Discuss Pellegrini...(cont)

[IanBishopsHaircut]

Dzeko was brilliant last night...he was everywhere...held the ball well and seems to have found an extra yard of pace

 

[Dribble]

Considering how this season's injuries are now considered by certain elements as the reason that we haven't maximised this season's potential, it would have been the prudent thing to do to take Silva and Aguero off at the earliest opportunity.

I was gutted when they both emerged for the 2nd half and was counting the 18 minutes second by second until Kun was substituted. We had Jovetic and Milner on the bench so weren't short of cover either. I know Kun needs match fitness, but at this stage of the season we need to be careful with him and for me Silva had completed his nights work in the 1st 45.

I was also hoping for Zabaleta to come off too, because his levels have dropped recently with good cause.

What bollocks, you and me both know that if he'd taken them both off at half time tonight, and we'd finished the game 3-3, you'd have been on this thread asking what the fuck was he doing, and telling us that he needs to go.

He managed Aguero perfectly tonight, he'd played well, looked really sharp, but was beginning to tire, so he took him off, right on cue. Silva's problem was unforeseen, and unfortunate, but he looked fine until that point, to blame anyone for that is ridiculous.

As for Zab, are you the fool who sits behind me who was going on all night about why Richards wasn't being used ? He's not being used quite simply because he can't stay fit, and then can't be trusted in the style we play if used. Zab's problem in the last 2 games has been Nasri trying to avoid any responsibility in our half of the pitch, he was at his worst in the second half tonight, giving absolutely no protection to Zab, and rarely providing any outlet when we got the ball.

Nasri has been very good most of this season, but recently he's reverted to the one who I would have happily seen leave last summer, I hope its temporary, because the Nasri from earlier this season was a real asset.

Calm down tiger!! :-)

Normally I always believe we should concentrate on the task in front of us and plan for the next game 2nd. I was surprised and delighted to see Silva in the squad and even more delighted to see him in the starting line-up, BUT I was also worried. Everyone knows he has a long-standing ankle problem and if reports were to be believed, he was still touch & go to play hours before the match.

He is so important to the way we play because we don't seem the same without him and that's why if it was up to me, at 3-1 at home to relegation threatened WBA, I probably wouldn't have sent him out for the 2nd half or would have give him until the hour mark max. Kun's injuries have had an effect on our season too and he looks like he needs to be nursed through our final few games too which is why when he went down we were all worried it may be a recurrance of his injury. Earlier in the season apparently Kompany was fit to start after injury iirc, but Pellegrini kept him out longer than was necessary to give his body more than enough time to recover and as such he almost been an ever present. This is all I was trying to suggest as to the care we need to show toward all players.

In terms of telling everyone Pellegrini needs to go, can you show me one post, just one where I've ever suggested I wanted him gone? Just one will do. It gets so tedious when people keep attributing quotes to me that I've never made or they keep misconstruing my opinion.

So for the umpteenth time here goes: No I don't and have never wanted Pellegrini sacked. He wasn't my choice to replace Mancini which is probably because no-one was my choice as I had no particular preference and trusted the powers that be to make the correct appointment and offered no opinion on the matter which is the same position I had when Hughes was sacked & Mancini appointed.

I've has 2 criticisms of Pellegrini which are:
1, I'm not a fan of 4-4-2
2, I would like him to be more proactive when we are in play

And that's it.

 

[Marvin]

Why aren't we starting with Jovetic instead of Dzeko. That was the surprise for me.

Jovetic, Silva, Aguero, nasri, Fernandinho, Yaya. I want to see this before the season is out. Jovetic had that morale boosting Chelsea game, and should have been in the starting line up regularly since then. Seems to be a much better fit in the team than Dzeko?

Because when the ball is got to him he holds it up and brings others into play.
I really just don't get the Dzeko hatred especially he played well for 60 mins last night. Indeed, without him any chance of the Premiership would be long gone.

No Dzeko hatred from me.

All I'm saying is that Jovetic has been a long time injured but that Chelsea FA Cup goal was a big boost for him and it was an opportunity to bring him into the team......especially when Aguero and Negredo have been struggling with injury and form.

As DD says, he's a very talented creative player, who can unlock defences. But just like any player you need to give them games to give their best. He might be key in the remaining games but he's not got many games under his belt.

 

[OB1]

Why aren't we starting with Jovetic instead of Dzeko. That was the surprise for me.

Jovetic, Silva, Aguero, nasri, Fernandinho, Yaya. I want to see this before the season is out. Jovetic had that morale boosting Chelsea game, and should have been in the starting line up regularly since then. Seems to be a much better fit in the team than Dzeko?

Because when the ball is got to him he holds it up and brings others into play.
I really just don't get the Dzeko hatred especially he played well for 60 mins last night. Indeed, without him any chance of the Premiership would be long gone.

No Dzeko hatred from me.

All I'm saying is that Jovetic has been a long time injured but that Chelsea FA Cup goal was a big boost for him and it was an opportunity to bring him into the team......especially when Aguero and Negredo have been struggling with injury and form.

