Discuss Pellegrini (Pt 4)

[Didsbury Dave]

I think we are a better side also.

Just a really big worry that due to a combination of a new Man at the helm, injuries, kamikaze defending by top quality International defenders, the best keeper in Europe having a crisis, a couple of bad calls from Refs, high lines, two man midfields, English players not being good enough and anything else that has come up on this thread over the past weeks that we have given them a bit of a head start ..)

We have indeed. But at the risk of sounding like a stuck record...those things won't go on all season, and as they are put right I think the momentum will grow like wind in the sails of ship.

Watch us get a man unjustly sent off in the 5th minute against Arsenal ;-)

 

[NQCitizen]

By design or by accident it worked a treat.

Either way Pellegrini would be a fool not to take heed of its lessons.

I think the problem is that whilst Spurs at least tried to attack, when we go away from home there's no guarantees that even if we invite lesser opposition onto us, that they'll obligingly push forward.

Then we'll throw the kitchen sink at them with some killer substitutes (imagine Navas, Jovetic and Milner coming on against tired legs) and win or take a draw.

Win at home, play it safe away = probably win the league.

At home we're unplayable, we just need a template to grind out results away where the players can't seem to muster the same verve or confidence.

 

[Anonymous]

Then we'll throw the kitchen sink at them with some killer substitutes (imagine Navas, Jovetic and Milner coming on against tired legs) and win or take a draw.

Win at home, play it safe away = probably win the league.

At home we're unplayable, we just need a template to grind out results away where the players can't seem to muster the same verve or confidence.

As others have said, the results will come away from home.

Again, it's worth repeating, Pellegrini is only 12 league games into managing in the PL and the players have only had a few months to get to know his methods. Mourinho is often quoted as saying that you don't see the best from his teams until their 2nd season. I've little worry that the away form won't click because for me the performances have been there in patches at the very least.

Wouldn't it be just like City to go to Bayern and put in their best away performance of the season and come back with the 3 points. Winning our CL group would be fucking immense.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Then we'll throw the kitchen sink at them with some killer substitutes (imagine Navas, Jovetic and Milner coming on against tired legs) and win or take a draw.

Win at home, play it safe away = probably win the league.

At home we're unplayable, we just need a template to grind out results away where the players can't seem to muster the same verve or confidence.

As others have said, the results will come away from home.

Again, it's worth repeating, Pellegrini is only 12 league games into managing in the PL and the players have only had a few months to get to know his methods. Mourinho is often quoted as saying that you don't see the best from his teams until their 2nd season. I've little worry that the away form won't click because for me the performances have been there in patches at the very least.

Wouldn't it be just like City to go to Bayern and put in their best away performance of the season and come back with the 3 points. Winning our CL group would be fucking immense.

Haha a little over excited? :-)

 

[OB1]

Its interesting so many people think it was a deliberate ploy to play on the break yesterday - I don't think it was. I think Clichy was told to sit because of Lennon's pace - simple as that. Otherwise the reason we played on the break so much was because of the early goal and Spurs' early dominance in central midfield.

Exactly how I saw it mate.

Very boring of me but I happen to agree with the deadly duo, again.

 

[cleavers]

Whilst it would be great, I can't see us putting out a particularly strong team in Munich, we've too many other more important games domestically in the next 4 weeks, we're through to the knockouts, and think he'll take the view that this objective is achieved, and while finishing top would be better for us in the next round, I don't think he'll worrry too much who we get.

 

[Anonymous]

Haha a little over excited? :-)

Not at all. I'm not afraid of Bayern. Certainly if we go to them with a fully fit squad, there's no reason we can't beat them.

 

[Skashion]

I think the problem is that whilst Spurs at least tried to attack, when we go away from home there's no guarantees that even if we invite lesser opposition onto us, that they'll obligingly push forward.

As I said earlier, it won't work against teams that park the bus but there aren't that many of those teams away from home. Sunderland is the only team who has beaten us who parked the bus.

 

[Anonymous]

Whilst it would be great, I can't see us putting out a particularly strong team in Munich, we've too many other more important games domestically in the next 4 weeks, we're through to the knockouts, and think he'll take the view that this objective is achieved, and while finishing top would be better for us in the next round, I don't think he'll worrry too much who we get.

I think there'll be a lot of unhappy people when the team for the Southampton game gets announced. Lets say the squad by then is fully fit, I suspect we'll see Kola, Milner, Dzeko, and Richards all playing and certainly Silva, and one of Aguero/Negredo being rested if not both.

 

[Cobwebcat]

Haha a little over excited? :-)

Not at all. I'm not afraid of Bayern. Certainly if we go to them with a fully fit squad, there's no reason we can't beat them.

There are three teams I think we would have little chance against in World football right now. Real Madrid Barca and Bayern. Bayern destroyed us at our place and there's no reason to think we would be better away from home. We rarely had the ball and only came into it when Bayern stopped trying. That's no shame on our part. They are the best team I've ever seen us play.

We are capable not only of beating sides but battering them. But not those three. Not yet.

We are still all over the shop at the back and teams like that would just help themselves.