Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2015/16

[coleridge]

In view of Delph's injury record this season I don't think it was at all unreasonable for him to be on the bench. If he'd started and limped off early on can you imagine the reaction on here? It looks now that he could have started, but its very much a 20/20 hindsight view. Hope he starts on Wednesday though.

It didn't seem to be hindsight when we saw the team sheet and shivered.

 

[BillyShears]

Other than Pellegrini's incompetence I am not sure why we are not an outstanding side.

We have been the outstanding side in the league. Which is why he can probably afford to drop points around CL games right now to ensure we top the group. It's not necessarily a strategy I agree with but it's one I do understand.

 

[BillyShears]

Indeed. So what's the manager doing about it?

I've texted him and asked but he hasn't replied yet. ;)

 

[coleridge]

I've texted him and asked but he hasn't replied yet. ;)

Cheers. Just keep us posted. ;)

 

[OB1]

I'm probably one of Toure's biggest fans, but i totally agree with that. Mind you I don't think Pellegrini will. If anything I suspect his substitution at half time was as much about 'saving' him for Juve as it was about his abortion of a performance in the first half.

The problem is that for all the stick Toure gets, he had the best pass completion of any of our midfield players; Manga, Sergio and his brother(!) were the only players in the game to have better pass completion. No one on the Dippers team made more passes than Yaya and only four City players did, even though he only played one half, and then by no more than 7 passes. He also made as many tackles and interceptions as Dinho. So whilst he did stroll too much, he did not lack for involvement in the game or quality.

I think to accommodate Yaya now, we should move to a proper 4-3-3: he isn't a number ten.

 

[DelToro]

We have been the outstanding side in the league. Which is why he can probably afford to drop points around CL games right now to ensure we top the group. It's not necessarily a strategy I agree with but it's one I do understand.

Outstanding teams tend not to lose 4-1 on 2 occasions in the first 13 games to supposedly inferior teams nor do they lose twice at home in the same period.

For 5 games we were outstanding, for 8 games we have been somewhat less than outstanding.

We are not an outstanding team at present.

 

[BillyShears]

The problem is that for all the stick Toure gets, he had the best pass completion of any of our midfield players; Manga, Sergio and his brother(!) were the only players in the game to have better pass completion. No one on the Dippers team made more passes than Yaya and only four City players did, even though he only played one half, and then by no more than 7 passes. He also made as many tackles and interceptions as Dinho. So whilst he did stroll too much, he did not lack for involvement in the game or quality.

I think to accommodate Yaya now, we should move to a proper 4-3-3: he isn't a number ten.

Yet the only time that's really 'worked' is in Sevilla. Against Spurs, against Villa, against United, playing Toure in the 3 hasn't really had much of an impact on results or performances.

I also dispute the idea that Toure showed any quality or any intelligence during Saturday's match. How forsook any intelligence to do his best impression of Gerrard during his final season at Liverpool, playing aimless Hollywood balls to turn over possession whilst letting the opposition run away from him. For once, and it's rare that I say this, but the stats can kiss my arse. My eyes told me everything I needed to know.

 

[the originalkippaxman]

Mate I think you're doing us a great disservice. We handed a very good team their arses on a plate and it was all down to the way we set up and the personnel we used which was down to Manuel and that's why our subsequent performances have been so hard to take. How can Manuel go from that to Liverpool on Saturday? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I wholeheartedly agree it isn't conceivable to have such a difference in performances. Though we all knew that he got it badly wrong and that was before the kick off. Playing against a team who only have midfielders to rely on managed by a man who can play, and is used to playing high intensity was only going to lead to one thing. To be fair to Liverpool they were on a win win situation no matter what they did. Everybody expected them to get beat so he could send them out to play anyway he wanted and the result wouldn't have mattered. I bet Klopp with the rest of us watching couldn't believe that Pella wasn't combatting it after the first goal. Lets not kid ourselves it could have been 5 before halftime.

I will always support the manager but not after Saturday. Not having the bollocks to make that much needed change after 20 mins cost us the game and that is unacceptable. If you were at work and you saw a problem coming that would cost the company and then you didn't do anything to stop it I am pretty sure you would be out of a job.

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

Then no offence you are a raving loon, with the exception of wenger all the others would give us a better chance of the league this year

Ha ha ha ha. Maureeniho who is 16th, Wenger who won nothing for 9 years, Van Ghoul who spent £270 million in 2 summers & watching his team is less exciting than watching paint dry. Mmmm and we'd be in a better position now & at seasons end with those clowns. Lets see hey. Sorry pal but he's not the raving loon.

 

[BillyShears]

Outstanding teams tend not to lose 4-1 on 2 occasions in the first 13 games to supposedly inferior teams nor do they lose twice at home in the same period.

For 5 games we were outstanding, for 8 games we have been somewhat less than outstanding.

We are not an outstanding team at present.

Selective reading of the subsequent games. We were outstanding in Sevilla, outstanding against Newcastle, outstanding against Bournemouth, outstanding against Palace, and many on here lauded our performance in the derby too. We also played out of that period without arguably our three most influential and important players.

I realise there's a mad rush for people to get all their Pellegrini criticising in whilst he's having a bad moment, but do try and at least stay within the realms of reality and not veer off into complete fantasy.