We begin with Sergio Aguero...
Season overview:
On the back of a World Cup campaign that ended with defeat in the final to Germany, Aguero returned to Manchester to begin pre-season training a little later that the majority of the squad with Manuel Pellegrini allowing a few days extra rest for those who played in the latter stages of Brazil 2014.
He began the campaign as a second-half sub against Newcastle on the opening day and scored a 90th-minute goal that settled a close-fought game. He was off and running. A second-half sub against Liverpool in the next match saw Kun score again, setting the tone for what would be a memorable season.
A run of eight goals in four games over the course of a month would by typical of Aguero’s campaign with scoring bursts seeing him race to the Premier League top scorer leading board and by November he’d bagged 10 goals from nine starts.
He then added another eight goals over the space of 31 days to take his tally to 18 in all competitions – a total that included hat-tricks against Spurs and Bayern Munich. Then, stretching for a ball against Everton, a knock from the side saw his knee twist badly and he was forced to limp from the field in tears. He’d been in the form of his life and was devastated that the injury jinx that had blighted previous seasons had struck again.
Five weeks later, he was back, but he wouldn’t find the net again until the 4-1 win at Stoke in February – a full two months after he injured his knee. Sergio failed to find the net at all in March as he went six games without a goal, but he ended firing on all cylinders as he banged nine goals in the last seven games to end with an enviable record of 32 goals from 37 starts.
High point:
It would surely be a toss-up between the four-goal salvo he scored against Spurs and the magnificent hat-trick he scored against Bayern Munich – the importance of the latter just edges it.
Could it have been even better?
It’s unfair to say a striker that bags 32 goals could have done better, but there is little doubt that had he not picked up the knee injury against Everton, the momentum he had would have maybe seen him end up with 40 goals or more – injury and loss of form meant he went there was a 13-game gap between the two goals he scored against Sunderland at the start of December and the two he bagged in mid-February against Stoke. The answer is, yes, it could have been even better!
Why you should vote:
Sergio’s goals carried City through one or two lean periods and ensured the Blues finished in second place. Ignored in the PFA Team of the Year vote for the fourth year running, Kun would be a worthy winner of the Etihad Player of the Season award.
Media verdict:
Bayern Munich: “Agüero deserves great acclaim for his perseverance, with that stocky, muscular frame, before breaking clear with the ball and holding his nerve again.” Daniel Taylor, The Guardian
Tottenham: “The works of Mozart might reduce a man to tears; Sergio Aguero, likewise. It was the Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino who made the comparison between the two men in the run up to this match, attempting to convey something of the Argentine’s special talent.
“Perhaps he might wish to temper his praise in future, for Aguero played like a man inspired by the compliment. He was sublime and Pochettino, if not quite weeping by the end, would at least have been overwhelmed with emotion: frustration, mainly.” Rob Draper, Mail on Sunday
Now watch…
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Next week, we feature the magical talents of David Silva and remember, you can see the eventual winner revealed at this year’s City Live in August. Tickets available so don’t miss out.
