Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

[hgblue]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

I'm amazed we haven't signed a top quality centre back yet. We could also do with a bit of steel in midfield. Fernandinho isn't the answer. We're too nice to play against imo. Pretty, but not effective football.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

Bad day at the office..bring on Hull.....onwards and upwards

Hull is the easy part, Joke away is the next true test.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

If you want to discuss why we looked so similar to last season, I'll try and put forward a theory. There's no question that due to the makeshift nature of our centre halves, our fullbacks weren't pushed anywhere near as far forward as they were against Newcastle. This coupled with Cardiff's overly defensive formation and the fantastic job that Medel and the Icelandic guy did in creating a shield in front of their back 4 and closing down the spaces we generally like to play in, meant that Navas, Silva, Dzeko, and Aguero, really needed to come up with something between the four of them. It wasn't an ideal situation, and it clearly went tits up because much like last season, the attacking players in particular made all the same decision making errors in terms of pass/dribble/shoot that they would do away from home last season. These things will be coached out of them.

We will be far better away from home as the players come to learn what is expected of them - just as we improved steadily over Mancini's first 8/9 months in charge. The next step we need to take is one from a formidable attacking behemoth at home, to a formidable attacking behemoth home and away. It will come.

What disappointed me more than anything was the predictability of it all. I said in the week that I'd be interested to see if MP could get us playing differently away from home, and he failed in that respect. I can't quite believe that we never once managed to get Navas round the back of their fullback, quite why he kept drifting infield is beyond me.

Did you notice that him and Dzeko were double/triple teamed. Cardiff did a fantastic job of packing that side of their box with makeshift defenders to close down the space. The real disappointment for me was that we didn't move the ball to the spaces on the left quick enough, we didn't pick up Navas when he did have space, and Aguero in particular had one of those "i'm not going to pass until I've dribbled" games. As I say, I expect these things to be coached out of them. I daresay you learn far more about your team in competitive matches than you do in friendlies. Pellegrini saw all our weaknesses first hand last night.

I'll be disappointed if a month from now we're still seeing the same issues away from home, but I'm largely confident we won't be. We didn't play like a Pellegrini team yesterday, not by a long stretch. He will be the first person to be aware of that and want to get it sorted.<br /><br />-- Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:55 am --<br /><br />

Joke away is the next true test.

I agree ... I'm glad we have that as our next away game. It's a real test and this is where manager's earn their coin!

 

[Blue192]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

Bring Bobby back! We look too predictable with this system Pelle is using. The days of 442 are long gone, and playing Garcia at the back?!? Rodwell would have been a better option.

 

[Eccles Blue]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

Only good thing yesterday was the Vinny song.

And maybe the weather? ;-)

was lush wernt it, was like a being in an oven. not our usual weather for sure

I know, I wish I had brought my sun cream!! Also everyone I met in Cardiff was very helpful and friendly, don't always get that.


(This is better than debating where we went wrong, it's over now, time to move onwards and upwards with the Boys in Blue) sits back and awaits the slating!!

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

Fernandinho isn't the answer. We're too nice to play against imo. Pretty, but not effective football.

I hard pressed to think he's much better than de Jong ... if he is at all !

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

We lost this because of two corners, nothing more nothing less.

I noticed that we went to man to man marking at corners as opposed to zonal marking. For me, when you have a team that is relatively low on height, zonal marking is by far the better tactic as you place your tall players defending the threatening positions as opposed to taller opposition players dragging them out of position.

Having Zabaleta go man for man is asking for trouble. It's clear that both their corners were aimed at Frazier Campbell recognising Zabaleta's lack of height and the element of surprise. That is very clever management. Campbell whilst not being the tallest is clearly decent in the air.

Defending set pieces is something we are going to have to work hard at, as this is one area where these lower level clubs will feel they can get some success as it is a great leveller.

Frasier Campbell wouldn't have got a look in at those corners if the opposition had of been the rags ...... the height , and awareness , of central defenders Vidic and Ferdinand would have seen to that .... just as they dealt with the mobile and arial threat of 6' 1" Michu last week.

