Next season it’s time to admit

jay_mcfc said:
We just lost to Spurs over two legs after resting players in the first game. Decisions, mistakes, misses etc will always happen. Making concious decisions to play a full strength team in an FA Cup game then resting some others for a CL QF game a few days later is within our control.
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As it has turned out, we had no need to rest anyone in the Q/F 1st leg. Now we only have 6 games to play instead of 9.
I don't know why Pep picked the side he did in the first leg, perhaps he will enlighten us one day.
Pep is a brilliant guy, but he seems to over think things sometimes.
Similarly to when Pellegrini didn't 'Go for it' in the C/L semi final against Real, ut was a mystery as to why Peo didn't introduce Kev, until there was too little time for him to have any real influence on that game.
The quad was most definitely on imo.
 
The quad will be on again next year as well, there’s no team in this league near us in therms of squad depth, Liverpool have had a fortuitous season, throwing two of the cups, very little injuries. If they win either of their remaining competitions do you think they will do the same next year? I doubt it, then we will see who’s better , look at the points we have amassed If we win the league we are at 98 points, bloody hell we thought last year was good this year could be even better, league cup, league and fa cup, next year why not 4.
 
Every season the club should focus on winning the League Cup (because it's over by March), then the League and Chumps League only after that.

It was the FA Cup that screwed us with an intense fixture list in the latter half of the season under Pellegrini and now under Pep.

So win the FA Cup this year (which I genuinely wanted us to win anyway this season, because we haven't won it for a while now), and then play only reserve team players from next year onwards.

So sacking the FA Cup as a strategy, should guarantee us a high chance of winning at least two trophies a season whilst Pep is here.
 
Eaglechief said:
Every season the club should focus on winning the League Cup (because it's over by March), then the League and Chumps League only after that.

It was the FA Cup that screwed us with an intense fixture list in the latter half of the season under Pellegrini and now under Pep.

So win the FA Cup this year (which I genuinely wanted us to win anyway this season, because we haven't won it for a while now), and then play only reserve team players from next year onwards.

So sacking the FA Cup as a strategy, should guarantee us a high chance of winning at least two trophies a season whilst Pep is here.
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The League Cup isn't without issues. 1- It's a midweek competition so if you're complaining about playing every three days then there is one easy solution for a few weeks respite. 2- Getting to the final meant re-arranging the United game. The timing of that game meant we had to manage the squad before a tough run of league fixtures (Palace, Spurs, United).

It's still an extra 5/6 games, it still involves a period of playing every few days and it can cause a fixture pile up at the business end of the season. We've won it four times, shown it more respect than any other team in the past twenty years. Time to play the kids with a sprinkling of seniors that need minutes.
 
The only approach a club of City's ambitions is to try to win the next match. This means acceptance of a possible total of some 60 or so competitive matches and of a squad size to make this possible. The Carabao cup was a great adventure, I can't envisage doing a Klopp in the FA cup, you never know how many points are needed to win the league and the margins in the CL are, as we have been reminded very painfully this week, minute. You can't guarantee winning the games you need by not bothering about others. City are aiming to be come challengers for all four trophies every season.
 
jay_mcfc said:
The League Cup isn't without issues. 1- It's a midweek competition so if you're complaining about playing every three days then there is one easy solution for a few weeks respite. 2- Getting to the final meant re-arranging the United game. The timing of that game meant we had to manage the squad before a tough run of league fixtures (Palace, Spurs, United).

It's still an extra 5/6 games, it still involves a period of playing every few days and it can cause a fixture pile up at the business end of the season. We've won it four times, shown it more respect than any other team in the past twenty years. Time to play the kids with a sprinkling of seniors that need minutes.
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I agree with your points about the League Cup not being without it's own issues regarding fixture congestion etc, but if we are to focus on winning at least one domestic trophy, to my mind this competition offers the least complications compared with the FA Cup towards the "business end" of the season.
Our priorities must surely be the League and Chumps League once April starts, the FA Cup ruins this focus.
 
Sounding very Raggish to sack off the FA Cup. We have to go for everything and if we don't win everything then fuck it. That's what I pay my money for, to see City play to win as The Boys in Blue song goes.
 
JOGAMIGMOG said:
Sounding very Raggish to sack off the FA Cup. We have to go for everything and if we don't win everything then fuck it. That's what I pay my money for, to see City play to win as The Boys in Blue song goes.
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It's possibly a more realistic approach to not expect to win every trophy in the same season (it's never been done before I might remind you), if anything trying to win everything is a "Raggish" way of thinking.
 
jay_mcfc said:
I know what Pep said and it's bollocks. Tactics would never have you pick Delph at left back and KDB on the bench. Never, ever, ever.
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A manager has to balance the demands of 4 competitions and hence assembles a squad of players and utilises them across the season so that you don't always play your strongest 11 quite simply because if you do that to your team, it weakens and players break down and get injured.

