Since the takeover of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour on 1 September 2008 we have had the pleasure of watching some fantastic players , none more so than the strikers. Man City Square have decided to pick an ultimate team of Manchester City players from the past decade and this time it is the turn of the attackers.
Manchester City have had an array of attacking talent plying their trade in blue in the last decade, the like of which we could never have dreamed of. For most of the last decade we have had a steady increase in the quality of the players we have available . Each transfer window there has been a habit of upgrading the playing staff.
To put this into perspective Paul Dickov – our talismanic striker who helped rescue our club from obscurity with the famous play off victory was released from City on 7 August 2008. By the end of the decade we finished with a strike partnership of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus. And that is an upgrade which is unbelievable.
It is worth making clear that there has been much debate behind the selection and discussion of our players and whether players of the past – even in the recent past – would earn a place amongst our current elite team. I have decided to play a 4-3-3 formation so that my attackers also includes our wingers as well as old fashioned centre forwards.
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In these 10 years we have seen Craig Bellamy and Emmanuel Adebayor. Both of these players had their moments. For Adebayor it will always be his celebration for scoring against previous club Arsenal that will define him in a City shirt. We have also seen two other players who have caused debate at Man City Square -Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo. Dzeko was a perfect striker in bursts for us who seemed to provide a lethal finish, often from the bench. I was genuinely sorry to see him leave as I believed he had a future in our side. Negredo – the Beast- burst onto the scene and for nearly 6 months was unstoppable. But as quickly as he appeared he disappeared.
Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli are our next two contenders for our team of the decade. Tevez was a wonderful player who when focussed was brilliant but unfortunately it will be him going on strike that I remember most alongside a cheeky billboard outside Old Trafford which announced his arrival in Manchester. Balotelli was a character and I loved him but it was time for him to move on. His application was never hard enough to play in our side.
In picking three attackers for our team of the decade it is difficult to look beyond our current squad. This is the best side we have ever had so it is no disgrace to acknowledge that. My choice is therefore beginning with Sergio Aguero in the central striker role. Quite simply the best I have seen in the Premier League for any club. He is always hungry and still enjoys scoring like he is a12 year old.
Either side of Aguero I would choose Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling as attackers. Their pace, wing wizardry and shooting is unstoppable. Of course this means there is no place for Jesus but he has an opportunity to earn a spot by increasing his scoring rate!
Man City Square Team of the Decade: The Attackers
Formation 4-3-3
Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling