Discuss Pellegrini (Pt 2)

[gordondaviesmoustache]

We'll win today for sure.

I really hope so. I'm not sure I could bear the endless moaning if we don't ;-)

 

[BlueRockape]

I surprise my self sometimes but I think today's game is a good one for him to prove himself,

Don't disagree, but "do or die" is a bit extreme imo.

We need to give MP the full season. Anything less would be
joke. If we don't win today the only places the pressure for
him increase is on here and in the media.
We'll win today for sure.

Love your optimism
Wish I felt as confident if we let in another three today sorry but I would not give him time to wreck what is left of the season. In other words do something before its too late

 

[Rammy Blue]

Surely though he has to start showing some flexibility in league games as well. Can't just leave it to Chumps games to wheel out a different formation.

Genuine question - but if it's working in the league why does he need to change it?

Don't get me wrong ... I agree entirely with the wider point that he needs to show flexibility, especially in situations like Wednesday, because that wasn't good enough. However for the moment I've not seen anything which tells me the formation won't work in the league or that it's a problem.

It's not my preferred system at all either so it's not like I love it. I just think as the manager if he thinks it can work in the league then it's his call. It was the same when Roberto was in charge. Yes he was more flexible, but ultimately the overwhelmingly vast majority of games we started with two strikers. I can't understand why neither man has tried a 433/4231 with Silva in behind and Nasri/Milner (or Navas or Jovetic) either side.

-- Sat Oct 05, 2013 10:19 am --

This is my point exactly, I'm not anti-Pellegrini at all, far from it, his reputation is good enough for us and I'm hoping things improve. I'll support whoever our manager is, Mancini was very good for us, Hughes before him made some great signings.

However all managers make mistakes, and the point above is so true, can they learn from these mistakes, Hughes kept making expensive signings which didn't work out, the cheaper signings he made were far better value, Zabaleta and Kompany being a case in point.

Mancini couldn't seem to get inside the players heads and the team never hit the heights of the season before, we didn't look capable of any consistency which ultimately is why we didn't win anything but second in the league wasn't too shabby.

Can Pellegrini learn from the game the other night, I think he can, but I can't say I know too much about the man. I remember Villareal being a great side and Madrid have also always been pretty good, the fact Pellegrini had to move on Robben and Snjeider when they were the players he wanted but they still did OK in the league shows he is a good manager. Maybe the fact they were dumped out of the cup early in the season is exactly the same thing his City side are going through now.

If the players come out of this run as a stronger team then great, the shocks they (and more to the point, us) are suffering now will have been worth it.

I can understand the doubters having a bit of a go, but I think it is far too early to judge, and I share the sentiment that because it is too early he deserves more time. He has done some good things with this team, but no one can deny that some results have been crap, not at all acceptable by the standards the club and fans aspire too. However even though I don't really care what other teams around us are doing, I do like watching other football teams play, and we should all remember that other teams are struggling too and are in a far worse state than us. Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool seem to be the three clubs who have started well, and they may have their own rocky patches. I actually think these may prove to be our biggest rivals this season but we'll have to see how the season pans out.

Can Pellegrini learn from mistakes, I certainly hope so, then the fans will hopefully unite behind him and the players.

That's a cracking post mate ...

it's not working in the league though (yet). Away from home we haven't won and it's mainly because we're getting caught at the back. Mistakes come from pressure or lack of concentration, costly mistakes come from a lack of cover.

If we suddenly start defending properly in 4-2-2-2 and winning comfortably with clean sheets most of the time everyone will jump on board. The problem is now people are twitchy and don't really fancy having to go to West Ham/Chelsea/Moscow and pray that that is the game the players have got it, because the first 3 away games have taken people's confidence away.

Not that I'm saying Pelle should change his system because we're now nervous about it. If he believes they've genuinely cracked it then go for it, but it has to deliver win after win now and at least if he can show he can change during games then that's something to build everyone's confidence i.e. if it's 2-1 today and he's pro-active, great. If we win every game 3/4-0 and it's that way after an hour then brilliant, if it's tight, let us know you can change things Pelle. Wins now, take the 4/5-0 demolitions when they present themselves, if like last week they don't then take the 3 points.

Saved me the trouble of posting, cheers mate. Formation works to a certain degree at home but isn't particularly doing so well away.

 

[samharris]

My only current concern with Pelli is his refusal to change the game. He was asked after Bayern why he didn't change it early on. His reply was that he thinks about things before the game, and after the game but not during it.

Surely any decent manager would spot issues and change things to remedy it?

Fukin frightening

Thats like thinking about a long drive beforhand,thinking about it afterwards but not doing nowt to avoid a crash during it.

I really hope he didnt say that!!

 

[worsleyweb]

honestly if we lost by a good margin today i would get rid and get any one of -

benitez, martinez, laudrup, and give them a 5 year contract with viera as assistant manager. this guy will not last long.

