland). It's not that discount Anelka, it's more that I am very high on Claudio right now. I think Claudio made the right choice in City. I am anxious to see him on the field now.
Coaches tend to evaluate fitness as one of the major factors in their starting lineup. A player normally needs to have at least some degree of match fitness in order to get into the starting lineup. In the case of the Gold Cup, Arena was playing him 70 minutes a game to try and help him regain fitness. Keegan doesn't have that luxury - every match counts, and the league is the most important competition that the team is playing in, whereas Arena made his decision knowing that the Gold Cup wasn't the most important thing for the US.
I think most neutral observers (which may be hard to find) would say that McManaman is a more valuable midfielder than our beloved Reyna. As a Reyna fan, I am no neutral observer. Yet, I readily admit that McManaman is way more valuable than Reyna to MC.
As a city fan, I have to say Anelka is more valuable than Reyna. If Anelka left, I'd be distraught and city would be playing like a lost cause. If Claudio left, we'd easily cope. WE managed to beat Villa 4-1 without him. What if Anelka was not on? WE'd have lost I can tell you, with no inspiration up front. I also believe Sylvain Distin and David Sommeil are more valuable due to their defencive partnership which is a great one IMO. Claudio is rumoured to be starting though tomorrow night in place of McManaman. He'll definately be on the bench barring injury, as we have 7 subs in the waffa cup. He is not match fit, so I don't blame Keegan for not playing (despite it not stopping him playing Fowler last season and costing us 6th place). Against fulham, the decision was diplomatic, but also tactical. We needed Sibierski in midfield as a sub, as away from home he has done well linking up. Bosvelt added tenacity, and should have started, as Fulham had a packed midfield. ~ The Green ne
As a Gers and USMNT fan, I've been a pretty agressive defender of Reyna's against the stupid level of criticism heaped on him over the past two years. None the less, if I was picking a side on the playground, I'd grab Anelka and probably Macca first. Nothing against Reyna, but strikers who score are simply more valuable more often than exceptionally solid midfielders. Except, of course, if you're the Galaxy.
One possible reason for his being witheld from this match is because of the verbal spat he got into between him and Fulham's manager C. Coleman. I have just returned from the UK and I believe the Observer's write up of the match on Sunday mentioned that Reyna was being held back for just this reason. Perhaps Keegan thought it wasn't worth bringing Claudio down to Fulham so soon...and force him to deal with all the stick he would receive from the Fulham crowd and players. Mike
While that's possible, I really hope it's not the reason he wasn't available for the game. A player with his background playing in Germany, Scotland, and England and captained his country for many years definitely has thick enough skin to handle stick from players and fans.
For those valuing Anelka higher than Reyna, I respect your opinions. I think highly of both of them, and understand that Anelka gives you the more tangible goalscoring, so I can't blame you for rating him higher. However, I stand by what I wrote and believe over the course of the year, barring injury, you will come to see Reyna's true worth.
Hey, I'm not knocking Reyna at all. I think he beats Berko hands down, Bosvelt is a good player and that will have do with form, injury etc. Macca is a bit different of a player and more unique/slightly better. Anelka wins simply by being a striker on a role. If you've got a guy who's scoring, especially over a couple seasons, you want him on your side. But I have always rated Reyna higher than most and think he'll make a big contribution to Man City if he stays healthy.