Technical ability of the squad isn't good enough.

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Disagree.

Technical ability is fine.

What's screwed up is the physical/emotional commitment to succeed no matter what - by which I mean that our press is lacking, our concentration is lacking, and, perhaps most importantly, when we're not at our best and the opposition is on the ascendency, there's no anger in the team... no spine... no drive to correct matters.

 

[Moss Side's Finest]

I think every player we have will be in the top 5-10% of technically gifted players in world football, that's why we brought them in.

Our problem is really simple to understand using an age old assessment method, this being;

If one player is consistently underperforming, it's likely down to that player.

If many players are consistently underperforming it's more likely down to coaching/managerial/hierarchy issues.

If all players are consistently underperforming, it's definitely due to coaching/managerial/hierarchy issues.

I personally think it's most certainly the latter here. Something isn't right, somewhere between the coaches, the manager, the sporting director, the exec.

The sense of nirvana and seemless transition from one season to the next has gone.

Whether the solution is a simple fine tuning fix with new coaches and mgt matters , or more severe changes with people leaving, time will tell.

 

[Norman kneejerk]

There is some truth in this but we also lack energy in the last 20 minutes. We keep getting over-run in midfield and shipping late goals. It is a pattern for two years now.

Yes a combination of the 2 we lose it because we are less good at retaining it and the midfield are all on the wrong side of the ball and can't get back.
Whatever else we do we have to keep more players back in position or it will just keep happening.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Yes a combination of the 2 weeks lose it because we are less good at retaining it and the midfield are all on the wrong side of the ball and can't get back.
Whatever else we do we have to keep more players back in position or it will just keep happening.

Strangely yesterday we looked solid defensively for the first 60 minutes. Stones and Rodri were playing well, Kusanov and Ait Nouri looked good on the left. Then Rodri tired, Kusanov was subbed, Nunes went missing, Brighton brought four fresh players on and the usual City late-match meltdown was soon under way.

 

[ancoats]

Square pegs in round holes

NO right back, never mind a 2nd choice
1 left back and NO 2nd choice
1 striker and not 2nd choice
NO replacement for Rodri

But it's OK we have 7 centre backs and 4 keepers

 

[Sir Joe Aguero]

Would also help if we had wingers who could score or do something in the final third. You could excuse the drop in technical quality if they got goals, but it’s frustrating as hell watching them get into areas and then kill any chance we had.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

Strangely yesterday we looked solid defensively for the first 60 minutes. Stones and Rodri were playing well, Kusanov and Ait Nouri looked good on the left. Then Rodri tired, Kusanov was subbed, Nunes went missing, Brighton brought four fresh players on and the usual City late-match meltdown was soon under way.

You have to wonder what the club World Cup has done for fitness with the squad being a few weeks behind other teams in terms of them being able to outrun us.

Worrying thing is we have had two transfer windows and we aren’t seeing much improvement to the overall standard of our play with the new recruits. We can’t do the basics of spotting dangerous runs when having to run back to goal.

 

[PeterBarnesShorts]

I agree that the overall technical ability of this squad is levels below that of our great teams in this last decade.At the same time,those teams were just f’kin unreal,hence all the records etc,..so to judge future teams against that kind of standard,is a little unfair.Those teams were truly exceptional and just far above anything we’d ever witnessed before.It really could only go one way from there.We need to accept this and adjust expectations accordingly…as tough as it seems.

 

[Quinny851]

Square pegs in round holes

NO right back, never mind a 2nd choice
1 left back and NO 2nd choice
1 striker and not 2nd choice
NO replacement for Rodri

But it's OK we have 7 centre backs and 4 keepers

Yeah but one of those centre backs is Khusanov though. Feels like we're cheating by having a player of his ability in our squad

 

[woody1968]

We don’t have
The skill and ability intelligence of Dave
The drive of Fernandinho
The passing ability of KDB
The game management of Gundogan
The guile of Sergio
The pace of Sané and Walker
Or the Captaincy of Vinnie
All of the above would walk into the current team.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

You have to wonder what the club World Cup has done for fitness with the squad being a few weeks behind other teams in terms of them being able to outrun us.

Worrying thing is we have had two transfer windows and we aren’t seeing much improvement to the overall standard of our play with the new recruits. We can’t do the basics of spotting dangerous runs when having to run back to goal.