 

[IcriedwhenTueartleft]

'' he's old'', ''he's naive''. '' he's checking his watch,wondering'how soon can I go home?'''.With remarks like these glib pundits like Redknapp and Neville contrived to put down Manuel Pellegrini and make out that he was just a lackadaisical old fart who couldn't be compared to their hero, Guardiola.
True, MP certainly did make mistakes on wednesday.: 1. going for two strikers and leaving midfield light. 2. selecting Nasri over Milner 3. dropping Zabaleta and bringing back Richards. But the first two mistakes are only obvious in hindsight. Both Aguero and Nasri were superb against the rags and he hoped they could be the same against Bayern-a positive move if it had worked out. But both Kun and Samir choked bigtime, contributing little, mouthing off and being booked for petulant fouls.But,though he hoped Richards could drive Ribery back,he seems to have been too impressed with Micah's bravery and daring , not realising his impulsiveness which led him to attempt an overhead kick and impede Dzeko's header or to compete for high clearances which Nastasic had already got covered. worst, he disrupted the Zaba- Navas partnership .These two have a good understanding and shout to each other in spanish. without Zaba there, Navas froze and, in the first half, could scarcely control the ball when it came his way.

But MP was far from being the duffer the pundits made out. 1. he was quite right to delay silva's arrival to 70 minutes.he reasoned that a 20+ minute all-out stint from Silva could turn the game and it nearly did- feeding milner for the shot which forced a world-class save from Neuer, nutmegging Kirchoff to set up negredo's great strike, pouncing on Dante's miskick to send yaya clean through for a probable goal if boateng hadn't chopped him down, executing a free kick which beat Neuer only to cannon off the bar.

2. he didn't '' just let things stand '' as the pundits alleged. We can infer what he said at half-time from the big improvement in the first ten minutes of the second half- aguero going into midfield, Fernandinho getting tighter to Kroos, Navas tracking back to thwart Bayern's breaks,faster tempo all-round.then came the blunders from Clichy and Hart which silenced the crowd and stunned the team.
The so-called '' Bayern masterclass'' was a reality between 56 and 77 minutes, between their second strike and when Muller missed an open goal. Bayern's confidence became arrogant dominance during that time.

When Silva came on , Bayern knew from experience they were dealing with a great player and boateng tried to kick him out of the match.as soon as he shook that off, Silva turned on his magic. Pellegrini's double substitution was right on the money because Milner came out, showing he meant business , clenching his fist and shouting encouragement to his teammates. He led by example, firing the fierce shot which Neuer saved and crossing to Negredo for Alf to head only narrowly wide.

In the final part of the game Guardiola didnt come across as a wonder coach. when robben was applauded off on 78 mins, it was partly a classy tribute from our supporters but also sheer bloody relief to see the back of him!That transmitted itself to the Bayern players who would never have heard the like of it before.After that, it was guardiola who was doing his nut on the touchline,arguing with the Dutch lino ,desperate because he feared City might snatch a draw and, if so, he'd have been hammered in the German media for taking key players off prematurely.

Like everyone else, I'm hoping we can get back on track and crush everton today but it's better not to let knowall punditry go unchallenged.

Well, this post might be a little bit too kind to us about the Bayern game but bloody heck, I feel a lot more optimistic about things now

 

[BluessinceHydeRoad]

The issue is not how long Pellegrini has, or whether we fire him now or later. What we don't need is the distraction oe a search for a new manager during the season. He has t stay at least until the season is over. But those who have discovered grave and fundamental weaknesses in our squad are already in excuse mode for the manager they support. Whatever they think of indidual players that squad is no worse, at least, than any in the PL, is, in Pellegrini's own words, the reason he took the job and the best in the PL and has been strengthened by four / five players of his choice. What he has to do is get it winning matches away to teams who shouldn't belong on the same pitch as us, teams like Cardiff, Stoke and Villa, with or without their two best forwards. We should be doing to them what Bayern did to us. It isn't too early in the season, it isn't because they don't play the manager's system, it isn't't because the players aren't good enough or don't try hard enough, but it is because, away from home at least, the manager has cocked things up. For the first time on Wednesday, at home, we saw for the first time at home the chronic confusion in the centre of the team and in the heart of the field that has reared it's ugly head away quite regularly, because the manager has decided we play one way, which isn't fit for purpose, and refuses to change, because, it seems, he prefers to sit in his comfy chair and not think about the game. There is a problem, only Pellegrini can solve it and he'd better take action quickly.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Well with today's team he's given us what we wanted.

More solidity and a better balance.I feel much more confident today.

 

[welsh_andy]

they ripping him a new arse on soccer saturday

 

[without a dream]

Well with today's team he's given us what we wanted.

More solidity and a better balance.I feel much more confident today.

Not really, he's just made straight swaps in terms of personnel. Milner and Navas have very similar work ethics. I wouldn't say Silva gives more than Nasri defensively. Lescott is a good move to combat Lukaku's strength and he's finally starting Negredo. We're still light in midfield imo. Hope I'm proved wrong.