As DD says, he's a very talented creative player, who can unlock defences. But just like any player you need to give them games to give their best. He might be key in the remaining games but he's not got many games under his belt.

I thought Dzeko had one of his better games in many respects but six shots and only one on target is not great. Kun had 3 shots, 2 on target, one of which went in and the other had to be parried onto Zab's head for the first goal.

Jovetic I very much like the look of. I'd really like to see him and Aguero together; possibly in a 4-3-3.

 

[sh249]

Because when the ball is got to him he holds it up and brings others into play.
I really just don't get the Dzeko hatred especially he played well for 60 mins last night. Indeed, without him any chance of the Premiership would be long gone.

No Dzeko hatred from me.

All I'm saying is that Jovetic has been a long time injured but that Chelsea FA Cup goal was a big boost for him and it was an opportunity to bring him into the team......especially when Aguero and Negredo have been struggling with injury and form.

As DD says, he's a very talented creative player, who can unlock defences. But just like any player you need to give them games to give their best. He might be key in the remaining games but he's not got many games under his belt.

I thought Dzeko had one of his better games in many respects but six shots and only one on target is not great. Kun had 3 shots, 2 on target, one of which went in and the other had to be parried onto Zab's head for the first goal.

Jovetic I very much like the look of. I'd really like to see him and Aguero together; possibly in a 4-3-3.

Jovetic is a class act and is hopefully considered fit enough to start as of the next match.

And I agree about the 4-3-3, too - I think it might help bring the best out of a few players. As a longer-term tactic (or rather as an option - I wouldn't suggest it should become our only, or even main, formation) it would give us far more options in midfield as well, and could help to alleviate the overreliance on Yaya and Fernandinho.

 

[supercity88]

Not too sure on Yaya's availability for the next match but I will be watching Pellegrini closely with how he deals with Silva's injury and integrating Yaya back into the lineup. For me, to win these next two games away from home we need to be controlling the game and displaying a good balance to the side. Palace will look to counter attack and we need to concentrate and stop being so sloppy in defence. WBA had a lot of chances and they were down to defenders trying to get to the ball first and failing to do so. Our defence was exposed and didn't manage to deal with the situations at all. Palace will look to exploit that and I think we need to start with Garcia and Fernandinho, and if fit play Nasri, Yaya and possibly Jovetic as a three behind Aguero. Depending on how that goes, we have the flexibility to withdraw one of Yaya, Fernandinho or Garcia and implement Dzeko, or push Jovetic central and bring Navas or Milner on.

Everton will be tough but I think we can beat them. They have a lot at stake too and will play their usual intricate passing and use of wing backs so we can exploit that and try to make the most of them missing Barry who has been integral to the balance of their side. Again, I think we need to play a 4-2-3-1 (or variation of) rather than the 4-4-2 (or variation of) simply because we cannot risk conceding the first goal in either game. We have looked a lot more solid playing one traditional striker and whilst I feel that at home we can afford to be more attacking, away from home we need to keep the ball better and subdue the crowd which will be best achieved with more possession based football. Yaya will be effective interchanging with Fernandinho and Aguero's movement will allow him space to run into. I wonder how effective Nasri and Jovetic could be in the same side - but Jovetic's movement can be integral to our ability to win the next two.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Because when the ball is got to him he holds it up and brings others into play.
I really just don't get the Dzeko hatred especially he played well for 60 mins last night. Indeed, without him any chance of the Premiership would be long gone.

No Dzeko hatred from me.

All I'm saying is that Jovetic has been a long time injured but that Chelsea FA Cup goal was a big boost for him and it was an opportunity to bring him into the team......especially when Aguero and Negredo have been struggling with injury and form.

As DD says, he's a very talented creative player, who can unlock defences. But just like any player you need to give them games to give their best. He might be key in the remaining games but he's not got many games under his belt.

I thought Dzeko had one of his better games in many respects but six shots and only one on target is not great. Kun had 3 shots, 2 on target, one of which went in and the other had to be parried onto Zab's head for the first goal.

Jovetic I very much like the look of. I'd really like to see him and Aguero together; possibly in a 4-3-3.

The old adage about Dzeko is that the worse he plays the more he scores. So no real surprise then that he was pretty good last night, yet failed to find the net!
Jovetic looks good in flashes, but based on his limited appearances to date, doesn't impose himself enough IMO

 

[johnson28392]

I've has 2 criticisms of Pellegrini which are:
1, I'm not a fan of 4-4-2
2, I would like him to be more proactive when we are in play

And that's it.

We don't really have the personnel to switch to other formations.

Okay we use 4-2-3-1 sometimes but for me it's the same as 4-2-2-2, there's no significant difference.

Yeah it would be nice if Pellegrini gets more players in the transfer market so we can use different formations throughout the season, but at the moment we can't deviate from 4-2-2-2/4-2-3-1.

It was interesting to see Bayern Munich get out played today, in the dying minutes they changed to a more direct 4-2-2-2 in an attempt to get something out of the game. That tiki taka business is clearly dying. It's is too easy to play against and I hope we never sign Guardiola.

 

[Dribble]

We don't really have the personnel to switch to other formations.

