When we do pass round it's baffling how from comfort of their half of pitch we end up back at our 6 yard line scrambling aroundBut that might also be because we're not keeping the ball as well or tiring the oppo
Yeah, you mention 3 there that had fantastic control and technique. Think KDB is actually up there with anyone for touch but take your point as he could lose the ball due to the way he played. The weaker 3 you mention all had great physical attributes. We’ve now signed a few that lack both!Even in our pomp, players such as Sterling, Walker, and even de Bruyne had weaker touch and close control than say Zinchenko, Fernandinho, and Gundogan. We signed Haaland to add the cutting edge, which he did, but then the football subsequently became more open, frantic, and less controlled. Never understood how that squared with Guardiola’s philosophy.
Reijnders and 1 other City player whose name I forget ran more km than any other player in match werk 1. Khusanov and Nunes are extremely quick. Look at Haaland.I agree with the statement but we must be the least mobile and unfit squad in the whole league.
The decline started after Istanbul .
Reijnders and 1 other City player whose name I forget ran more km than any other player in match werk 1. Khusanov and Nunes are extremely quick. Look at Haaland.
There was a time, not that long ago, when we fielded a side and the weakest in control, especially in tight spaces, were de Bruyne, Foden, and Walker. Their other attributes compensated and complemented the others’ of course, but as you say, we’ve got some real doozies now.Yeah, you mention 3 there that had fantastic control and technique. Think KDB is actually up there with anyone for touch but take your point as he could lose the ball due to the way he played. The weaker 3 you mention all had great physical attributes. We’ve now signed a few that lack both!
Only issue with that is Khusanov has barely been in the team. Nunes shouldn’t be anywhere near. Do the one regular who is rapid is easily nullified as teams drop deep against Haaland. Who due to lack of ability on the ball can only use his pace running on to through ballReijnders and 1 other City player whose name I forget ran more km than any other player in match werk 1. Khusanov and Nunes are extremely quick. Look at Haaland.
Food for thought.Feels like the obvious point to me.
I dont know when or why we started to move away from the style of passing teams to death, but, in the last 3-4 years we have bought players that aren't good enough on the ball to challenge for the title consistently.
Pep mentioned pre-Brighton that we need to get back to 1000 passes a game, but watching them yesterday, some of the players could barely make a 10-15 yard pass without it bobbling, or putting the receiving player in a worse position. Beyond the passing the control of the ball was even worse, just bouncing 5-10 yards off of our players.
I say it's the technical ability because passing and controlling the ball allows us to control the game on and off the ball.
A previous version of City 1 nil up yesterday, they would have had Brighton running themselves into the ground trying to get the ball back.
Compare to any team we've had in the last 10 years.
Technical ability 2017/18 v 2025/26 (yesterday):
Ederson > Trafford
Walker > Nunes
Stones = Stones
Otamendi = Khusanov
Delph = Ait Nouri
Fernandinho < Rodri
David Silva > Reijnders
De Bruyne > Bernardo
Sane > Marmoush
Aguero > Haaland
Sterling = Bobb
1 player in the starting XI better than on the ball than what we had 8 years ago
It's the same if you go back 4 years too.
2021/22 v 2025/26:
Ederson > Trafford
Walker > Nunes
Laporte = Stones
Dias = Khusanov
Cancelo > Ait Nouri
Rodri = Rodri
Bernardo > Bernardo
De Bruyne > Reijnders
Sterling = Marmoush
Aguero > Haaland
Mahrez > Bobb
Arguably none better.
Now we may disagree on the odd placement of players technical ability, but as a whole we are way down across the board.
Players press better now, it is harder to pass but I look at the modern game and players like Aguero, David Silva, a peak KDB would still take the piss and find time and space.
Might seem like a bit of a flap but we aren't going to get better until we start picking an XI that can pass opponents off the park.
Do we have such an XI capable? Not sure we do.
I would let KdB off as he took risks that were justified, which sometimes did not come off. The general point, though, is accepted. Note: Mahrez had a fantastic first touch, no attacker like that now.Yeah, you mention 3 there that had fantastic control and technique. Think KDB is actually up there with anyone for touch but take your point as he could lose the ball due to the way he played. The weaker 3 you mention all had great physical attributes. We’ve now signed a few that lack both!
True - although you don't need to be Simon Sebag Montefiore to realise that. People go on about the signing of Rodney Marsh in 72, as a turning (downwards) point, but the signing of Doku was more disastrous imo. Completely threw the balance - and then we compounded it with Savinho. Both good players, as Rodney was - but not what was needed at all.The decline started after Istanbul .
Completely agree!! “A thousand million passes” that’s what Pep says he wants yet for three years we have slowly been selling all of the players capable of keeping the ball and replacing them with players who can’t do it.
Now these players are good players in their own right. Let’s take Trafford he played well against Brighton and made some great saves but is he good enough with his feet to play the Guardiola way. I don’t think he is and Donnarumma definitely won’t be either and you can see how shakey we are playing it out from the back. Khusanov another good defender but didn’t look comfortable under pressure particularly playing on the left.
Even Haaland when we had 10 players to carry the burden of keeping the ball it was fine cos as a goalscorer he is incredible. Now in a team with less quality to keep the ball his lack of ability to hold onto the ball becomes more obvious.
We have managed to put together a squad for the manager with the clearest way of wanting to play the game that contains too many players not capable of keeping the ball. I think it has been an incredible down turn in recruitment.
Team needs to settle down before really judging! there is a lot new players or players that been here since January needs to play games with this squad!
I still first instinct the players and Nouri for me is the biggest disappointment weak and passing not great that’s at the back defending going forward looks a lot better! But for me we need a left back who can fucking defend
Seems fairly obvious that a decision was made that summer to move away from what had been so successful to something different and - notionally at least - more direct. Since then, we’ve stopped signing players with proper technical ability and, just as crucially, proper footballing intelligence and have gone instead for players who can ‘carry’ the ball and ‘play in the transitions’. And it’s been downhill ever since.The decline started after Istanbul .