Do Manchester City Need Samir Nasri Next Season?

Manchester City finished off their trophy-less 2014/15 season with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday.

Aguero winning the Golden Boot was 'the' highlight of City's season

Sergio Aguero won the Premier League Golden Boot, his first since moving from Atletico Madrid in 2011, for scoring 26 goals in a Barclays Premier League campaign that saw Man. City finish in second place.

Joe Hart bagged the Golden Glove award, his 3rd in the last four seasons, for keeping more cleansheets (14) than any other goalkeeper in the English top-flight.

Those two individual awards, albeit not significant in the grand scheme of things, are a reminder of the kind of players City have at their disposal and that there have been a few positives to come out of a season which simply didn't go to plan for the Sky Blues.

City crashed out of both the Capital One and FA Cup competitions at a very early stage, losing to Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, respectively, at their Etihad fortress. They couldn't breach the 'Barcelona barrier' either, losing 1-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League R-16 for the second season in succession.

Throughout the season that has just finished, there were talks of the City squad requiring a major surgery, replacing the older legs - Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy, to name a few - with young, energetic and world class players of the calibre of Paul Pogba, Kevin de Bruyne, Roberto Firmino, Layvin Kurzawa and of late, Raheem Sterling.

Samir Nasri, albeit not in the age categories of the Toures, Kolarovs and Dzekos and who only signed a 5-year contract at the beginning of last season, is another City player alleged to be on his way out of the Etihad.

It was also reported that he had an altercation with Manuel Pellegrini, who dropped him from City's starting XI after a string of poor performances during the late February-early March period, with Nasri making only four substitute appearances thereafter.

In this article, let us get an idea of what the Frenchman did in an injury-hit season, and whether he could get the axe from City's squad for next season.

Read on...

The Frenchman has traveled with the City squad for their tour of North America

Nasri only made 32 appearances across all competitions for the Cityzens in the 14/15 season, suffering injuries - a couple of groin and one calf - on three different occasions, that affected him from replicating the wonderful form he showed in Pellegrini's first season in-charge of the club.

Calling it a bad season for Nasri, however, doesn't make sense if you go by the stats that clearly demonstrate the Frenchman's contribution to City whenever he played.

As an attacking-midfielder or inside forward, the 27-year old, in the season that has just finished, completed 90% of his attempted passes, which was the most by any City attacker, in 24 Premier League appearances.

Not only did he pass for passing sake, but he also created an average of close to 2.2 chances (52 overall) per game, which was bettered only by David Silva (2.9) and Jesus Navas (2.3) - with the duo playing 8 and 11 more games, respectively, than the former Arsenal player.

More impressively, Nasri completed 27 of his 31 attempted take-ons, proving his efficiency in keeping possession and going past defenders.

He also chipped in with a couple of goals and had a shot accuracy of 63%, which, again, was bettered only by Jose Angel Pozo, who made just three league appearances.

In the Champions League, Nasri wasn't as effective as he was in the league, despite making 6 appearances in the competition. He completed 89% of his passes, but mustered a mere 1.2 chances per game, while also completing just 3 take-ons over six appearances.

Nasri was ultra-impressive in Stadio Olimpico, delivering Champions League success for City

His highlight of the season, however, came in this competition, where he scored a goal and assisted the other for Pablo Zabaleta, in City's 2-0 win over AS Roma last December.

Looking beyond Nasri's stats, City need to determine the reason for holding onto their No.8. In Silva, City have a better player than Nasri and in the same mould as the Frenchman; the Spaniard is also adept at creating goal scoring chances (93, in the league alone), completing take-ons (74% success rate, in the league alone) and scoring (12, in the league alone) goals, too.

Therefore, Nasri, without a smidgen of doubt, doesn't bring something different to Pellegrini's side that also has Navas and James Milner, who play as wingers and defensively contribute a lot more than what the Frenchman usually does.

Nasri found Neymar's pace too hot to handle in the second leg of the Barca-City tie

He is also devoid of pace and, at the Champions League level, he will struggle because of that, as we saw what Neymar did to him when City played the Catalans at the Camp Nou.

