Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2015/16

[oakiecokie]

Yep can't argue with that mate.

His final ball really frustrates me, and against a deep and packed defence, he is next to useless.

But we are so much more balanced as a team when he plays. He sticks wide, so it stretches opposition defences, and it leaves more space in the middle for Silva who is our best player.

Our best performances of the season were the first 5 games and Seville away, all of which Navas played in and De Bruyne didn't. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Playing Sterling on the left, Navas on the right and Silva in the middle is the most balanced and effective set up for us. The pace of the two wide players is a nightmare for opposition defenders, and there is no better player in the league to find them with a penetrating pass than Silva.

I like De Bruyne, but as I said, I don't think he fits in to our most balanced side on the wing. Possibly under Guardiola he could be developed in to a central midfielder to replace Yaya. But under the current manager I can't think of any player for us that he has managed to develop or improve. Possibly Kolarov, but going off his last 3 performances, maybe that was only temporary.

I`ve said the same thing about KDB for ages ... I think he`s wasted on the wings and as you say Navas can be so frustrating with his final ball.I accept that he has set up numerous chances and assists,but the one thing you cannot fault him for, his defensive responsibilities.He`s always there to help out Sagna or Zaba.
Maybe Pogba will be our new Yaya (he says with baited breath).

 

[oakiecokie]

I'd give a left bollock for him to rationally explain that last substitution.

But that would leave you with none.

 

[TCIB]

It is well poised on paper, but all they have to do is play at a high tempo and we are beat.

Need to bring in Itchy and Delph. Some fans scoff at workrate and think that quality trumps all but this City team has become a soft touch for teams that do nothing but close us down and play a qick through ball

I agree, one thing we seem to lack is bollocks at the right time and indeed more frequently.
With our squad if we are pushed we should be pushing back so hard they piss themselves.

 

[pudge]

But that would leave you with none.

It would help me get into Pellegrini's mindset though.

 

[ninjamonkey]

I was actually getting a sense of deja vu tonight back to the Pearce days. But at least Pearce had an excuse with us being skint and having shit players. Pellegrini has a team most managers would give their left bollock for and has managed to get them to the point where we are struggling to pass to each other. Where the fuck has the exciting, attacking football from his first season gone?

I'd liken him more to Keegan than Pearce. Has zero tactical nous and seemingly no plan other than gung ho all out attack, Only, Keegan's team were entertaining even when we lost, this dross isn't.



When Yaya is spending 2-3 minutes getting up off his arse and trotting back to the halfway line when Everton are attacking our box with a big empty space where Yaya should be the answer is not to release him of defensive duties and effectively play with 10 men without the ball, the answer is bring the lazy prick off. Pellegrini seems incapable of motivating players, none of our team get back, Yaya's the worst but he's not the only one, Ginger Kev left Baines all night, found myself spending most of the second half screaming at him or somebody to mark a wide open Baines, Silva doesn't bother getting back if the ball isn't within a few feet of him, Aguero the same, why is there no work rate? It's a basic principle and it's upto the manager to get them motivated to work off the ball or take them off.

 

[GoMancini7]

I understand he wants to play his own style but why is he refusing the players to play the way they need to?

I mean we do 50% of it, we do the high line and offside trap but refuse to work hard off the ball. Fernandinho alone working more off the ball sometimes then Aguero, Yaya, Silva, KDB together.

How the fuck can that go on before a manager reacts to that? Its been going on for long months now. Occasionally we press like for 10-20 minutes per game, but thats nothing really.

Dont be surprised our defending looks shit. These are not shit defenders. Lescott was a beast under Mancini because he organized a strong defence but not only defenders had to work hard in his team but Milner, Barry, Yaya, De Jong, Tevez etc. When Johnson played on the right he had to track back a lot dont forget.

Lescott under Pellegrini in his tactics would look a 100 times worse than Mangala. And Mangala isnt looking good at all.

I dont think Pellegrini cant see the problems.

