The last season under Roberto Mancini was far from a happy one. After winning the league the year previous, City didn’t build on their squad adequately enough during the summer transfer window, ending up having to make five signings on deadline day after only signing one all window, and that failure to build allowed Manchester United to step back in and win the title with relative ease. The Champions League campaign was less than successful (not a single group game was won and The Blues finished bottom of their group) and we were out of the Capital One Cup in September. By all accounts Mancini was far from a popular figure by the time he departed after a damaging – but far from fatal – 2012-13 season.
Two players who suffered during this fated season were Samir Nasri and Aleksandar Kolarov, who both looked unhappy and out of favour in the previous regime. In the papers last season Nasri even told of how Roberto Mancini had threatened to hit him. Aleksandar Kolarov failed to perform when given the chance, and looked to be on his way out the summer after the Italian manager departed. Neither looked happy, but ended up being big players in the double-winning team last year. What happened?
Manuel Pellegrini happened.
Not only being the catalyst for the silverware success last season, Manuel Pellegrini also started to breed a new ethos and a new feeling around the club that led to improvements in Kolarov’s game (that now see him as the undoubted first choice on the left side of defence in the minds of most City fans) and a happier Samir Nasri. For a happier Samir Nasri, is a better one.
For a couple of years after he joined in 2010, Kolarov was more well-known for his attacking strength rather than his defensive ones. His shots and crosses were likened to rockets and (whilst not always accurate) benefitted City in their first title win under Mancini. However he was seen as somewhat of a liability in defence. That led to Clichy being bought from Arsenal a season into Kolarov’s City career; the Frenchman was then preferred by Mancini until he left.
Now, after a season under Pellegrini, Kolarov is looking like a different and better player. He still utilises his strong left foot but much more accurately, and is looking a lot more defensively solid – which is good, considering Clichy doesn’t look like the player we signed. Both offensively and defensively Kolarov is solid and that is down to Pellegrini. The 28-year-old was heavily linked with a move back to Italy in summer 2013, but now that he looks happy in England, few can see him going anywhere.
Samir Nasri in one of a list of players to have move from red to blue – Emirates to Eastlands – since the takeover in 2008. Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Touré and now Bacary Sagna among them. They’ve all endured abuse for ‘only moving for the money’, with Sagna even commenting on it recently, but Nasri has been abused more than most on the list have – possibly because he was one of Arsenal’s French stars at the time. He has performed on-and-off since moving to the north-west three years ago, but now that Manuel Pellegrini is here he seems to be finally happy and consistently performing. He played a big part in the Premier League title win and scored a brilliant goal (the goal voted goal of the season by City fans) at Wembley to help City to their Capital One Cup victory.
The word ‘holistic’ is bandied about a lot, usually with some mocking tone by City fans after it was used in the statement in which the sacking of Roberto Mancini was announced. However, that truly does look like what City are moving towards. However, they wouldn’t be able to do that with players seemingly cast out like Samir Nasri was, and how Kolarov almost was. It was vital for Pellegrini to create the atmosphere in which they could thrive, and he did.
It’s only one game into the 2014-15 season so far, but it already looks like Kolarov and Nasri will be playing big parts again. The Citizens have had their spending restricted this summer, so Pellegrini is having to place his trust in his big players to perform again. Chelsea and Arsenal have strengthened hugely, and it could be City’s biggest challenge yet to try and retain the Premier League title that they won in such dramatic fashion last year. That is the kind of challenge players like Kolarov and Nasri – and the others – will thrive on.
