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“City in crisis”
- Thread starter blue saturday
- Start date
Im not convinced it is. We have problems in defence. Some individual errors and injuries for sure.That's the main issue by far, and most what you've described stems from it (even the older players wouldn't have been expected to play twice a week, if the defenders were remotely fit).
I agree that the squad needs a refresh, but it's an anomaly that only Rico, out of 9 defensive players, has been fully fit throughout this run, and even he's never had to play this regularly before.
However the wide players/attacking midfielders are delivering nothing. 90 odd games and 5/6 goals. It’s tragic levels of performance. That and the lack of cover for Rodri (and Haaland) is the bigger issue for me…. Its the midfield!!
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What 2 players at 34 years? I think you’re being a little harsh there PB. That list tells me change was foreseeable and planned not imminent.That's a terrible indictment of our squad planning. And unlike injuries, or any other variable, it was 100% foreseeable.
Serious number of injuries, drop in form and teams going for us more is more of the problem.
Fordyboy46
Well-Known Member
It's deeply concerning how we've lost to a dire utd side, alarm bells should be ringing now
jimharri
Moderator
Leave Leroy out of this, he doesn't play for us any more!Sane. I'm sort of taking this as a year off from the usually end of season stress that takes a few years off my life every year. And got to see the lighter side in the meantime...
Follow, follow, follow,
We were the best football team in the world.
Now we struggle to score,
We either lose or we draw,
We're worse now than 2004.
StillBluessinceHydeRoad
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 14 Aug 2020
- Messages
- 2,178
- Team supported
- City
It is hard to take this rambling rant seriously, amounting as it does to an attack on the club's policy throughout a period of glittering success. Kyle Walker is 34, the same as KdB, and he had injury concerns at the end of last season and they carried on to the start of this season. His pace seems to have deserted him but given the limited time for rest and recovery it may well be too soon to argue that his career is over. It certainly is with KdB. KdB did not begin to struggle physically and we did not play our best football without him - last season or any other time. Kevin suffered serious injury in January 2016 and did not return until 22 April. Similarly he suffered serious injury in training before the 2019-20 season not to return until late January 2020 but still to play a key role in winning the domestic treble. In the opening game of last season he was injured, underwent surgery and only came back on 13 January at Newcastle. City did not lose a game after his return until the cup final. Kevin has not struggled physically - he has had 3 or 4 serious injuries and he has had an injury this season and because of injuries to other players little time to recover before having to return.Its actually pretty easy to understand...
The cycle of this team is done.....too many players are at the end of their careers...it was there last year to see with some (walker and to an extent KDB who started to struggle physically) and then we go and get Gundo back who it was clear from day one that he aint at that level anymore
Injuries - how many summers have we said we needed cover for Rodri - this is where the back room staff have failed.....Nunes, Phillips...plenty of people questioned their recruitment...we were told "trust txixi...he knows more etc etc ad nauseum......but again ..........
Add this to the Stones and Ake issues - over repeated seasons its been clear that as good as John Stones is he is clearly unreliable due to fitness reasons....to a lesser extent but still an issue is Ake.....this was again glaringly obvious for. number of years
KDB - I am going to focus on him - i said last year that our best football was played without him on the pitch - including winning the CL final - yes he came back and played some good games and got assists but the signs were there - losing the ball when running with it, unable to track back, didnt have the burst or drive to run through the middle. - and then we have a lack of creativity without him
Grealish - the single biggest mistake (including phillips and Nunes) that this club has made.....the team has carried him for all but half a season since he has been here - we blew 100m on him and set our transfer budget back seasons.....we wasted money on average talent.....He is better technically as Foden i was told....he is the successor to KDB i was told....he creates I was told.....WRONG WRONG and WRONG again!!!!!!! I argued against buying him at the time....he is another clear example of OVERHYPED ENGLISH PLAYER - bang average...I also said Phillips was a potential huge mistake.....another bang average player.......never good enough and that was obvious
And lastly, Pep - we know he has a way of playing - he wont adapt it...but he knows he doesnt have the players to play the way he wants "Give me my players back" - people are talking about the injuries but have we considered this is PEp saying he knows the players he has cant do it anymore......He made a veiled refernce to wanting a 25 yr old KDB the other day when being asked about managing KDB's minutes.
There is no solution to this with the players we have at the moment....too many are done.....
And Ill say it now.....if we fail to get world class cover for Rodri regardless of what happens with him we are in even more trouble....there is ZERO guarantee he comes back the player he was.....We need recruitment now and in the summer....
We are in a battle for mid table at best without recruitment.
Your critique of City's recruitment omits important factors. Altogether you dismiss 9 players - over 1/3 of the squad - as not good enough. You have wanted cover for Rodri for years but Phillips and Nunes are not good enough. Fine - but who is? Grealish is dismissed as a clear example of an overhyped English player who was never good enough, Stones is "unreliable" for fitness reasons as is Ake to a lesser extent. The facts show that these players and the others have been good enough and a crystal ball allied to a dose of angry prejudice is no way to judge their careers as over.
But the most laughable part of your opinion is your ludicrous misinterpretation of what Pep has said. Pep wants his players back, certainly. Which city fan doesn't. And, of course, he was referring to injured players. Immediately before what you quoted he had said that his quad was still good enough and if he had his squad City would still be top of the league. And that's the case. And he wants a 25 year old KdB! Do you know a City fan who doesn't? City's crisis is an injury crisis. Our back four and central defenders are never the same in consecutive games. Our midfield changes from game to game. Only Haaland (whom you forgot to mention in your review of our poor recruitment - along with Alvarez) is ever present. And at the moment he's living off scraps.
M23 Citizen
Well-Known Member
Individual match results are never concerning when taken in isolation. It’s football, anyone can beat anyone on the day.It's deeply concerning how we've lost to a dire utd side, alarm bells should be ringing now
Had Nunes just been a bit more composed, not dived in and given away a penalty, we’d have probably won the derby last week. Had Aké been fit, we’d probably have won the derby last week.
The run of form is concerning but there’s no alarm bells. Everything is explainable and understood.
Time and patience is needed, let’s stop being so catastrophising as a fanbase. We’ll be fine… eventually.
Up the Blues!
Fordyboy46
Well-Known Member
I'll calm down soon pal, honestlyIndividual match results are never concerning when taken in isolation. It’s football, anyone can beat anyone on the day.
Had Nunes just been a bit more composed, not dived in and given away a penalty, we’d have probably won the derby last week. Had Aké been fit, we’d probably have won the derby last week.
The run of form is concerning but there’s no alarm bells. Everything is explainable and understood.
Time and patience is needed, let’s stop being so catastrophising as a fanbase. We’ll be fine… eventually.
Up the Blues!