Manchester City: The Many Formation Options for Roberto Mancini

Faris AlmajedFeatured ColumnistSeptember 8, 2011

Manchester City: The Many Formation Options for Roberto Mancini

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    After another summer shopping spree that saw the arrival of Gael Clichy, Stefan Savic, Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, and the free-of-charge Owen Hargreaves, Manchester City have a squad that even the most successful of coaches would be envious of.

    The surplus of talent in the City ranks means almost every player will be challenging for a spot in the first eleven. There's not really one field player that City would be devastated to lose. If an injury or suspension happens, there is a qualified replacement at nearly every position.

    With so many high profile names destined to warm the bench, coach Roberto Mancini may find it hard to keep the entire squad happy. That being said, City are competing in four tournaments this year, so there will plenty of minutes to fight for.

    Let's take a look at just a few of the many formation options Mancini has.

Formation 1: Playing It Safe

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    This is Mancini's preferred formation, and the most common one he deployed last season. This 4-3-3 setup, which at times becomes a 4-5-1, is also the most defensive option for the citizens.

    With Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry anchoring the midfield, and Yaya Toure pushing forward, City's midfield was loaded with aggressive physical presences last year.

    However, with two wide players and one striker, there was often a lack of creative connection between the midfield and the forwards. 

Formation 2: Creativity over Strength

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    This was the same formation that was used against Tottenham, and it will probably be Mancini's first choice in this campaign. This is more of a 4-2-3-1 with two defensive midfielders, most likely Toure and De Jong, sitting in front of the back-line.

    This formation unleashes the deadly trio of Silva, Nasri and Aguero to lead the attack behind either Dzeko or Tevez. This solves the problem of transitioning from defense to attack, with both Nasri and Silva on the pitch. There is no shortage of goal-scorers and creativity in this formation.

Formation 3: Argentinean Connection

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    We have yet to see this happen, but City fans everywhere would love to witness Carlos Tevez and Kun Aguero leading the charge together.

    An old fashioned 4-4-2, this formation would force either Silva or Nasri to the bench in order to make room for the extra striker. 

    While Mancini rarely plays two out-and-out forwards, we may see a similar formation when City are pushing for a goal late in games, or if one of Nasri or Silva is unavailable.

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