Discuss Pellegrini...

[01cravend]

I don't get the continued referral to Pellegrini playing MD in midfield, he had no choice didn't he, Fernandinho got injured, Garcia was already injured, Rodwell was injured as fa as I recall and Milner wasn't fit to start (just back from injury), If all those choices were fit no way would have MD started in midfeld. Pellegrini in his first season here has got us playing great football, over 70% win success rate while having to navigate through a major system/style transition (from Mancini's style to his) , by far the worst injury record from the current title contendersand has been let down by several individual mistakes by the likes of Hart/Nastasic/Kompany at very key times. The Wigan game was a shame but as i recall that was the only game in that particular stretch that we could've rested a few players in, even if the man wanted to I highly doubt the guys at the top would've looked too kindly at playing a weaker team at Barcelona however slim the chances of getting through. He's not perfect of course, understandably he didn't realise the actual strengths/weaknesses of our squad several times this season as in how weak some of our backup players are, for eg- I think he made a mistake playing a few squad players at Sunderland Away, and one of my main complaints would be he does'nt seem to have realised the value of James Milner yet and that sometimes he needs to make the subs a bit earlier when required to retain control of the game (Something Bob wasn't afraid to do). Most of these should be corrected when he knows the squad inside out and the league better. We competed in all 4 competitions longer than anyone else, got to the CL knockouts a significant step, won the first Cup available to him and still in with a good shot at the league so very pleased with his first season, seems an excellent man manager- I like how he has got the most out of many of our players like Garcia/Nasri/Kolarov/Dzeko for example (and how he handled the Hart situation) and I like not having to read about bustups and training ground/dressing room fights and I like the manager not having a go at players in the media. Was a huge fan of Bob and he did his part in bringing the Club to this point but his time had come, Wish him all the best for the future but for the present, glad to have MP as manager and we should have an even better time next season when he knows the squad and the team much better and when we have better defensive backups, lets give him the chance he deserves

I don't think the transition has or well shouldn't have been an issue, seeing as most of our players are technically astute and have come from playing in similar systems whether with old clubs(La Liga) or national teams(Spain)

 

[Graceyboy]

I think Pellegrini has done a great job for his first season in charge.

He came in with an Ethos of how he believes football should be played, and it took a while for the team to put this into practice in competitive games. Bare in mind also, whilst trying to coach this new style on the training pitch, we have had most of the season playing a game every 3-4 days. Liverpool have not had this and this is where I see Brendan Rodgers has had an advantage, not just about the fewer number of games and being fresher, but the fact he's been able to have more, longer productive coaching sessions on how he wants the team to play. Pellegrini has done his best in the limited coaching sessions he's been able to schedule in.

You cannot ignore some of the individual errors (that 9/10 times would not of occured) which resulted in us losing games where we were quite blatently the better side. That cannot be pinpointed at the manager. We would be out of sight by now if they had not happened.

With reference to him only being reactive in his tactics during a game, well isn't that how it is. You go into a game with Plan A and try to impose your will throughout and hope that it works, and if that isn't working, you move to plan B, and I think Pellers has done some fantastic changes in matches in these circumstances, lets take Sunday as an example, he brought on Milner for Navas which was a great change (after the enforced Yaya change). If your Plan A is working, the only change is to freshen legs near the end.

When you start to compare points won or lost against the top sides, then I only see a poor game against Chelsea and poor second half against Arsenal where we can say we got out played. The two liverpool games if you look at them, Liverpool will argue they deserved a draw on Boxing day, (and it is a valid assessment) and we believe we should of got a draw on Sunday, so if that would of happened we each would of only took 2 points from the 6 available, but we both came away with 3 each. The next level down, we battered Spurs and United home and away, we beat Everton at home too.

We have 1 trophy already, we got further in the CL including an away win in Munich. The home defeat was bad, but this was an early season game when we were getting to grips with the new style. We have blown teams away with our front foot attacking game, we have had some injuries and poor form of strikers this calender year and were still in with a chance of the league

I think he's doing a great job all things considered

 

[taconinja]

I must admit I'm consistently baffled that making it to the knockout rounds of the CL is considered a victory. Perhaps it is, but it's not a mindset I understand in the least.

