Bus Parking...

[citytilllidie]

It's a derby. Anything can happen. They might have a go for half an hour. Then defend and counter. They have pace in Rashford and Martial, faster than our back 4

 

[crazyg]

It's a derby. Anything can happen. They might have a go for half an hour. Then defend and counter. They have pace in Rashford and Martial, faster than our back 4

But Moaneen won't play both of them at the same time. He'd have to drop a midfielder/defender (both words mean the same in this context) to do that.

 

[BlueAnorak]

I think this is a very important point, before we go reworking our entire game strategy - we score early, we break the bus, everything changes. But there's a lot of randomness (don't want to call it 'luck') in whether a good chance gets converted or not. It's like we're throwing a dice each time and a 5 or 6 is a goal - on days when we have 4 or 5 chances, but none go in, we end up in a tough, close game. On another day, against the same team, playing the same way, we might score a couple from the same chances, the bus breaks, and we probably go on to win by 4 or 5.

We don't need to totally rewrite the strategy - just add extra tricks into the mix.
Going 3 at the back and 2 up front when the opposition tire is clearly one trick.
I think shuffling Delph, Fernandinho and KDB round to put KDB as the overlapping player on the left is definitely another.

 

[BlueAnorak]

It's a derby. Anything can happen. They might have a go for half an hour. Then defend and counter. They have pace in Rashford and Martial, faster than our back 4

Moaninho NEVER allows more than 4 players to counter. To do so would break his defence first mantra.

 

[Jordie]

If the negative anti-football PTB teams would actually try to come out and press and play football they might be surprised that after a few hammerings while they adjusted to it they would eventually get much better at it and would be able to at least compete. And would actually give their fans something to watch. There is an entertainment aspect to sport after all.

Between the 87th and 95th minute when they were actually trying to keep the ball and score Huddersfield looked decent.

Totally agree with this. Look at Watford, they are doing very well with this attitude.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

But Moaneen won't play both of them at the same time. He'd have to drop a midfielder/defender (both words mean the same in this context) to do that.

He's capable of playing both of them and no out and out striker. Can't remember exactly who he picked but their match against Chelsea at home last season, he picked a really odd team, looked fucking dreadful on paper but was essentially just a team that contained all their quickest players so that he could defend and hit on the break at pace. Wouldn't surprise me if does something similar next Sunday. Either that or they will defend and hoof it up to ibrahimovic.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Whether you like it or not, Huddersfield delivered a master class in Anti- Football on Sunday.
They played 5-5-0 with a deep lying back 5 snd 3 in central midfield that was not allowed to move more than 7 yards away from the defensive line meaning there was no space between the lines for Silva to operate. Silva and KDB were man marked within 10 yards of the opposition penalty area and both were closed down by 2 other players if they held on to the ball too long, so it's hardly suprising that both looked ineffective!
There were always 2 players on the wings to deal with Sane or Sterling and there was never any space for balls to be played behind the defensive line for Sterling or Sane to run on to and skin the defence for pace. As such it was pretty much impossible to get behind their defence.
We had more going for us on the right where Walker could overlap but on the left Delph didn't overlap (not that he ever does - Pep always wants him to go inside).
They defended their area superbly and didn't let us get into the box. Good for not conceding goals but the side effect was they had a small chance of getting an attempt on target when a ball was deflected to a player who could quickly break with the ball into our half. The best they could hope for was a goal from free kick or corner.
Aguero did well to receive the the ball and pass it on but in a dangerous area their were always two players on him. Even so He got 4 opportunities that he should have done better with. Shooting a split second earlier may have made all the difference but I guess that we'll have to wait for another game to check this out.
They scored from a set piece fluke and our first goal came from an overload on the right where Walker took a player away leaving Sterling one-on-one when he beat the defender and was pulled back.
Pep changed it around to win the game by going 3 at the back ( a centre half and both full backs) and putting two strikers on. This gave Silva more space to weave his magic between the lines as a centre half was pinred back with our 2nd striker and more space was given to Sterling and Sane when they cut inside for the same reason. The change occurred when Huddersfield were tiring and it led to 3 chances. For the last one Jesus got a toe poke shot off, the kleeper saved it but it cannoned off the incoming Sterling into the net. Now the dam was broken Pep went 4 at the back again to defend against Huddersfield now they had to attack. Pep's best substitution for us in his tenure at City.
So as this will be the defacto base formation method of defence against us from here on in is there anything else we can do to break it than we already are?

