“City in crisis”

[The perfect fumble]

Having dipped my toe into the cesspit of football media this morning, I can say two things with absolute certainty.

1. When the fuckers say they don't care about City, they're lying.
2. Beating City 4-0 at the Etihad is seismic. Since the final whistle there's been wall to wall celebratory vlogs and articles by all the red top wankers. As for Spurs fans, we've got "the greatest victory in my lifetime" and even "the greatest victory since 1961".

 

[eversince 76]

 

[BlueRockape]

Having dipped my toe into the cesspit of football media this morning, I can say two things with absolute certainty.

1. When the fuckers say they don't care about City, they're lying.
2. Beating City 4-0 at the Etihad is seismic. Since the final whistle there's been wall to wall celebratory vlogs and articles by all the red top wankers. As for Spurs fans, we've got "the greatest victory in my lifetime" and even "the greatest victory since 1961".

Shows you how small time the yid army are ( there chant not mine )

 

[MillsyTheMosher]

Countless problems... Where on earth do we start?

Firstly, Pep must take the much of the blame. He continues to start players that are simply out of form. Prime examples of this are Walker, Savinho & Bernardo. All three simply aren't playing anywhere near well enough to warrant consistent starts whilst the likes of Mcatee are sat on the bench. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised to see Mcatee follow what Cole Palmer did and ask to leave in January- If he can't get game time now he never will.

Forgetting Pep picking out of form players, what has really killed us is 2/3 years of generally poor recruitment/squad planning. On the squad planning issue, we have too many aging players that are shadows of their former self (Walker, Bernardo, Gundo, KDB to name a few) and we have gone from having several 'great' players to simply 'good' players. The difference is vast. Our squad is also laughably paper thin when you consider the sheer number of fixtures we have to contend with.

On the recruitment side, When you look at the calibre of players that have departed us in the last 3 years it is genuinely frightening... Laporte, Jesus, Palmer, Zinchenko, Sterling, Cancelo, Mahrez, Fernandinho, Alvarez... I could go on. When you look at who we have brought in during the time the above names have left only really Haaland and Gvardiol have been what you could deem a success. Most have flopped badly- Nunes and Kalvin Phillips being prime examples.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the following: Walker (Been a great servant but his legs have gone), Gundo (Same as Walker), KDB (Getting old now, Always injured and carrying a lot of timber these days), Rico (Top squad rotation player but not good enough to start consistently in a teams midfield that aspire to win titles).

The other lads in the squad don't really have any excuse. Grealish has let us down for two years now, Savinho isn't good enough, Foden not fulfilling his potential.

Big problems. Breaking the bank for Barella at Inter in January would be a start towards fixing some of these issues.

 

[MillsyTheMosher]

Countless problems... Where on earth do we start?

Firstly, Pep must take the much of the blame. He continues to start players that are simply out of form. Prime examples of this are Walker, Savinho & Bernardo. All three simply aren't playing anywhere near well enough to warrant consistent starts whilst the likes of Mcatee are sat on the bench. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised to see Mcatee follow what Cole Palmer did and ask to leave in January- If he can't get game time now he never will.

Forgetting Pep picking out of form players, what has really killed us is 2/3 years of generally poor recruitment/squad planning. On the squad planning issue, we have too many aging players that are shadows of their former self (Walker, Bernardo, Gundo, KDB to name a few) and we have gone from having several 'great' players to simply 'good' players. The difference is vast. Our squad is also laughably paper thin when you consider the sheer number of fixtures we have to contend with.

On the recruitment side, When you look at the calibre of players that have departed us in the last 3 years it is genuinely frightening... Laporte, Jesus, Palmer, Zinchenko, Sterling, Cancelo, Mahrez, Fernandinho, Alvarez... I could go on. When you look at who we have brought in during the time the above names have left only really Haaland and Gvardiol have been what you could deem a success. Most have flopped badly- Nunes and Kalvin Phillips being prime examples.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the following: Walker (Been a great servant but his legs have gone), Gundo (Same as Walker), KDB (Getting old now, Always injured and carrying a lot of timber these days), Rico (Top squad rotation player but not good enough to start consistently in a teams midfield that aspire to win titles).

The other lads in the squad don't really have any excuse. Grealish has let us down for two years now, Savinho isn't good enough, Foden not fulfilling his potential.

Big problems. Breaking the bank for Barella at Inter in January would be a start towards fixing some of these issues.

Not to mention Porro, Lavia, Delap.

 

[Mifred]

Countless problems... Where on earth do we start?

Firstly, Pep must take the much of the blame. He continues to start players that are simply out of form. Prime examples of this are Walker, Savinho & Bernardo. All three simply aren't playing anywhere near well enough to warrant consistent starts whilst the likes of Mcatee are sat on the bench. In fact, i wouldn't be surprised to see Mcatee follow what Cole Palmer did and ask to leave in January- If he can't get game time now he never will.

