da 888： Manchester City made use of James Milner, but not enough use. The 29 year-old just has to play more football.
da gbg bet： But his move to Liverpool won’t just allow him more game time, it might just be what Milner needs at this point of his career.
Let’s face it, at the minute Milner is a bit of a punchline. To be honest, I think it’s totally unfair, but I can see why people would make fun of him. He’s a utility player – versatile, he can play in any position and do a good job. For City he’s played almost everywhere, on the wing, in the centre, at full back and even as a false nine!
But for all his loyalty and industry he’s rewarded with parody twitter accounts and hoards of fans cursing the manager when he runs out for England. Every team needs a workhorse, every team needs a James Milner – except for your team. And fair enough, even if you’re talking to a City fan who loves Milner the chances are he’d still start with Silva, Nasri and Aguero ahead of him. Milner’s charm doesn’t lie in his ability, it lies in his attitude.
But actually, Milner does more than run around. Outshone by David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri, Milner looks like the poor relation – it’s as if the fans can tell he works hard for his keep but he wears ripped jeans and his phone’s three years out of date. He’s not cool. But Milner links up with these stellar names on a weekly basis, he sets them up, he finds them space and he possesses a polished free kick.
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But he’s surrounded by stars.
At Liverpool, though, he’ll find a team that will care for him more than his teammates at City. It’s odd, in a way. Liverpool are a team who have struggled for goals in the season now past, and here they are adding James Milner. But it’s actually a shrewd move.
Milner won’t score goals, and he won’t get too many assists – he will get more, though, than you might think. If he plays out wide, his pace isn’t lightning and his crossing isn’t always accurate. If he plays at full back, he won’t bomb down the line like a Roberto Carlos. If he plays up front, he won’t create a goal out of nothing. He’s good at all of these positions, but not excellent – he doesn’t stand out. If he did, we’d be able to place Milner in one position and he’d lose his versatility.
The very reason he’s not box office is the very reason he’s so good. He doesn’t have that one quality that stands out for any of the roles he plays on the pitch. But he has all the rest for every position. The jack of all trades and the master of none.
He’s a smart, thoughtful player. He’ll make runs and bring defenders out of position, and he’s the one who lets the others shine. Liverpool have Lallana and Coutinho to provide for Sterling and Sturridge – and a Milner will really let them do it by creating space and creating options for the men in possession.
And he won’t have the stiff competition that he’s faced at City.
For all of Liverpool’s quality, they don’t have as much as City do. Few teams do. At Anfield, Milner will enjoy greater status than he has at the Etihad and that will only benefit him because he’s clearly a solid player capable of playing in any team. It’s just that at City, there are so many other players just as capable.
That’s shown in the fact that Milner has made 39 appearances in all competitions for City this season, yet 16 have been from the bench. 14 substitute appearances and 18 starts in the Premier League show that he’s capable of playing in that team, but they also show that there are others who start more.
Milner will start more games at Liverpool, he’ll fit into the team and allow others to shine. In fact, he might even shine himself. Although City might be very sorry to see him go, this is the right move at the right time for Milner who can now slot into a team that wants and needs him – and that might just allow him to shed some of the negative image that seems to surround him.
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