Match Reaction vs Tottenham (home, FA Cup).

[Özim]

It's good to see we have more options instead of seeing players like Wilshere and Ramsey playing on the flanks. I think Wenger will trust Gnarby with a few more games or at least I hope so if we're lacking options from wide.

Yeah agree, it's good to see a player like Gnabry, he's very direct and plays at speed it's a refreshing change over the slow moving passers. Wilshere had a better 2nd half yesterday, but the more I see of him the more ordinary he appears to me, I just can't see the brilliance in this guy's game, he plays some short passes and sometimes manages a long pass but there's nothing particularly special on show, we've got an abundance of quality midfielders now and for me he's going down the pecking order all the time.

[Bumble]

Once we scored first result was never in doubt. I did enjoy the Walcott incident.

[Darknight02]

Probably the best all round performance from one of our attacking players this season.

What does this performance lack? Nothing at all.

Strength, positioning, control, vision, awareness, link-up play, intelligence, pace

This kid will be one hell of a player and I agree with whoever talks about him and Theo on the wings.

I still maintain it that the presence of his on the ball control and movement, pace and play allowed Theo so much of an advantage against the centre backs and amplified his performance.

[Darknight02]

I'd rather see Gnarby and Ox on the flank with Theo up front. Despite Theo not getting on the score sheet, that's the most active and involved he's been all season. In a while in fact. He doesn't play as a winger anymore. He's playing as a wide number 9, same goes for Podolski and I think we sacrifice too much out wide when we do that.

With Giroud as striker, he plays the target man, drops deep into the hole and we're expecting Theo and Pod to make runs in behind the space he creates or to work off his flicks and pass backs. I hate when we play like that because we're often left playing tippy tappy on the edge of our opponents box. Theo and Pod can also look anonymous if there isn't enough space to make runs and get behind. Without Pod and Theo making runs and playing with guys like Wilshere and Cazorla...it's worse.

Throw in Theo up front, Gnarby and Ox wide then defenders have something to really worry about. Gnarby and Ox are both able to take on their markers and beat them. Pod and Theo rarely do this when wide. It's been a while since we've played down the flanks with a winger causing mayhem for our opponents defenders. Theo had a few games where he'd do it but his role at the club has changed as mentioned. Also, with Theo making runs and always looking for space, it pulls defenders and creates more space on the edge of the box for players like Ramsey and Ozil. We could have a serious team on our hands with threats all over the pitch. For the past few months out main threat has come from the centre of the pitch in Ramsey and Ozil.

I like your suggestion. I do wish we had a pacey winger down the flanks as it would add so much to our games. One of City's biggest strengths is the threat of Navas on the flank.

I agree with playing Theo up front with Gnabry out wide. The only thing is I think yesterday there were a number of factors helping us.

The presence of two center midfielders in the Spurs team allowed Theo to drop off the centre halves and use his movement and pace against them. Stronger teams will play three in midfield with a defensive mid picking up that space and I don't think this will allow Theo to drop deep and have that space and time on the ball.

I do think a player like Gnaby should start on the flanks and wide positions for us regardless from now. You can easily see that he is a far more complete package and player compared to even Podolski. I think our forward line at present should be Giroud, Gnabry and Theo as you say.

This creates an interesting problem for us because what is the midfield three we play.

I'd always play Arteta because you could see the control he offers us in that position. Spraying passes, left and right, switching the ball seamlessly from defence to midfield. Our weakest games this season stem when he's either had a player marking him directly negating him or he's not playing. I don't think either Ramsey or Flamini have that tactical nous and orchestration from the middle.

Jack had that skill in my opinion but since that game against Barcelona he hasn't reproduced it.

That leaves two slots available. If it were up to me, I'd play Rosicky. But given his age, I think he needs to be wrapped in cotton wool and protected. So its a combination of Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Flamini for the remaining two positions.

Its a good problem to have.

I think the biggest thing a player like Diego Costa offers us is a strong battling player who can play both wide and up front by themselves. Giroud for example has only one role and can only play that role.

[Darknight02]

Our strikers are injured for starters.....we're gonna have to switch things up.

As you and someone else mention, Spurs came looking to attack, with a lightweight midfield.

