Are we making "progress" as a team ?

[Scooby Blue]

I like RM and think he has the right sort of "winning" mentality.

I like the addition of Silva , Yaya , Milner , AJ , Kolarov , Balotelli , Dzeko.

BUT the cold facts slightly undermine the notion that we really are making any serious progress as a football team:

Last season: p24 W:12 D:8 L:4 Points:44
This season: p24 W:13 D:6 L:5 Points:45

Last season (at this stage) : Goals for: 47 Goals conceded: 32 Net:+15
This sesason : Goals for: 37 Goals conceded: 20 Net:+17

The good news is that we have tightened up at the back, and we are picking up more points away from home.
The bad news is that we are scoring less (and more worryingly our goals are very concentrated on one player) and our home record is less impressive.

The fact that we have been so close to the top of the table gives us all a nice warm fuzzy feeling on a Saturday evening but the truth is that it reflects our greater number of games played + below-par seasons from Chelsea/liverpool/Utd etc who would normally be 10 points clear by now.

I "feel" that we are much stronger now than a year ago, but the figures don't back this up...and suggest something somewhere still needs tweaking.

For what it's worth, I feel that we miss Bellamy's pace on the left hand side.
I think he would fit perfectly into our current set-up to supply some of the missing goals + assists.
Look at how shifting Bale's pace forward has transformed the way Spurs play.
Bellamy appears to have burnt his bridges with RM/City...and Balotelli is a different sort of player.

Bottom Line: RM seems to have gambled that Kolarov + Balotelli would supply sufficient attacking threat down left-hand side...but it hasn't worked.
(All our late chances v Villa came via AJ + others on right)

I feel that getting a pacy left-winger could be one of the missing pieces in the jigsaw that allows us to "click" + exploit the upgrades that have taken place with Yaya / Silva etc.

(apologies for long post)

 

[Quinny851]

Cold stats don't tell the whole story though. I mean who'd of thought that Chelsea would be so shit this year.

The only fact you need to know that is also printed is this

Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Man Utd 22 11 1 0 34 7 2 8 0 14 12 29 48
2 Arsenal 23 7 1 3 25 11 7 3 2 23 11 26 46
3 Man City24 7 3 2 18 10 6 3 3 19 10 17 45
4 Chelsea 23 8 2 1 24 7 4 3 5 18 12 23 41

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Tottenham 23 6 5 1 17 9 4 3 4 15 17 6 38
6 Sunderland 24 6 5 1 15 8 3 5 4 13 16 4 37

If that stays the same at the end of the season then we've made MASSIVE progress. simples

 

[BatleyBlue]

Compare it at the end of the season, it's still a transition and we probably won't see the big changes until next season or even the year after that when the squad is settled and Bobby knows his best 11.

He hasn't had a chance to field his best side yet due to injuries or bans.

Progress is being made.

 

[Sigh]

I don't believe he knows what his best side is. Which is what I'd expect.

 

[abu13]

I don't believe he knows what his best side is. Which is what I'd expect.

I agree, i keep changing my mind as well. i have to admit that i have not been AJ's biggest fan and have agreed with his use as an impact sub. however i am changing my opinion now and think he needs to be starting more now. he is the guy who can feed the balls in for Dzeko.

i just hope that we don't try bringing in three or four new players before the start of next season.

 

[Scooby Blue]

Cold stats don't tell the whole story though. I mean who'd of thought that Chelsea would be so shit this year.

The only fact you need to know that is also printed is this

Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Man Utd 22 11 1 0 34 7 2 8 0 14 12 29 48
2 Arsenal 23 7 1 3 25 11 7 3 2 23 11 26 46
3 Man City24 7 3 2 18 10 6 3 3 19 10 17 45
4 Chelsea 23 8 2 1 24 7 4 3 5 18 12 23 41

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Tottenham 23 6 5 1 17 9 4 3 4 15 17 6 38
6 Sunderland 24 6 5 1 15 8 3 5 4 13 16 4 37

If that stays the same at the end of the season then we've made MASSIVE progress. simples

I will be as happy as anyone if we make it into the CL.

I was simply pointing out that we are currently on course to do this because of the failings of others rather than through our own development as a team..(which is quite strange when you think of the quality players we have signed)

 

[Quinny851]

Cold stats don't tell the whole story though. I mean who'd of thought that Chelsea would be so shit this year.