Forgetting Pep picking out of form players, what has really killed us is 2/3 years of generally poor recruitment/squad planning. On the squad planning issue, we have too many aging players that are shadows of their former self (Walker, Bernardo, Gundo, KDB to name a few) and we have gone from having several 'great' players to simply 'good' players. The difference is vast. Our squad is also laughably paper thin when you consider the sheer number of fixtures we have to contend with.

On the recruitment side, When you look at the calibre of players that have departed us in the last 3 years it is genuinely frightening... Laporte, Jesus, Palmer, Zinchenko, Sterling, Cancelo, Mahrez, Fernandinho, Alvarez... I could go on. When you look at who we have brought in during the time the above names have left only really Haaland and Gvardiol have been what you could deem a success. Most have flopped badly- Nunes and Kalvin Phillips being prime examples.

I have a great deal of sympathy for the following: Walker (Been a great servant but his legs have gone), Gundo (Same as Walker), KDB (Getting old now, Always injured and carrying a lot of timber these days), Rico (Top squad rotation player but not good enough to start consistently in a teams midfield that aspire to win titles).

The other lads in the squad don't really have any excuse. Grealish has let us down for two years now, Savinho isn't good enough, Foden not fulfilling his potential.

Big problems. Breaking the bank for Barella at Inter in January would be a start towards fixing some of these issues.

Apart from that everything ok?

 

[Donmcfc]

Haha,
I've just asked AI why we've been shit recently & got an answer which isn't far wrong.

Manchester City's recent poor form, losing five consecutive games, can be attributed to a combination of factors:

1. Injuries and Squad Depth: Key players like Rodri, Bobb, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, and John Stones have been unavailable due to injuries, weakening City's usual dominance in both midfield and defense. Additionally, their replacements have lacked the experience and quality of former squad members like Riyad Mahrez and Joao Cancelo.


2. Defensive Vulnerabilities: City's defense has struggled against counter-attacks and early opposition goals, with issues in the current setup. Pep Guardiola’s preferred tactics and formations have been less effective due to the personnel available, leading to gaps that opponents have exploited.


3. Poor Performances in Key Matches: Recent losses include a 4–1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and a 4–0 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League. Both games showcased a lack of composure and inefficiency in both attack and defense, compounded by missed opportunities, such as Erling Haaland’s failed penalty against Sporting.


4. Opposition Tactics and Quality: Teams like Sporting and Brighton utilized effective strategies to disrupt City's rhythm. For instance, Sporting targeted City's defensive frailties, and Brighton outworked them in critical moments.



This slump highlights a rare period of vulnerability for Guardiola's side, though his record suggests that tactical adjustments and player returns could help them recover soon.

Do you think we should get AI to be our new manager?

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Its not my job to know that. People get paid millions to sort that out, spend their whole working week scouting and identifying.

No point me giving suggestions on the odd game i see or youtube clips

Seeing the odd game on YouTube hasn't prevented you from slating the club, coach or team though.

Think before you print or some may think you're an imbecile !!

 

[Bluesince1979]

Seeing the odd game on YouTube hasn't prevented you from slating the club, coach or team though.

Think before you print or some may think you're an imbecile !!

Wow. Straight to abuse just because i dared to question how recruitment has gone tge last few years

Silly sausage

 

[ManCitizens.]

I'm okay with having an off season. It happens. I've supported City.long enough to see the depths of despair in the 80s and 90s. We will rebuild. The only thing that concerns me with this current team is that we aren't just on an unexpected run of defeats, we are starting to get hammered by teams you wouldn't consider the top teams. We have Liverpool and a derby coming up. It could get humiliating.

Exactly, it’s not the end of the world and for me the big one this season is the court case. Win that and get in the top 4 and I’ll be happy.

With the results, the warning signs were there earlier in the season allowing Fulham, Brentford and Ipswich to take the lead at home, sides are now punishing us and it’s clear we’ve lost a bit of confidence.

Whether it’s in January or more likely the summer we need to make sure the recruitment is right and sign at least 3-4 players who are nailed on starters.

Since signing Dias 4 seasons ago there’s only really Haaland and Gvardiol who have come in and improved our starting 11. Akanji/Ake have been good squad players and Grealish despite not living up to his fee also played an important part in our success but now’s the time to revamp the team with ready made quality.

The likes of Savinho, Doku and Kovacic should not be relied upon as starters but are useful squad options. When you consider the quality we’ve let go and some of our stars who are now aging we have quite the rebuild on our hands.

We need to build around Gvardiol, Dias, Rodri, Bernardo, Foden and Haaland, I see those as the 6 nailed on starters (fitness allowing) next season. I’d argue we need to add a right back, central midfielder and wide player to this list. If Ederson wants out add a new goalkeeper as well. Hopefully the likes of Kev can contribute when required but he can’t play 3 games a week anymore.