Yes, I’m as amazed as anybody else that Manchester City were willing to shell out £26 million for James Milner’s services. What I find even more amazing is the way that City have acted since completing the purchase. If you’re going to spend that kind of cash, you should at least attempt to get value for money. Milner was a star for Aston Villa because he was given the confidence of his boss and the time and space to showcase his talents. He can’t really count on either at the moment.
Milner finds himself in a crowded team where competition for places is so strong that he’s hardly getting a look in at the moment.
It’s my opinion that if City are to get the best out of Milner, he should be brought in off the wings. Give him some freedom in the centre of midfield to roam and pick out his passes and City could really find themselves opening up teams. Unfortunately for Milner, there are too many players ahead of him in the line-up that would start before him in the centre of the midfield (De Jong, Yaya, Barry, Silva, etc).
The competition for places means that when Milner does get an opportunity to play he finds himself out on the wings. It’s not a perfect situation for either the club, or the player. Playing down the left, Milner can sometimes look slow and lethargic, and his final ball often leaves something to be desired. It’s a far cry from the man we saw playing for Aston Villa last season.
Still, there is evidence that Mancini holds Milner in some regard: With City leading Bolton by only 1 goal to nil, it was Milner that Mancini sent on in an attempt to revitalise their fatigued midfield and put a stop to any potential Bolton comeback. City do have a reputation for conceding during injury time after all.
It seems to me that beyond the goalkeeping position and possibly Carlos Tevez, there are no nailed on ‘starters’ present at the club. Players can’t rely on a couple of good performances to keep them in contention for a starting position. Such is the strength of competition that you can perform well one day and find yourself on the bench the next. This makes it even more difficult to impress when you’re just coming on for a couple of minutes towards the end of the game.
I genuinely hope that Milner comes good at City. At the moment he just has to bide his time and grab any opportunity that he can. If that doesn’t work and he isn’t getting regular first team football by the end of the season, then perhaps it’ll be time to move on.
Do you want to see more of Milner, or is he very much a City squad player? Feel free to leave a comment, or follow me on Twitter: @ThePerfectPass
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