The only fact you need to know that is also printed is this

Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Man Utd 22 11 1 0 34 7 2 8 0 14 12 29 48
2 Arsenal 23 7 1 3 25 11 7 3 2 23 11 26 46
3 Man City24 7 3 2 18 10 6 3 3 19 10 17 45
4 Chelsea 23 8 2 1 24 7 4 3 5 18 12 23 41

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Tottenham 23 6 5 1 17 9 4 3 4 15 17 6 38
6 Sunderland 24 6 5 1 15 8 3 5 4 13 16 4 37

If that stays the same at the end of the season then we've made MASSIVE progress. simples

I will be as happy as anyone if we make it into the CL.

I was simply pointing out that we are currently on course to do this because of the failings of others rather than through our own development as a team..(which is quite strange when you think of the quality players we have signed)

i think that's slightly harsh saying it's other teams failings rather than our own doings. We've not been playing well but we've been getting the results required apart from Villa which I believe was written in the stars to be a defeat anyway.

The problem we have as a club is that we don't appear to have a plan b. As we currently set up with the 4-3-3, if its going tits up we bring Johnson on but this appears to hinder us a bit imo as we become unbalanced.

Johnson is an out an out winger and tends to hug the touchline, when he does this say for example he's playing on the right, our midfield becomes disjointed and we leave bags of room down the left. This is also another reason I believe why Kolorovs lack of pace has been exposed cos he's no support in front of him.

It's tough cos like its been mentioned, i dont think he knows his best starting 11 even though he's getting close. I think another 2-3 top quality signings and we wont be far off!!

 

[duracell]

I think so.
It's not easy to create a real team, in few years, and MC is doing that.
To be competitive on high levels the players must know well each others, it's not enought to simply have the important names.

It's normal that other teams are a step forward in this direction.

 

[simon23]

we look more solid and a more rounded team than we did at this point last year.

we still need to work on the way we attack as a team....our possession football is lovely to watch but as has been said on numerous occasion on here by various people, when a team "parks the bus" like villa did (and various others will do) then we struggle at times

it is then we need to have other options and we dont seem to have them

I know the arguements for and against he likes of bellemy (seems to be a problem between him and RM), and swp ...(again lack of form though that could be attributed to a lack of match shaprpess due to limited playing time) but they both offer something that at times we lack and that is pace and width

bellemy worked very well wih tev (and im sure his pace would really help dzeko out as well).....

RM needs to look at other options (when his prefered way of playing isnt working) and at the moment he isnt doing that

I was hugely critical of RM in the first year of him being here (and I believe I was right to be)...he jhas now developed the tema to have that balance between atack and defence (most of the time thought Im waiting to see it against the top oppostion)....but now he needs to have a plan b and c if plan a isnt working.

 

[Any1aBlue]

I will be as happy as anyone if we make it into the CL.

I was simply pointing out that we are currently on course to do this because of the failings of others rather than through our own development as a team..(which is quite strange when you think of the quality players we have signed)

i think that's slightly harsh saying it's other teams failings rather than our own doings. We've not been playing well but we've been getting the results required apart from Villa which I believe was written in the stars to be a defeat anyway.

The problem we have as a club is that we don't appear to have a plan b. As we currently set up with the 4-3-3, if its going tits up we bring Johnson on but this appears to hinder us a bit imo as we become unbalanced.

Johnson is an out an out winger and tends to hug the touchline, when he does this say for example he's playing on the right, our midfield becomes disjointed and we leave bags of room down the left. This is also another reason I believe why Kolorovs lack of pace has been exposed cos he's no support in front of him.

It's tough cos like its been mentioned, i dont think he knows his best starting 11 even though he's getting close. I think another 2-3 top quality signings and we wont be far off!!

I agree. But to get the most out of Dzeko he needs wingers. AJ must start AND revert to the left wing. We need a similar player on the right which is why SWP may not be allowed to leave just yet or try milner out there again - either way, if Dzeko is to be given a fair crack at this he MUST have steady supply of crosses.......................if only we had bellamy....
All seems to hinge on getting the centre backs to be more reliable so that we only need one holding mf player.