Discuss Pellegrini (Pt 2)

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Do you think the more intelligent and tactically astute managers like mourinho, Benitez, Wenger, Klopp, laudrup, Rogers, etc would have set the team up like that tonight and left it so late to change things ? Are we being over critical because he hasnt got the personnel to change it to another system?

But that's the thing he has got the personnel it's a complete mystery to me he looked like a rabbit in the spot light last night absolutely clueless, I am just hoping that the DOF has noticed as well

I've had a night to sleep on it, but it's no better in the cold light of day. 4-4-2 against an interchangeable 6 man midfield, and he just sat there for 70 minutes and waited til we were 3-0 down to change things. Oh, and one of our swamped midfield quartet was Ya Ya Toure, a fabulous player, but a man who is 6ft 3' and 14 stone, and very obviously not built for shuttle running back and forth to close opponents down. Last night was one of the most tactically inept performances from a manager I've ever seen at City, albeit that the opposition were top class. If you include pre-season, we have conceded 3 goals in 5 out of 10 games against serious opposition, been outplayed for long periods by Hull and Stoke, and looked convincing just twice, against a shambolic 10 man Newcastle and the rags, whose chronically slow central midfield coupling of Carrick and Hair Bear handed us the game on a plate.
The alarm bells are ringing at deafening levels, and unless the manager starts taking a more pragmatic outlook, I can see this season being over by the end of the month once we've played Everton and Chelsea

 

[Marvin]

We are miles away, but then again we play way way below our potential in Europe

That's what you have to grasp.

I wouldn't surprise me if we play Bayern again in the latter stages, and I bet if we went a goal up, or kept it tight for 15 mins it would be a totally different game

But even if we play to our potential, we don't have the huge physical presence and individual skill of players like Robben

 

[ElanJo]

Second thoughts, this was a masterstroke by Pellegrini. He knows that the Bayern games won't determine whether we qualify and so he's thinking ahead to the final by making Bayern think we're shit. Come May he'll pick the correct setup and it's Manchester City Champions of Europe.

 

[George Hannah]

I've had a night to sleep on it, but it's no better in the cold light of day....

I hope our owner, backers and sponsors didn't have as troubled a night as me

 

[jollylescott]

There are 3 key areas that the Manager is responsible for:

Firstly getting his team mentally prepared for a game so that each player knows his role and how to execute it. Part of this relates to the formation and how it will be applied.

Secondly team selection. The manager needs to get this right based on the opposition.

Thirdly responding to the flow of a game by making the right tactical changes at the appropriate time. This includes substitutions.

My concern relates to MP's abilities in all three areas. At the moment I am not seeing a Manager at the top of his game, confident in his abilities and tactically astute enough to make changes when necessary.

MP, as others have said, looked like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights. Peps team were brilliantly prepared mentally and totally switched on from the start. Our lads looked unprepared mentally. As Phil McNulty said on twitter it was like a show of reverence by the City players towards Bayern. City looked as if they believed that they did not belong in such exalted company.

It was MP's job to get their attitude right. This clearly did not happen.

Secondly team selection. As others have said it is anachronistic, if not a rather slow suicide note, to play 2 up front and not play Silva from the start. To me this was a grave error.

Thirdly the tactical changes. I generally watch the game and comment on the Matchday thread. It did not take a tactical genius to realise that we were being swamped in the middle. Almost every person on the Matchday thread recognised the need for urgent change. Yet there was no response. Not even at half time. By the time Silva and Milner came on the game was gone.

In summary I believe that MP failed an important test. In a results driven business there is little time for recovery. So it is absolutely imperative that he respond asap. The game against Everton is the starting point. MP needs to show quickly that he does have the right stuff. Otherwise this season could go belly up very quickly.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

No doubt at West Ham in a few weeks he will drop Sergio and players who may actually win the game for us.

If he puts all his eggs in the CL basket he better not drop them!!!

I said after Stoke he looks a haunted man,now I am even more convinced the club have made a monumental error which could potentially put us back 3 yrs

 

[sir baconface]

No doubt at West Ham in a few weeks he will drop Sergio and players who may actually win the game for us.

?

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

No doubt at West Ham in a few weeks he will drop Sergio and players who may actually win the game for us.

Not sure what you are saying here.

Just that Pellegrini IMO will drop Aguero as we play cska after west ham.
He needs to play his best team all the time.

 

[sir baconface]

No doubt at West Ham in a few weeks he will drop Sergio and players who may actually win the game for us.

Not sure what you are saying here.

Just that Pellegrini IMO will drop Aguero as we play cska after west ham.
He needs to play his best team all the time.

Right. I understand now. Sorry.

 

[Jumanji]

Rabbit in the headlights? I don't think that's fair.

The manager obviously realized we were being outnumbered.

In the second half, he made Aguero play deeper to match their numbers in a 451. It was a noticeable position shift so it was the manager's doing.

It wasn't going to be that effective attacking wise because Kun can't distribute and carry the ball like a true AM. Now Pellers knows, I hope.

It helped marginally and we started the half well until the shock 2nd goal put the player's head in the sand.

Silva was the real game changer in that position but was only fit enough for 20 min according to Pellegrini.