Manchester City’s Midfield Should Look Like This On Monday’s Opener vs West Brom
By Larry Henry
Monday will be a day that every Manchester City fan cannot wait for, the season debut against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
City, who were Premier League runners-up last season to Jose Mourinho‘s Chelsea squad, are hoping that with a revamped lineup they can bring the title back to the Etihad. City will have the final game of the opening weekend and will have to have a strong showing in the opener to prepare for a week two clash against Chelsea at the Etihad.
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According to ESPN FC, key players such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Samir Nasri all should be ready to go after a recent virus sidelined the trio earlier this week.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has a tough decision to make regarding who will start in the team’s Starting XI, and this is who Pellegrini should start in the midfield on Opening Day.
Left Midfield: Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri is a man who seems to have been forgotten about since City’s last title-winning campaign in 2013-14. The 28 year-old Nasri, only appeared in 24 Premier League games last season, while scoring only two goals and assisting on six goals. However, Nasri’s experience on the left side of the midfield is why he deserves to start for Pellegrini’s men on Opening Day.
Left Center Midfield: Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure is key for Pellegrini’s midfield to have success this season. The 32 year-old Ivory Coast man, fell off last season after his 2013-14 season in which he had 20 goals that season, and 9 assists. Last year, he chipped in with 10 goals and a single assist, but was also away part of the year at the African Cup of Nations. Toure is still a threat on corner kicks and free kicks, and also can cause a problem for opponents in the midfield. Overall, he is too good to leave out of the starting XI.
Right Center Midfield: Fernando
Fernando was a bright spot in his opening campaign with City last season. He was able to play some solid defense and he chipped in with two goals and two assists in 25 games last season. With Fernadinho getting a long vacation after his involvement in the Copa America in Chile, as well as other players, Fernando should get the nod as the center midfielder next to Toure.
Right Midfield: Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling made the close to 50 million euro move to Manchester City from Liverpool in the Summer and he will have a lot of expectations to live up too. Last year with Liverpool, Sterling scored seven goals and had seven assists in 34 Premier League appearances. His pace and footwork are deadly and he should be able to cause a lot of defenders problems down the right flank.
Next: What will be the easiest and most difficult match ups for City in the month of August?