Man City could end their away day woes if they start this intelligent attacker

Samir Nasri struggled last season, under Roberto Mancini he fell out-of-favour. The two had a troubled relationship with the Italian criticising the former Arsenal midfielder publicly and Nasri played just 28 times in the league as Manchester City lost their grip on the Premier League title.

Mancini criticised the France international back in February, implying he does not work hard enough, commenting that

“If you are a top player you know you can improve until the last day of your career but sometimes you get players who think it is not important to work and this is their worst mistake.

“Samir can do better than this year. He is a top player but he has not been playing at his level.”

However after the Italian’s departure Nasri said

“As a boss, Mancini was a typical Italian. He does not try to be close to his players. He would arrive at the training ground and not even say hello. He’s just tell you what he wanted to do.”

This season he has been ever present under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. He has featured in all seven matches, however despite this he has only played the full match once. This was the 4-1 victory over Manchester United in the Manchester derby.

And with a Squawka Performance Score of 231 he has the second highest Performance Score of the Manchester City midfield and the squad as a whole, only behind Yaya Toure who has scored 296.

Man City Top Performance Scorers This Season

So the question is should he start in his clubs next league match against West Ham United?

The answer is yes. He has the highest Performance Score for players in his position at the club. David Silva has 231, Jesus Navas 103 and James Milner is on five.

It also puts him, currently, as the seventh best midfielder in the Premier League, sandwiched between Mile Jedinak and England hero Andros Townsend.

In his one full 90 minutes this season, the aforementioned derby hammering of their rivals, Nasri scored one from three shots, this means he has a chance conversion of 40% this term. He also completed an astonishing 91% of the 46 passes he attempted, although only one was a key pass. In addition he was successful in the one tackle and two clearances he made.

Samir Nasri Passes v Man United

This match was indicative of how Nasri’s season has gone as a whole. Indeed, he may not got an assist this season, but he has made nine key passes, which is the second best in the Manchester City squad.

Man City Top Chance Creators This Season

His pass completion is also excellent, with 89% of his passes finding a team mate and 56.9% of those passes have been played forward. The France international is both integral for Pellegrini at keeping possession of the ball and attacking the opponent’s goal.

Samir Nasri Chances Created

Nasri has more than earned the chance to start against West Ham at Upton Park this Saturday and in the long term as well. He is out performing his positional rivals in many respects, especially Performance Score and has applied himself when, after his problems last season, he could have fallen away.

He could be key for City this weekend and in their title challenge this season.