With Alvaro Negredo completing his move to Manchester City last week, the Spaniard is finally getting a shot at the big time, a chance he thoroughly deserves. Since he moved to Sevilla, Negredo has fired in 70 goals in 139 games, which is an outstanding record at any level. There is no doubt in Negredo’s ability, but is he the man to lead Manchester City to Premier League and much needed European success?

As far as his game goes, Negredo is perhaps better suited to Premier League football than he ever was to the technically gifted La Liga. He is what some would call a typical English centre forward — strong, powerful and good in the air. One thing is for sure. Negredo will not be getting bullied by any centre backs. It will quite likely be the opposite. The Spaniard is a workhouse, an aggressive one at that; He will put constant pressure on defenders and never give them a rest.

Of course City fans will be more interested in his ability on the ball, an attribute that we can describe as inconsistent. In this respect, Negredo is not your typical Spaniard. With many estranged balls in his locker, Negredo’s passing certainly isn’t his forte, nor is his ability to skip past two or three men. He will leave this to compatriot Jesus Navas. However Negredo excels in what he needs to be good at — a trait that is much harder to accomplish on a consistent basis… scoring goals.

Negredo is a perfect fit for the Pellegrini model. He will work hard off the ball. More importantly, he will hold the ball up better than anyone allowing Pellegrini to implement solid transition phases. From here, the likes of David Silva and Fernandinho will be expected to split defense, before fellow new additions Jesus Navas and Stevan Jovetic deliver the ball into Negredo’s favored environment.

Negredo goes about his business very much in the penalty area where he seems to thrive the less time he has on the ball; a feature foreign players often struggle with when moving to England. Negredo is known for his ability in the air, and long term colleague Navas will be looking to exploit defenses with crosses to Negredo’s head. Here he is likely to cause serious damage to Premier League defenses, both from open play and set pieces.

All players have their downfalls, and I’m sure there will be times where City fans become frustrated with Negredo. The striker seems to struggle with finishing when given time to think. Therefore expect him to avoid long run-ins on goal for one-on-ones.  Furthermore, certainly don’t expect Negredo to find the net from all angles as a Robin Van Persie might do. But it is clear to all that Negredo is one of the top strikers in the world, and while he will never join the top bracket of elite strikers (the likes of Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez and Radamel Falcao), there is no better player in the business for guaranteed consistent goals.

City were far from clinical last season (netting 27 less league goals than the previous season) and Negredo will go far to address this problem. He has become a guaranteed 20 goals a season man, and along with fellow new signing Stevan Jovetic, as well as Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, City comfortably have the presence up front to cause serious damage on all fronts.

When Brendan Rodgers arrived at Anfield last summer, his admiration for England under-21 international Jonjo Shelvey was no secret. It was clear that Rodgers saw Shelvey as a long term successor to Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard in some form, with regular public backing for the youngster in Liverpool’s TV documentary Being: Liverpool. So with Shelvey offloaded to Swansea two weeks ago, it seems the midfielder has suffered a rather ungraceful demise. But where did it all go wrong?

Following distinctly average performances from the likes of Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin, as well as an injury to Lucas, Shelvey was handed his first Premier League start of the season against Sunderland on September 15, 2012. This was backed up by two goals in the Europa League midweek, after which a greater amount of progress was expected. Instead what followed was a debatable red card after a somewhat naïve tackle. Many will find this excusable given the youngster’s inexperience in Liverpool clashes with Manchester United; In fact in many ways the tackle echoed a young Steven Gerrard, whereby heart ruled head. The real disappointment for Rodgers and Liverpool fans was what followed.

