Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2014/15 (continued)

[coleridge]

In isolation, you'd think that Viera would be the perfect person to look Yaya in the eye and tell him he's dropped.

 

[Blue Maverick]

He has been let down by the players but ultimately it is he who picks it, if he's not got the balls to drop Yaya as he's done fuck all last few games then he shouldn't be manager. When we played west Brom lampard pushed the team forward at every opportunity and I thought we'd have a shot of at least gaining ground on chelsea, when he was subbed we reverted to type and were terrible. It just shows if you have good leadership on the pitch it makes hell of a difference, next game Yaya was back in and we were shit, it's not just him others are to blame but Pellegrini is the one who chooses that starting 11 get rid and do it now otherwise we won't get 4th.

 

[mancunianpear]

What worries me is that everybody knows Pellers is gone, most importantly the players.

Keeping him till the end of the season with the players knowing he won't be there next season, I can't see them playing at all for him.

We need some inspiration and life somehow injected into the squad for the remaining 6 games, keeping a man who the players know is gone isn't going to help at all.

 

[BigOscar]

I think the bigger problem than the players knowing Pellegrini is gone in the summer, is some of the players know they are gone in the summer.

 

[supercity88]

The way Vieira manages the academy may be nurturing and with an apparent calm but when the stakes are high and it's grown men he's working with you wait and see what he would be like. He might not be Guardiola, I'm sure he has his own ideas and I'm not making that comparison but he's got a free hit for 6 games in my opinion. Sherwood was given a chance, did well and was still let go... football's odd like that.

My only concern would be that we couldn't expect him to then go back to the academy if the club decided they wanted a proven name. I think it's more likely he'll be made a no.2 before taking over the reigns after another cycle. Perhaps the club want Pep to use him as no.2 for 3 years then give him the main job.

 

[Damanino]

Yep if players know this manager is as good as gone they wont fight for him. Also some players might feel they are as good as gone themselves. They also wont fight much.

Make a change now, get someone in that is gonna just gives the squad an instant lift.

We need to try to get 3rd. With Pelle imo our best hope is a 4th that gives us only an option for CL but doesnt guarantee it.

Make a change today, let the new interim have 5-6 days of training before WHU game.

 

[Shaelumstash]

TBF, this was pointed out by some early last season when many were in a swoon as we abandoned our disciplined tactical approach in favour of MP's 442 Keegan-esque all out attacking philosophy.

Once our defensive solidity had been eroded all it took was for one or two average managers to figure out a way to combat our new 'throwing the kitchen sink' tactic and we were in trouble because MP was too inflexible to effect tactical change when it was obviously necessary.

Now teams have worked out how to nullify us offensively and we don't seem to have the ability to reorganise ourselves into the solid defensive unit we once were, we're now tactically caught between the rock and the hard place. As you say in your post, MP would have been wiser to add to what he inherited as our team only needed evolving. The complete abandonment of the solidity that MP inherited was utter madness and is the reason many warned of what could possibly lay ahead.

The problems we face today started 18 months ago. The disappointing thing is we've done nothing to evolve our tactics as others have evolved theirs to combat us and I repeat what I said weeks ago, I seriously fear for our CL qualification and the ramifications for us in respect to FFP if we don't qualify.

The worrying thing is, even if Pellegrini wanted to be more solid, drop the line deeper and get us back to basics of being hard to beat, the Directors above him won't allow it!

It's all part of our ingenious holistic philosophy that every team in the "City family" play high line, possession based, attacking football. Forget that our captain and former player of the season Zabaleta's form has dived off a cliff, we can't protect them and become more solid, because it's not good for brand synergy, you see.

If the loyal fans in Melbourne, New York and Yokohama see Manchester City playing a solid defensive line as they did under the previous manager, they might start thinking the whole City Group concept is crazy, they play a high line, so we aaaaaall play a high line. Football principles, concepts, philosophies, brand synergies, that's more important than winning games and trophies now.

