Too many injuries to get a big fat Bully contract, he’d probably have to accept 2 years with a big wage cut. He could  sign a pre contract with PSG in January. I’d imagine DD & he’d like to be in the WC squad. So hopefully sooner than later we see a few weeks of Kante helping with the busy schedule. When he’s on song he is invaluable, him & Silva are the only world class players at the club so it’ll be a shame to see him go in May if his contract does in fact run out then.

4 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Should we give long cushy contract? Nope. 

Can Kante play for pep? If you have watched city play and you say no, then I can't help you. 

Can ngolo Kante be in a team who contend year in year out? Imagine this pool team with Kante. 

Can he play for Pep though? I don’t think so. Pep values players that are not careless in possession since his teams enjoys a large chunk of possession. The only players that are exempt from that is De Bruyne (81%) because of the kind of balls he plays, and now Haaland (78%). Kante’s pass success rate (84%) is way off his next starting player in Foden (89%). He is a B2B, and he sure isn’t getting in ahead of any one B. Silva, Gundogan & De Bruyne.

Sure he will walk into the Liverpool side, only problem is both Pep & Klopp don’t sign over 30s. Think the last time either City/Liverpool signed one was in 2016, off my head Mahrez at 27 might be Pep’s oldest player. Thiago at 29 is Klopp’s oldest. Both teams are due a rebuild in the middle of the park, and he is a short term option which they won’t do. Utd might revisit it in the summer, but if he is a board signing Ten Haag might give him the Casemiro treatment.

30 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Can he play for Pep though? I don’t think so. Pep values players that are not careless in possession since his teams enjoys a large chunk of possession. The only players that are exempt from that is De Bruyne (81%) because of the kind of balls he plays, and now Haaland (78%). Kante’s pass success rate (84%) is way off his next starting player in Foden (89%). He is a B2B, and he sure isn’t getting in ahead of any one B. Silva, Gundogan & De Bruyne.

Sure he will walk into the Liverpool side, only problem is both Pep & Klopp don’t sign over 30s. Think the last time either City/Liverpool signed one was in 2016, off my head Mahrez at 27 might be Pep’s oldest player. Thiago at 29 is Klopp’s oldest. Both teams are due a rebuild in the middle of the park, and he is a short term option which they won’t do. Utd might revisit it in the summer, but if he is a board signing Ten Haag might give him the Casemiro treatment.

I can see Pep playing kante in double pivot and ask him to sit in front of 4 to prevent transition defense which is one way to attack them. In the build up phase, if you don't trust Kante you push him higher and ask bernardo Silva to pick up the ball deep (which is what he is doing right now anyway). 

Haaland 

Grealish - Foden - KDB 

Kante - B Silva 

 Of course I am talking about when he was younger. Right now Kante is injured all the time, so this is irrelevant. 

But imagine prime and healthy Kante playing for pool.  

 

 

2 hours ago, Bob stark said:

I can see Pep playing kante in double pivot and ask him to sit in front of 4 to prevent transition defense which is one way to attack them. In the build up phase, if you don't trust Kante you push him higher and ask bernardo Silva to pick up the ball deep (which is what he is doing right now anyway). 

Haaland 

Grealish - Foden - KDB 

Kante - B Silva 

 Of course I am talking about when he was younger. Right now Kante is injured all the time, so this is irrelevant. 

But imagine prime and healthy Kante playing for pool.  

 

 

He literally can't do that though as we saw in his early games here under Conte and when Lampard put him there.

His instincts to be proactive get the better of him constantly and leave gaping gaps infront of defense, the main example being that Ozil goal against us.

Not only that it's a total waste of a player who's main attribute is energy to put him on the most restrictive positions on the pitch (in terms of using energy).

At his best in a counter-attacking team, where he can do his thing covering the pitch and winning the ball back.

He doesn't really suit a side who play possession football.

Come the end of his contract, I think he'll have fewer options than his agent imagines ... 

Can he stay fit to play more than three games a season? Who'd buy a player that is rarely available?

1 hour ago, Argo said:

He literally can't do that though as we saw in his early games here under Conte and when Lampard put him there.

His instincts to be proactive get the better of him constantly and leave gaping gaps infront of defense, the main example being that Ozil goal against us.

Not only that it's a total waste of a player who's main attribute is energy to put him on the most restrictive positions on the pitch (in terms of using energy).

Fernandinho was a box to box player in shaktar and he was a pure dm for pep. 

It looks a lot of people here have never watched city play. City does not even defend in 433, most of the time it is 442 or 4231.

47 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

At his best in a counter-attacking team, where he can do his thing covering the pitch and winning the ball back.

He doesn't really suit a side who play possession football.

Come the end of his contract, I think he'll have fewer options than his agent imagines ... 

Is pool a counter attacking team? 

32 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

Is pool a counter attacking team? 

