4 European Campaigns - Signs of improvement?

[Clowny]

We have no genuine pace. The only way we beat players is through 1-2s around the box and all our opponents now know this. It only takes one mistake and you lose the ball and we become vulnerable to counter-attacks. European teams are generally good at counter attacking. Instead of continuously lobbing the ball in or pulling the defense apart with great movement, we make pretty patterns around the box, even when we desperately need a goal. Barcelona succeeded with this style around 2009-11 because they pressed a lot and had insanely good players who almost never lost the ball. We are nowhere near as good as them.

We really need a good pacy winger who is also willing to track back and help Clichy/Kolarov and take players on. Push Silva to the center and play 2 of Fernadinho, Jimmy or Fernando behind him. A young Bellamy would have been immense in this side.

Also, we need more direct set-pieces.

 

[citymacc]

I think first things first nine times out of ten you need a world class manager or if you are lucky a world class manager in the making i.e. Klopp and Simeone to win the Champions League.

That manager also has to be incredibly tactically flexible because you need to adapt quickly in the Champions League because of the strength of the opposition.

Whilst Pellegrini is a top manager his biggest issue for me is that it's his way or no way, he won't change the way he plays, one of the reasons Wenger has come up short so many times if you ask me.

The personnel needs to be right as well and every team member needs to put the team first and sacrifice himself when needed, you can't have the likes of Yaya Toure, despite his brilliance at times, going around as if the game is a walk in the park, Silva for example needs to learn to track his opposition runs when he has to and Sergio and Edin if played as a two or a one need to be tracking back working hard when not in possession.

To sum it up in regards to us I question whether we have a manger tactically flexible enough and whom possibly overestimates his opposition, I question whether certain players are willing to put the team first and not think individually, and I also question whether we really do have a plan b?

I also don't think we have enough pace in our side when it comes to players and as a team, on the break we look lethargic and show hardly any intent.

Exactly this.
Also, if we could just whip the odd corner into the six yard box, rather than fannying about or rattling it off the near post defender and hey, here's a crazy notion, stop trying to be clever dicks with every single free kick. Sometimes - not 100% of the time - but sometimes the simple, direct option is the thing to try. They had a young, inexperienced keeper and it took us about 70. minutes before we gave him a save to make.

Completely agree with you mate, our set pieces were consistenly poor last night, half of them ended up with us making 5 or 6 sideways/backwards passes that eventually reached Hart!

 

[supercity88]

It's the energy we play with that is the issue. In Europe you have to either grind a team down with superior possession or tactics, or you have to be explosive in attack and put the opposition under real pressure when they have the ball. What has always been our issue in the CL? Lack of dynamism and pace in midfield. Barry...De Jong...etc. What changed last season? 2 things. Easier group. Fernandinho. We pressed the ball and used it well. What have we seen this time? A solid performance in Munich - where we accepted a draw would be good and were close to getting it. We didn't so last night we really needed to win. It was a poor performance. The issue was a lack of presence in the middle.

Yaya isn't the same player. He needs to be rested for a while to force him into stepping up. To qualify from this group now we need Fernando and Fernandinho in the centre of midfield to allow Silva time on the ball to create chances. If that happens then we will be hard to beat and will score goals. Those two players have the energy and presence to win the ball back and get it forward quickly, which is what you need in the CL.

 

[Jazzman]

We have no genuine pace. The only way we beat players is through 1-2s around the box and all our opponents now know this. It only takes one mistake and you lose the ball and we become vulnerable to counter-attacks. European teams are generally good at counter attacking. Instead of continuously lobbing the ball in or pulling the defense apart with great movement, we make pretty patterns around the box, even when we desperately need a goal. Barcelona succeeded with this style around 2009-11 because they pressed a lot and had insanely good players who almost never lost the ball. We are nowhere near as good as them.

We really need a good pacy winger who is also willing to track back and help Clichy/Kolarov and take players on. Push Silva to the center and play 2 of Fernadinho, Jimmy or Fernando behind him. A young Bellamy would have been immense in this side.

Also, we need more direct set-pieces.

In my humble opinion there is a lot of truth in the above. Watched the game on telly and often had the impression that there were more of them than of us on the field. It looked like we did not move enough. The player with the ball mostly had difficulties finding somebody to pass it to.