Bus parking for beginners

Get width, it stretches a packed defence. We can do that with a 433, Foden left, Sterling or Torres right, Mahrez in the stands, and get midfield support into the box. Alternatively we could go 3 at the back, but we don't have a left footer who can play lwb to a decent standard, our best option for a lwb is on loan in Germany.
 
Can't believe the level of pessimism on here after a narrow defeat to a very good Spurs team. Football is not about winning every week and defeats make victories all the sweeter, let's not be entitlement junkies like the rags and dippers. As for last season being a disaster we won the league cup and came runners up in the league, any season between 76 and 11 we would have been delighted with that. A sense of proportion please blues can't win em all, just enjoy the ride.
 
Can't believe the level of pessimism on here after a narrow defeat to a very good Spurs team. Football is not about winning every week and defeats make victories all the sweeter, let's not be entitlement junkies like the rags and dippers. As for last season being a disaster we won the league cup and came runners up in the league, any season between 76 and 11 we would have been delighted with that. A sense of proportion please blues can't win em all, just enjoy the ride.
Our objectives have definitely changed and we are not looking to be a midtable team. We can’t act like the club’s owners are happy for us to finish anything other than first.
 
The quiet triumphalism of Pep signing what is in effect (given that we’re only 8 games into this campaign) a 3 year deal on Thursday, lasted about 48 hours. As long as it took for Jose Mourinho to become the latest manager to exploit an Achilles Heel so large it would probably require a boot from the Apollo XI mission to cover it adequately, in fact.
Bus parking (and associated counterattacking) is not a new phenomenon, but the prevalence of it is, to the point that I’ve begun to relish match day about as much as a trip to the dentist. You know exactly what’s coming and you know it’s going to be painful = like pulling teeth in fact! At the back end of last season United did it to us and won, Chelsea did it to us and won, Southampton did it to us and won, Arsenal did it to us and won, Lyon did it to us and won. Following suit this season, Leicester did it to us and won, West Ham did it to us and drew, Spurs did it to us and won.
10 goals in 8 games tells its own story.
Two years ago we had a turbo charged generational talent in Sane hugging one flank, Sterling hugging the other, Dave sitting between the bank of 5 and the bank of 4. poking little balls inside the full backs, and if anyone managed to smuggle a pass out past the front line press, then Fernandinho would nail the recipient in the blink of an eye, and any parked buses would buckle under the strain eventually.
Those players and that balance have gone from the squad. It takes two men to do Fernandinho’s job, both of them chronically slow and incapable of pressing effectively (with the gormless free kick conceded for ‘shoves from behind’ tally off the scale), Kev looks knackered, Sergio’s another year older, we’ve got inverted wingers floating inswinging balls over to no-one (and harmlessly out over the dead ball line for goal kicks) and don’t even get me started on Mahrez. In short we’ve got a squad built for playing a particular way, but without the attributes to play that way effectively. And yet we keep trying to play that way, even though everyone now knows how to thwart us.
The question is what can we do about it? We can’t wave a magic wand and make Rodri and Gundogan quicker, we can’t force feed Mahrez a king sized tub of Creatine or get him a heart, we can’t prevent Mendy and Walker from making impulsive challenges. So what can we do given the players at our disposal? I don’t have an answer myself, but if we don’t come up with one soon we won’t be playing European football next season, with all the financial implications that will have, cos parked buses are all we’re going to face from here on in. If anyone’s got any ideas please tell Pep quick
Brillaint
 
Our objectives have definitely changed and we are not looking to be a midtable team. We can’t act like the club’s owners are happy for us to finish anything other than first.
Probably the wrong person to comment on the current situation, from being an ever present at Maine Road through the seventies, eighties and nineties I have only been to the Etihad three times. I feel though that a lot of fun seems to have gone out if following City. My favourite seasons were 99 , 2000 and 2002 when we all had massive pride in our clubs achievements. This was also the case in 2011 and 2012 with a feeling of winning against the odds and many neutrals being delighted for us. Our more recent successes however seem to be taken for granted and have bred a sense of entitlement and over reaction to every set back. Fans of Leeds, Everton , Newcastle and Villa to name four clubs of our size would love to be in are situation. Being a blue has always involved ups and downs so I repeat enjoy the roller coaster ride, it's what being a blues about.
 