This season's PL possession stats : 

Tends to back up what others have posted that Spurs and Manure (of the big 6) are a better fit for him.

 

1 minute ago, Sexyfootball said:

This season's PL possession stats : 

Tends to back up what others have posted that Spurs and Manure (of the big 6) are a better fit for him.

 

So you don't think Kante will suit pool? 

I think many people have this rigid view of football. No wonder many people think Haaland would not be a good signing for City. 

Football is not like chess where it is just black and white. In top flight football especially, you can adjust many stuff to fit what you want. There is no such thing as pure possession football or pure counter football. Like there is no such thing as pure 442/433 anymore (except maybe in international football, but that is a completely different story).  Of course you can only do this to some degree. It is extremely difficult to play slow football with Timo. It is not because timo strength is his run behind, because even in slow tippy tappy system, you can still use a runner. It is because his other skillset is absolutely atrocious. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Fernandinho was a box to box player in shaktar and he was a pure dm for pep. 

It looks a lot of people here have never watched city play. City does not even defend in 433, most of the time it is 442 or 4231.

I watched us when Lampard put Kante to play as your so called pure DM and he was bad, that's regardless of how you perceive the versatility of Fernandinho. 

2 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Fernandinho was a box to box player in shaktar and he was a pure dm for pep. 

It looks a lot of people here have never watched city play. City does not even defend in 433, most of the time it is 442 or 4231.

Well Fernandinho clearly adapted, Kante even in his prime never did. For France in Euro16 him playing there went so well he was dropped after the RO16 and at the start of the following season here it went so well Conte changed the entire system before the end of September.

1 hour ago, Bob stark said:

I think many people have this rigid view of football. No wonder many people think Haaland would not be a good signing for City. 

I can't speak for anyone else but I never said he'd flop from an individual point of view.

My position was I'm not convinced that he will have them a further level (over the hill and far away) from where they were previously despite how good he is. Early days it maybe but he's currently scoring more than even his biggest fan would have thought possible yet lag behind Arsenal of all teams.

7 hours ago, Argo said:

Well Fernandinho clearly adapted, Kante even in his prime never did. For France in Euro16 him playing there went so well he was dropped after the RO16 and at the start of the following season here it went so well Conte changed the entire system before the end of September.

"On 10 June 2016, Kanté appeared in his first competitive match for France by starting the opening match of Euro 2016 against Romania; he played the entire match, made the most passes, the most tackles, the most interceptions, covered the most distance on the pitch and assisted Dimitri Payet's winning goal in a 2–1 victory.^[84][85][86] In the round of 16 match against the Republic of Ireland at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Kanté picked up a yellow card in the 27th minute (his second of Euro 2016 which would cause him to be suspended from the quarter-final) and was replaced with Kingsley Coman in the 46th minute with the French trailing 0–1 at half time.^[87] Kanté was unused in the final, which France lost 1–0 to Portugal after extra time.^[88]"

Kante also appeared in the 2-0 semi-final win over Germany as a substitute.

I do now tend to check a lot of your stated facts Argo, as I find many of them to be incorrect, as is the case here.

 

Edited October 7, 20223 yr by just

21 minutes ago, just said:

"On 10 June 2016, Kanté appeared in his first competitive match for France by starting the opening match of Euro 2016 against Romania; he played the entire match, made the most passes, the most tackles, the most interceptions, covered the most distance on the pitch and assisted Dimitri Payet's winning goal in a 2–1 victory.^[84][85][86] In the round of 16 match against the Republic of Ireland at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Kanté picked up a yellow card in the 27th minute (his second of Euro 2016 which would cause him to be suspended from the quarter-final) and was replaced with Kingsley Coman in the 46th minute with the French trailing 0–1 at half time.^[87] Kanté was unused in the final, which France lost 1–0 to Portugal after extra time.^[88]"

Kante also appeared in the 2-0 semi-final win over Germany as a substitute.

I do now tend to check a lot of your stated facts Argo, as I find many of them to be incorrect, as is the case here.

 

He didn't start a single solitary game for the remainder of the tournament, that's factual information which you've just presented yourself.

Which means unless you're trying to tell me Deschamps was resting him for his medical here then that's "dropped" by any metrics.

If he's match fit, a 4 years contract is a no-brainer. However, you'd be brave to offer him a 3 year deal with the injury toll he had in the last couple of seasons.  He had about 1 and half game this season out of 10, by this rate he won't even get to 20 games this season.

10 hours ago, Argo said:

Well Fernandinho clearly adapted, Kante even in his prime never did. For France in Euro16 him playing there went so well he was dropped after the RO16 and at the start of the following season here it went so well Conte changed the entire system before the end of September.

I can't speak for anyone else but I never said he'd flop from an individual point of view.

My position was I'm not convinced that he will have them a further level (over the hill and far away) from where they were previously despite how good he is. Early days it maybe but he's currently scoring more than even his biggest fan would have thought possible yet lag behind Arsenal of all teams.

