“City in crisis”

[Silva Citizen]

Mystery solved.

 

[Bluesince1979]

We can cite injuries all we want, and of course its an issue, but the squad is very weak and aging.

Ask yourself , how many players that started yesterday would be anywhere near a squad of years gone by?
Not many. Walkers and gundogans aging decline is painful to see. Rico lewis is way out of his depth. Savinho is a million miles from standard, youth on his side but shows me nothing really, bernardo has fell off a cliff , akanji doesnt have the fight for the big games without bigger players around him.
Doku, a pale imitation of mahrez/sterling/sane and even grealish whos place he took.
Kovacic wouldnt be near a squad with silva/toure etc around.
Etc
Etc
Etc
Recruitment has been beyond awful for too many years and its well n truly caught up.

Even hate myself for saying this but ferguson refreshed every year with a top level player, win the buy a worldie (his latter years soured it with a desperation to win the league left them in a state that is still affecting them)
We have rested on our laurels by replacing world class players with decidedly average ones.

Im glad txiki is moving on. Hes had a mare the last few windows and it 100% needed a refresh in his role.

We know the treble years were as good as its ever gonna be, and thats fine, but recruitment has been total neglect at best and this rapid decline (lets be honest, signs were there last year , we won the league because others didnt want to and we had the nouse to get across the line) is the fruits of that

 

[Plain Speaking]

I am not sure which of our players are going to form the spine of our team for say the next 3-5 years?
I would like to say Rodri/ Haaland /Gvardiol/ maybe Foden? But the first 2 keep getting linked with moving to RM.

Which of our current squad can form the spine to base our rebuild on? I am struggling to think of consistent leaders who can form the backbone of a successful team going forward?

 

[Gone for a Burton]

We can cite injuries all we want, and of course its an issue, but the squad is very weak and aging.

Ask yourself , how many players that started yesterday would be anywhere near a squad of years gone by?
Not many. Walkers and gundogans aging decline is painful to see. Rico lewis is way out of his depth. Savinho is a million miles from standard, youth on his side but shows me nothing really, bernardo has fell off a cliff , akanji doesnt have the fight for the big games without bigger players around him.
Doku, a pale imitation of mahrez/sterling/sane and even grealish whos place he took.
Kovacic wouldnt be near a squad with silva/toure etc around.
Etc
Etc
Etc
Recruitment has been beyond awful for too many years and its well n truly caught up.

Even hate myself for saying this but ferguson refreshed every year with a top level player, win the buy a worldie (his latter years soured it with a desperation to win the league left them in a state that is still affecting them)
We have rested on our laurels by replacing world class players with decidedly average ones.

Im glad txiki is moving on. Hes had a mare the last few windows and it 100% needed a refresh in his role.

We know the treble years were as good as its ever gonna be, and thats fine, but recruitment has been total neglect at best and this rapid decline (lets be honest, signs were there last year , we won the league because others didnt want to and we had the nouse to get across the line) is the fruits of that

We can cite injuries all we want, and of course its an issue, but the squad is very weak and aging.

Ask yourself , how many players that started yesterday would be anywhere near a squad of years gone by?
Not many. Walkers and gundogans aging decline is painful to see. Rico lewis is way out of his depth. Savinho is a million miles from standard, youth on his side but shows me nothing really, bernardo has fell off a cliff , akanji doesnt have the fight for the big games without bigger players around him.
Doku, a pale imitation of mahrez/sterling/sane and even grealish whos place he took.
Kovacic wouldnt be near a squad with silva/toure etc around.
Etc
Etc
Etc
Recruitment has been beyond awful for too many years and its well n truly caught up.

Even hate myself for saying this but ferguson refreshed every year with a top level player, win the buy a worldie (his latter years soured it with a desperation to win the league left them in a state that is still affecting them)
We have rested on our laurels by replacing world class players with decidedly average ones.

Im glad txiki is moving on. Hes had a mare the last few windows and it 100% needed a refresh in his role.

We know the treble years were as good as its ever gonna be, and thats fine, but recruitment has been total neglect at best and this rapid decline (lets be honest, signs were there last year , we won the league because others didnt want to and we had the nouse to get across the line) is the fruits of that

So taking your observations over the last 3 seasons, which world class players should the club have signed in addition to Erling Haaland & Josko Guadiol ?

 

[CatMan]

I am not sure which of our players are going to form the spine of our team for say the next 3-5 years?
I would like to say Rodri/ Haaland /Gvardiol/ maybe Foden? But the first 2 keep getting linked with moving to RM.

Which of our current squad can form the spine to base our rebuild on? I am struggling to think of consistent leaders who can form the backbone of a successful team going forward?

All I can think is Dias and Gvardiol as Centre Backs. I like Savinho, but his end product appears less than Doku's. Foden has regressed, Haaland is one dimensional, whilst who knows if Rodri will ever regain his performance levels. The likes of Stones, KDB, Walker, Gundogan and Grealish are stealing a bloody living. I love Bernardo, but with the decline of all those around him, even his game has dropped. In short, the chickens are roosting and our pathetically small, injury prone squad, coupled with blind loyalty and an exposed pattern of play has lead to this long overdue disaster.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I think we saw yesterday a big part of the reason why Pep has extended for 2 years. It is an acceptance that we (he) was too loyal to certain ageing and increasingly injury prone players, and fair play to him, he is intending to stick around to see the rebuild through. Looking back, the warning signs were clear to see in the cup final, losing to an awful Utd side, with half the team looking like they were on the beach. The nettle will be grasped now, there will be a clear out and we will come again. Getting top 4 this year will be a big achievement if we can manage it, but either way, we will come again. As supporters we must not turn on the players who have delivered so much, and in particular, let’s not destroy our own youngsters like Phil and Rico.

