4-4-2: What's different this year?

Love Bites and Everything said:
Yaya hasn't won us 10-12 points single handedly this year.

Teams have sussed out that TUCYM won't budge from his system and they can read us like a book.

The form of Vinny and Zabba has been patchy at best.

We haven't had a striker (other than Aguero) banging 20+ goals in before new year.

We haven't improved in the middle of the park, some may say we've regressed.
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So far i think Yaya's won us 15 points already this season and we're only in March:
Villa away opening goal in a 0-2 win
Swansea at home winner
West Brom away scored the second in a 1-3 win
Everton at home winner
Southamptin away opening goal in a 0-3 win
 
Lack of energy throughout the team, wrong personel in defence/midfield, hangover from the World Cup, injuries to key players at key times, loss of form... All of these factors have played a part throughout the season. There's not been one main reason why its not happened for us this year, rather a handful of different ones.
 
There are many reasons, most of which have already been stated. But one that hasn't been is partnerships. The partnership in defence with Vinny yet to be given a quality central defender to play alongside. A central midfield pairing that can work as a two with the demands of top level premier league football week in week out. And finally a partnership up front which we had for about three months with Negredo and Aguero but since then there is nothing to even resemble a pairing that works well enough together to dilute the other problems that occur in the system. I guess you could also say the partnership between full back and the player in front of them when it's Silva and Nasri. The basics of a 442 means a lot of work for the two wide midfielders in defence and attack and really it nullifies what you want Nasri and Silva to be doing if they have to be tracking back for 90 minutes. If they don't track back though, you are left with gaping holes for the opposition to attack as has been evident for pretty much the whole of MP's tenure here.

Ultimately it is a shit, outdated system that can have success if all the pieces fall into place and you have the right players to play the roles and the team ethics and energy to match. We don't have any of those at this moment.
 
I felt we played more of a 4-3-1-2 at our best last season.

Zabaleta and Kolarov proving the width, Fernandinho, Yaya and Nasri as a midfield trio with Silva behind Aguero and Negredo.

Seems more of a flat 4-4-2 this season, it definitely was at Anfield.
 
The beast was on fire first half of last season. We failed to replace him.
He was what allowed 442 to work.
The tactic is poor but with the right players it can work. We don't have the right players or a plan b.
 
We've no defensive shape, pressing is lacking and the outlet from our full backs has lessened because we've not had enough of a presence in the box.

I've noticed our play has slowed down far too often, not enough quick passing and movement, often trying to force things down the middle which is the wrong move because teams will be narrow and compact against us, the slow build up giving them time to set up and organise themselves.

Another thing we haven't had this year is Yaya scoring many goals and another striker as well as Aguero chipping in. Iirc Dzeko has 4 prem goals and Jovetic has 5.. nothing that.

You have to remember as well that we lost Yaya and Aguero in Dec/Jan, huge blow that.
 
Defensively we are not solid. Every great time in history was built from the back forward. No matter who you have playing up front for you, you cannot ignore that you need a plan when out of possession. Pellegrini seems to have neglected this part our game in favour of the attacking side of our game. Even now, the attacking side has become very one dimensional. It is poor that a team with such talent can look at times so lost, out of shape and unorganised.
 
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