City v Chelsea post match

[tolmie's hairdoo]

One thing is for certain Im my eyes is that Gundogan doesn't work paired with Fernandinho, there has been a noticeable drop off in that position since he came back from Injury, Silva is far far better at covering the space in there and at least puts a challenge in-and ghosts in from deep-I just don't see what he brings to the party playing there, hes better in the 10 role but we all know who's better off playing there.

Its seems like a luxury signing and shoehorning both him and Silva just doesn't work-its like hes playing three at the back to fit him in-fine if you have three top drawer defenders behind him which unfortunately we dont.

In my opinion, we stopped playing Pep football quite a few weeks ago.

At present, Bravo's sweeper qualities aren't even being utilised anymore. Most of the goals he is conceding now, he is practically stood on his line and isn't get a sniff of saves as a result.

We don't try and pass out from the back as much as we were doing, and Gundogan should have been the man dropping into the back line to come and turn and get us out.

Teams are quite happy these days to stop pressing us and ask questions of our defenders to play out. We desperately need proper attacking full backs.

Pep has his vision, he's an intelligent man, so hopefully, like the Barca home game, he can realise it's not going to work for a lot of games in this league.

Even a Dzeko would have given us plenty more options this season.

 

[Blue_Monday]

Still fucking livid.

By far the better team yet still the media lauding Chelsea as 'dominant' and 'City torn apart'. Simply not true.
What is true though, is that Bravo is in no way good enough, Willy has shown to be a better keeper in the games he's played; and Kolorov is getting worse every game after starting the season so well.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

In my opinion, we stopped playing Pep football quite a few weeks ago.

At present, Bravo's sweeper qualities aren't even being utilised anymore. Most of the goals he is conceding now, he is practically stood on his line and isn't get a sniff of saves as a result.

We don't try and pass out from the back as much as we were doing, and Gundogan should have been the man dropping into the back line to come and turn and get us out.

Teams are quite happy these days to stop pressing us and ask questions of our defenders to play out. We desperately need proper attacking full backs.

Pep has his vision, he's an intelligent man, so hopefully, like the Barca home game, he can realise it's not going to work for a lot of games in this league.

Even a Dzeko would have given us plenty more options this season.

Yup I have noticed the same too, we seem to be more cautious and pass a long ball rather than dick about (as some call it). Brave decision by Pep, goes back on his own philosophy doesnt it? Even more though it means Joe Hart would have been a better keeper to have given the style.

I suspect it is a temporary thing though, at least until the press stop highlighting the issue, then we can go back to trying to pass it out Pep style.

 

[Rammy Blue]

In my opinion, we stopped playing Pep football quite a few weeks ago.

At present, Bravo's sweeper qualities aren't even being utilised anymore. Most of the goals he is conceding now, he is practically stood on his line and isn't get a sniff of saves as a result.

We don't try and pass out from the back as much as we were doing, and Gundogan should have been the man dropping into the back line to come and turn and get us out.

Teams are quite happy these days to stop pressing us and ask questions of our defenders to play out. We desperately need proper attacking full backs.

Pep has his vision, he's an intelligent man, so hopefully, like the Barca home game, he can realise it's not going to work for a lot of games in this league.

Even a Dzeko would have given us plenty more options this season.

Strange. I said exactly the same thing on Saturday!

I agree about the Pep football having stopped, and that concerns me as surely then he should stop fucking tinkering and play with a bit of structure.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Yup I have noticed the same too, we seem to be more cautious and pass a long ball rather than dick about (as some call it). Brave decision by Pep, goes back on his own philosophy doesnt it? Even more though it means Joe Hart would have been a better keeper to have given the style.

I suspect it is a temporary thing though, at least until the press stop highlighting the issue, then we can go back to trying to pass it out Pep style.

I'd agree that the current set-up doesn't justify the Hart decision, simply based on how flat and in front of the opposition we are playing.

It's okay keeping the pitch as wide as possible, but we have players now playing miles away from each other. The triangles are a thing of the past, and weren't even a Pep introduction.

The elephant in the room is this team are still suffering from Yaya's drop-off two years ago. That gave us a physical presence, coupled with power, technique and his own scoring ability.

I assume the Spurs defeat led to some sort of reflection from Pep, but the solution, based on the playing squad, is harder to fathom.

In it's purest form, the idealism leads to brilliance on the counter against teams like Bournemouth.

And if quality opponents or roughhouse tactics are deployed, we are reduced to passive aggressiveness, and praying for clinical results in front of goal.

