Watching City this last month I have been struck by the lack of intensity in our game. I have seen many others make similar comments on here and in the media.
This was very obvious at SJP in the 1st half. It looked like we had 80% possession but our game lacked urgency.
By intensity I mean:
distance run
players sprinting or jogging with and without the ball
attitude to 50-50s
choice of pass - forwards or sideways
speed of pass
It would be useful to have some stats to back this up but I am afraid that all I have are impressions.
If that is true, then the next question is why? Is it mental, or is it physical?
You look at the player selection and there are players like Gundogan, Mendy, Silva and Mahrez who are slow, or who pass the ball off habitually instead of taking their man on.
But is the lack of pace in our game a reflection of carelessness and state of mind? Liverpool are playing poorly, but they find a way to win games. It's mental. Have we grown complacent? If that is it, then topics like extending Pep's contract are redundant.
I actually believe that the intensity, determination or mental attitude (call it what you will) is a function of age / injury. I am basing this on the Chelsea home game. There players like Kante were running rings around City in the 1st half. We couldn't get close to them but in the 2nd half the game changed totally when Foden and Jesus came on, suddenly we were pressing and CFC couldn't get out of their own half. They had the ball but they were forced to play sideways.
However, if it's down to lack of pace in our player selection, then why doesn't Pep see that? He has a very obvious solution staring at him in the face in Foden and he doesn't use him? It's particularly hard to understand because young players coming into the squad are naturally quicker and they also put pressure on the senior pros. I think Pep has made a mistake in using Fernandinho to cover for Laporte and I think he has delayed too long in bringing Foden through. He's too loyal to his players.
Change it Pep. Bring Garcia and Foden into the 1st team.
This was very obvious at SJP in the 1st half. It looked like we had 80% possession but our game lacked urgency.
By intensity I mean:
distance run
players sprinting or jogging with and without the ball
attitude to 50-50s
choice of pass - forwards or sideways
speed of pass
It would be useful to have some stats to back this up but I am afraid that all I have are impressions.
If that is true, then the next question is why? Is it mental, or is it physical?
You look at the player selection and there are players like Gundogan, Mendy, Silva and Mahrez who are slow, or who pass the ball off habitually instead of taking their man on.
But is the lack of pace in our game a reflection of carelessness and state of mind? Liverpool are playing poorly, but they find a way to win games. It's mental. Have we grown complacent? If that is it, then topics like extending Pep's contract are redundant.
I actually believe that the intensity, determination or mental attitude (call it what you will) is a function of age / injury. I am basing this on the Chelsea home game. There players like Kante were running rings around City in the 1st half. We couldn't get close to them but in the 2nd half the game changed totally when Foden and Jesus came on, suddenly we were pressing and CFC couldn't get out of their own half. They had the ball but they were forced to play sideways.
However, if it's down to lack of pace in our player selection, then why doesn't Pep see that? He has a very obvious solution staring at him in the face in Foden and he doesn't use him? It's particularly hard to understand because young players coming into the squad are naturally quicker and they also put pressure on the senior pros. I think Pep has made a mistake in using Fernandinho to cover for Laporte and I think he has delayed too long in bringing Foden through. He's too loyal to his players.
Change it Pep. Bring Garcia and Foden into the 1st team.