Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2015/16

[City_Sean]

That's a really good post. I particularly agree with the last paragraph. Pellegrini needs to revert to what he knows best and stop trying to second guess himself. The examples of how to set up, as you point out, are there for him to look at from this season.

I agree, but the problem is in big games I'm not sure you can have KDB, Silva and Yaya in the same side.

I think at the moment we're trying to shoehorn all of our best players into the starting XI, rather than looking at balance. For me, I think we're best when we play a 433, it enables us to dominate the midfield, but also use the overlapping Kolarov and Sagna to better effect.

The problem is how do we fit Silva and Yaya into that? I don't think you can play them both in the middle three.

This is obviously why the manager is paid multi millions.

 

[The blue phantom]

Im struggling to disagree but again, i will point you in the direction of Ferrans quotes on how we will play and how we wont deviate from it regardless of some poor performances. In the meantime whilst we wait for pep hopefully and the players he wants to implement the plans, i expect if nothing else a bit of effort and pride from some of our so called stars and for them to do the basics right.

And i'll point you to ferrans other quote. Minimum requirement is five trophys in five years not including the LC, we've won one.

If we carry on as we are it will still be one after three years.

 

[OB1]

For those wanting him gone, you will get your wish soon enough but if you think a new manager can suddenly turn lazy players into something they are not you are in for a shock.

Yet again we saw players unwilling to take responsibility, players unwilling to do the dirty work off the ball and players unwilling to track their runners.

Buck stops with the manager and it isn't good enough but at some point, the players have to pull their collective fucking fingers out and i include Kun, Merlin etc in that.

Im genuinely fucking angry at 60 minutes of that performance last night and the sheer lack of professionalism shown by some.

I am with you in blaming the players to a high degree. I also think that there is only so much the manager can do when so many of them are capable of letting him down. The lack of consistency is maddening. The big question is will a different manager be able to make this set of players more consistent and mentally stronger? Even in last night's defeat, I thought it was obvious that, overall, our players were technically superior. Unfortunately, the manager is not finding the answers, his approach is not working at the moment.

I think we need to go back to basics and have thought that for several weeks but he won't do that.

I also was tempted by the idea of Hiddink as caretaker but that option has gone and I hope we do not regret City not choosing to follow that course.

Lot of talk about just going back to Pellegrini's preferred formation but he has never strayed much from it; other than not using two out an out strikers as his front pair.

We do need all our best players fit and firing and a boost of confidence but beyond that I don't know what is going to take us to the title this year.

 

[The blue phantom]

I look forward to us finishing the season off in style and reminding you of such a ridiculous, short sighted post.

Like last season when we were level with chelsea around this time.

 

[Scully]

Another shambles of a performance last night, both in terms of tactics and team selection. Sure if we get Kompany back and he stays fit for the remainder of the season, coupled with some of our other key players getting back in and also staying the distance, then we may just get over the line. The problem for me is how we just can't adapt without them, despite spending millions. Either some of the buys we have made are complete shit or they are just not being coached / managed. It's that simple. Pellegrini was found out last season and we have persevered. If Pep is coming do we continue like this or do a Chelsea and get a stop gap in until the end of the season? Personally I think we will stick with Pellegrini and hope for the best. Not the ideal way to manage a team and it shows. Some of the players are doing a good job of embarrassing themselves and the team.

 

[noely]

I think we have not been outplayed. We might have been outscored, but when you consider the possession we have had even in those games, we haven't been outplayed!

Possession is the biggest none stat in football
on sky this morning it showed top 5 teams with most possession this weekend the top 3 were United Swansea and Everton I think Liverpool were in there too

We've been poor all season even the games we've won well we could have easily lost we won 5 nil against newcastle but if they had a finisher they would have been 3 up by the time we scored
We are far too open and our defenders are average
How has Kolorov suddenly become 1st choice left back hes never been good enough to be in a title winning team same with Sagna and sadly Mangala just isnt cut for the premier league his career at city was summed up in 2 minutes last night a great tackle on the half way line then a minute later plays that ridiculous pass to Fernandinho

We cant keep saying 'oh when Kompany Aguero and Silva come back we'll piss it' as if or when they all come back what stops them from getting injured again
We are 6 points behind Leicester and play them next week lose that which could happen we'll be 9 behind and still have to go to Liverpool and chelsea where we usually struggle and still have United (poss under Mourinho) Arsenal Everton and games between the champions league where we've struggled throw in the fixture congestion of the league cup champs league and hopefully a FA cup run its going to be a huge ask for us to win the league

 

[Dubai Blue]

After last nights game and looking at our overall performances this season it really is damning on the team.

We have lost more games than Leicester, Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham and Everton. In that process we have been easily outplayed by the likes of Stoke, Liverpool, Spurs and even Arsenal. All of them sides had chances to or did put at least 4 past us. Then you look at the games like Norwich, Swansea and Crystal Palace where we only just managed to scrape a win past them.

There was a time where we would demolish sides and only lose by the odd goal. Now it seems we are getting demolished by sides and only winning by the odd goal. When you consider the players we have and the money we have spent it quite clearly is not good enough.

