So does it come from Pellegrini that we're not arsed about pressing as a team?
As you say individual pressing is ultimately pointless, most games in the champions league against teams who are decent with the ball we've struggled.
Totally agree with you in terms of the current Yaya, I don't blame him at all. It really baffles me because it is clearly doing nobody any favours at the moment, not the team, not Yaya and especially not the manager who increasingly looks idiotic for not addressing this when it is patently obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that the car is already blowing up and the flag isn't yet even in sight!He's a veteran player now.
Surely the manager should see that & 'manage' him accordingly, get the best out of him for the sake of the player & the team ?
Pellegrini to me is like an ex champion racing driver in his last race, screwing the car to death, foot to the floor, gambling it doesn't blow up before he gets past the flag.
Touer played in a far more advanced position than usual (first half).
I can't see any evidence that either Pellegrini or Mancini attempted to have us playing a full pressing game, EXCEPT, just remembered, last season when all the strikers were injured. We did it a lot more then & beat almost everyone we played. Then as soon as he could, he went back to the wide open crap & we got battered again.
Why do people keep calling that being stubborn? I call it being crap.I know it's not the answer to everything but I've always wondered why we don't do it, when we were supposed to be emulating the Barca model I thought that all our teams would play that way. All I can think of is Pellegrini doesn't think the players have the work rate to do it continually or maybe he's just stubborn and thinks he can go out with the same team and tactics regardless of opposition and expect to win... Yes that's probably it.
he did, but he also started dropping back centrally (& getting mugged) as the game went on. Silva, Delph swapped positions a lot & there was all manner of tactical genius going on, with no end product, then Everton just booted it straight down the middle & we fell apart.
I know it's not the answer to everything but I've always wondered why we don't do it, when we were supposed to be emulating the Barca model I thought that all our teams would play that way. All I can think of is Pellegrini doesn't think the players have the work rate to do it continually or maybe he's just stubborn and thinks he can go out with the same team and tactics regardless of opposition and expect to win... Yes that's probably it.
When 'defending' we seemed (seem) to end up with 4 players high up the pitch doing very little and then a huge gap between them and our defence, leaving large pockets of space for Everton to play the ball into. We look much better when we are more compact.
I think the last line is correct.
He wants to do it 'his' way, as he is the grand master of flowing football & movement, who Pep & everyone look up to. He doesn't want to copy them, he wants to show them who is the daddy.
But they have learned from people like him & improved.
I've no idea how anyone can come on here after that and post like some people have?! Slagging off fans for being pissef off "happy clapping" as some of you call it
If that was a one off then fair enough, but we have been fucking wank all season and a lot of last season aswell. Pellegrini needs to go. Look at our squad, it's ridiculously talented, and he is wasting it. We shouldn't settle for 2-1 away at Everton, we should be fucking dominating nearly every team we come up against! It's tragic how this group of players is performing and it starts and ends with the manager
I'm going to go for other teams sussed us out.What's changed from his first season when for large parts we were playing 4-4-2 and playing much much better football?
Other teams improved & sussed us out abit more? Players not as hungry? Change in tactics & formation?
As much as we all relished the idea of the 'fab' four playing upfront for us I think we're or Pellegrini is struggling to make it work.
Hopefully Guardiola can change that.
Trying to make the most out of Toure. That is at the heart of a lot of it. We found if we played 2 up front Tour would get exposed in a 2 man midfield.What's changed from his first season when for large parts we were playing 4-4-2 and playing much much better football?
Other teams improved & sussed us out abit more? Players not as hungry? Change in tactics & formation?
As much as we all relished the idea of the 'fab' four playing upfront for us I think we're or Pellegrini is struggling to make it work.
Hopefully Guardiola can change that.
What's changed from his first season when for large parts we were playing 4-4-2 and playing much much better football?
Other teams improved & sussed us out abit more? Players not as hungry? Change in tactics & formation?
As much as we all relished the idea of the 'fab' four playing upfront for us I think we're or Pellegrini is struggling to make it work.
Hopefully Guardiola can change that.
Trying to make the most out of Toure. That is at the heart of a lot of it. We found if we played 2 up front Tour would get exposed in a 2 man midfield.
I'd go back to 3 up front. We have the players: Even Bony might come good. Sterling for me is wasted on the left touch line always cutting in on his right. Too predictable. Play him down the middle with Aguero and in front of Silva and De Bruyne and then pack the rest of the team with fighters like Fernandinho and Delph. I am sure we could at least be competitive which we not at the moment.
Teams have sussed us out, and we've not responded
Have some of these players lost the hunger and desire and only play/put in a shift when they feel like it,seems like it going by some of the games this season,or is part of it down to knowing possibly that pep will be here in the summer and some of them won't...
I thought there was only me that had noticed that; two or three suddenly seemed to realise and turned back onto the pitch as they were on the point of leaving!! Easy to see Joe wasn't playing, he is usually the one who gets them to come over and acknowledge us. Like you I don't want the Klopp scenario but it was soooooo obvious last night, if that couple had not suddenly realised then we would have been left with a damp squib again. I don't want them to do it just for the sake of it but last night we were so loud and strong for that team we deserved an acknowledgement.
I've said for a long time that YaYa shouldn't be Captain, he never encourages the others, last night it was Otamendi and De Bruyne who were doing the shouting and pointing to where someone was needed. Vinnie would have had those players over to us in a heartbeat.
We miss the passion and will to win that Tevez and Mancini generated No doubt the Pep business has put us in limbo .but Vinny apart our team has no leaders no one to take the game by the scruff of its neck This has the possibility of being a fantastic season, but with the teams current mindset i fear it will implode