 

[Anonymous]

I must admit I'm consistently baffled that making it to the knockout rounds of the CL is considered a victory. Perhaps it is, but it's not a mindset I understand in the least.

Who said it was a victory? I'm baffled as to why people find it quite so hard to admit that getting to the knock out stages for the first time is an improvement on what has come before.

The entire narrative that a small minority continue to put forward that this season somehow isn't a huge improvement on last season is so lacking in credibility that it makes a mockery of the person posting it.

 

[BobKowalski]

Losing out to ManU under Taggart is one thing. But losing out to Liverpool under Rodgers with a Chelsea reject striker and Kolo Toure in the back 4 is a shooting offence never mind a sackable one.

I'd expect that comment from a two bit tabloid hack on the Sunday Supplement if i'm honest.

yeah bit OTT it could be put another way, With an England international striker and a 3 time PL winning defender in the back 4

Of course its OTT. Thats the point. Chelsea have been crying out for striker all season and they let one go who just may help fire Liverpool to the title - hence 'Chelsea reject'. Same with Kolo. Deemed not good enough for us and let go on a free. And where to? Thats right Liverpool in order to help them (possibly) beat us to the title. You have to have a heart of stone not to cry at the irony. The one I forgot was Victor Moses and many thanks to chris85 for pointing it out. It made my day.

The cherry picking a post in an attempt to deflect from the actual points raised re big games has become a predictable tactic closely followed by the "...well you liked Mancini blah, blah" pivot which I guess is one way of not dealing with the issues. I am on record here saying that the League Cup was on my personal bucket list and thank you Mr Pellers. Its purely a personal thing and not shared by everyone but there you go.

I still think we have an excellent chance of winning the league but the points remain:

1) Pellers in game management is too passive.
2) Use of subs is too predictable and seems to be pre planned with no account taken of game momentum.
3) The big games. Our record against our immediate title rivals is poor. Played 6. Won 2. Drawn 1. Lost 3. Games against your immediate rivals in a tight race are crucial given the point swing. At three key points in the season where the title was there for us to take control we failed to do so. Slip up once well ok. Twice is a concern. Three times is fucking criminal. In the CL our 4 big games were Played 4. Won 1. Lost 3. And the one we won was a dead rubber. There is a pattern. There is always a pattern. So far we have dismissed the pattern in favour of 'players making mistakes' and 'bad refs' and yes at Anfield we are playing the ref and will not get some decisions just as Liverpool didn't get some decisions when we played them at home so guess what don't give them a 2 goal fucking head start.

I am not looking for Pellers to go. He won't go anyway and as I said I was made up over winning the League Cup so I am not interested in calling for his sacking even if we don't win the league. But if we do lose the league to Liverpool there will be a few managers including Pellers who will have to take a long hard fucking look at themselves and seriously up their game next season. Furthermore if we do lose out to Liverpool and/or finish 3rd I do not want to hear any more fucking garbage about the vast improvement this season or whining about what a **** Mancini was as a) I already knew he was a ****, b) I didn't care he was **** and c) the **** wouldn't have finished fucking third.

Now all that said this title race is far from over and the thought of the summer with Liverpool as Champions is frankly too awful to contemplate so lets win the next 6 fucking games and make sure it never happens and that we never speak of it again. Ever.

 

[taconinja]

I must admit I'm consistently baffled that making it to the knockout rounds of the CL is considered a victory. Perhaps it is, but it's not a mindset I understand in the least.

Who said it was a victory? I'm baffled as to why people find it quite so hard to admit that getting to the knock out stages for the first time is an improvement on what has come before.

The entire narrative that a small minority continue to put forward that this season somehow isn't a huge improvement on last season is so lacking in credibility that it makes a mockery of the person posting it.

