Do we play good football?

[The Stockport Iniesta]

We can play some good stuff especially on the counter, but to often the passing isn't meaningful, it all gets a bit laboured. I do wonder if the players have had it drilled into them to put 15 or so passes together....whatever. Of course, nothing wrong with this if the ball is moved quickly, it's probing and with purpose, but to often it's slow short passes and we lose momentum. It's a bit of a frustrating watch at times, but I'm more glass half full, and realize we are far from the finished article, squad wise.

 

[franksinatra]

So I do wonder when the players take responsibility for this.

Did we win 6 on the bounce last season beating Chelsea 3-0 and Everton 2-0 at Goodison similar to the start this year?

Did the performances just like this season drop off significantly after Christmas?

The system Pep is employing will no doubt enable the side to play good football but if we have little movement and the players choose to play safe passes all the time it's difficult to see what he can do besides replace them.

He is partially responsible with the switching of players continually and we seem to develop the play slowly to ensure players are correct positionally.
However we have seen enough this year that when it's correctly implemented it is nothing short of spectacular.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Didn't we say that last season?

If you keep saying that, it will eventually come true.

 

[Crouchinho]

Against Barca, Spurs and Monaco you played some good stuff but the football hasn't wowed me at all. There are some in the Spurs thread saying you're better to watch than Spurs, I 110% disagree. Next season when you sort the defence out and Sane and Sterling go up a notch and Jesus is fit you will be great to watch

 

[Tsamota]

When we turn it on there's not a team in the league that can cope with us. We just don't seem to turn it on enough. I'm stumped as to why as I can't see Pep telling the team to hold back.

 

[Gray]

Against Barca, Spurs and Monaco you played some good stuff but the football hasn't wowed me at all. There are some in the Spurs thread saying you're better to watch than Spurs, I 110% disagree. Next season when you sort the defence out and Sane and Sterling go up a notch and Jesus is fit you will be great to watch

Those saying we are better to watch than Spurs must have very poor eyesight.

 

[quiet_riot]

We only play good football with any pace or directness when the opposition does. Against buses of 10 or 11 players we pass sideways and backwards forever.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Seems to me that we have been told to keep possession so much that players now - in the main - favour the slow and safe backwards pass rather than attempting the quick forwards pass which will risk losing possession and result in a bollocking from the manager? Whatever the reason, we just don't seem to want to move the ball quickly until we are 1-0 down and suddenly realise we'd better get our shit together.

It's FAR too slow and predictable, as reflected in our results.

 

[robbieh]

Seems to me that we have been told to keep possession so much that players now - in the main - favour the slow and safe backwards pass rather than attempting the quick forwards pass which will risk losing possession and result in a bollocking from the manager? Whatever the reason, we just don't seem to want to move the ball quickly until we are 1-0 down and suddenly realise we'd better get our shit together.

It's FAR too slow and predictable, as reflected in our results.

Watching Chelsea, my god they play so much quicker than us. They pass forward.There is intent in everything they do.

 

[fatbloke]

The football we're trying to play is brilliant to watch, when we get it right there's not a better team in Europe but we're very inconsistent in our implementation.

We only have a very group of players who are technically AND physically capable of playing Peps demanding style (Kompany, Stones, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Sane, Aguero and Jesus). Long term injuries to three of those players have meant the others are completely burnt out from having to play every game. The rest of our squad is either insufficient technically (Clichy, Navas, Fernando, Delph, Inheanacho) or physically (Sagna, Zabaleta, Yaya) so it's no surprise we're inconsistent.

We just have to use this summer to clear the deadwood as such and invest in 5/6 real top class players and we'll be a lot more consistent, injuries and corrupt referees permitting.