If the 2013/14 English champions do secure the services of de Bruyne, Firmino and Sterling, or even one amongst the trio, they ought to make a decision on Nasri's role in the squad.

Because unless Pellegrini decides to adopt the 4-3-3 system, which could see the Marseille-born midfielder play in one of the two advanced midfield positions, it is not going to be possible for him to feature regularly in the starting XI.

He, for me, won't be satisfied with a bit-part role and that could cause serious problems with offloading him, as he is currently on a huge £120,000 per week salary at the Etihad.

Final Thought

The former Arsenal player has possession-retaining ability

Nasri is a very good player, who can make things happen for City when they are playing against parked buses: he can drive into the box, play neat one-twos and thereby, add potency to City's attacks.

However, his work-rate is definitely on the lower side and also lacks pace, which is a significant downside for a player who can play only as a winger at City.

As we all know, it is going to be an intriguing summer at City, and what they do with Nasri will further add to the excitement.

Should Manuel Pellegrini Go For Youth In Manchester City's Lineup For The Final Game Of The Season?

Manuel Pellegrini remains intent on signing off the season with a win

Manchester City will finish their 2014/15 Barclays Premier League campaign, which has seen them relinquish their title to Chelsea, with a home game against Southampton on Sunday.

The Sky Blues have secured second place ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United in the league standings, by winning their last five league fixtures on the trot.

They were ran close in a couple of games by Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City - both away from home - but a determined Manuel Pellegrini's side made sure that they worked hard out of possession and were clinical in attack, to secure three points on both those occasions.

City, otherwise, registered comfortable victories over West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers (QPR) at the Etihad Stadium, where they also overcame an assertive Aston Villa side that was close to holding the hosts for a point, at least.

It has been an important turnaround for the Cityzens, who, at one stage in April, looked likely to not even qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Having secured the runner-up spot, as well as automatic qualification for the group stages of the Champions League next season, should Pellegrini experiment, and inject a few youth players in his starting lineup for Sunday's clash against Ronald Koeman's Saints?

Read on...

City's season was virtually over after they suffered defeats to Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Premier League, in back-to-back games during the late February and early March period.

The atmosphere inside the Etihad, consequently, hasn't been at its raucous best for a good three months now and the City faithful are already looking for a fresh start next season.

The City supporters, however, have taken great delight in their club finishing above Manchester United for the second consecutive season, with Louis van Gaal's men losing 75% of their games (4) since inflicting a 2-4 derby defeat on City in April.

City fans witnessed their side pummel Southampton by 3-0 in the reverse fixture

The Etihad outfit has also played a coruscating brand of football, which has been missing for much of this season, lately, going onto score 16 goals during their current 5-game winning run, compared to just 9 in the previous 6 league fixtures.

One of the factors Pellegrini needs to consider if he is keen on experimenting with his starting lineup is that City will be playing at home against Southampton, a game for which the tickets have been sold out, and it, therefore, almost becomes an obligation to give the club's fanatics a good send off.

The Chilean, in his final pre-match press conference of the season yesterday, said that "Second is finished but the season isn't. We must try to win for our fans, to play well and give a good farewell to the season", indicating his single-mindedness in wanting to finish the season on a winning note.

PELLEGRINI: Second is finished but the season isn’t. We must try to win for our fans, to play well and to give a good farewell to the season

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) May 22, 2015

That statement of his makes sense too, because City, unlike Jose Mourinho's side, haven't had a great season, and it can only be a good thing to finish the season with as many points to your name as possible.

The Chilean also has to be cautious in the way he bloods in youth to his squad, which has been one of his virtues as a City manager, because ideally, he doesn't want the youngsters to feature in a game and lose confidence on themselves because of a poor performance or something.

In addition, the starlets seem a little light-weight compared to the likes of a Jordan Ibe or Ruben Loftus-Cheek, players who have graced the Premier League this season for Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively.

