Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2015/16

[GaudinoMotors]

Thought it was one of his better games. Changed it and it worked.

 

[nellyonthewing]

The Greenwich Observatory are now calibrating GMT against Manuels 60th minute substitutions- he's more consistent than laser technology.

 

[sam663]

If I were the DOF, I would have replaced the so-called spine of our team and that includes Yaya, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Kompany and even Silva, as he hardly would have made any difference in that match. All of them have been abysmal in Champions League. Whether we play with one striker or two, it just doesn't make any difference.

 

[Summerbuzz]

Only just got in from being at a concert all night, what were the main fuck ups?

Same old. Not pressing the CBs - they pick long balls. Pressing them in an uncoordinated way - their midfield played around us. Outnumbered Toure and Fernandinho did their usual attack the ball and end up chasing shadows thing.

Midfield being over-run means Navas doing loads more work in the centre. He still attacked, but already doing two jobs he couldn't do much of the third, help the fullback by tracking the runner. De Bruyne was infield the whole game, so no protection for the LB..... who was Sagna, who wouldn't know how attack that side - his opposite number(s) twigged very early and just ran at him, past him, behind him, around him, through him. Same for Zab, really. Both were poor but both had been hung out to dry, and Sevilla made the most of it - they didn't just turn them, they turned them pretty much every way imaginable. If it had been anyone else but City playing it would have been fun to watch.

Sevilla also knew to go for the space between Mangala and LB. They knew Mangala is a bit rash and clumsy and often ends up not defending the space behind. They knew we often end up defending very narrow and don't track runners on the far post, so did that all night. They also knew the exception to this is where the fullback is isolated and the CB moves towards him so they played some great balls crosses in that space.

At the other end, they knew we would try and overload the right so had three players there most times. We couldn't switch sides (no attacking fullbacks) so they had men left over to cover when Sterling ran with the ball. Bony had no support, his confidence went big time. WIth no Silva, there was no way to hold the ball in their third.

Certainly the fullback/space between CB and fullback, and their being able to get round Toure and Fernandinho thing was obvious from the word go. I think that probably led to us cracking a bit, all the pressure started to show again. Everyone gets the willies, stops doing what they practised all week and all of a sudden no-one knows what anyone else is thinking.

Apart from that............. cracking night in.

 

[cibaman]

Same old. Not pressing the CBs - they pick long balls. Pressing them in an uncoordinated way - their midfield played around us. Outnumbered Toure and Fernandinho did their usual attack the ball and end up chasing shadows thing.

Midfield being over-run means Navas doing loads more work in the centre. He still attacked, but already doing two jobs he couldn't do much of the third, help the fullback by tracking the runner. De Bruyne was infield the whole game, so no protection for the LB..... who was Sagna, who wouldn't know how attack that side - his opposite number(s) twigged very early and just ran at him, past him, behind him, around him, through him. Same for Zab, really. Both were poor but both had been hung out to dry, and Sevilla made the most of it - they didn't just turn them, they turned them pretty much every way imaginable. If it had been anyone else but City playing it would have been fun to watch.

Sevilla also knew to go for the space between Mangala and LB. They knew Mangala is a bit rash and clumsy and often ends up not defending the space behind. They knew we often end up defending very narrow and don't track runners on the far post, so did that all night. They also knew the exception to this is where the fullback is isolated and the CB moves towards him so they played some great balls crosses in that space.

At the other end, they knew we would try and overload the right so had three players there most times. We couldn't switch sides (no attacking fullbacks) so they had men left over to cover when Sterling ran with the ball. Bony had no support, his confidence went big time. WIth no Silva, there was no way to hold the ball in their third.

Certainly the fullback/space between CB and fullback, and their being able to get round Toure and Fernandinho thing was obvious from the word go. I think that probably led to us cracking a bit, all the pressure started to show again. Everyone gets the willies, stops doing what they practised all week and all of a sudden no-one knows what anyone else is thinking.

Apart from that............. cracking night in.

Excellent analysis. Could it be summarised as "We tried to play as if they were Bournemouth"?

 

[Mr Ed (The Stables)]

Our manager is I know not what. However I'll be amazed if he still our manager on 1st July 2016

 

[cleavers]

Excellent analysis. Could it be summarised as "We tried to play as if they were Bournemouth"?

I agree its a good analysis, but there was nothing tonight that resembled how we attacked Bournemouth, that was quick and decisive hence 4-1 up at half time, tonight was slow and ponderous and it could quite easily have been 1-4 at half time.

It might have been the same team, but it looked to me like a completely different team, and that wasn't because Sevilla were anything special.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Sounds like I missed a cracker....

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Same old. Not pressing the CBs - they pick long balls. Pressing them in an uncoordinated way - their midfield played around us. Outnumbered Toure and Fernandinho did their usual attack the ball and end up chasing shadows thing.

Midfield being over-run means Navas doing loads more work in the centre. He still attacked, but already doing two jobs he couldn't do much of the third, help the fullback by tracking the runner. De Bruyne was infield the whole game, so no protection for the LB..... who was Sagna, who wouldn't know how attack that side - his opposite number(s) twigged very early and just ran at him, past him, behind him, around him, through him. Same for Zab, really. Both were poor but both had been hung out to dry, and Sevilla made the most of it - they didn't just turn them, they turned them pretty much every way imaginable. If it had been anyone else but City playing it would have been fun to watch.

Sevilla also knew to go for the space between Mangala and LB. They knew Mangala is a bit rash and clumsy and often ends up not defending the space behind. They knew we often end up defending very narrow and don't track runners on the far post, so did that all night. They also knew the exception to this is where the fullback is isolated and the CB moves towards him so they played some great balls crosses in that space.

At the other end, they knew we would try and overload the right so had three players there most times. We couldn't switch sides (no attacking fullbacks) so they had men left over to cover when Sterling ran with the ball. Bony had no support, his confidence went big time. WIth no Silva, there was no way to hold the ball in their third.

Certainly the fullback/space between CB and fullback, and their being able to get round Toure and Fernandinho thing was obvious from the word go. I think that probably led to us cracking a bit, all the pressure started to show again. Everyone gets the willies, stops doing what they practised all week and all of a sudden no-one knows what anyone else is thinking.

Apart from that............. cracking night in.

Great summation that. The full back thing was frankly embarrassing. No communication between our players whatsoever, with both Zab and Navas blundering towards the man with the ball and leaving the runner, time after time after time.

The lack of common sense and discipline frustrates as well. Small things like a 93rd minute corner at Monchengladbach, where instead of holding it by the flag, we concede possession in less than 2 seconds, and last night Hart's lunatic throw out with time almost up.

All too often the opposition looks like it's done its homework on us in this competition, whilst we, erm, haven't.

 

[City_Sean]

Thought it was one of his better games. Changed it and it worked.

He changed it after 75 minutes when the game should have been over due to his earlier kamikaze tactics. I like him, but his tactics are arrogant. When you have players out, or you're playing a good side, you adapt your tactics to nullify the opposition, we don't. We expect to turn up and win. That arrogance stems from the manager.