Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2014/15 (continued)

[BillyShears]

The Anyone But Pellegrini brigade are in for a long 12 months.

And so are the rest of us. A top 2 finish considering where we were a month ago is a minor achievement, we should though have done better overall. Had Stoke and Burnley at home been wins, we'd have been going into the weekend with a chance, add Burnley away, and we'd be favourites, small margins really, but to gain only 1 point from Burnley, and them get 4 of their 30 off us, isn't really good enough.

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

 

[paulchapo]

The Anyone But Pellegrini brigade are in for a long 12 months.

And so are the rest of us. A top 2 finish considering where we were a month ago is a minor achievement, we should though have done better overall. Had Stoke and Burnley at home been wins, we'd have been going into the weekend with a chance, add Burnley away, and we'd be favourites, small margins really, but to gain only 1 point from Burnley, and them get 4 of their 30 off us, isn't really good enough.

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

Well we and the opposition already know how he will set up 4-4-2 as he keeps on saying he won't change his philosophy or tactics. Unless he drastically improves our defending i hope the forwards are on fire because we will have to score three goals every game to get anything out of every match!

 

[OB1]

And so are the rest of us. A top 2 finish considering where we were a month ago is a minor achievement, we should though have done better overall. Had Stoke and Burnley at home been wins, we'd have been going into the weekend with a chance, add Burnley away, and we'd be favourites, small margins really, but to gain only 1 point from Burnley, and them get 4 of their 30 off us, isn't really good enough.

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

Well we and the opposition already know how he will set up 4-4-2 as he keeps on saying he won't change his philosophy or tactics. Unless he drastically improves our defending i hope the forwards are on fire because we will have to score three goals every game to get anything out of every match!

This kind of comment is what makes these debates such hard work. We have conceded a goal a game on average so we don't three goals a game on average to win every match and we won't next season either.

We need to improve our defending and, in particular, stop making so many costly errors.

We also need to be more clinical. On Sunday, we could have been out of sight before Swansea scored, if we had been more effective with our final ball and finishing and, if we had been, Swansea might just have gone for damage limitation and not scored at all.

 

[adrianr]

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

Well we and the opposition already know how he will set up 4-4-2 as he keeps on saying he won't change his philosophy or tactics. Unless he drastically improves our defending i hope the forwards are on fire because we will have to score three goals every game to get anything out of every match!

This kind of comment is what makes these debates such hard work. We have conceded a goal a game on average so we don't three goals a game on average to win every match and we won't next season either.

We need to improve our defending and, in particular, stop making so many costly errors.

We also need to be more clinical. On Sunday, we could have been out of sight before Swansea scored, if we had been more effective with our final ball and finishing and, if we had been, Swansea might just have gone for damage limitation and not scored at all.

With respect OB1, and at the risk of being one of those people rolling out the 'Fuck stats I believe what I see with my own eyes', goals conceded are not the be all and end all of defensive capability. I remember seeing something at the beginning of last season whereby despite us conceding quite a few goals, we were conceding the fewest chances on goal in the entire league, just every shot seemed to go in the bloody net!

This season has felt like the opposite of that. We haven't conceded an abnormal amount of goals, but it's certainly felt like we've been conceding an abnormal amount of chances. Maybe that's not the case, but clearly many blues feel like it.

I think (and hope) if Pellegrini is here next season we won't be seeing the same 4-4-2 rolled out every game. We'll be getting a lot more of Aguero up top on his own, or 3 up front. We'll also be seeing 4-4-2 but with 2 far more mobile midfielders, which will be drastically different to one with Yaya in it. Maybe, we might even see a proper centre back pairing that's given time to grow. Plus if our current trend is anything to go by we're due to win the league next season regardless ;)

 

[aguero93:20]

Well we and the opposition already know how he will set up 4-4-2 as he keeps on saying he won't change his philosophy or tactics. Unless he drastically improves our defending i hope the forwards are on fire because we will have to score three goals every game to get anything out of every match!

This kind of comment is what makes these debates such hard work. We have conceded a goal a game on average so we don't three goals a game on average to win every match and we won't next season either.

We need to improve our defending and, in particular, stop making so many costly errors.

We also need to be more clinical. On Sunday, we could have been out of sight before Swansea scored, if we had been more effective with our final ball and finishing and, if we had been, Swansea might just have gone for damage limitation and not scored at all.

With respect OB1, and at the risk of being one of those people rolling out the 'Fuck stats I believe what I see with my own eyes', goals conceded are not the be all and end all of defensive capability. I remember seeing something at the beginning of last season whereby despite us conceding quite a few goals, we were conceding the fewest chances on goal in the entire league, just every shot seemed to go in the bloody net!

