Discuss Pellegrini (Pt 4)

[George Hannah]

So, as ever, we are looking for a fantastic winning run, four away in the league and two away in the cups with a crunch home fixture against the Arsenal in the middle. If Manuel & Co pull that sequence out of the bag they'll be top of everybody's Christmas tree !

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

We will be top by the new year. You mark my words ;-)

Very bold statement, mate.

I still think you'll be behind them after your trip to Swansea - and that's even with you beating them at the Etihad.

I think you'll overtake Chelsea, though.

Arsenal

Hull (H) – 3
Everton (H) – 3
Man City (A) – 0
Chelsea (H) – 1
West Ham (A) – 3
Newcastle (A) – 3
Cardiff (H) – 3

Total = 16/21

Chelsea

Sunderland (A) – 3
Stoke (A) – 3
Crystal Palace (H) – 3
Arsenal (A) – 1
Swansea (H) – 3
Liverpool (H) – 1
Southampton (A) – 1

Total = 15/21

Man City

WBA (A) – 3
Southampton (A) – 1
Arsenal (H) – 3
Fulham (A) – 3
Liverpool (H) – 3
Crystal Palace (H) – 3
Swansea (A) – 1

Total = 17/21

 

[Didsbury Dave]

We will be top by the new year. You mark my words ;-)

Very bold statement, mate.

I still think you'll be behind them after your trip to Swansea - and that's even with you beating them at the Etihad.

I think you'll overtake Chelsea, though.

Arsenal

Hull (H) – 3
Everton (H) – 3
Man City (A) – 0
Chelsea (H) – 1
West Ham (A) – 3
Newcastle (A) – 3
Cardiff (H) – 3

Total = 16/21

Chelsea

Sunderland (A) – 3
Stoke (A) – 3
Crystal Palace (H) – 3
Arsenal (A) – 1
Swansea (H) – 3
Liverpool (H) – 1
Southampton (A) – 1

Total = 15/21

Man City

WBA (A) – 3
Southampton (A) – 1
Arsenal (H) – 3
Fulham (A) – 3
Liverpool (H) – 3
Crystal Palace (H) – 3
Swansea (A) – 1

Total = 17/21

Good to see you around fella. Maybe it is a little bullish but I'm feeling it at the moment. One thing you can guarantee 100% is that the results won't follow your predictions! Arsenal are looking good, no doubt. But I fancy us to win it.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

That space is the biggest concern i have. Shelvey kept finding himself in acres of space between our defence and midfield. Shelvey is shit so we got away with it. But when we're playing teams like bayern etc if you give that kind of space away they will kill you.

At the moment i'm not too sure what the answer is because to solve it means either dropping yaya or changing formation and neither of those things will happen.

Kompany being back will help matters because he has the pace to step out of the line and still get back. It will be pellegrini's defining move for me though. If he gets it right then we will beat anyone who comes in our path. And i mean anyone.

Yep. It's fascinating stuff. I mean the natural reaction is obviously "Well we play five in midfield" at places like Old Trafford and Highbury. But the temptation to put Aguero and Negredo up against anyone is huge. What a fucking handful they are for any back four in the country. I bet Michael Dawson and Rio Ferdinand wake up sweating in the night thinking of those two. I totally and utterly agree with your last sentence too.

 

[Anonymous]

Good to see you around fella. Maybe it is a little bullish but I'm feeling it at the moment. One thing you can guarantee 100% is that the results won't follow your predictions! Arsenal are looking good, no doubt. But I fancy us to win it.

I don't think it's that bullish to be honest. Arsenal have to go to Newcastle, come to us, and go to West Ham, as well as playing Chelsea and Everton at home. I think we'll be top by new year's day too. Or more precisely even if we're not, Arsenal won't be.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

I wouldn't call anything like that before saturday evening!

 

[Danamy]

The manager has to take a huge amount of credit for getting so much more out of a forward players. When SIlva has been fit this season he has also been right near the top of his game. This is what we meant when talking about the sum of the parts and getting the most out of players etc.

If he can now get the defenders performing to a similar level then we could be on the level of the very very top teams in Europe.

Exactly, Dan. You, me and plenty of others have said for a long time that this club will soar when we finally have a team which is greater than the sum of it's parts. And attacking, now, it is. It's the best attacking football I have ever seen from a City side. The defensive side is coming, too. We've been depleted for weeks now at the back but the errors have gone and we look pretty organised, That will only get better.

With Ya Ya and Fernandino there in a 4222 teams will always find space. What's intriguing over the next two games is how Pellegrini counteracts that problem away: firepower or solidity.

That space is the biggest concern i have. Shelvey kept finding himself in acres of space between our defence and midfield. Shelvey is shit so we got away with it. But when we're playing teams like bayern etc if you give that kind of space away they will kill you.

At the moment i'm not too sure what the answer is because to solve it means either dropping yaya or changing formation and neither of those things will happen.

Kompany being back will help matters because he has the pace to step out of the line and still get back. It will be pellegrini's defining move for me though. If he gets it right then we will beat anyone who comes in our path. And i mean anyone.

I totally agree with the point you made about Shelvey, Laudrup certainly done his homework in regards playing between the lines and utilising the space.

A better team would've punished us with them tactics and everytime Demichelis stepped out of defence to close down the space my heart was in my mouth, like you say Kompany can recover but Demichelis got done a couple of times committing himself too early.