I didn’t say we were great last season. Nor am I burying my head. We’ve been dealt a hand which a whole host of circumstances have conspired to bring us to a level way below what we were all spoiled by. Not having a diva strop because it isn’t going our way is not burying my head. I strongly suspect last season’s pattern will continue into this one. Two or three wins followed by a shocker. Our group of players are running on empty, and I’m not making excuses as it must be the same for other clubs. FFP has successfully, (for those forces wanting to stymy our progress) shaped our transfer strategy, bad runs of injuries, loss of form (some manufactured by main stream and social media in Bernardo’s case), influential players retiring or reaching the end of their career, the effects of Covid-19 creating a strange environment for football and contributing to a fixture pile up.
How do you fix that? If you expect a 98/100 point league campaign off the back of that then I think it’s you burying your head in the sand. I do get it though. You either sit in the “happy clapper“ camp or “drama queen“ camp.

For someone not making excuses you threw the whole book of them in that post:-)

You missed the ghost of Swales has obviously put a curse on us.
 
Can't believe the level of pessimism on here after a narrow defeat to a very good Spurs team. Football is not about winning every week and defeats make victories all the sweeter, let's not be entitlement junkies like the rags and dippers. As for last season being a disaster we won the league cup and came runners up in the league, any season between 76 and 11 we would have been delighted with that. A sense of proportion please blues can't win em all, just enjoy the ride.
Mate, what are you talking about, seriously? Are you taking the piss?
 
Can't believe the level of pessimism on here after a narrow defeat to a very good Spurs team. Football is not about winning every week and defeats make victories all the sweeter, let's not be entitlement junkies like the rags and dippers. As for last season being a disaster we won the league cup and came runners up in the league, any season between 76 and 11 we would have been delighted with that. A sense of proportion please blues can't win em all, just enjoy the ride.
You are happy clapping mate and seeing only positives you are not addressing the points made by the OP.
The goals have dried up and teams are beating us on the break, something needs to be done to stop this or we might not make top 4.
I'm amazed you can't see what is happening week in, week out.
 
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The quiet triumphalism of Pep signing what is in effect (given that we’re only 8 games into this campaign) a 3 year deal on Thursday, lasted about 48 hours. As long as it took for Jose Mourinho to become the latest manager to exploit an Achilles Heel so large it would probably require a boot from the Apollo XI mission to cover it adequately, in fact.
Bus parking (and associated counterattacking) is not a new phenomenon, but the prevalence of it is, to the point that I’ve begun to relish match day about as much as a trip to the dentist. You know exactly what’s coming and you know it’s going to be painful = like pulling teeth in fact! At the back end of last season United did it to us and won, Chelsea did it to us and won, Southampton did it to us and won, Arsenal did it to us and won, Lyon did it to us and won. Following suit this season, Leicester did it to us and won, West Ham did it to us and drew, Spurs did it to us and won.
10 goals in 8 games tells its own story.
Two years ago we had a turbo charged generational talent in Sane hugging one flank, Sterling hugging the other, Dave sitting between the bank of 5 and the bank of 4. poking little balls inside the full backs, and if anyone managed to smuggle a pass out past the front line press, then Fernandinho would nail the recipient in the blink of an eye, and any parked buses would buckle under the strain eventually.
Those players and that balance have gone from the squad. It takes two men to do Fernandinho’s job, both of them chronically slow and incapable of pressing effectively (with the gormless free kick conceded for ‘shoves from behind’ tally off the scale), Kev looks knackered, Sergio’s another year older, we’ve got inverted wingers floating inswinging balls over to no-one (and harmlessly out over the dead ball line for goal kicks) and don’t even get me started on Mahrez. In short we’ve got a squad built for playing a particular way, but without the attributes to play that way effectively. And yet we keep trying to play that way, even though everyone now knows how to thwart us.
The question is what can we do about it? We can’t wave a magic wand and make Rodri and Gundogan quicker, we can’t force feed Mahrez a king sized tub of Creatine or get him a heart, we can’t prevent Mendy and Walker from making impulsive challenges. So what can we do given the players at our disposal? I don’t have an answer myself, but if we don’t come up with one soon we won’t be playing European football next season, with all the financial implications that will have, cos parked buses are all we’re going to face from here on in. If anyone’s got any ideas please tell Pep quick
A great post mate and I think you have hit the nail on the head.
3 players we had playing together, Kevin's passes to Leroy and Dave's dinks and passes through the wall killed the bus parking.
Watching those players was like reading "beating a parked bus for dummies"
Kev remains but no Leroy to pass too. No David to penetrate.
Foden could be one answer if only Pep would play him.

I'm afraid, much as I Love Pep, it needs a new approach.
 

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