I agreed with your initial argument: Competing on 4 fronts means compromise somewhere down the line, but I think it's right to accept that risk. Stress the squad and they will grow.

Liverpool may end up through limited objectives of winning the league and Champions League. It's a distinct possibility now, but City and Liverpool were in different positions. I think Pep has managed City brilliantly this season. At times sitting in my armchair, I disagreed but when he explains himself (Spurs away) I understood what he was doing (doesn't make it right. He might have what if thoughts).

It's a very legitimate question to ask if City had adopted Liverpool's strategy of prioritising two competitions, would we be better off now. I think we would, but I am glad we did what we did. We need to be ambitious and we will have developed by doing so.

I thought it was a great question you raised but I disagree with your Delph and KDB comments. KDB is vital to City. We simply cannot run him into the ground. Delph is also a good player with games under his belt...see last season.
 
Dutch KNVB have cancelled fixtures so Ajax don't have to play Sunday Tuesday, whats the chances of the PL doing that? Absolutely zero!
 
Shirley said:
As someone who witnessed the success of the Mercer/Allison years and has enjoyed our current success, who else would sacrifice a cup or two to see our young kids make the first team?

I would.
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No.
Our team is winning trophies, 'AT THE MOMENT'. We need to keep on winning trophies as no one can predict when this will end.
It is better to have a few frustrated youth players than 40,000+ fans bemoaning the fact of knowing that, " If only we had played a stronger team, we would have won that match/trophy!"
No, we should go all out to win everything we can. Youth will get their opportunity.
 
Is the FA cup not the problem, starting in 2nd half of season, as you progress into next rounds, games picked in prem end up being rearranged and causing congestion at the important run in at the end of season. Imo.
 
jay_mcfc said:
That the quadruple isn’t going to happen and play reserves and youth players in the two domestic cups. It’s been a heck of a ride and something the club can be extremely proud of.

But we cannot put ourselves in a position again where we play a full strength team in the FA Cup one day and have to rest players a few days later in a CL quarter final.

I know how some will react to this post, especially those that dislike the CL. But when domestic cups become detrimental to success in bigger competitions then something has to give.
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Not for me maybe rotate a bit more in these easy cup games but how can anyone not have enjoyed this season? And we are still on for a history making treble same again for me next season after what i have watched over the years i would never want my team to sacrifice winning a trophy.
 
How about us resting players in the Chamions League games and going all out for the domestic treble.

We will still be in the following years CL if we adopted that policy every season, and the star players wouldn't have to traipse all over Europe for midweek games that are basically just for the benefit of the armchair viewers.
 
Gray said:
How about us resting players in the Chamions League games and going all out for the domestic treble.

We will still be in the following years CL if we adopted that policy every season, and the star players wouldn't have to traipse all over Europe for midweek games that are basically just for the benefit of the armchair viewers.
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Great idea that. Now put it to Aguero, De Bruyne, Silva etc and let’s see how the next few transfer windows go.
 
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Grassland Blue said:
No.
Our team is winning trophies, 'AT THE MOMENT'. We need to keep on winning trophies as no one can predict when this will end.
It is better to have a few frustrated youth players than 40,000+ fans bemoaning the fact of knowing that, " If only we had played a stronger team, we would have won that match/trophy!"
No, we should go all out to win everything we can. Youth will get their opportunity.
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Whilst failing in the Champions League.
 
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Marvin said:
A manager has to balance the demands of 4 competitions and hence assembles a squad of players and utilises them across the season so that you don't always play your strongest 11 quite simply because if you do that to your team, it weakens and players break down and get injured.

I agreed with your initial argument: Competing on 4 fronts means compromise somewhere down the line, but I think it's right to accept that risk. Stress the squad and they will grow.

Liverpool may end up through limited objectives of winning the league and Champions League. It's a distinct possibility now, but City and Liverpool were in different positions. I think Pep has managed City brilliantly this season. At times sitting in my armchair, I disagreed but when he explains himself (Spurs away) I understood what he was doing (doesn't make it right. He might have what if thoughts).

It's a very legitimate question to ask if City had adopted Liverpool's strategy of prioritising two competitions, would we be better off now. I think we would, but I am glad we did what we did. We need to be ambitious and we will have developed by doing so.

I thought it was a great question you raised but I disagree with your Delph and KDB comments. KDB is vital to City. We simply cannot run him into the ground. Delph is also a good player with games under his belt...see last season.
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Well then you agree with all of my points. KDB started an FA Cup game then a few days later was on the bench in a CL knockout game. That is completely unacceptable. If it’s an admittance that we can’t go all out in 4 trophies then we shouldn’t be going for 4 trophies.

Delph is what he is this season - a complete liability that will make at least one huge error in every single game. I have no problem with him, it’s not his fault. But he should never have played for us again after the Swansea game, least of in a CL knockout game.
 
in hindsight Pep should have done a Klipperty Klopp and ditched the two cups and go for the PL and CL.
Now we’re out of CL would it be a poor season if we only win League cup and FA cup ?
 
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