Anchor Man

Since the diverging opinions surrounding the traditional 4-4-2 were highlighted by a new breed of european manager, the holding position has become more and more integral to the evolving style of ‘fluent’ attacking football. The ‘anchor man’ provides the platform from which more forward thinking players can advance and somewhat disregard their defensive responsibilities.

In 2009, Mark hughes brought Nigel De Jong to the club, at £18m in today’s market quite a find. Relatively unknown in England but already branded with nick-names such as ‘the terrier’ picked up from his time at Hamburg and stretching further back to his time and progression through the Ajax youth academy. De Jong’s presence was instantly notable as his inclusion pushed the more established Vincent Kompany into the back four and into the role in which he has excelled. De Jong’s no nonsense style quickly adhered him to the fans and he soon became somewhat of a cult hero at Eastlands.

In his relatively short time at the club ‘Nige’ has certainly had his critics, his kung-fu antics during last year’s world cup did him no favors, however much of the criticism is unjustified. Many of his critics came to light following City’s home game against Newcastle and one tackle in particular which unfortunately broke the leg of Hatem Ben-Arfa. There was no malice what so ever in the tackle and the now all too well known phrase ‘he’s not that kind of guy’ seems perfectly suited. It is obvious that a player, who constantly patrols the space  between the defence and midfield with the sole responsibility of winning 50-50 tackles and picking up lose balls will inevitably mis-time a challenge. I recall Lee Dixon summing it up perfectly at the time as “an unfortunate accident”. The Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk seemed to disagree and excluded him from the National squad for crucial European qualifiers. With a scarred past and the brand ‘thug’ shadowing him closely, the real test for De Jong, still only 25; was showing the character needed to arise above the situation and show the footballing world exactly the type of player he is.

De Jong’s development as player since then has been somewhat representative of the changes the club has endured. The knowledge of his acute footballing brain and underestimated technical ability seem to stretch only as far as the City faithful. De Jong’s ball retention and passing ability have been crucial to the system that Roberto Mancini employs and allows other midfielders, particularly David Silva to play to his own expressive style. Deployed mainly alongside Gareth Barry, De Jong’s ever presence  has fueled the negativity fire that surrounded Mancini throughout most of the current campaign. Most of the writers and pundits who make these claims fail to comprehend the complexity of the system in which Mancini has so much trust.

De Jong’s game has progressed impressively under Mancini’s guidance. His technical ability is becoming more prominent through his passing but also his positional awareness. The aspect of De Jong’s game that has undergone the most impressive transformation is certainly the positivity of his mindset. Throughout the second half of this season, De Jong’s passing has been much more direct. With a new found confidence which has seen De Jong display much more of his passing repertoire than just the 10 yard pass we have been accustomed to, De Jong scored his first goal for the club in 2 years with an expertly executed finish from 25 yards, something that will perhaps convince a few people that he is certainly the contrary to a bulldog with a raging temper. De Jong’s fluent English is a testimony to the intelligence of the man and he certainly knows the right thing to say and when to say them. The fans have come to expect the rallying call before big games and it is De Jong that more than often delivers. The recent call before our Champions league play-off with Spurs was “This is a very important week for the club, the players and the fans. This is do or die for Manchester City.” Spoken almost like a fan, with the same passion and determination which every City fan would approach every game with.

One of the great successes of this season was the solid spine of the team. Starting from Joe Hart, through Kompany and De Jong, Silva and spearheaded by Carlos Tevez, with the latter as the exception this could be the spine of the team for many years to come and without a doubt boasts champions league quality. Perhaps just as excitingly for fans, the age of the base players we build around are 24,25, 25 and 25 respectively.

As far as a player being complete in the role they play, De Jong is surely one of the best holding midfielders in the world. A world cup finalist, champions league qualifier and possible FA cup winner. The thing that will surely raise the pulses of De Jong and fans alike is the inevitability that this will not be the end of his footballing achievements whilst playing for Manchester City.