I do not for one second absolve any of our players from criticism, as it is partially their fault for the situation we are in. I'm sure Pellegrini doesn't tell the likes of De Brunye and Aguero to waste golden chances. I'm also sure he doesn't tell Mangala to defend like a 10 year old girl as well.

However, the brunt end of the stick will always go to the manager and rightly so in this case.

There was a famous quote from Pellegrini after he left Madrid where he said, "We have too many conductors and not enough brass players". He said this in regards to having a squad filled to the brim with attacking talent. You would expect a manager who has complained on having the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema in his squad to acknowledge the importance of balance.

With this in mind, why the fuck would you play Yaya, Silva, KDB and Aguero all in the same line-up away at Arsenal? Our best performances have been when we have had pace and balance. Sevilla away and Everton away we had Sterling and Navas on the wings who both defended and got forward quickly. After last season when Arsenal came to the Etihad and comfortably beat us, you would have expected Pellegrini to adopt a similar approach. Instead he let Arsenal, who the pressure was on, play like the away side and they picked us apart.

Silva, De Brunye and Yaya are all players who look for the final ball rather than get on the end of them. Playing them 3 when having Delph on a wing and asking Fernandinho to be defence minded meant that the only outlet we had was Aguero. Hence why we kept passing backwards of hoofing it long.

Pellegrini can still win the league this year. He just needs to pick the players best suited to the formation he is going with. None of this half and half starting 11 bullshit. If we are playing to counter attack a team then you drop Silva and Yaya for Sterling and Navas. If we are playing someone like Sunderland at home then go 4-4-2.

That's a superb post. I've just about lost faith in him now, with last night's lineup and performance finally tipping me over the edge.

Can't see much improvement on the horizon this season due to the farcical way we've handled this whole Guardiola issue. It's like the club pressed pause 2 years ago and have decided to just muddle on through while we wait for him, playing formations and tactics that are wholly unsuited both to the players we have available and the league we play in. In the mean time, certain players have aged and others have completely stagnated. We're in danger of allowing two whole seasons to pass us by when this squad of players should have been at the peak of their powers.

 

[Jazzman]

After last nights game and looking at our overall performances this season it really is damning on the team.

We have lost more games than Leicester, Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham and Everton. In that process we have been easily outplayed by the likes of Stoke, Liverpool, Spurs and even Arsenal. All of them sides had chances to or did put at least 4 past us. Then you look at the games like Norwich, Swansea and Crystal Palace where we only just managed to scrape a win past them.

There was a time where we would demolish sides and only lose by the odd goal. Now it seems we are getting demolished by sides and only winning by the odd goal. When you consider the players we have and the money we have spent it quite clearly is not good enough.

I do not for one second absolve any of our players from criticism, as it is partially their fault for the situation we are in. I'm sure Pellegrini doesn't tell the likes of De Brunye and Aguero to waste golden chances. I'm also sure he doesn't tell Mangala to defend like a 10 year old girl as well.

However, the brunt end of the stick will always go to the manager and rightly so in this case.

There was a famous quote from Pellegrini after he left Madrid where he said, "We have too many conductors and not enough brass players". He said this in regards to having a squad filled to the brim with attacking talent. You would expect a manager who has complained on having the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema in his squad to acknowledge the importance of balance.

With this in mind, why the fuck would you play Yaya, Silva, KDB and Aguero all in the same line-up away at Arsenal? Our best performances have been when we have had pace and balance. Sevilla away and Everton away we had Sterling and Navas on the wings who both defended and got forward quickly. After last season when Arsenal came to the Etihad and comfortably beat us, you would have expected Pellegrini to adopt a similar approach. Instead he let Arsenal, who the pressure was on, play like the away side and they picked us apart.

Silva, De Brunye and Yaya are all players who look for the final ball rather than get on the end of them. Playing them 3 when having Delph on a wing and asking Fernandinho to be defence minded meant that the only outlet we had was Aguero. Hence why we kept passing backwards of hoofing it long.

Pellegrini can still win the league this year. He just needs to pick the players best suited to the formation he is going with. None of this half and half starting 11 bullshit. If we are playing to counter attack a team then you drop Silva and Yaya for Sterling and Navas. If we are playing someone like Sunderland at home then go 4-4-2.

Very well put. What I don't understand is why Pellers keeps making the same mistake of playing a system which obviously doesn't work. All the stranger as there were games this season which should serve a model for how to do it with our squad. Is he too stubborn to change his ways or is he incapable of it? It really makes no sense to me.

 

[carlosthejackal]

Sadly it's now become a combination of a stubborn manager and lazy players . The manager keeps hanging Yaya out to dry by playing him as a defensive midfielder and Yaya is hanging the team out to dry by not telling the manager to fuck off and try playing me further forward . We have seen it time and time again in Europe where the manager blindly sticks to his philosophy whilst Bayern , Barcelona and co run us ragged .
If they did get rid of him now , the who could they get short term to rescue the season.

 

[tiggsywiggsywoo]

How do we go from here, to being European Champions? Our regression, apart from being painful, is indeed unbelievable.