So, summer is upon us, and with the shackles of Financial Fair Play now firmly lifted, Manchester City have again been active in the market, with the purchases of England internationals Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph. The Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak promised in a recent CityTV interview that the club will be bringing in “high quality signings”.
Despite the club landing the services of two established internationals, City are still firmly in the hunt for Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne, who could both massively improve both the City squad and starting XI. From a tactical and hypothetical point of view, if City were to acquire their top targets, it would potentially give manager Manuel Pellegrini a wonderful conundrum in how to set his side up, both personnel wise and tactically.
For me, the most obvious set up would be to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation, this would certainly enable players like Yaya Toure, David Silva and Raheem Sterling to all see plenty of the ball, far too often our side has been unbalanced, with Silva and Nasri not providing enough defensive support, with Yaya Toure also neglecting partner Fernandinho in central midfield. Paul Pogba would certainly help to stiffen the side; the French international has a terrific engine, but does lack the passing range of Toure, who could adopt numerous positions in a 4-2-3-1, from the number ten role to a deep lying playmaker role. Fabian Delph, who has only just arrived at City, could also provide solid cover infront of the back four, as well as providing that tenacity that this City side can sometimes lack, especially in difficult away games. From a wide area, De Bruyne, Navas, Sterling and the young Marcos Lopes are all good at playing on the wings, and with their willingness to stay out wide, it would provide also less space for opposition to counter attack us.
Despite his much maligned criticism, Manuel Pellegrini could also revert back to a 4-4-2, especially with the services of Sergio Aguero, Wilfried Bony and Kelechi Iheanacho upfront. A 4-4-2 generally uses two out and out wingers, and with Raheem Sterling, as well as potentially Kevin De Bruyne, again, City could benefit from a more expansive formation.
Of course the two transfers of Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne are hypothetical, but surround them with the quality we have in the squad now, as well as recent arrivals, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Manuel Pellegrini opt between multiple formations in his quest to regain the Premier League.
How should City line up next season? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @TheMaineBlues.