The caliber of the opposition also needs to be taken into account, and from that point of view, City will need to play their full-strength side in order to overcome Sunday's visitors.

On the flip side of the coin, however, there can be no better stage for Pellegrini than Sunday, when he could inject a couple of youth players to his side's starting lineup, and thereby squash any lingering doubts over his supposed lack of faith in City's academy and EDS players.

Players like Kelechi Iheanacho and Jose Angel Pozo, who has already appeared for City in three league fixtures this season, could be given a chance to feature this Sunday, when there is absolutely nothing to lose or gain, at least from the home side's perspective.

It will be an important step, as Pellegrini often puts it during his interviews, in the Chilean's reign as City manager, who will need to have a few youth options up his sleeve ahead of the next season, when he will once again be under pressure to deliver silverware.

But going by his thoughts in the presser yesterday, Pellegrini sounds to be in no mood whatsoever to take a gamble, and put himself under pressure if something goes wrong.

Final Thought

It is important for City and Pellegrini to secure three points on Sunday, and ensure that they finish the season on a very good note.

Therefore, it would be good for City and their supporters if the former Malaga manager sticks with the lineup that has delivered results over the last month, and makes sure of the victory first.

This talk of experimentation can wait, at least until three points against Southampton are assured.

Barclays Premier League: Five Things We Learned From Manchester City's Victory Against Swansea City

Yaya Toure's brace was pivotal to City's victory yesterday

Manchester City, by way of a 4-2 victory against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, registered their 5th consecutive Barclays Premier League win since suffering defeat at the hands of Manchester United in April, and assured themselves of direct qualification into the group stages of next season's UEFA Champions League.

It was a brilliant game of football, that didn't have too much to choose between two attractive football teams.

But City, with a bit more firepower than the hosts, in attack, managed to outscore Gary Monk's side that played with great vigor and incision.

Yaya Toure (2), James Milner and former Swan, Wilfried Bony, got the goals for the visitors, who would have been disappointed at the way they conceded the two goals, which were scored by Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bafetimbi Gomis on either side of half-time, and let Swansea back in after leading them by 2-0 in the first 45'.

From City's perspective, they certainly would be cock-a-hoop because of yesterday's victory that sees them finish above the Red Devils in the Premier League standings for the second consecutive season. However, in hindsight, what can they takeaway from their display against the Swans?

The home side played as they were expected to

Having accrued 56 points, which is the highest ever points tally in their history, from 36 games prior to the defeat to City, it was not unexpected of Swansea to perform the way they did and take the game to their illustrious opponents.

Montero posed plenty of problems for Zabaleta on City's right-hand-side

Out of possession, they were well organized and forced City to work hard to create openings. When they won the ball back, the Welsh side broke in unison and asked a few questions of their opponents' rearguard that found it difficult to cope with the pacey Swansea forwards - Nathan Dyer, Jefferson Montero, and Modou Barrow in the second half.

Sigurdsson's goal, which came on the stroke of half-time, was a timely one and reminded City that the game was not over by any means.

Gomis got the second goal after 20 minutes into the second half, and incidentally, it once again came at a time when City were fashioning chances of their own and close to finding what could have been a decisive 3rd goal.

Swansea, considering the way they scored the two goals and created 7 other goal scoring chances on the evening, would be bitterly disappointed at the result they managed in the end.

Lukasz Fabianski had a forgettable game, as he should have done much better for both the Toure goals and at least got a hand to Milner's goal, which came from a brilliant City counterattack.

Overall, Swansea played well and contributed to a very good game of football, which was also not unexpected prior to kickoff.

But, hopefully, this game could help them identify the areas they need to tighten up on when playing against the big boys of the Premier League and also have a look at harnessing the opportunities, like they were afforded by City last night.

City produced a 'good' away performance

There were many a moment during yesterday's game when Manuel Pellegrini's men were under the pump and had to weather a Swansea storm.

Such a scenario was particularly palpable even prior to City scoring the opener, with the likes of Montero posing defensive questions to Pablo Zabaleta and Dyer too, investigating Eliaquim Mangala's temperament as a Premier League defender.