Yet laughingly we had a 6' 2" central defender guarding the goal line for their third goal (in Lescott) , and a 5' 9" full back (in Zabaleta) attempting to contain their goal scorer ......

at 1-0 up , just after half time , it was the perfect time to take Cardiff apart and kill the game off with a further knockout punch ....... but we saw just the opposite happen because of rank bad defending all the way down the line from the first Cardiff goal to the last ..... so already we play catch up , and lessons have to be learned ..... we all know what happens when you ignore them , as happened last season.

You don't recall the Rags conceding two unmarked headers from corners last season against newly-promoted Reading?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/dec/01/reading-manchester-united-premier-league?guni=Article:in%20body%20link" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... ody%20link</a>

No Vidic in that game but Ferdinand and Evans played.

 

[Danamy]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

I'm amazed we haven't signed a top quality centre back yet. We could also do with a bit of steel in midfield. Fernandinho isn't the answer. We're too nice to play against imo. Pretty, but not effective football.

I agree with the first part but not the second

We already have the players to mix it up in midfield, Yaya, Dinho, Rodwell and Milner can all mix it with the best, they just need to start showing it, it'll come.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

We lost this because of two corners, nothing more nothing less.

I noticed that we went to man to man marking at corners as opposed to zonal marking. For me, when you have a team that is relatively low on height, zonal marking is by far the better tactic as you place your tall players defending the threatening positions as opposed to taller opposition players dragging them out of position.

Having Zabaleta go man for man is asking for trouble. It's clear that both their corners were aimed at Frazier Campbell recognising Zabaleta's lack of height and the element of surprise. That is very clever management. Campbell whilst not being the tallest is clearly decent in the air.

Defending set pieces is something we are going to have to work hard at, as this is one area where these lower level clubs will feel they can get some success as it is a great leveller.

Frasier Campbell wouldn't have got a look in at those corners if the opposition had of been the rags ...... the height , and awareness , of central defenders Vidic and Ferdinand would have seen to that .... just as they dealt with the mobile and arial threat of 6' 1" Michu last week.

Yet laughingly we had a 6' 2" central defender guarding the goal line for their third goal (in Lescott) , and a 5' 9" full back (in Zabaleta) attempting to contain their goal scorer ......

at 1-0 up , just after half time , it was the perfect time to take Cardiff apart and kill the game off with a further knockout punch ....... but we saw just the opposite happen because of rank bad defending all the way down the line from the first Cardiff goal to the last ..... so already we play catch up , and lessons have to be learned ..... we all know what happens when you ignore them , as happened last season.

You don't recall the Rags conceding two unmarked headers from corners last season against newly-promoted Reading?

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/dec/01/reading-manchester-united-premier-league?guni=Article:in%20body%20link" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... ody%20link</a>

No Vidic in that game but Ferdinand and Evans played.

Maybe but didn't the rags win that game?

The bottom line is that ALL teams will suffer minor setbacks , but title winning sides recover and take points ........ we need to be winning our next home and away games for starters ...... we've already lost once , we need a long run now , title winners won't lose any more than five or six games a season , at the most !

 

[mancity1]

Re: Cardiff Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

So much negativity from yesterday but although it's true we got done by simple schoolboy defensive errors - there are some positives
Hart made a superb save from Campbell first half - he needs a boot up the arse but he is still a class goalkeeper and many of his good saves go unnoticed
We scored two away - normally that should win a game
we had our two first choice centre backs out
Iam glad this happened second game of the season and not I jan/Feb when the title is won and lost-
slip ups happen the most important thing is to learn from them-
Pellegrini has to get them drilled for set pieces as that is the only way most teams can score against us as yesterday showed very clearly

Any dropped points especially against teams we should be beating is never something we should be glad about irrespective of when it happens.

A fast start is essential , it won us the title 2 years ago.

Lets make no bones about it , this result and the manner of the performance is a major concern to the club and we should be concerned if we have similar ambitions to last season.

In the past we have bounced back from losses quite well and again it needs to be immediate.

The players need to show from the outset against Hull why most that take an interest in the game think we are title contenders this year.

That means players will be under pressure and expected to get us ahead and keep us ahead on the scoresheet against Hull and its something true professionals thrive on.