eversince 76
Well-Known Member
I would rate this season a 7.
Resultwise finishing 2nd in the PL is a very good achievement, like scoring most goals (again). We played some great football at times, but not on a consistent bases. Unfortunately we had too many poor games, especially vs teams not high up the table. And our performances vs the old top 4, games that will lift our profile worldwide, were not impressive.
Our performances in the domestic cupcompetitions were very poor. I know we can't be playing at Wembley every year (although I pretty much got used to it), but going out the way we did in both the League and FA-cup is nothing less than shamefull.
In the Champions League we scraped through a difficult group only to draw Barcelona who by the time we played them, picked up form that brought them a title and a final in the CL, maybe even winning the Spanish Cup as well. Not a shame to be knocked out by them, all teams that played them after that had no chance whatsoever. Still, overall we didn't look good in all the matches we played in this competition except Roma away.
Only very few players can claim they had a decent season: Hart, Demichelis, Silva, Fernandinho, Milner and Aguero. Not enough to win the league or any silverware for that matter.
Pellegrini needs to take a good look at himself and his managementteam to try and realise that sometimes playing all out attacking football makes your team gaining lack of confidence. You can still play some lovely football from a more defensive lineup. Saying you only want to win in a style that you like is imo too naive. He needs to be more flexibal in that perspective. Also I think he should try and put in a youngster on a more regular bases. Maybe he's being too protective or too scared to lose his seat. None of the youth players seem able to be part of the 1st team as a regular, but sometimes a youngster can really surprise you when he's actually given a chance. Pozo got his chance under very difficult circumstances and it didn't do him any good. It doesn't mea he's the prime exemple. Either way, I'm happy to see him giving another shot. The players like him and that's a very important factor.
Finally I'd like to take in considderation a lot of things didn't go our way.
We had a lot of players who went far in the WC and needed time to get back on track. Aguero was gradually being brought foreward for fitnessreasons as well with no musscleinjuries as a result. Yaya had a difficult summer for familyreasons, his and his agent causing a few upsets within the club, a disappointing tournament, and when he did pick up he went of to Africa to win the Afrincan Cup with Ivory Coast only to come back low on form. Silva got an early injury, and we played about 5 or 6 weeks without any of our strikers. Biggest disappointment was Kompany. Low on form or injured. We practically did without him and his form all season. A big factor imo as he is seen as the leader in and off the pitch. It didn't help Mangala as well. Kompany is very important to us so he needs to get a good clear out and be back at his best next term.
We drew another group of death in the CL and got knocked out by what probably will be the eventual winners. The restriction of the squad might have had an impact. It did have an impact on the squad when someone had to be left out. Imo it was a completely wrong decision leaving Jovetic out and give Bony the benefit of the doubt. Bony, making his first steps midway through the season and coming back from an succesfull cupcompetition in Africa, and already making a huge step from Swansea to us, didn''t need the burnden of CL football at that particular moment. The squad who got to the knock out phase simply had to stay in tact and Bony would hardly have made a difference. It rather unsettled it.
FFP, the move from Carrington to the new (fantastic) Etihad Campus, it will have had it's influence.
We can do better and we will do better. Main thing is we need to get in pure quality now. 2 or 3 players like this will cost us loads of money, but for once I'd say let's just try and get these players in no matter what. If Real has a 100, 90, and 80 million player, if Barca has a 100 and 75 million player (and Messi), if the rags can suddenly fork out 60 million for a player etc., than maybe now it's our turn. And let's find out if Abramovitch will go this far as well.
Resultwise finishing 2nd in the PL is a very good achievement, like scoring most goals (again). We played some great football at times, but not on a consistent bases. Unfortunately we had too many poor games, especially vs teams not high up the table. And our performances vs the old top 4, games that will lift our profile worldwide, were not impressive.
Our performances in the domestic cupcompetitions were very poor. I know we can't be playing at Wembley every year (although I pretty much got used to it), but going out the way we did in both the League and FA-cup is nothing less than shamefull.
In the Champions League we scraped through a difficult group only to draw Barcelona who by the time we played them, picked up form that brought them a title and a final in the CL, maybe even winning the Spanish Cup as well. Not a shame to be knocked out by them, all teams that played them after that had no chance whatsoever. Still, overall we didn't look good in all the matches we played in this competition except Roma away.
Only very few players can claim they had a decent season: Hart, Demichelis, Silva, Fernandinho, Milner and Aguero. Not enough to win the league or any silverware for that matter.
Pellegrini needs to take a good look at himself and his managementteam to try and realise that sometimes playing all out attacking football makes your team gaining lack of confidence. You can still play some lovely football from a more defensive lineup. Saying you only want to win in a style that you like is imo too naive. He needs to be more flexibal in that perspective. Also I think he should try and put in a youngster on a more regular bases. Maybe he's being too protective or too scared to lose his seat. None of the youth players seem able to be part of the 1st team as a regular, but sometimes a youngster can really surprise you when he's actually given a chance. Pozo got his chance under very difficult circumstances and it didn't do him any good. It doesn't mea he's the prime exemple. Either way, I'm happy to see him giving another shot. The players like him and that's a very important factor.
Finally I'd like to take in considderation a lot of things didn't go our way.
We had a lot of players who went far in the WC and needed time to get back on track. Aguero was gradually being brought foreward for fitnessreasons as well with no musscleinjuries as a result. Yaya had a difficult summer for familyreasons, his and his agent causing a few upsets within the club, a disappointing tournament, and when he did pick up he went of to Africa to win the Afrincan Cup with Ivory Coast only to come back low on form. Silva got an early injury, and we played about 5 or 6 weeks without any of our strikers. Biggest disappointment was Kompany. Low on form or injured. We practically did without him and his form all season. A big factor imo as he is seen as the leader in and off the pitch. It didn't help Mangala as well. Kompany is very important to us so he needs to get a good clear out and be back at his best next term.
We drew another group of death in the CL and got knocked out by what probably will be the eventual winners. The restriction of the squad might have had an impact. It did have an impact on the squad when someone had to be left out. Imo it was a completely wrong decision leaving Jovetic out and give Bony the benefit of the doubt. Bony, making his first steps midway through the season and coming back from an succesfull cupcompetition in Africa, and already making a huge step from Swansea to us, didn''t need the burnden of CL football at that particular moment. The squad who got to the knock out phase simply had to stay in tact and Bony would hardly have made a difference. It rather unsettled it.
FFP, the move from Carrington to the new (fantastic) Etihad Campus, it will have had it's influence.
We can do better and we will do better. Main thing is we need to get in pure quality now. 2 or 3 players like this will cost us loads of money, but for once I'd say let's just try and get these players in no matter what. If Real has a 100, 90, and 80 million player, if Barca has a 100 and 75 million player (and Messi), if the rags can suddenly fork out 60 million for a player etc., than maybe now it's our turn. And let's find out if Abramovitch will go this far as well.