The visitors, though, came through every one of those testing phases, first to take a 2-0 lead and then to restore their two-goal advantage after Swansea equalized.

Milner's goal came from a terrific City counterattack

I thought that Pellegrini's side played some delightful counterattacking football, with Milner's goal in particular exuding great precision and illustrating the clinical nature of City's attacking play, on a day when they created 20 goal scoring chances and attempted 22 shots on Fabianski's goal.

The Cityzens only saw 51% of the ball, which is 5% less than the amount of possession they have averaged over this season, during the 95 minutes, but never found it hard to create chances and repeatedly got behind the Ashley Williams-led backline.

Such incisive attacking performances have been few and far in between for City, who will no doubt look into improving on that aspect of their game before the next season kicks off.

City showed why they are far from becoming a force in Europe

Yesterday's game was a carbon copy of City's early season clash against Hull City at the KC Stadium where, after taking a 2-0 lead, they conceded two cheap goals to let the home side back into the game.

Against Swansea, they were probably not as dominant as against Steve Bruce's side, but no way should Monk's men have got back into it and posed fresh concerns for City.

The central defensive partnership of Martin Demichelis and Mangala didn't have a great time yesterday, and found it extremely hard to deal with Gomis' physicality and genuine aerial ability.

Mangala was probably assigned to mark the 29-year old striker, but the Frenchman was caught out of position many times and Swansea found plenty of joy in playing around the former FC Porto defender.

City's rearguard was not up to the mark against Swansea yesterday

While Mangala had a forgettable game, Demichelis didn't produce one of his best performances either, winning just 1 of his 5 attempted tackles and failed to win his solitary aerial duel.

Vincent Kompany came on for the last 15 minutes, replacing Fernandinho and going alongside Mangala, with Demichelis moving into that No.4 position.

Even the inception of the Belgian defender didn't improve City rearguard's performance on the day, which was way below par. On another day, Swansea could have won that game if not for Joe Hart, who made two jaw-dropping saves to keep the score at 2-2 before Toure put City in the lead for the second time on the day.

Defensive problems have marred what has been a disappointing season for the Sky Blues, who once again relinquished a two-goal lead yesterday, before redeeming themselves and eventually going onto win the game.

Their attacking play was coruscating for a best part of 95 minutes, but defensively, against a pacey Swansea outfit, they were far from convincing, which explains why they have vast improvements to make in order to become a force in Europe.

It was a team effort from Pellegrini's side

This was one of the stark aspects of City's performance against Swansea yesterday: at least 60% of the players who played yesterday, put in satisfying displays. 

Toure had a brilliant game and was mighty pivotal to City's victory against the Swans. He scored 2 goals that gave his side the lead on both the occasions, while completing 87% of his passes and all three attempted take-ons: complete midfielder's display, that. 

Aleksandar Kolarov continued his rich vein of form with another solid display at left-back, where he had his task cut out against the fleet-footed Swansea wingers - Dyer and Barrow. 

The Serbian won 3 of his 6 attempted tackles and 3 of the 5 aerial duels he was involved in, while also making 2 interceptions and 4 clearances, to vindicate the defensive solidity he rendered yesterday. In an attacking sense too, he played to profile: delivering well from corner-kick situations, from which he created two goal scoring chances, and in general provided great attacking impetus to the visitors. 

Silva and Milner were prolific as a partnership for their side

Likewise, Milner was great to watch, as his understanding with David Silva led to City creating many chances from the left-hand-side once Navas replaced Frank Lampard, and the man from Yorkshire moved into a No.10 position. On the evening, Milner created 6 goal scoring chances; completed all (4) his attempted take-ons and scored a goal, to cap off a comprehensive performance. 

Hart made 7 saves overall; Sergio Aguero made the assist for Milner's goal; Silva registered two assists and completed 5 of his 7 attempted take-ons; Bony, as aforementioned, scored a goal against his old club, in the 10 minutes he got to play in for his new one. 

