Defining moment that turned this season around?

[mccity]

As I was saying all throughout October-December, the Leeds game was the straw that broke the camel's back.

If you watch City in the opening 3 league games; Wolves, Leicester, and Leeds, they all follow the same pattern. We press like mad and look brilliant. Better than even 17/18. Then after 25/30 minutes it wears off and we spend the rest of the game looking completely lost.

After that, we started playing far more conservatively. Hence all the threads about how dull we magically became.

 

[The Black Shed]

Spurs game. Pep realised that being so open was wasting anything we did going forward.

Yep, and the Olympiakos game after that Pep partnered Dias with Stones and I think they've done ok since then.

 

[Sleeping_Easy]

There were multiple changes.

Dias partnering Stones
Zinchenko and Cancelo at full backs
Gundogan moving further forward
Moving Sterling off the left and having Foden with his left foot on the left and Raz with his right foot on the right
False 9
The back-to-form of Bernardo Silva

The back 4 against Leicester was Walker-Garcia-Ake-Mendy. And funnily enough, the back 5 against Leicester in 2017 when we got tonked at their place was Sagna-Stones-Kolarov-Zabaleta-Fernando (4 of which weren’t there the next season).

Starting a back 4 against Leicester with Garcia and Mendy in it was asking for a beating. I even winced reading it.

 

[Cotton Weave Blue]

Yep - when the chuckle brothers declared a 2 horse race between the media darlings

 

[Akira]

In my opinion, the Southampton game turned our form around and gave us confidence again. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the good form Soton was in, or the unremarkable form we were having, but it was the nerviest I've felt so far this season.

Subsequently the Chelsea game was when everything started to click.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Pep moving our fullbacks in field a bit after the Spurs game. That and Dias coming good after only a month and a half! The break down the centre for the opposition is now no longer really an option.
Stones no longer having to worry about what's happening behind him due to Dias, ZInchenko returning and Cacello improving.

 

[KS55]

When Pep decided to tell them to run less when in possession. Stay fresher, less headless chickens, more focus. Going back to inverted FBs was part of this and that meant wingers on their traditional flank.. (There is an old football saying: let the ball do the work)
But Pep is just a chequebook manager, you know.

 

[Shirley]

The Pep out threads after the WHU game.

 

[Blue Til Death]

Think with the lack of a break and preseason we were always going to take time to get upto speed, as a team we play with a rhythm, we weren't fit at the start and couldn't get that rhythm, we play with that much precision but it takes time to tune it up

Totally agree with this, the early part of the season, was effectively our pre season, we are now reaping the benefits of our team being fit and in the groove... Long may it continue, I am still buzzing like a bee on crack after yesterday..!

 

[Blu1]

Why is life so much better when city are winning ? Lol even in these depressing times city on top just makes things seem better. Stones & Diaz turned this season around for me