I don't remember what was happening in 2016 euro but why are you talking international football.

There is no such thing as adapting or whatever in international football. Why do you think international manager tend to keep selecting the same player? Because in international football you can't say,  we have been playing tippy tappy football but now there is this monster up top, let's just play more direct and see what happens or let's ask this freak to play as false 9.

11 hours ago, Gol15 said:

I watched us when Lampard put Kante to play as your so called pure DM and he was bad, that's regardless of how you perceive the versatility of Fernandinho. 

Hmm, ohh he was clearly struggled in term of build up as lone dm and his defending was too aggressive but I also watched Rodri early days with city and he was very bad. Reece was also horrible as RWB in hist first season. 

Maybe, playing in position where it is not natural for you take times. 

Edited October 8, 20223 yr by Bob stark

19 hours ago, ducavis said:

Can he play for Pep though? I don’t think so. Pep values players that are not careless in possession since his teams enjoys a large chunk of possession. The only players that are exempt from that is De Bruyne (81%) because of the kind of balls he plays, and now Haaland (78%). Kante’s pass success rate (84%) is way off his next starting player in Foden (89%). He is a B2B, and he sure isn’t getting in ahead of any one B. Silva, Gundogan & De Bruyne.

Sure he will walk into the Liverpool side, only problem is both Pep & Klopp don’t sign over 30s. Think the last time either City/Liverpool signed one was in 2016, off my head Mahrez at 27 might be Pep’s oldest player. Thiago at 29 is Klopp’s oldest. Both teams are due a rebuild in the middle of the park, and he is a short term option which they won’t do. Utd might revisit it in the summer, but if he is a board signing Ten Haag might give him the Casemiro treatment.

On the contrary, he is most definitely a Pep player. Quick, strong, decent technical ability and the inhuman ability to cover every blade of grass.

If City bought Kante back in 2016, they would have sweeped every trophy

9 hours ago, Argo said:

He didn't start a single solitary game for the remainder of the tournament, that's factual information which you've just presented yourself.

Which means unless you're trying to tell me Deschamps was resting him for his medical here then that's "dropped" by any metrics.

He was SUSPENDED for the quarter-final and Deschamps used him as a sub in the semi-final!!!! Please stop trying to spin everything to suit a narrative.

And as for your perception that Conte changed the system in 2016 because of Kante, my recollection is that it was principally done to accommodate David Luiz and his complete inability to hold a centre-half position and mark an opponent in a flat back four formation. So Conte changed to a central three with wing-backs and took those responsibilities away from Luiz utilising him as a sweeper.

Edited October 8, 20223 yr by just

4 hours ago, just said:

He was SUSPENDED for the quarter-final and Deschamps used him as a sub in the semi-final!!!! Please stop trying to spin everything to suit a narrative.

Yep after being subbed at half time and then Deschamps deciding to look elsewhere for the rest of the tournament. If he was impressing hard in that area then surely he would have been deemed too important to be subbed off (on a yellow or not) and walked straight back in for Germany, no? I mean that's exactly what happened when the same situation happened the next season here when fully firing in his best role, he got the yellow at Palace which meant suspension for the next game, but despite that tightrope Conte kept him out there for 90 and put him straight back in the game after. 

Funny thing is it use to be a pretty popular opinion that he isn't a sitting DM, I'm not really sure why it's now such a taboo to point out a player who likes to use his energy to run up and down the pitch isn't a sitter.

Edited October 8, 20223 yr by Argo

10 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Hmm, ohh he was clearly struggled in term of build up as lone dm and his defending was too aggressive but I also watched Rodri early days with city and he was very bad. Reece was also horrible as RWB in hist first season. 

Maybe, playing in position where it is not natural for you take times. 

Rodri and Jorginho didn't need to learn a new role and position 🙂

9 hours ago, Deino said:

On the contrary, he is most definitely a Pep player. Quick, strong, decent technical ability and the inhuman ability to cover every blade of grass.

If City bought Kante back in 2016, they would have sweeped every trophy

Kante doesn't start over Gundogan and Silva back then, far less technical in comparison and prone to lose more balls in the final third, we could see that under Sarri that was the most similar to Pep in terms of style of play.

1 hour ago, Gol15 said:

Kante doesn't start over Gundogan and Silva back then, far less technical in comparison and prone to lose more balls in the final third, we could see that under Sarri that was the most similar to Pep in terms of style of play.

Pep would have tweaked that midfield.

A midfield of Fernandinho, Kante, De Bruyne and Silva would be title winning for sure. Especially since Silva would have less legwork to do

25 minutes ago, Deino said:

Pep would have tweaked that midfield.

A midfield of Fernandinho, Kante, De Bruyne and Silva would be title winning for sure. Especially since Silva would have less legwork to do

They did win the league that season with 100 points so that's no different from saying whoever was there he would would have won the title with that Man City team.