Player Focus: Milner More Than Just a Safe Bet for City and England
Who would have thought that with 15 minutes to go at Anfield on Sunday James Milner might have looked like he had played a huge part in where the Premier League trophy was heading. The score was tied at 2-2 and City were looking like they had rescued the title with a vital point. But for a wholly inexplicable and highly unexpected blunder from the usually so reliable but clearly injured Vincent Kompany, Milner might well have won Manchester City the league.
2-0 down at half time and with Yaya Touré having been withdrawn through injury, onlookers will have glanced at the City bench and seen Sergio Agüero's name stand out in glowing lights. Even with the Argentine only just back from injury and plainly not ready to play from the start, he was surely the best option available to manager Manuel Pellegrini with the only other outfield options the misfiring Álvaro Negredo, left-back Aleksandar Kolarov, centre-back Joleon Lescott and the much-maligned Milner. Pellegrini instead, though, turned to Milner to replace the ineffective Jesús Navas.
Without wishing to disrespect the unquestionable talents of the second youngest ever Premier League goalscorer, it was not the change that many had anticipated, or many City fans had wanted. Milner is usually utilised to shore a game up, when City are leading and want to see a game out without unnecessary drama. In his 17 substitute appearances in the league this season, on only 1 occasion has his introduction gone on to improve the result City were heading for; in the 4-2 win at Fulham after he was brought on at 2-2. On the 15 occasions he has appeared from the bench in the Premier League since the early season loss at Cardiff, Milner's introduction has not affected the outcome of the game.
But at Anfield on Sunday, Milner was no safe option. He wasn't there to consolidate a result. He was introduced to change the game despite generally being thought of as a more defensive option than Navas. He did a great deal more without the ball than his Spanish teammate, keeping a shape to the team that Liverpool struggled to break down: Liverpool had only 1 shot in the 40 minutes that Milner was on the field. It was a key one - Coutinho's potentially title-winning goal - but it was born out of Kompany's error and not any incisive play on the Reds' part. It was with the ball, though, that Milner shone brightest.
He was playing as an auxiliary right midfielder, providing support for Edin Dzeko along with Samir Nasri and David Silva, but he played in a free role, vacating his wing regularly as City lost their shape in the attacking third and Liverpool's midfield struggled to track the trio's runs. He set up City's first goal from the right only 6 minutes after coming off the bench and was then heavily involved from the left in the equaliser. It was the left wing that he stepped off to curl in the goal that as a fresh-faced teenager he netted against Chelsea back in 2002, but his best work hails from the right.
That versatility has both aided and stunted his progression. Players able to play numerous roles are often shifted around to accommodate others and find it more difficult to settle in a position in better sides, and for Milner that has been the case - to an extent - at City. However, his versatility - along with his almost unrivalled professionalism and work rate - has meant he is useful at the highest level and can still do well, though that is not to underestimate just how good he is. In his favoured position on Sunday, he exhibited all of his most pronounced strengths to an effect few have come to expect of him with his reputation as a potent attacker - wrongly - diminishing with time.
Milner had 38 touches in his 40 minutes (a touch every 1.05 minutes), making him City's second most involved player behind Gaël Clichy; he delivered a match-high 7 crosses despite only playing a small proportion of the game, played 2 key passes and averaged a successful pass in the final third more often (every 2.86 minutes) than any other player on the pitch bar playmaker David Silva. That Silva is top is little surprise, but few would have foreseen Milner being quite so integral.
Technically he is extremely accomplished, and it speaks volumes that 2 of his 5 WhoScored strengths come from his dead-ball delivery: 'Taking set-pieces' and 'Direct free-kicks'. That is possibly an undervalued string to Milner's bow. A lack of pace is one of his main criticisms, but plenty of the best wingers have to use crossing or clever passing and movement to beat their man rather than speed and tricks. Milner is no different.
He is now 28 years of age and is actually a vastly experienced member of a fairly young England squad. He is not a young or exciting prospect such as Raheem Sterling or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Ross Barkley who might surprise an opponent with a feint and burst of pace, but nor is he merely the safe bet that many consider him. Given the freedom to get forward he is a technically astute, clever player that provides a serious attacking threat whilst also remaining defensively aware. At the Allianz back in December, he again showcased his credentials and was the difference between the teams, operating on that occasion from the left flank. When it comes to Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad, Milner's versatility will rightly weigh in his favour, but it certainly is not the only reason that he will be of use in Brazil. Undoubtedly highly professional and reliable, James Milner is also both understated and extremely underrated.
How do you rate James Milner's performance at Anfield on Sunday? Should he go to the World Cup with England? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