Therefore, it was a team effort from City who totally deserved the result they managed yesterday.  

City's good run of form carried them through

There were moments during yesterday's game when City could have crumbled under the pressure exerted on them by Swansea. They, however, kept going and managed to pull off the desired result in the end.

The players looked confident whenever City were in possession, and there was fluidity to most City attacks against Monk's side. 

City will be cock-a-hoop by the result they managed at the Liberty Stadium

Aguero led the line well, even though he didn't produce a good performance on his own, and the Milner-Silva duo was absolutely fabulous to watch.  

Even after Swansea attained parity, you never thought that City were going to get agitated and fail to create any more chances; that belief, I think, is a result of the winning run Pellegrini's side has been in since the Manchester derby defeat, and also the boost they would have garnered from the manner of their victory against Aston Villa at the Etihad three weeks ago. 

Final Thought

Pellegrini will be delighted by the result, but should investigate City's frailties

Poor defending and letting a 2-goal lead slip, again, probably will take a bit of the sheen off City's victory against Swansea. 

But take no credit away from City for the way they attacked Fabianski's goal and created as many chances as they did, playing away from home. 

Let us also not forget the contribution of Hart to the victory, which would definitely have not been possible without those two massive saves the England No.1 pulled off after Kompany replaced Fernandinho.

Pellegrini will be one happy man, and inching to finish the season with a win against Southampton at home. 

Barclays Premier League Preview: Swansea City vs Manchester City

Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales
Kickoff: 13:30 BST; 18:00 IST

Gary Monk, at just 36, is proving to be a tactical genius

Manchester City travel to the Liberty Stadium, to take on Swansea City in the penultimate Gameweek of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League season.

It really is a significant weekend for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who could seal automatic qualification into next season's UEFA Champions League if they win against Swansea on Sunday.

The hosts, though, are in a fine fettle of their own and won't be easy to beat at all. They ran City ragged when the sides met at the Etihad Stadium last November, and deserved a better result than the one ( a 1-2 defeat) they got in the end.

Both sides' managers - Pellegrini and Gary Monk - insist on playing an attractive brand of football, and I am sure that the viewers from all around the world, as well as the supporters of both these football clubs, will be in for a treat this Sunday afternoon.

Read on... as we compare the strengths and weaknesses of both the sides, and what they have been doing lately.

Swansea

Swansea are a great team to watch when they are playing their best football

Monk's side is sitting in 8th place (with 56 points) on the league table and could achieve UEFA Europa League qualification if they win their remaining games and other results work in their favor; a 7th place finish (provided Arsenal win the FA Cup against Aston Villa on May 30th) could be enough to compete in Europe for the Jacks.

Their 14/15 campaign has been slightly up and down, and the Swans have found it difficult to strike consistency. They have managed to string three wins together only on two occasions in the Premier League this season, and it is an area that they would like to rectify this Sunday.

However, having said that, this has been a landmark season in their history, accruing their biggest ever points tally of 56, which is a whopping 9 points more than their previous best of 47.

The Welsh side comes into this game on the back of three consecutive victories, the last of which came against the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium 5 days back.

Ki Sung-yueng, central midfielder, has already enjoyed a dream season at the Liberty, and is the leading goal scorer with 8 goals in 31 league appearances.

Ki is a genuine box-to-box midfielder

Ki will definitely be one of the players to watch out for tomorrow, as he is a genuine box-to-box midfielder who would want to show his worth against the 2013/14 English champions.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is another player, who has enjoyed a very good season after making a permanent move from Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

He has made the third-most number of assists (10) in the Premier League this season, and will be crucial to his side's chances of winning against City.

While the Swans have played with a lot of virtuosity in attack this season, their backline has not been watertight and conceded 44 goals so far in the Premier League.

Lukasz Fabianski, another one of Monk's marquee signings from last summer, has been called into action many times this season, and played a crucial role in his side enjoying the kind of season they have thus far.

