Discuss Pellegrini...

[George Hannah]

Did he get the team selection wrong? Yes.
Imo, it was a poor decision to try and field the same team and utilize the same tactics which beat a considerably inferior United team. In fact, the same side failed to beat Arsenal, a game which we now look back and think we should have got 3 points out of.

This, once again, shows Pellegrini up for the level of manager that he is. How could you possibly try and use the same tactics we used versus an awful United side with the lazy, immobile Fellaini and Carrick in the middle of the park, against a Liverpool side who play a high pressing game and won't allow you to play freely, as we did at OT. Of course Pellegrini realized this and fair play to him - changed it at half time and we were by far the better side in the second half.

No matter what the Pellegrini bashers on here are saying, we were on course to win that game, or AT LEAST get a point. We were let down by a poor clearance from one of our most dependent players. How on earth can Pellegrini account for that mistake? The game plan was there, it was working, we were on course to get a result and then comes a comical defensive error. You've also got to look at the keeper for the first goal. If Joe Hart actually bloody steps back a few yards and actually covers his goal like a goalkeeper should, we don't go 1-0 down after 6 minutes.

It was a big game and Pellegrini got the team selection wrong and he'll take the flack for that. But the problems lie much deeper than just a team selection. It's clear to see the defence have let Pellegrini down countless times this season. Give us a consistently good back 5 such as Chelsea's and the league would of been ours long ago. Give Pellegrini this summer to build and work on a back 5 which we should have sorted out last summer. If he gets that opportunity, I very much doubt we'd be questioning Pellegrini too much next season.

Agree with most of that - but today, he just watched the car crash unfold in the first half.
It's much easier to fix a car that hasn't got major accident damage damage.

The decision to replace Dzeko with an unfit Aguero when we had come back fighting with two goals and were playing well - was simply appalling.

 

[Len Rum]

I criticized Pellers earlier for the team selection (Navas) and tactics in the first 30 minutes of today's game. Justified.
Now on mature reflection and three triple whiskies and a can of San Miguel I think Pellers management can be summarised in the following order of priority:
1. Unlucky
2. Got us playing exciting and attacking football
3. Naive with his team selection and lack of pragmatism in big games.

Unfortunately 1and3 have got the better of 2 .

In another dimension 2 could have won and he would have been a hero. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to have worked out that way ( subject to the next six games).

In Mancini's tenure:
1.Lucky
2. Less than exciting football, often boring
3.Very pragmatic team selection

Roberto got lucky, 1 and 3 triumphed over 2.

Hic!

 

[Marvin]

Did he get the team selection wrong? Yes.
Imo, it was a poor decision to try and field the same team and utilize the same tactics which beat a considerably inferior United team. In fact, the same side failed to beat Arsenal, a game which we now look back and think we should have got 3 points out of.

This, once again, shows Pellegrini up for the level of manager that he is. How could you possibly try and use the same tactics we used versus an awful United side with the lazy, immobile Fellaini and Carrick in the middle of the park, against a Liverpool side who play a high pressing game and won't allow you to play freely, as we did at OT. Of course Pellegrini realized this and fair play to him - changed it at half time and we were by far the better side in the second half.

No matter what the Pellegrini bashers on here are saying, we were on course to win that game, or AT LEAST get a point. We were let down by a poor clearance from one of our most dependent players. How on earth can Pellegrini account for that mistake? The game plan was there, it was working, we were on course to get a result and then comes a comical defensive error. You've also got to look at the keeper for the first goal. If Joe Hart actually bloody steps back a few yards and actually covers his goal like a goalkeeper should, we don't go 1-0 down after 6 minutes.

It was a big game and Pellegrini got the team selection wrong and he'll take the flack for that. But the problems lie much deeper than just a team selection. It's clear to see the defence have let Pellegrini down countless times this season. Give us a consistently good back 5 such as Chelsea's and the league would of been ours long ago. Give Pellegrini this summer to build and work on a back 5 which we should have sorted out last summer. If he gets that opportunity, I very much doubt we'd be questioning Pellegrini too much next season.

Agree with most of that - but today, he just watched the car crash unfold in the first half.
It's much easier to fix a car that hasn't got major accident damage damage.

The decision to replace Dzeko with an unfit Aguero when we had come back fighting with two goals and were playing well - was simply appalling.

Was it? There wasn't long to go and it almost paid off when Silva almost scored

The key moments when it was 2-2 were the near-misses and the Kompany clearance which unluckily went straight to Countinho

 

[BlueAnorak]

I enjoy watching us put the also rans to the sword mind, So I'll give him another season - I'm not sure our board will be quite so tolerant mind. He won't win us the PL or CL though not with the tactical nouse he has shown in the games against good sides.

 

[Anonymous]

The decision to replace Dzeko with an unfit Aguero when we had come back fighting with two goals and were playing well - was simply appalling.

