David Silva - 2016/17 performances

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So a good managed does make the world of difference.

It's inarguable, mate.

I always find it curious when people say things like "It's not all down to the manager, the players were just lazy" or "The players just didn't give a fuck, you can't blame the manager for that". Well for me, in football as in any other industry, if the staff are complacent or de-motivated, that's very much the management's responsibility!

You will always get one or two with a negative attitude in any group, but when it's the majority of the squad, the book stops with the manager. It's not a game of Football Manager where you just pick the 11 best players and press Enter, these are real human beings with emotions and real lives going on. They need to be managed and motivated from a human perspective as much as they do from a tactical perspective. Pellegrini did a decent job managing the human side in his first season, but in his second and third he was appalling on both measures. Guardiola is light years ahead.
 
If you had no knowledge of football and you'd read the results in the newspaper, I could totally understand how you could compare the start of this season with the start of last season. But when you've been watching football closely for years and years, there really is no comparison between Guardiola and Pellegrini.

I was never convinced by Pellegrini from the moment he arrived. I actually used to get stick for it on a daily basis when results went well in his first season. But I thought he had no game plan, no structure to his team, made banal substitutions, played a suicidal offside trap with no midfield pressure on the ball, we were so easy to cut right through the middle of, and there was no plan B when things were going wrong. We won games and trophies in spite of Pellegrini, not because of him. The positive results were down to the individual brilliance of the players.

Contrast that to this season. There is a very clear structure to the team, a clear game plan. We are set up to play high, condense the play in the oppositions half, never be more than 10 yards from an opponent so if you lose it you can all close down together, defensively we mark the passing lines as opposed to the men meaning we can quickly intercept passes, we've had full backs slotting in to midfield to leave us less vulnerable to counter attacks through the middle, we've got a keeper who is comfortable 20 yards outside his box if need be to stop us being caught with a quick ball over the top. It's absolutely night and day compared to last season.

Last season I always thought we looked vulnerable to teams running through the middle of our midfield. We looked appalling when the back 4 was pressured on the ball. We were vulnerable to counter attacks. Our build up was often slow and predictable. I look at our team now and of course we won't win every game, but I look at it and think how do you beat us? It's very hard to out run us, it's very hard to out play us, it's very hard to catch us on the counter attack, our defenders are very comfortable under pressure, it would be hard to just knock it over the top against us. Whereas last season the reverse was true on all counts.

This season the only team I'm concerned about who might beat us is Liverpool because they probably will out run us and will adopt an insane press. That will be our biggest test. Everyone else I'm pretty confident we have the beating of. Last season I didn't go in to any game confident of winning, even at home. All a team had to do was put an extra man in midfield and hit us quickly when they won back possession.

It's far too simplistic to look at the first 5 games this season and first 5 last season and think they are comparable, maybe it will all go wrong again. Look at the bigger picture. Look at what Guardiola has achieved in his career, look at the improvements he's made to the team and to individuals already. I think you've completely underestimated the impact he's having.
I think I've already repeated a number of times now how highly I think of Guardiola and how promising I think City is playing under him. All I am saying is to be a bit cautious, because we're only 5 games into a season, and no matter how good your tactics are, if for some reason the team's confidence, momentum etc. would start to swing the wrong direction, everything can start to crumble. I'm not expecting it though. I just think you should wait until the end of October at least to see how much improvement has proven to be sustainable.
 
I think I've already repeated a number of times now how highly I think of Guardiola and how promising I think City is playing under him. All I am saying is to be a bit cautious, because we're only 5 games into a season, and no matter how good your tactics are, if for some reason the team's confidence, momentum etc. would start to swing the wrong direction, everything can start to crumble. I'm not expecting it though. I just think you should wait until the end of October at least to see how much improvement has proven to be sustainable.

You're entitled to your view mate. You've repeatedly said you think the manager's importance can be overestimated. In the case of replacing Pellegrini with Guardiola, I don't really think it's possible to overestimate what a significant impact that is having and will continue to have.

It would take something catastrophic for the wheels to suddenly fall off at the beginning of November in my view. I look at it the opposite way, if Guardiola has had this big an impact in only 5 or 6 weeks, the impact he will have after 6 months will be frightening.

For me, you're completely underestimating the impact Guardiola is having.
 
You're entitled to your view mate. You've repeatedly said you think the manager's importance can be overestimated. In the case of replacing Pellegrini with Guardiola, I don't really think it's possible to overestimate what a significant impact that is having and will continue to have.

It would take something catastrophic for the wheels to suddenly fall off at the beginning of November in my view. I look at it the opposite way, if Guardiola has had this big an impact in only 5 or 6 weeks, the impact he will have after 6 months will be frightening.

For me, you're completely underestimating the impact Guardiola is having.
Well, you seem to have made your mind up about me, no matter how many times I've already praised Guardiola and City's football under him on this forum, but as always, people only read what they want to read. That counts for me too, in case you think I feel superior or something.
 
Well, you seem to have made your mind up about me, no matter how many times I've already praised Guardiola and City's football under him on this forum, but as always, people only read what they want to read. That counts for me too, in case you think I feel superior or something.

I can't imagine which permanent fixture in this thread you're talking to. ;)
 
Well, you seem to have made your mind up about me, no matter how many times I've already praised Guardiola and City's football under him on this forum, but as always, people only read what they want to read. That counts for me too, in case you think I feel superior or something.

Lol! Mate, I'm not having an argument with you, I'm merely replying to your post with my opinion.

I know you think Guardiola is a top manager, I know you think he's having a big impact. You've said a couple of times, I understand, I get it.

My last post was in reply to you saying I might be "overestimating" Guardiola's impact, that I should "wait until the end of October" to make a judgement call.

I disagree. While you think people can "overestimate" a manager's importance, I personally think you're "underestimating" Guardiola's importance. That's ok that we both have different views isn't it?

I'm not judging you by anything other than exactly what you've said so I really don't understand why you're getting upset? It's just a difference of opinion, if everyone agreed, there would be no forum.

But as you're quite new here, just a word of friendly advice, don't jump in to bed with the forum Troll just because they are being friendly to you. This is the same guy who repeatedly claimed Pellegrini to be "World Class"! Hahahaha!
 
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