 

[flb]

In my opinion, we stopped playing Pep football quite a few weeks ago.

At present, Bravo's sweeper qualities aren't even being utilised anymore. Most of the goals he is conceding now, he is practically stood on his line and isn't get a sniff of saves as a result.

We don't try and pass out from the back as much as we were doing, and Gundogan should have been the man dropping into the back line to come and turn and get us out.

Teams are quite happy these days to stop pressing us and ask questions of our defenders to play out. We desperately need proper attacking full backs.

Pep has his vision, he's an intelligent man, so hopefully, like the Barca home game, he can realise it's not going to work for a lot of games in this league.

Even a Dzeko would have given us plenty more options this season.

Weve morphed into Pellegrinis City of late, the press is hardly there either, teams know-any team at that that counter attack is the way to hurt us, Middlesborough did it, Palace did, Everton did it, Barcelona did it,soak up the pressure and bang- it shouldn't be that easy for teams to catch us like they do, aswell as having shit defenders even when we lose the ball in and around the oppositions penalty box its far far to easy for teams to make those quick couple of passes that results in a full blown counter attack, we seem unable to tackle, as much as the defence is shit the collective doenst seem to be there to press the ball-a reluctance if you will to put the graft in-honeymoon period over revert to type.

Totally agree about a Dzeko type player aswell, someone who can hold the ball edge of the box, a different outlet ball.

It all seems so Pep unlike, the formations are great but the rest of the hard graft seems missing, its okay turning it on against Barca but it has to be week in week out.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Weve morphed into Pellegrinis City of late, the press is hardly there either, teams know-any team at that that counter attack is the way to hurt us, Middlesborough did it, Palace did, Everton did it, Barcelona did it,soak up the pressure and bang- it shouldn't be that easy for teams to catch us like they do, aswell as having shit defenders even when we lose the ball in and around the oppositions penalty box its far far to easy for teams to make those quick couple of passes that results in a full blown counter attack, we seem unable to tackle, as much as the defence is shit the collective doenst seem to be there to press the ball-a reluctance if you will to put the graft in-honeymoon period over revert to type.

Totally agree about a Dzeko type player aswell, someone who can hold the ball edge of the box, a different outlet ball.

It all seems so Pep unlike, the formations are great but the rest of the hard graft seems missing, its okay turning it on against Barca but it has to be week in week out.

It's certainly one of the main reasons as to why teams seem able to score from just one or two opportunities.

We are still a three goal team. That's what we need to be certain of winning any game at present.

The Pellegrini reference is more than valid, with the stats and wins at this stage pretty much the same, having blasted out of the blocks also.

I am hopeful Gabriel Jesus can become a regular scorer, as I fear we are again looking at a fight for fourth, but this time with Spurs...

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

That's a great observation, also. We don't actually tackle opponents?

We attempt plenty of little toe-ends in a bid to recycle the ball, so it stands to reason it also goes against us when the ball stays within the field of play and breaks to an opponent.

Arsenal have had this problem for over a decade.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

It's certainly one of the main reasons as to why teams seem able to score from just one or two opportunities.

We are still a three goal team. That's what we need to be certain of winning any game at present.

The Pellegrini reference is more than valid, with the stats and wins at this stage pretty much the same, having blasted out of the blocks also.

I am hopeful Gabriel Jesus can become a regular scorer, as I fear we are again looking at a fight for fourth, but this time with Spurs...

The difference being that if Guardiola's remit was simply to match and better Pellegrini's stats game by game then the comparison would be valid and he'd appraoch games differently; however he's been brought in to completely overhaul us and that's going to cause initial bedding in difficulties.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

The difference being that if Guardiola's remit was simply to match and better Pellegrini's stats game by game then the comparison would be valid and he'd appraoch games differently; however he's been brought in to completely overhaul us and that's going to cause initial bedding in difficulties.

Also valid, although there must be a degree of pragmatism towards the current personnel, as some can't get it or aren't good enough, and won't be going on this long-term journey, next season.

There were very few signs, even by Pep's own admission, of bedding-in difficulties in the opening ten games.

That must be down to a physical drop-off and teams tailoring their plans to suit.

I'm all for the vision and ideal, but not at the expense of treading water (which we have done for two years) and other teams being emboldened enough to win in the immediacy.

My own take is that Pep already knows he is going to have to find new ideas, and that's exactly why he is excited by the prospect, but he is still trying to find the key.