In the coming months Shelvey was handed regular starts and substitute appearances in an inconsistent Liverpool side. Here there were regular opportunities for the youngster to impress in his favored role behind the striker. However reality proved different. Shelvey’s performances were lackluster, and he often looked confused positionally. He regularly lost the ball in dangerous positions. He dropped far deeper than Rodgers wanted and he required 3 or 4 more touches than his team mates. Here Shelvey was being thoroughly outperformed by a then 17-year-old Raheem Sterling, who looked composed, skillful and creative — everything Rodgers was after in Shelvey. One positive in Shelvey’s game was his ability to arrive in the box at the right time. However for someone supposedly so technically gifted, he spurned opportunities time and time again, resulting in growing frustrations amongst both his manager and the fans. His lack of composure and positional sense was worrying for a team trying to develop, and this was not a team who could afford to continue to drop points.

Now Rodgers was ready to give Jordan Henderson his chance, and unfortunately for Shelvey he instantly delivered. Henderson’s introduction into the side injected the intensity and balance Rodgers was looking for, while Henderson also seemed to show a greater desire and work rate both on and off the field. From here it looked like Henderson was the midfield key to Rodgers’ future Liverpool.

To be fair to Shelvey, he was not helped by a wealth of factors, none more so than being surrounded by underperforming senior players when given his chance in the first team. As for the future, if anyone has the ability to get the best out of Shelvey’s capabilities, it is Michael Laudrup, while it may also suit Shelvey to drop down a level where he can play with far less expectation.

In Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City have acquired an astute tactician who, unlike many of today’s top managers, has shown his ability to be flexible in his choice of tactics.

Throughout his career, Pellegrini has used a variety of formations, some of which include 4-3-1-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-2-2-2 and 4-4-2. When looking at Pellegrini’s favored tactics, one feature is prominent — and that’s using two highly disciplined defensive midfielders. The key word here is discipline as Pellegrini bases his sides on a structured, organized unit, which is defined by two anchors who control the game at both ends of the field. That begs the question, what role will Yaya Toure play?

Since he arrived at the Etihad, Toure has literally been the driving force behind an emerging Manchester City side, dragging City out of sticky situations time and time again. Of course, Mancini often employed Toure in a deep role, whereby he sat alongside Gareth Barry, usually looking constrained and isolated. As games grew on and City struggled to break teams down time and time again, Mancini would finally unleash Toure, allowing the Ivorian to dictate games through the use of power alone.

This is a feature we are unlikely to see often under Pellegrini, whose sides enjoy a slow, structured build up in possession, allowing them to be ready for quick transitions when dispossessed. Here is the key for Toure — transitions. Pellegrini utilizes his full backs to provide width in the attacking phases, allowing his more creative ‘interiores’ to move inside and cut open defences. So what does this mean for the central midfielders?

Pellegrini requires strong, mobile defensive midfielders who must also have the ability to build play from deep positions, so it is not hard to see why the likes of Marcos Senna and Jeremy Toulalan have been vital to Pellegrini’s sides. Looking at this description it is difficult to see why Toure might not fit in. He is one of the most athletic players in the world who is also blessed with exceptional vision and passing. However the key is discipline. Pellegrini requires someone who is prepared to relinquish almost all attacking freedom, which would certainly take the edge off Toure’s presence.

Furthermore City have already invested heavily in Brazilian playmaker Fernandinho, who is almost certain to fill the role of a deep lying playmaker. This means Pellegrini simply needs a partner for Fernandinho,where together the pair will sit deep and look to begin a slow attacking build up. Perhaps more importantly, they will provide solid defensive cover for the attacking minded full backs, limiting City’s vulnerability to the counter attack, which was so evident under Mancini last year.

The real question is then, is Yaya Toure willing to play with so much defensive discipline where his unwillingness to do so led to his departure from Barcelona? There is no way that Pellegrini will try to get rid of Toure, but will the Spaniard try and turn him into a player he doesn’t want to be?

Of course there are other options. Against most Premier League sides, City would not need such a rigorous defensive outline, allowing Toure to move forward. Alternatively, Pellegrini may convene with Fernandinho who may be willing to take some defensive responsibility off Toure, allowing them to take turns in undertaking the playmaker role.

Pellegrini is blessed with several midfield options to consider. It’s going to be a marvel to see what options he selects.