I think he just accepts that he wont be able to make these world class stars upset he doesnt want any dressing room trouble, so he accepts the fact we wont really work hard, we dont do 110% we are doing only 60-65% actually. Even if it means our defence will be tested and cut open by opponents when they are further from our goal given the high line but also they wont get much protection from the midfielders/attackers.

Cant wait for Guardiola tho, because he is an animal of work rate and wants the same level of workrate from everyone. If just one of Silva, Aguero, Yaya etc. tells him they dont really want to press or track back to help out regularly...
They are telling this to Pelle for 2 years now and Pelle just accepts it.

Only Fernandinho, Navas and sometimes Sterling has the workrate level that is needed for tactics like ours. Other players decide when to work hard and when they dont do it we struggle a lot.

 

[BLUEMATT23]

Is it too simplistic to suggest if Kompany doesn't return soon MP won't win anything with the ever changing defence?.

 

[jaiguruKun]

He doesn't seem to have the ability to utilise the squad he has at his disposal properly.
Last night was the time to rest De Bruyne and Toure and Navas and Sterling should have started. He's so set in his ways that he feels he must play the strongest team in every single game and it results in pisspoor performances. Yaya and De Bruyne have played too many games and last night was one too many. They were both dreadful last night. I don't understand why the manager prioritises the league Cup so much. He doesn't have the intuition that the great managers have about when players need resting and when things need freshening up. He also never ever adapts his team according to the opposition.This can be a strength at times as if we are at our best, the players have the freedom to impose themselves. However, when the team is playing poorly as it is away from home at the moment, some tactical nous is badly needed.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

Does Pellegrini ever get angry and tear a strip off his players? He doesn't seem to want to do anything about fixing it when we lose. We got lucky against Watford and they continually targeted the left side of the defence, same again last night Lukaku had Mangala for breakfast and then Demichelis in the second half.

It doesn't seem to hurt him when we lose, we lost under Mancini it was like his family had been murdered. The players don't have any fear of being dropped as they know they will get another chance.

Feels like he just picks a side and hopes for the best and the class of the players will pull them through, unfortunatly if you want to be succesful, work rate and intelligence is needed. We won't win anything this season even though we are still in 4 completions it's going to slip away like last year as I don't think the hunger is there to win trophies under this manager.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Oh, another point I'd like to make about the manager:

Gareth Barry.

Pellegrini told him before he'd seen him in a single training session that he didn't have a future at the club. No games, no training sessions, seemingly he judged him on that fateful England game against Germany when he wasn't even half fit. Woy has done the same.

Barry was the best player on the park tonight. Made Yaya look like he didn't belong on the same pitch.

I'm reading Pep Confidential at the moment and he says the ideal "number 4" / holding midfielder is one who reads the game well, senses danger, fills in for his team mates when they are out of position, someone who passes forwards and not sideways, and someone who has the confidence and ability to hit a 20 yard pass in to feet to a player stood between the lines in the "number 10 position". Sounds a lot like Gareth Barry to me.

We sold him for £2m and brought in Fernando for £12 :-)

I agree with you. He was great last night and fully deserved his motm award. However, the space we gave him and others was rediculous. I froze framed his cross for the Lukaku goal. There was no city midfield player within 15 yards of him. Absolutely no pressure on the ball, no midfield defensive line whatsoever. Silva, de Bruyne, Dinho, Yaya all ball watching and motionless when the ball was released. Pellers is a very decent and intelligent man and I hear said he is in the top 5 coaches in the world. However, last season and this season, we do not defend effectively as a team, we don't press consistently and we don't close down space well enough. These are all things that can be coached into a team, so either Pellers isn't doing it or the players are ignoring him. Add to that we seem to have lost the ability to attack away, as a team and you can just about understand how we play so consistently poorly. I will be delighted if we win anything this year but certainly don't expect it. Pep will fix this but I have posted a number of times that I think that his first season will be difficult and painful (for the squad and us).