Gareth Barry

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sensei

Player Valuation: £950k
So its looking like a very strong possibility we shall be bringing him in on loan this season...
What are your thoughts on him?
How much stronger is a Barry/Fellaini or Barry/Gibson CM Pairing?

I found this on a Citeh Forum...

Starting a series of player profiles this summer and the first one up is....Mr Reliable........

Gareth Barry

Age: 32 (bn 23 Feb 1981) Nationality: English Signed for City: 1st July 2009 from Aston Villa Fee: £12m

City Career:

League FA Cup League Cup Other Total Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls

123 (9) 6 11 (4) 1 9 (0) 1 17 (2) 0 160 (15)8

Other Clubs Aston Villa: 1 Aug 1997 – 1 July 2009

League FA Cup League Cup Other Total Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls Apps Gls

353 (12) 41 19 (2) 3 29 (0) 1 22 (4) 0 423 (18)45

Stats for 2012/13 season:--- Minutes played 3274 -- Goals* 2 -- Goals per minutes played 1637 -- Assists 2 -- Pass completion* 86.40% -- Tackles* 73 -- Interceptions* 49

-- Clean Sheets (GK) N/A

-- Shots 22 -- Shots on Goal 6 (PL & CL only – www.whoscored.com)

Gareth Barry -- Profile

Definition of a water carrier in football

— n

a football player who is regarded as hard-working and competent but is not a star player

They’re the much maligned players which no truly successful team can do without.

Every successful manager knows that for every Charlton you need a Ball. For every George Best you need a Nobby Stiles. For every Michael Laudrup you need a John Jensen. For every Zinedine Zidane you need a Claude Makelele.

Manchester City are known for having plenty of skilful, attack-minded players. From Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez to David Silva and Samir Nasri, there is no shortage of forward intent in the City ranks. But it is sometimes easy to overlook the foundation upon which this attacking threat can deliver. He may not form the ‘spine of the team’ (Hart-Kompany-Yaya Toure-Aguero), he is not part of the principal defensive ‘unit’ formed by Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic & Clichy but since joining City from Villa in 2009 Barry has evolved into City’s own ‘water carrier’. The unsung hero whose work often goes unnoticed except when it’s not being done properly.

Unspectacular, low key & quiet Barry does a little bit of everything. He tackles, he passes, he'll roam forward when needed but most of all he tidies things up when they get messy. He does it all without much fanfare and his contribution can at times be overlooked in favour of the exquisite passing of David Silva, the work rate of Carlos Tevez or the commitment of Pablo Zabaleta. But with a pass completion rate amongst the highest in the City midfield (at 86.4% he is actually ahead of Silva) and with tackling and interception rates of 2.1 and 1.4 per Premier League game he demonstrates an ability to protect the back four by breaking up opposition play, regain possession & allow City to restart attacks.

Looking forward, the arrival of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fernandinho coupled with the potential offered by Jack Rodwell (IF the young man can stay fit) will put Barry's role and position in the team under scrutiny. They can certainly offer more in terms of pace which, even allowing for Barry’s age, has never been his strong suit. But he is a seasoned professional and I suggest that he can still offer a lot to the team across a season especially if they manage to remain involved in multiple competitions.

Every team needs their water carriers to paint the background canvas upon which the artists can express themselves. Barry knows where the materials are kept and as an astute veteran presence in the dressing room he can still do a job for City. Manuel Pellegrini (or perhaps Txiki Beristrain) might be wise to keep him around for a little while longer.

-- Key contribution to the team

He does the ‘dirty work’ for the team – breaking up opposition attacks, regains possession, makes himself available and puts his foot in where necessary.

-- Their best attribute?

Anticipation and reading the game; watching for vulnerabilities and making sure gaps are plugged. Unspectacular but critical work for the team.

-- Room for Improvement?

Run faster. If he could be fitted with a pair of Steve Austin’s bionic legs (showing my age here) we could get several more seasons out of him and his experience.

-- Best performance in a City shirt?

Struggled with this one not least because of the very nature of what makes him such a valuable member of the team it rarely makes him stand out. His worst was against Southampton away but then he had plenty of company……but I’ll go with the game against Reading in December where he popped up to score the winner with a header in the last minute of the match.

End of Term School Report

7/10 Gareth has put in another solid performance in class this year. Diligent and hardworking, he may not be the swiftest lad in the class but he can always be relied upon to do his bit for the common good even if it means his efforts are eclipsed by brighter classmates. However his consistency and willingness to sacrifice his own ‘glory’ for the benefit of others has not gone unnoticed by the Headmaster. As one of the senior boys and a Prefect he is a solid reliable lad who I think can provide a good role model for some of the younger pupils. It is of course a matter for the new Head of Year when he arrives to discuss with the Headmaster but I hope he will consider staying on for a further year. I am sure the Chair of Governors would approve.
 


We are looking for a replacement to replace the hate for Neville, Osman can't carry all the hate by himself.

Barry would end up getting the hate from the boo boys on here, if he does sign. I doubt he will though, unless City are prepared to pay a load of his wages for us.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.
Top