It was a debatable decision, but even so Kun left Skrtel for dead and laid Silva's chance on. Think you might be over playing the drama by calling it appalling. I understand though, it's been a dramatic day.

 

[jrb]

He's learnt a lot from his first season in the Prem.

He's early form, especially away from home, where he continually played 4-4-2, which cost us against Cardiff, Villa, and Sunderland, will have gone someway to costing us the title, if we don't win it. It seems he's now stuck on 4-5-1, and has given up on 4-4-2.

We'll see on Wednesday against Sunderland if he goes back to 4-4-2, with Sergio now back.

 

[George Hannah]

Agree with most of that - but today, he just watched the car crash unfold in the first half.
It's much easier to fix a car that hasn't got major accident damage damage.

The decision to replace Dzeko with an unfit Aguero when we had come back fighting with two goals and were playing well - was simply appalling.

Was it? There wasn't long to go and it almost paid off when Silva almost scored
The key moments when it was 2-2 were the near-misses and the Kompany clearance which unluckily went straight to Countinho

That overhit pass (when he should have gone on himself) was Sergio's only threatening moment in a full third of the match - he was well off the pace. Dzeko's face when he was subbed said it all - a clear mistake.

 

[robbieh]

There will always be doubts about a 60 year old manager who has never won a major league. His fans will say in his defence that he has never had the tools. His detractors will say he was never given the tools because the powers that be at the big clubs didn't think he was good enough.

OK Madrid thought he was worth a punt but a defeat at non league Alcorcon in the copa del Rey and a defeat to Lyon in the last sixteen of the Cl changed their mind.

So until he wins us a league or gets the sack this argument will go on ad infinitum.

The only measure of him is this. Would you swap our entire squad for Liverpool's or Chelsea's? Not a bloody chance. He has underperformed. And don't give me it's his first season. Didn't stop Mourinho or Ancelotti coming into a successful club and winning the league straight away.

 

[OB1]

Some real infantile toss on this thread as usual, as the quest for the perfect manager goes on in the minds of the hindsight Harrys.
I would have started with Milner over Navas, but that frankly is about it. For all those squealing about Pellegrini's naïvety, what else should he have done vis a vis team selection? Pick Kolarov, so Sterling could run him ragged? Pick Garcia; for who exactly? Nasri? Silva? Fernandinho? All excellent 2nd half. Or perhaps leave out 18 goal Ya Ya? And a half fit Kun over Dzeko?

I called Liverpool as potential title winners as far back as Christmas. Not after a smarty pants medal, but it does emphasise that we don't have a divine right to win anything and that we aren't miles better than everyone else. For all that though, we are a very good side playing very good football under a very good manager. Laugh of the day has been listening to people claim we'd have been better off with the eye gouger. Really? What's he won this season? Fuck all, that's what, and he's bored the shit out of everyone doing it.

This is Pellegrini's first season in English football, and the title was "lost" (the inverted commas are there to emphasise the fact that we haven't actually lost it yet, although it's a tall order admittedly), in the first few weeks of the season (Stoke, Cardiff, Villa etc), when a new manager was trying to impose a new system on an injury ravaged squad. Next year he will have the centre half, central midfielder and quality centre forward he wanted this year.
The people on here bellyaching tonight are the same prats who were too thick to understand why he kept picking DiMichelis over Lescott. Well, just as they have probably worked that "mystery" out now, so this time next year they'll probably be amazed at what else Pellegrini has "learned". Seriously, take the rest of the night off. We're a top team with a top manager (not a perfect one by any stretch, but pretty damned good for all that), and the only reason we ain't got it in the bag is cos Liverpool have had more good fortune this season than a pig in shit.

TBF, you did warn people on numerous occasions not to discount the Scousers.

I would have picked Garcia instead of Navas but Navas made more key passes than any other player in the game, one of which set up a great chance for Fern, so he was hardly a disastrous choice to start ahead of either Garcia or Milner.

City lost the game today on very fine margins in the end. Different decisions by Pellegrini might have lead to an alternative outcome; they might not.

 

[dw7]

There will always be doubts about a 60 year old manager who has never won a major league. His fans will say in his defence that he has never had the tools. His detractors will say he was never given the tools because the powers that be at the big clubs didn't think he was good enough.

OK Madrid thought he was worth a punt but a defeat at non league Alcorcon in the copa del Rey and a defeat to Lyon in the last sixteen of the Cl changed their mind.

So until he wins us a league or gets the sack this argument will go on ad infinitum.

The only measure of him is this. Would you swap our entire squad for Liverpool's or Chelsea's? Not a bloody chance. He has underperformed. And don't give me it's his first season. Didn't stop Mourinho or Ancelotti coming into a successful club and winning the league straight away.

Bang on