Are City a better all round team without Haaland?

[GoatersLeftShin]

City are a better team with Haaland in it. His record so far this season tells you that.

We have become so cautious it's untrue. There's no point just having possession if it entails Ake passing to Akanji and Walker. They aren't able to pick out that killer pass.

I've said it before but we rarely have a game where one player has a stinker. We either play brilliantly or really poor. When were poor, we basically get no service into Haaland and it's not his game to tear arse about the pitch chasing the ball down.

We simply need to be prepared to play the ball into him early with the risk we lose the ball. Personally I'd be happy to do this simply to try to entice the opposition out so we can counter them.

I think Pep will crack this problem and when he does we will be unstoppable. Again.

 

[Holcombe bloo]

We would have a lot more space to work in behind if we weren't trying to pin teams in on the 18-yard box.

That's the trade off. We could defend a bit deeper and our quality in the transitions would be incredible.

Liverpool-esque, I dare say.

This all day long, I’ve been thinking this for a while, no space to play into at the same time as leaving ourselves vulnerable with a high line.
bring the team back 20 paces and sign a left back and we are good to go! Arya would be nice. Get to summer and swap Bernie for Bellingham to reignite the middle.

 

[franksinatra]

Sadly the team has morphed into a side more concerned with risk than reward. The passing is laboured, slow and horizontal to limit the transitions. Our playing through the lines is virtually non- existent. We rarely break at speed, preferring time to allow out players to get in their zones, in case of a possible counter attack. Its a world away from the team of 2017/18, with KDB as number 8s and the wing play of Sterling and Sane or even last seasons performances against the likes of Liverpool home and away. Yes there has been some high moments this year and Haaland has created a buzz about the club but performance wise we have regressed in a lot of matches.

I honestly thought Haaland would be the finished piece to the jigsaw. If sides press us we had the option of playing the ball in behind for his pace and if we faced a low block we finally had a physical presence to cross to and a natural finisher. The early pass we rarely use and bar KDB the service from the others has been poor.

 

[lunebleu]

i must be getting old but...... what does 'transition' ...'playing through the lines' and 'low block' mean?

 

[citymad]

I agree with all of what you have said here. The problem is your second to the last paragraph. If Pep isn't going to do that, what does that mean and where do we go?
Will we be stuck with the same 60% possession every game with the majority of those passes between the centre backs and then back to Ederson?

I think he would like to but for once in his life he may be finding it difficult to change this. This is a unique situation. We’ve played almost two years without an out and our number 9 and we’ve been rooted in Peps principles of possession football that it may take a 180 approach to get the best out of Haaland. We were doing great when Haaland first signed mainly because of Kev teams are starting to suss us out and its affecting our productivity in front of goal. We'll need to find a solution change sooner rather than later if we want to have a go at pulling Arsenals lead back and have a real go in the Champs league. Pep really does need a No2.

 

[wolviedinho]

Another day for by and it’s still a big fat No -:)

 

[Keeper!]

i must be getting old but...... what does 'transition' ...'playing through the lines' and 'low block' mean?

Playing like shit that what it means, keep the game simple, because it is, feed the Viking and he will do the rest.

 

[eastlandsblue]

We would have a lot more space to work in behind if we weren't trying to pin teams in on the 18-yard box.

That's the trade off. We could defend a bit deeper and our quality in the transitions would be incredible.

Liverpool-esque, I dare say.

Absolutely bang on. And its time we went 442 to give defences more than Haaland to worry about

 

[Bobby the blue]

I

i must be getting old but...... what does 'transition' ...'playing through the lines' and 'low block' mean?

Its new hipster football talk that people hear on the tv or down the pub and they think it makes them sound cool and in the know about football.

I’m reality it’s a load of bollox.

 

[himalayan_blues]

Haaland is a all or none player. If he scores goals he is the best if he doesnt he is the worst.