English football has found it hard to adjust to a model where directors identify and buy players. Just when we're turning the corner on that, City go nuclear and actually allow the suits in the office to dictate the style of play and tactics!! Only at City could this happen.

I bet Fergurson, Louis Long Ball and Mourinho are secretly pissing themselves at the concept! Imagine Bruce Buck telling Mourinho "Look Jose, you're going to have to play a high line from now on, I don't care if it doesn't suit John Terry's game, we've got a marketing strategy in the far east that relies on us telling our opponents what tactics we're playing before the game."

Imagine Woodwood telling Van Gaal "Yeh sorry Louis, but our womens team play balls to feet so you're going to have to stop playing that diagonal ball to Fellaini because the fans of the women's team might not recognise both United's as being part of the same brand."

As I've said before, the concept itself is completely flawed. If you're Barcelona with a budget 10 times as big as 3rd biggest team in your league, play the same way every week, fuck all those shit teams. If you're playing in the PL that concept is flawed in itself.

I don't want to skate over the issue that Pellegrini is appalling, but the point I'm making is, our footballing strategy as a club is actually making it even more difficult for him.

I played in a very successful team who adopted a high line, but the difference was that 3 of the 4 defenders plus the keeper would give Usain Bolt a tuff time over 50 metres so we were very rarely, if ever caught out.

Personally I have no problem per se with having a CFA philosophy, but where it makes no sense is that Txiki also mentioned us playing a 433 formation which suits the personnel we have better whilst MP immediately switched us to a 442. I think the fact we play a formation that we don't have the players for added to the fact that we are constantly trying to force square pegs into round holes has more bearing of where we are now than playing a high line.

The high line leaves us exposed because with Yaya in a midfield 2, our central defenders get no protection, whereas in seasons past there would be Barry or NDJ sat right in front of them. These are elementary things and if MP wants to know how to fix them, all he has to do is look at the videos of our first title winning season because the core of that team is still the core of this team.

Just because we were hard to beat, didn't mean I didn't enjoy our football previously, far from it. The thing I enjoyed most was the fact other teams scoring against us was the exception rather than the rule which is no longer the case. It took 4 years to build that mentality and toughness and a season to erode it.

Great teams are built on great defences, the question is though, during his final season can The Engineer reconstruct the defensive solidity he demolished in his first season? I think its a queston that needs serious consideration as I don't think its a given that he'll be replaced any time soon as our current crisis and our failed transfer policy since 2012 will reflect on those directly above MP.

Totally agree with you on the square pegs, round hole thing. Totally agree on the fact 442 is not suited to playing such a high line, as to play so high you need lots of pressure on the ball from midfield, and we simply don't/ can't do that. I also agree that you need rapid defenders to play a high line effectively.

I also agree that just because we played deeper under Mancini, doesn't mean it wasn't attractive, attacking football. We still dominated most games, we just had a more sound base to start from and our goalkeeper and defenders were the best in the league. The same players are now a shambles. Have they all "downed tools" or are they not comfortable in the system?

One are I'd question is that you appear to be suggesting Pellegrini playing 442 is the major issue, not the high line. I'd disagree with that. We played a variation of 442 under Mancini and we had the best defence in the league 3 years running. The difference was we were 10 yards deeper and not so exposed.

 

[IanBishopsHaircut]

I think the bigger problem than the players knowing Pellegrini is gone in the summer, is some of the players know they are gone in the summer.

Bingo

 

[Robinho's Subbuteo]

He needs to drop Yaya first and foremost. If I was a city player I'd be looking at him thinking "How the fuck are you on £200k a week???" I'd also be thinking "How do you keep getting picked???"

 

[DHMCFC]

Pretty speechless but not surprised about what has become of this season. Lets get to the summer and go from there blue boys any negativity from us fans will only hinder our chances of replacing the lazy excuses still in our squad. ONWARDS AND UPWARDS. CTID