Okay we use 4-2-3-1 sometimes but for me it's the same as 4-2-2-2, there's no significant difference.

Yeah it would be nice if Pellegrini gets more players in the transfer market so we can use different formations throughout the season, but at the moment we can't deviate from 4-2-2-2/4-2-3-1.

It was interesting to see Bayern Munich get out played today, in the dying minutes they changed to a more direct 4-2-2-2 in an attempt to get something out of the game. That tiki taka business is clearly dying. It's is too easy to play against and I hope we never sign Guardiola.

I get what you're saying, but until this season we've played 4-2-3-1 previously so I don't think adopting it as a formation away from home or for the more difficult matches would pose a problem.

My main gripe is us playing with 2 midfielders (especially with Yaya as one of them) and relying on our superior talent to overcome the opposition when we can bet a pound to a dollar most teams will just swamp the midfield and hit us on the counter as they have been doing. My preferred formation would be a 4-1-2-3 which I think is perfect for the players we have.

I don't think we need more than one specialist defensive midfielder and as long as we have a box to box player and a playmaker in front of that DM I think we'd be absolutely solid defensively, not overrun in midfield and have enough advanced players when attacking to support a single out and out striker.

I agree with the many posters who have said that they like us to control matches and this season even though we've smashed many teams, we don't seem to control matches like we used to and we always seem vulnerable to conceding at any time. It makes for a more thrilling game but doesn't do the old ticker any good.

I love the tiki-taka style, but I think that sometimes Pep has taken it too far. I always believe a team will always be better to mix their strategy so they don't become predictable as can happen to any style of football. I would love Pep to come here in the future, but I would also like to see him evolve his tiki-taka style and combine it with a more direct approach when appropriate.

In his final year at Barca I think Pep went too far with it and virtually ended up with a team of world class creative midget midfielders and no specialist forward and only 2 proper specialist defenders. It all became too predictable and when Maureen showed the world the way to defeat Pep's style of play, the days of absolute tiki-taka dominance was over. That isn't to say I think its dead, I just think it needs to evolve to counter the Maureen's of this world.

 

[johnson28392]

We don't really have the personnel to switch to other formations.

Okay we use 4-2-3-1 sometimes but for me it's the same as 4-2-2-2, there's no significant difference.

Yeah it would be nice if Pellegrini gets more players in the transfer market so we can use different formations throughout the season, but at the moment we can't deviate from 4-2-2-2/4-2-3-1.

It was interesting to see Bayern Munich get out played today, in the dying minutes they changed to a more direct 4-2-2-2 in an attempt to get something out of the game. That tiki taka business is clearly dying. It's is too easy to play against and I hope we never sign Guardiola.

I get what you're saying, but until this season we've played 4-2-3-1 previously so I don't think adopting it as a formation away from home or for the more difficult matches would pose a problem.

My main gripe is us playing with 2 midfielders (especially with Yaya as one of them) and relying on our superior talent to overcome the opposition when we can bet a pound to a dollar most teams will just swamp the midfield and hit us on the counter as they have been doing. My preferred formation would be a 4-1-2-3 which I think is perfect for the players we have.

I don't think we need more than one specialist defensive midfielder and as long as we have a box to box player and a playmaker in front of that DM I think we'd be absolutely solid defensively, not overrun in midfield and have enough advanced players when attacking to support a single out and out striker.

I agree with the many posters who have said that they like us to control matches and this season even though we've smashed many teams, we don't seem to control matches like we used to and we always seem vulnerable to conceding at any time. It makes for a more thrilling game but doesn't do the old ticker any good.

I love the tiki-taka style, but I think that sometimes Pep has taken it too far. I always believe a team will always be better to mix their strategy so they don't become predictable as can happen to any style of football. I would love Pep to come here in the future, but I would also like to see him evolve his tiki-taka style and combine it with a more direct approach when appropriate.

In his final year at Barca I think Pep went too far with it and virtually ended up with a team of world class creative midget midfielders and no specialist forward and only 2 proper specialist defenders. It all became too predictable and when Maureen showed the world the way to defeat Pep's style of play, the days of absolute tiki-taka dominance was over. That isn't to say I think its dead, I just think it needs to evolve to counter the Maureen's of this world.

You're absolutely right, we don't dominate games anymore, that's because under Pellegrini we've become a direct team. Our formation doesn't allow us to dominate, it's a formation designed to play what they call samba football. It's skillful, creative, fast paced and exciting football. But we cant control games in the way Barcelona or Bayern do because we're light in central midfield.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/jnoz4NuYMU8[/youtube]

The problem with your favorite 4-1-2-3 (or simply 4-3-3) is that you need pacy or creative wingers that can score goals .. but we don't have them. I don't see Navas as a winger, for me he's a wide midfielder. Jovetic can probably play as a winger but where would Aguero play? Aguero never thrived as a lone striker. To get the best out of Aguero, we must stick with two strikers up front. I haven't seen us using a 4-4-2 diamond yet, It could be an alternative to 4-2-2-2 .

zab-komp-demi-kola

----------garcia---------

--------ferna--toure---

-------------silva---------

---------jovetic-aguero