Luckily I didn't say that, did I? We're more stable in the locker room, and I find that a great improvement.

As far as improvement via making it past the group stage, it's marginal. Winning in the first or second knockout round would be an actual improvement as far as I'm concerned. Let's just say if I were the manager, I wouldn't be touting "getting out of the group stage of the CL" as a major hiring point. I doubt Pellegrini would feel that way either. I have seen it brought up by several forum members, though, as if it's an accomplishment. It ranks beside getting into the Top 4 of the league in my mind. At this point, it should be expected.

 

[Skashion]

Think Samuel should leave his opinion until the end of the season. Yes, our record against the rest of the top four isn't brilliant, but, IF, come the end of the season, we win the title, I couldn't give a fuck, and would render Samuel's opinion just chatter...

 

[BobKowalski]

I must admit I'm consistently baffled that making it to the knockout rounds of the CL is considered a victory. Perhaps it is, but it's not a mindset I understand in the least.

Who said it was a victory? I'm baffled as to why people find it quite so hard to admit that getting to the knock out stages for the first time is an improvement on what has come before.

The entire narrative that a small minority continue to put forward that this season somehow isn't a huge improvement on last season is so lacking in credibility that it makes a mockery of the person posting it.

What is this bleeding obsession with last season? Is every manager for ever to be judged "well at least its an improvement on the 12/13 season"? We have won a trophy so of course its a bleeding improvement. Is it an improvement on the 11/12 season? Well if we don't win the title then no its not especially given one of our main strikers didn't take a 4 month golfing sabbatical and Yaya didn't bugger off to ACON. If we do win the title having won the League Cup than quite possibly its our best season ever. If we finish 3rd then Pellers is a useless twat who needs shooting.

Fine margins yes but welcome to life at the top.

 

[supercity88]

I must admit I'm consistently baffled that making it to the knockout rounds of the CL is considered a victory. Perhaps it is, but it's not a mindset I understand in the least.

Who said it was a victory? I'm baffled as to why people find it quite so hard to admit that getting to the knock out stages for the first time is an improvement on what has come before.

The entire narrative that a small minority continue to put forward that this season somehow isn't a huge improvement on last season is so lacking in credibility that it makes a mockery of the person posting it.

Luckily I didn't say that, did I? We're more stable in the locker room, and I find that a great improvement.

As far as improvement via making it past the group stage, it's marginal. Winning in the first or second knockout round would be an actual improvement as far as I'm concerned. Let's just say if I were the manager, I wouldn't be touting "getting out of the group stage of the CL" as a major hiring point. I doubt Pellegrini would feel that way either. I have seen it brought up by several forum members, though, as if it's an accomplishment. It ranks beside getting into the Top 4 of the league in my mind. At this point, it should be expected.

I think you have to consider how we have previously performed in the CL, and then look at 3 away wins and 2 at home including beating Bayern and progressing as a major improvement to such a dire performance the season before and missing out the year before that. The media circus on our CL performances was ridiculous and unrelenting. We were being slated left right and centre for our poor form in the competition. This year we shook the monkey off our back and made a big stride forward. Barca were fearful and la marca was publicising such in its papers.

 

[bobom]

MP has had a good season! Silverware, and challenging for the league with a few games to go? Why does anyone think the league should be a walkover? When we won the league two seasons ago, it was also only through the scum slipping up. We won it, but we were also dependent on other results going our way. We could very well still win it. As for going out of the CL at the knockout stage - sure it was a shame, but it's a cup, and sometimes you draw Barcelona. It's not like we went out to Olympiakos.

It was also MP's first season of premier league football, and it's a bit unrealistic to expect him to adapt immediately, any more than it is for a newly signed player. We've had the transition to a new training style, various quite significant injury worries, we're clearly or two defenders light.

The only regret I have is the Wigan FA cup match, but it's not something to get too het up about imo. Obviously the CL match goes first, even if we were down on the first leg.

An A- from me at the very least, even if we don't win the league...