The easiest way would be just to do what we are doing, but do it better than we did v Huddersfield, imo. But we missed chances, fairly easy ones.

When we played v Pep's Bayern team (a game many of us considered to be the best thing we have ever seen in the flesh & ironically we are now often better) we were in effect parking the bus unintentionally, because we didn't have the tactics or organisation to do it intentionally, nor any counter attacking plan to break free, so just had everyone back defending. We initially managed to limit Bayern to few genuine opportunities in spite of their total dominance & recycling of the ball though.

Then Robben smacked a shot in, Joe fumbled it & we then had to come out (but couldn't).

But it was just a speculative shot, not part of the planned possession game. It worked though.

We could actually work on setting that up imo, like setting up a drop goal in rugby. Move the oppo around, try to thread it through, behind, like we usually do, but also move them around again, looking to make an opening to lay a ball in front of someone for a first time shot.

In a way, although it wasn't strictly a full bus situation, that's how we beat Chelsea. Layoff, shot, goal.

We could do that, in less space & still get a shot off if the players were in tune with it. We seem to do it as more of an afterthought, rater than part of the plan & we don't often require a save, from that position.

I recon Barca, with Messi etc will often hit the target from a similar position, when all defenders are back. Not necessarily as a plan, but just what they do naturally, if they are not getting through, having Messi rather than Silva. That danger threat can have the effect of making a defender come out, & in that case Messi one twos in behind them.

Going bck to the days of Mancini, we were in numerous situations passing the ball sideways in front of a parked bus, & someone like Adam Johnson (spit) comes on & hits a shot in & you wonder why it took 80 mins.

We have a lot of players now, who can shoot. was the first player to really try it, Otamendi ? Should be a lot more imo.

 

[Neville Kneville]

He's capable of playing both of them and no out and out striker. Can't remember exactly who he picked but their match against Chelsea at home last season, he picked a really odd team, looked fucking dreadful on paper but was essentially just a team that contained all their quickest players so that he could defend and hit on the break at pace. Wouldn't surprise me if does something similar next Sunday. Either that of they will defend and hoof it up to ibrahimovic.

The rags have players who are capable of scoring v City, all of them have done it before & if they are lucky, they will score from few opportunities like they did v Watford.

It will depend on whether or not we finish off our chances.

If we don't, we will probably lose. If we do, we could embarrass them.

 

[nellyonthewing]

They have a strong (underperforming squad). We are not converting chances like we were a month ago and have been weakened by injuries. Lukaku is bound to mishit a goal soon & sods law says that any dubious referreing will go there way. I am nervous but always have been even when we are 3-1 up against the vermin.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

The rags have players who are capable of scoring v City, all of them have done it before & if they are lucky, they will score from few opportunities like they did v Watford.

It will depend on whether or not we finish off our chances.

If we don't, we will probably lose. If we do, we could embarrass them.

Yep. We are an infinitely better team than them, no doubt, but it would be madness to assume we will go there and smash them. There is the potential for us hammering them but they have some decent players and whatever anyone thinks of mourinho, he knows how to set up teams to get results against superior opposition. Anything could happen, we just have to hope we play somewhere near our potential, in which case we will almost certainly win. The players on four yellows worry me a bit and how we will handle that tonight and Sunday. I'd be quite happy for all of them to get yellows late on tonight and take our chances on Sunday without them because all 3 of them are players we need at the swamp.