Most teams - such as Cardiff for example - or even better tactical teams with better players such as Chelsea when they set out their stall against us with 5 in midfield and look to defend, can make us look very labored. Now I think in both those games we had plenty of chances to win the game showing that we still managed to make chances and efforts on goal which is excellent. But what I think yesterday showed us is that in Gnabry we have an outstanding player who can make a huge difference to the fluidity of our play in the attacking third.

In my honest opinion, he gives us an incredible option. Because he has pace, control, intelligence and strength, he can play from the flanks or the middle just as effectively. This is a different prospect to say someone like Wilshere or Ramsey who are far stronger in the middle.

The only thing is Gnabry is still very young of course and there will be good and bad games. But yesterday he was exceptional.

As you say, I hope yesterday shows Wenger that we have a unique talent on our hands that if things aren't going right, Wenger must not be afraid to get him on because he can easily hurt any team in the league.

[Darknight02]

Yeah agree, it's good to see a player like Gnabry, he's very direct and plays at speed it's a refreshing change over the slow moving passers. Wilshere had a better 2nd half yesterday, but the more I see of him the more ordinary he appears to me, I just can't see the brilliance in this guy's game, he plays some short passes and sometimes manages a long pass but there's nothing particularly special on show, we've got an abundance of quality midfielders now and for me he's going down the pecking order all the time.

I can understand why you think like that.

For me he is a player who is at his best as a deep lying midfielder. And I still think its a shame he hasn't had a genuine chance to continue in that role. I still can't get his performance against Barcelona out of my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_pCG9Cmio

If you watch everything he does from that deep lying central midfield role, it is an astonishing performance. Totally complete performance. Shame he got injured and didn't get a chance to build on that performance in that role.

Having pace to be able to suddenly win the ball from a deep position and accelerate through the midfield from deep is a brilliant skill which only few people have. There are very few players who can be deep lying midfielders like that. Toni Kroos comes to mind even though he starts further forward, he always drops deep to play from there. Arteta is great at that, but even he doesn't have that ability to burst forward through like Jack does.

A player who played like that for Dortmund and Czech team was Rosicky. Mind you in Dortmund he played all over the park and there's a reason he was L'il Mozart. But for the Czech team when he was younger, the undisputed leader was Nedved. So Rosicky played as the deepest midfielder in a diamond. And despite being slight, he was brilliant. And it was his ability to control the ball, accelerate suddenly and reading of the game that allowed that.

I understand the frustration with Jack but I think if you watch that performance which was against three centre mids at the peak of their powers, there are very very very few players who could play like that in the game. And that's what I keep thinking gives me hope that he will develop.

[Grebbo]

Our strikers are injured for starters.....we're gonna have to switch things up.

Giroud's not injured and I think Bendtner has only just recently been considered as a striker instead of a sumo wrestler.

[Grebbo]

I can understand why you think like that.

For me he is a player who is at his best as a deep lying midfielder. And I still think its a shame he hasn't had a genuine chance to continue in that role. I still can't get his performance against Barcelona out of my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_pCG9Cmio

If you watch everything he does from that deep lying central midfield role, it is an astonishing performance. Totally complete performance. Shame he got injured and didn't get a chance to build on that performance in that role.

Having pace to be able to suddenly win the ball from a deep position and accelerate through the midfield from deep is a brilliant skill which only few people have. There are very few players who can be deep lying midfielders like that. Toni Kroos comes to mind even though he starts further forward, he always drops deep to play from there. Arteta is great at that, but even he doesn't have that ability to burst forward through like Jack does.

A player who played like that for Dortmund and Czech team was Rosicky. Mind you in Dortmund he played all over the park and there's a reason he was L'il Mozart. But for the Czech team when he was younger, the undisputed leader was Nedved. So Rosicky played as the deepest midfielder in a diamond. And despite being slight, he was brilliant. And it was his ability to control the ball, accelerate suddenly and reading of the game that allowed that.

I understand the frustration with Jack but I think if you watch that performance which was against three centre mids at the peak of their powers, there are very very very few players who could play like that in the game. And that's what I keep thinking gives me hope that he will develop.

Jack will be fine, he just needs games. He was MOTM a few days earlier against Cardiff. Against Spurs he played further back so wasn't as eye catching but was still decent once he stopped trying to pick a fight with Dembele.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

And another Cazorla goal from the left hand side.

[Power n Glory]

It was a fantastic strike. Theo and Gnarby player their role to create that space.