The Pole has made 115 saves in 35 league appearances this season, averaging 3.29 saves, which is the most for a Premier League goalkeeper, per game.

Monk prefers to deploy his side in the archetype 4-3-3 system that enables them to play with great fluidity and creativity in midfield, as well as on the flanks, where the likes of Jefferson Montero, Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer can be absolutely lethal with their pace and movement.

Going into Sunday's home clash against City, it is paramount that Swansea don't concede goals and rely on their attackers to outshone their counterparts.

Someone like Jonjo Shelvey, with his work rate and ability to play instinctively, will have to come good, if Swansea are to cause problems for their illustrious opponents in a defensive and offensive sense.

Don't be surprised if Swansea sit deep and play on the counterattack, which has been the go-to tactic for most Premier League outfits when playing against the league's highest scorers.

City

Sunday's visitors have won their last four league games on the trot, but it would take a lot out of them to beat an in-form Swansea side this Sunday lunch time.

It has been a much needed turnaround for the Cityzens who, before their last four victories, were not assured of a top four spot and have had to work extremely hard to overtake Arsenal and Manchester United into second place.

Aguero is a pocket-size dynamite, at least in the eyes of City fanatics

Sergio Aguero's goal scoring form has been particularly pleasing to see, with the Argentine scoring 6 goals during his side's current 4-game winning run, taking his tally to 25 league goals for this campaign and putting himself in pole position to win the Golden Boot.

David Silva is back to being consistent after a tough two month period that saw him create 29 chances and score 2 goals - which is considerably low for the kind of high standards he sets for himself - from March 1st until the Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford

The likes of Fernandinho, Aleksandar Kolarov, Eliaquim Mangala and Pablo Zabaleta, to name a few, have come good of late, and been crucial to their team's recent success.

City have performed well as a unit in recent games, with a majority of their players coming back to form and making their presence felt.

Pellegrini too, deserves his share of credit for conjuring up this turnaround in form after the defeat to the Red Devils, who have since won only 25% of their games.

Pellegrini should be applauded for the way he has engineered a turnaround in City's form

The Chilean manager has resorted to playing just Aguero up top, and that decision has paid rich dividends for him, as well as City, who have consequently been tough to breakdown by the likes of West Ham United, Villains, Spurs and Queens Park Rangers.

The City boss has also played with an unchanged starting XI for his side's last two games, but I would be very surprised if he refrains from calling back the fit again stalwarts - Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany - who were on the bench for their side's last game against the Rangers.

Even if the duo does come back into the starting XI, it will be interesting to see who they come in place of: Mangala and Martin Demichelis have largely been good as a defensive partnership, and it would be harsh on either of them to be dropped; Toure's selection could be more straightforward, although it would make sense if Pellegrini brings the Ivorian in place of Frank Lampard and not bench one of the two boisterous Brazilian midfielders.

Another potential selection dilemma for Pellegrini is that of Wilfried Bony, who hasn't managed to start any of his side's last three games since regaining fitness.

It could be an emotional moment for him on his return to the Liberty Stadium as a City player, and this aspect will add a bit more spice to this intriguing Premier League encounter.

Tactically, I expect Pellegrini to persevere with the 4-2-3-1 system, albeit with at least 2-3 changes in personnel.

Going into tomorrow's game, City will be relatively confident of beating Swansea, but will have to bring their A-game to the table.

The hosts have got pacey players up their sleeve and, as aforementioned, will look to play on the counterattack. It is important for the visitors to score that first goal, which always helps them play with verve and composure thereafter.

Defensively, they can be sure to face a few questions from the Swansea frontline comprising of Bafetimbi Gomis, Montero and Routledge, most probably.

City, though, will like playing against Swansea, as it will be more of a competitive game and not cagey.

Final Thought

Expect this to be a goal scoring feast, and closely contested battle between two aggressive football teams.

Both teams will fancy their chances of winning, which is the reason why the spectators could be in for a treat.

City will start as favorites, but Swansea will be reasonably confident of posing defensive problems for the visitors.