I would like to think he'd drop Dinho in front of the back four against the better sides to counter this like he did against Chelsea, playing the De Jong role so to speak?

 

[mcfcphil]

Exactly, Dan. You, me and plenty of others have said for a long time that this club will soar when we finally have a team which is greater than the sum of it's parts. And attacking, now, it is. It's the best attacking football I have ever seen from a City side. The defensive side is coming, too. We've been depleted for weeks now at the back but the errors have gone and we look pretty organised, That will only get better.

With Ya Ya and Fernandino there in a 4222 teams will always find space. What's intriguing over the next two games is how Pellegrini counteracts that problem away: firepower or solidity.

That space is the biggest concern i have. Shelvey kept finding himself in acres of space between our defence and midfield. Shelvey is shit so we got away with it. But when we're playing teams like bayern etc if you give that kind of space away they will kill you.

At the moment i'm not too sure what the answer is because to solve it means either dropping yaya or changing formation and neither of those things will happen.

Kompany being back will help matters because he has the pace to step out of the line and still get back. It will be pellegrini's defining move for me though. If he gets it right then we will beat anyone who comes in our path. And i mean anyone.

I totally agree with the point you made about Shelvey, Laudrup certainly done his homework in regards playing between the lines and utilising the space.

A better team would've punished us with them tactics and everytime Demichelis stepped out of defence to close down the space my heart was in my mouth, like you say Kompany can recover but Demichelis got done a couple of times committing himself too early.

I would like to think he'd drop Dinho in front of the back four against the better sides to counter this like he did against Chelsea, playing the De Jong role so to speak?

Yes fernandinho will need to cover the back four and with kompany back we can play a higher line so there's shouldn't be quite as much space in front of our defence. But it may well leave yaya exposed and it will put a hell of a lot of responsibility on nasri and silva to keep hold of possession in tight situations - thankfully they're best in the league/world at doing it. It really is a conundrum though. I like to think i know a bit about football but with this one i honestly don't know what the answer is.
One thing is for certain though - i think we're going to see some incredible matches (win, lose or draw) if he continues with two in midfield. So fasten your seatbelts for the rest of the season!

 

[OB1]

That space is the biggest concern i have. Shelvey kept finding himself in acres of space between our defence and midfield. Shelvey is shit so we got away with it. But when we're playing teams like bayern etc if you give that kind of space away they will kill you.

At the moment i'm not too sure what the answer is because to solve it means either dropping yaya or changing formation and neither of those things will happen.

Kompany being back will help matters because he has the pace to step out of the line and still get back. It will be pellegrini's defining move for me though. If he gets it right then we will beat anyone who comes in our path. And i mean anyone.

Yep. It's fascinating stuff. I mean the natural reaction is obviously "Well we play five in midfield" at places like Old Trafford and Highbury. But the temptation to put Aguero and Negredo up against anyone is huge. What a fucking handful they are for any back four in the country. I bet Michael Dawson and Rio Ferdinand wake up sweating in the night thinking of those two. I totally and utterly agree with your last sentence too.

It really is fascinating. I don't know if it is a huge dilemma for our manager but it is for me: should we start with one up front in any of our coming league games?

My favoured formation at the moment is a Peppy 4-3-3; probably followed by a 4-2-3-1 but when you have such a sublime pairing of Aguero and Negredo, how can not start them as a front two!

I really can't imagine them not starting at WBA. I don't really want to think about Southampton until we have seen what happens at WBA.

I hope that Pellegrini is actually talking to his players; especially the senior ones about how they would prefer to line-up against WBA because I think that is important. I remain convinced that the biggest issue away from home is a mental one and the players need to believe that they have the right formation and tactics for the next game. I would hope that the players want to go out with the same (sort of ) line-up as we have had in the last two home games and that they have the confidence to go out and play like they have in those games.

 

[Georgian Maestro]

Exactly, Dan. You, me and plenty of others have said for a long time that this club will soar when we finally have a team which is greater than the sum of it's parts. And attacking, now, it is. It's the best attacking football I have ever seen from a City side. The defensive side is coming, too. We've been depleted for weeks now at the back but the errors have gone and we look pretty organised, That will only get better.

With Ya Ya and Fernandino there in a 4222 teams will always find space. What's intriguing over the next two games is how Pellegrini counteracts that problem away: firepower or solidity.

That space is the biggest concern i have. Shelvey kept finding himself in acres of space between our defence and midfield. Shelvey is shit so we got away with it. But when we're playing teams like bayern etc if you give that kind of space away they will kill you.

At the moment i'm not too sure what the answer is because to solve it means either dropping yaya or changing formation and neither of those things will happen.

Kompany being back will help matters because he has the pace to step out of the line and still get back. It will be pellegrini's defining move for me though. If he gets it right then we will beat anyone who comes in our path. And i mean anyone.

I totally agree with the point you made about Shelvey, Laudrup certainly done his homework in regards playing between the lines and utilising the space.

A better team would've punished us with them tactics and everytime Demichelis stepped out of defence to close down the space my heart was in my mouth, like you say Kompany can recover but Demichelis got done a couple of times committing himself too early.

I would like to think he'd drop Dinho in front of the back four against the better sides to counter this like he did against Chelsea, playing the De Jong role so to speak?

Even though Fernandinho played deeper, surely it was Garcia who played the De Jong role against Chelsea