I hope that’s the case (that the nettle will now be grasped), but when ‘age’ was brought up by a journalist this week, Pep’s response was to wax lyrical about experience and how Real Madrid had won the CL with a midfield of Kroos, Modric and Casemiro.
I’m not convinced by the Groundhog Day nature of our team selections and tactics this season - albeit that injuries have dictated proceedings to a large degree - that he fully ‘gets’ the depth of the current malaise. The slow control routine was introduced due to our vulnerability to quick transitions, yet that vulnerability is worse than ever and we’re still persisting with the same set up. Small, slow, lightweight and often elderly midfielders, who can’t press, who cede possession under even minimal pressure, who let the opposition walk through tackle after lame tackle and who don’t pick up runners, and defenders, who despite a 5 yard head start, manage to let opponents beat them to every long ball and don’t seem to have the faintest idea about spacing.
There’s also been noise, quite reasonably, about our injury difficulties meaning that tired players, often carrying knocks, never get a chance to rest, but 0-3 down yesterday and Gundogan, Bernardo and Rico playing like they’d been zapped with a ray gun, Pep never made a change until the 74th minute. At the moment he’s not looking like part of the solution……

 

[The Norfolk Blue]

All I can think is Dias and Gvardiol as Centre Backs. I like Savinho, but his end product appears less than Doku's. Foden has regressed, Haaland is one dimensional, whilst who knows if Rodri will ever regain his performance levels. The likes of Stones, KDB, Walker, Gundogan and Grealish are stealing a bloody living. I love Bernardo, but with the decline of all those around him, even his game has dropped. In short, the chickens are roosting and our pathetically small, injury prone squad, coupled with blind loyalty and an exposed pattern of play has lead to this long overdue disaster.

Agreed, the sooner we get to 40 points the better … that’s all I ask for this season.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

We're not nearly as deep as we were in previous title-winning seasons:

We have Doku/Grealish instead of Sterling (Sterling was very inconsistent but in his prime at City was far better than Grealish or Doku)
We have Savinho instead of Mahrez (who, by the way, won PFA player of the year in 2015)
We have Lewis instead of a 2-seasons ago Walker
We have Walker-now instead of a 2-seasons ago Walker
We have Gundo-now instead of a Gundo 2-seasons ago
We do not have Ballon-D'or winning Rodri to cover our mistakes - we instead have an OK defensive mid who is actually very good going forward instead, Kovacic... well, scratch that, we don't even have Kovacic, we have Gundo who is old and was never very good on D as our defensive mid

And so on...

As a Club, City have failed to upgrade/replace aging players in the past 2 or 3 transfer windows. We've had a few big successes (Haaland and Gvardiol) but a bunch of filler/OK/squad-player/misses. Our club has gotten worse and worse.

So yes, we're in a full-blown crisis. No silverware is coming this year.

I hope we're able to hang on to at least 4th in the Prem for C/L play next season pending the idiotic FFP charges against us.

Pep has committed another 2 years to us - which is awesome. But we fucking need to get our transfer situation sorted - b/c it's been awful for 2+ years running.

 

[Gingers Dad]

We can cite injuries all we want, and of course its an issue, but the squad is very weak and aging.

Ask yourself , how many players that started yesterday would be anywhere near a squad of years gone by?
Not many. Walkers and gundogans aging decline is painful to see. Rico lewis is way out of his depth. Savinho is a million miles from standard, youth on his side but shows me nothing really, bernardo has fell off a cliff , akanji doesnt have the fight for the big games without bigger players around him.
Doku, a pale imitation of mahrez/sterling/sane and even grealish whos place he took.
Kovacic wouldnt be near a squad with silva/toure etc around.
Etc
Etc
Etc
Recruitment has been beyond awful for too many years and its well n truly caught up.

Even hate myself for saying this but ferguson refreshed every year with a top level player, win the buy a worldie (his latter years soured it with a desperation to win the league left them in a state that is still affecting them)
We have rested on our laurels by replacing world class players with decidedly average ones.

Im glad txiki is moving on. Hes had a mare the last few windows and it 100% needed a refresh in his role.

We know the treble years were as good as its ever gonna be, and thats fine, but recruitment has been total neglect at best and this rapid decline (lets be honest, signs were there last year , we won the league because others didnt want to and we had the nouse to get across the line) is the fruits of that

I wonder if we would have been more active in this summers transfer market, both buying and selling, if we hadn't won the league last season?

 

[BlueRockape]

We're not nearly as deep as we were in previous title-winning seasons:

We have Doku/Grealish instead of Sterling (Sterling was very inconsistent but in his prime at City was far better than Grealish or Doku)
We have Savinho instead of Mahrez (who, by the way, won PFA player of the year in 2015)
We have Lewis instead of a 2-seasons ago Walker
We have Walker-now instead of a 2-seasons ago Walker
We have Gundo-now instead of a Gundo 2-seasons ago
We do not have Ballon-D'or winning Rodri to cover our mistakes - we instead have an OK defensive mid who is actually very good going forward instead, Kovacic... well, scratch that, we don't even have Kovacic, we have Gundo who is old and was never very good on D as our defensive mid

And so on...

As a Club, City have failed to upgrade/replace aging players in the past 2 or 3 transfer windows. We've had a few big successes (Haaland and Gvardiol) but a bunch of filler/OK/squad-player/misses. Our club has gotten worse and worse.

So yes, we're in a full-blown crisis. No silverware is coming this year.

I hope we're able to hang on to at least 4th in the Prem for C/L play next season pending the idiotic FFP charges against us.

Pep has committed another 2 years to us - which is awesome. But we fucking need to get our transfer situation sorted - b/c it's been awful for 2+ years running.

I was ok before reading this.



Anyone got a spare length of rope I can borrow?