This season has felt like the opposite of that. We haven't conceded an abnormal amount of goals, but it's certainly felt like we've been conceding an abnormal amount of chances that would otherwise end up as goals. Maybe that's not the case, but clearly many blues feel like it.

I think (and hope) if Pellegrini is here next season we won't be seeing the same 4-4-2 rolled out every game. We'll be getting a lot more of Aguero up top on his own, or 3 up front. We'll also be seeing 4-4-2 but with 2 far more mobile midfielders, which will be drastically different to one with Yaya in it. Plus if our current trend is anything to go by we're due to win the league next season regardless ;)

We've conceded the least chances of any team in the league iirc.

 

[SalfordCityBlue]

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

I agree with this, which is a complete turnaround for me - I thought he was toast a few weeks back, but the rally has been impressive.

Cannot understand what happened to make us go off the rails so badly, and the derby performance remains utterly fucking unacceptable, but there seems to have been an acceptance that a change in approach was needed after that game, and I was most impressed at allowing the defence to settle, even though that meant leaving Kompany warming the bench.

Also finally allowing Yaya to play further forward was a relief, where he is still devastating as proved at the weekend.

This squad, with a few quality additions playing attacking football (just maybe swing the balance a little towards defending) is an exciting prospect still, even under Pellegrini.

Would much prefer he didn't go into the last year of his contract though - potentially really unsettling and gives him very little authority - so I'd still either sack him or abandon the Pep dream (at least publicly) and extend his contract.

 

[fierydan]

I want to see Pellegrini stay and would like to see him on a rolling two year contract,that way either the club or Pellers can call time at not too great a cost and some stability exists.

 

[OB1]

This kind of comment is what makes these debates such hard work. We have conceded a goal a game on average so we don't three goals a game on average to win every match and we won't next season either.

We need to improve our defending and, in particular, stop making so many costly errors.

We also need to be more clinical. On Sunday, we could have been out of sight before Swansea scored, if we had been more effective with our final ball and finishing and, if we had been, Swansea might just have gone for damage limitation and not scored at all.

With respect OB1, and at the risk of being one of those people rolling out the 'Fuck stats I believe what I see with my own eyes', goals conceded are not the be all and end all of defensive capability. I remember seeing something at the beginning of last season whereby despite us conceding quite a few goals, we were conceding the fewest chances on goal in the entire league, just every shot seemed to go in the bloody net!

This season has felt like the opposite of that. We haven't conceded an abnormal amount of goals, but it's certainly felt like we've been conceding an abnormal amount of chances that would otherwise end up as goals. Maybe that's not the case, but clearly many blues feel like it.

I think (and hope) if Pellegrini is here next season we won't be seeing the same 4-4-2 rolled out every game. We'll be getting a lot more of Aguero up top on his own, or 3 up front. We'll also be seeing 4-4-2 but with 2 far more mobile midfielders, which will be drastically different to one with Yaya in it. Plus if our current trend is anything to go by we're due to win the league next season regardless ;)

We've conceded the least chances of any team in the league iirc.

It's quite well known in these here parts that one of my favourite stats is shots per game conceded. Sadly we are no longer the team conceding fewest shots: the Rags have that honour with 9.9 per game, the it's our opponents on Sunday, Southampton, with 10; followed by City on 10.1. Narrow enough to maybe change on Sunday.

Last season we did concede the fewest shots, at 9.4 per game. So although we are conceding more shots this season, it amounts to less than one per game. So, with respect to adrianr, his observation does not hold water.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

And so are the rest of us. A top 2 finish considering where we were a month ago is a minor achievement, we should though have done better overall. Had Stoke and Burnley at home been wins, we'd have been going into the weekend with a chance, add Burnley away, and we'd be favourites, small margins really, but to gain only 1 point from Burnley, and them get 4 of their 30 off us, isn't really good enough.

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

Well we and the opposition already know how he will set up 4-4-2 as he keeps on saying he won't change his philosophy or tactics. Unless he drastically improves our defending i hope the forwards are on fire because we will have to score three goals every game to get anything out of every match!

Have we not lined up with 5 in midfield for the last month or so?

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

The Anyone But Pellegrini brigade are in for a long 12 months.

And so are the rest of us. A top 2 finish considering where we were a month ago is a minor achievement, we should though have done better overall. Had Stoke and Burnley at home been wins, we'd have been going into the weekend with a chance, add Burnley away, and we'd be favourites, small margins really, but to gain only 1 point from Burnley, and them get 4 of their 30 off us, isn't really good enough.

I'm actually quite excited to see how Pellegrini sets up next season both tactically and in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal, which we'd assume will be improved on this season. I'm not afraid we're in some terminal decline with the manager where next season can't be a vast improvement on this one.

New personnel will certainly make a difference, but there were enough duff team selections and ineptly defended set pieces this season, to make success next year far from guaranteed without a little more pragmatism IMO