To be fair I think we have improved. We finished last season strongly and mostly played well at the CWC. Even this season we have dominated for long periods in games before running out of steam. The Spurs game was a bit of a freak as was the penalty yesterday. Of course we are nowhere near where we need to be to win the league but I remain confident that we have a competitive squad. We won't know for sure how the CWC impacted us till after Christmas.

 

[TonyBookEnd]

Disagree.

Technical ability is fine.

What's screwed up is the physical/emotional commitment to succeed no matter what - by which I mean that our press is lacking, our concentration is lacking, and, perhaps most importantly, when we're not at our best and the opposition is on the ascendency, there's no anger in the team... no spine... no drive to correct matters.

I agree that the general technical ability is fine but when under pressure, are they able to regularly show that ability?
I think there's some mentally weaker players in our squad, who can loose focus and make poor decisions. Maybe more than we've had in a long time.

I also agree that the intensity and drive doesn't seem the same either

 

[spiny]

The City hierarchy took their eye off the ball preoccupied with the Etihad North Stand expansion and the NYCFC new stadium. They see only costs and future potential revenue. Spoiled by success, they thought they could get away with buying potential in the transfer market that Pep would turn into world class players overnight.

We are gambling by signing players who could turn out like Kalvin Phillips rather than creating a spine of players with proven skills, awareness, fitness, drive and winning mentality capable at playing at elite level. (I think of David Silva, a super intelligent footballer who did the important things exceptionally well whilst making them look simple.) Liverpool saw the folly in this approach and are buying top class talent to secure further success.

The standard of City signings has dropped in recent years with only Rodri and Haaland able to claim to be world class. They are also in danger of further disenfranchising core fans in their pursuit of revenue over results that will cause long-term damage to "the product" through lack of atmosphere and empty seats, affecting on field performances.

 

[xmusampa]

You have to wonder what the club World Cup has done for fitness with the squad being a few weeks behind other teams in terms of them being able to outrun us.

Worrying thing is we have had two transfer windows and we aren’t seeing much improvement to the overall standard of our play with the new recruits. We can’t do the basics of spotting dangerous runs when having to run back to goal.

Or you get brain farts like nunes handball which gift goals and give crowd a boost and a current bunch of spineless players who look to others to lift team rather than them be the one.

 

[PabZabb]

Why can’t we have a right back and a left back at the same time?

 

[Brendan110_0]

I blame it on Brandon Ashton leaving, dressing room unity not the same since.

 

[simon23]

I dont think the technical ability is the issue.
Pep always says that if you dont run you cant win......we have too many passengers at present that are either too old or not physically capable

Biggest culprits are Rico Lewis, Nunes, Dias, Alt Nouri, Bernardo and Riejnders.

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

This will divide the forum, Haaland’s first touch is appalling and for someone who is 6.4 and who loves to go on social media showing off his abs, pecs etc he isn’t strong enough. Rarely does he hold a ball up, make runs into the channels or win us a free kick and rarely does he press properly. I am not doubting his goal scoring capabilities but the rest of his game is poor.

 

[theres only one carlito]

I think it's very difficult to judge while the system looks out of date

I’m not sure it’s out of date,

I think it’s become harder to execute because opposition have homed in on tactics that are more effective against us. Coupled with the standard of player required to pull pep’s style off not being what it was, it’s even harder to pull off.

I’ve said it for a while now, a lot of these players can’t play pep’s style against the new intensity and tactics of the opposition. You almost have to be even better on the ball than we were or at least equal than before. That’s why I’ve asked the question, why won’t pep adapt to the players he has? Well he simply can’t, he only knows one style and that’s possession/positional based.

We will live and die by it. However, this current crop, for me, don’t have the ability required anymore or have never had it in the first place.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

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 was talking to a blue at work today .
Ederson best we have had.
Walker best right back in the league for 5 years.
Kompany enough said
Stones brilliant.
Kev
El mago no player will come close
Sergio amazing.
Sane brilliant.
Zabba.
Yaya.
Fernandinho brilliant.
Rodri

At one time we signed the best.
Some of them players went on to be absolute legends.
In the last 4 years we signed haaland absolutely top player.
Untouchable in his first year we stop using him .
And apart from him most have been average.
Yes when you kiss the sky and get to the absolute top like David Silva.
Everything will be down hill after that.
Lokk at today sold ederson.
Replaced with another keeper who doesn't suit our game .
Why