da pinnacle： Last week Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed that Manchester City currently boasted a ‘stronger’ squad than Barcelona, and though this may be true in terms of depth and the number of players at Roberto Manicini’s disposal, when it comes to quality or a ‘strongest’ starting eleven, it would seem as though City are still some way off matching the European champions. Mancini’s side qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history last season, and will almost certainly come up against some of the European elites should they progress through the early stages. City have been handed a tough set of fixtures in Group A alongside the likes of Bayern Munich, Villareal and Napoli, and the Engish ‘new boys’ look set to have their work cut out if they are to compete strongly on both a domestic and European front.
da jogodeouro： Redknapp’s comments followed Samir Nasri’s decision to join Manchester City from Arsenal, and the Spurs boss was adamant that though the Frenchman’s move will have been motivated primarily by money, this City side would soon “be challenging for everything.” Redknapp also claimed that City had “two men in every position who are top class players”, and while this may be an advantage when injuries and fatigue start to take their toll on Mancini’s side, most people would probably back the Spanish giants should these two sides come up against each other. While City may have a stronger squad in terms of quantity, this must not be misinterpreted as a being a stronger side in terms of quality. A look at both side’s starting XI should help to clarify this.
If we look at both goal keepers, then Joe Hart would probably get the vote over Victor Valdes, and rightly so. While Hart has established himself as England’s number one, Valdes, at 29, has only made 4 senior appearances for his national side. While the Spaniard does boast a much larger selection of medals than his English counterpart, including three Champions League titles, his ‘role’ or ‘input’ in acquiring such titles is certainly open to debate.
Then we come to the full-backs. Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal or Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy. While all four of these players are regulars for their national sides, Alves and Abidal have proven themselves at the very top level of European football. Despite an eight-year spell with Arsenal, Clichy has failed to have any real impact in both European and domestic football or establish himself as one of the best left-backs around. Zabaleta, though a good ‘squad player’, would ultimately not keep Alves out of this Barcelona side. In the centre of defence, Kompany does probably have the edge over an ageing Puyol, but Gerard Pique has been pivotal to Barca’s impressive defensive record and would undoubtedly keep the likes of Lescott, and even Kolo Toure, out of any starting eleven.
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Just in front of the back four, the Barry vs Busquets dilemma is a tricky one. Barry has adapted a role at City much different to his time at Villa, but he has done so well. Busquets has proven his ability both at Barca and in the Spanish side while England fans are generally somewhat unconvinced by Barry’s abilities in the national side. One thing Barry does not do however, is roll around, dive, or dramatize events on the football field, and so this one is certainly open to debate. A half each perhaps?
Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri, or Xavi and Iniesta? The Spanish duo have dictated Barcelona’s play for years now, and Toure himself struggled to get a game at Barca while these two were in the side. The Barca boys have won league titles, Champions League titles, and World Cups, while the City duo have just four major trophies between them (most of which were won by Toure at Barcelona). This one for me, is a no-brainer.
Finally we come to our attacking options, arguably City’s strongest area on the field. Recently, City have been using Silva, Dzeko, and new boy Aguero, while the likes of Tevez and Balotelli warm the bench. Barcelona, tend to field a rather familiar trio of Lionel Messi, Pedro, and David Villa. While Silva has established himself as one of City’s top players, Lionel Messi has proven himself as one of the, if not the, best in the world. Edin Dzeko has started to find the back of the net at City, but he still remains some way off David Villa’s prolific record of a goal in every other game. Pedro, quite possibly one of Barcelona’s most underrated players, has bagged 25 goals in 76 appearances for the Spanish giants, and while Sergio Aguero has been tipped to have a huge impact on the Premier League, it is surely too early to say. Aguero’s goal scoring record with Athletico however, does give the Argentine a case over the Spanish forward.
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It seems then, that when it comes to staring XI’s, City are still some way off the quality at Barcelona. While maybe 4 City players would make it into the Barca team, at least 7 of the Barca boys would walk straight into Mancini’s. Redknapp’s comments last week remain true, to an extent. City to boast a “stronger” squad than Barca, and perhaps even the rest of Europe, but this is solely due to the quantity of players at the club. When it comes to quality, and the old cliché of being a ‘team’ rather than a ‘collection of individuals’, it would seem as though the likes of Barcelona and other European elites are likely to come out on top.
Agree or disagree? What players would you have from each side? Let me know either below or @sixthofficial on Twitter!