Are City a better all round team without Haaland?

[blue whippet]

Come to think of it, where is Maresca? I haven't seen him on the bench although I freely admit I may not have looked hard enough. If he was touted as a future manager it doesn't bode well that he would appear to be just another Pep yes man.

 

[eastmanc]

Against weaker teams who couldn't stop KDB and importantly, early doors. Teams first focussed on marking Haaland ..impossible task. Better to focus on cutting off tge service, which is whybwe are seeing a dramatic slow down

He scored a hatrick against united, scored against Newcastle, Dortmund and Liverpool so he did it against stronger teams as well. A combination of City becoming too pragmatic and teams, like you say cutting of service and also too many players out of form have all contributed to what's happening at the moment. If you get the service to this lad he will score.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

We are very much on the same page.

Pg 39, mate ;)

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

So true, I posted in the post match thread how Haaland wasnt passed to on numerous occasions .
The pass was on and he was on his way but the pass wasn't made, surely pep needs to work on this.

We would have a lot more space to work in behind if we weren't trying to pin teams in on the 18-yard box.

That's the trade off. We could defend a bit deeper and our quality in the transitions would be incredible.

Liverpool-esque, I dare say.

 

[Legal Alien]

However, we have to adapt to Haaland, not the other way around. That's what happens when you buy an elite player off the top shelf.

Our football approach has been sussed, just a surprise it took so long.

We need to be more willing to give up more possession to teams by taking more risks, getting the ball into Haaland far quicker and also hitting the spaces. Let us use more his sheer physicality and pace.

Pep isn't going to do that, but that's what it is going to take.

Haaland is a great striker and our future, but he needs the right service. Everyone knew what type of striker we were buying and yeah Erling has to improve his link up play also, but surely our play has to be adapted to him.

This isn't going to happen overnight as we need a different type of player, more direct box to box midfielders with pace and either wingbacks or proper wingers, but Pep's had those type of players and teams before and he'll have to build another team like that again and by signing an extension i think he knows that.

This season was always going to be difficult with disruption due to the World Cup, so we're probably using it as a transition season, but looking at our team we seem to have lost our way and don't really look like we know what we're doing, so i really believe there will be a major over haul to the squad in the summer with a few big names being sold.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Needs space behind really..so counter attcking..look at his goals internationally...and a lot for Dortmund against big teams..so i rthink im right and yourvwrong..but its just an opinion.

nah counter attacking is what rashford did. dortmund play one touch fast passing football like brighton. those two are not the same. if you move the ball fast in one touch through the middle you will always find space before the opponent organize themself.

 

[Newquayblue]

No!

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Stop worrying about the opposition because you win fuck all by being too cautious.

especially you don't win the CL by not playing to your strengths

 

[JWCH-99]

Pep needs someone next to him to tell him a few home truths, I suspect losing Arteta and Lillo has also had an impact.

Borrell is happy to be a part of the furniture after being everything under the sun since Pep came, Maresca is probably just grateful because he fucked off and then we brought him back.

A combination of circumstances are now having a negative impact, but the league is still there for this season and yesterday's injustice could create the siege mentality we need to fuck off the coasting approach.

The World Cup and sheer intensity of the the last couple of years have already been eluded to by Pep.

However, we have to adapt to Haaland, not the other way around. That's what happens when you buy an elite player off the top shelf.

Our football approach has been sussed, just a surprise it took so long.

We need to be more willing to give up more possession to teams by taking more risks, getting the ball into Haaland far quicker and also hitting the spaces. Let us use more his sheer physicality and pace.

Pep isn't going to do that, but that's what it is going to take. Teams are now able to stay in games.

Whereas before we used to get one and then go for the jugular, we now try to manage the game and we get results like yesterday and against Everton.

Peps opinion is actually the opposite (according to someone close to the first team staff). After the result last year at Madrid he believed instead they should double down on control. He wants more control than before hence why mahrez and grealish have been preferred this year. This issue is we have sacrificed the extra man from the false 9 for a proper no.9 relinquishing control. He has two options revert to the 17-18 approach with fast wingers and a no.9 but less control and the reason he moved away from that was due to teams sitting deeper and countering or find a way to have a similar level of control with a striker, which is what he’s been trying to do this season. I think either way personnel changes are required and we may have to sacrifice this season like 18-19 and move a step back to then move 3 forward.

 

[glasg0wblue]

Yesterday was a good example for me. Shaw was playing at Centre Back and Malacia at Left back, surely a decent ball to the back post aganst these two you would fance Haaland's chances in the air against them. I can't remember any decent crosses for him to attack.