Discussion: Manuel Pellegrini 2015/16

[we are really here]

I just find it frustrating that he continues to use yaya in the holding two. And why do we have to go a goal down to start kicking into gear.
Our build up play is so slow and predictable instead of being more direct. Teams just have to close down the centre of their box and we have no plan B we have been lucky at times where we've got an early goal meaning teams have to revert to their plan B. When we go a goal down we play the same way there's no urgency no desire to win the ball back.
Like people have said it'd the basics, tracking runners,
Corners are another that annoys me. We arent a small team but players earning vast sums of money every week can't put the ball other than the near post... Can't we mix it up or try new things because if things are predictable people can work on cancelling them out. One deep corner to the back post and otamendi steaming in as he can head a ball as we've seen. Instead we persist on the near post. So the opposition just contest it making it harder for our players to run onto it.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Pointing out that something people are continually complaining about (our high defensive line) is something which is part of a core set of ideals that the club want to adhere to is not the same as "deflecting culpability".

We're all well aware of what the philosophy is and that the manager demonstrably buys into it, so it's hard to see the pointless mentioning of Soriano's name in any capacity other than that of portraying MP as the hapless victim of circumstance. I was only obeying orders guv.
That notwithstanding, the high defensive line (and philosophy as a whole) isn't an issue in itself; it's persisting with it when you either haven't got, or won't select, the personnel elsewhere in the team to make it work (ie forwards that don't press, midfielders who let opposition players walk past them unchallenged, etc)

 

[Kinkladze 1]

I just find it frustrating that he continues to use yaya in the holding two. And why do we have to go a goal down to start kicking into gear.
Our build up play is so slow and predictable instead of being more direct. Teams just have to close down the centre of their box and we have no plan B we have been lucky at times where we've got an early goal meaning teams have to revert to their plan B. When we go a goal down we play the same way there's no urgency no desire to win the ball back.
Like people have said it'd the basics, tracking runners,
Corners are another that annoys me. We arent a small team but players earning vast sums of money every week can't put the ball other than the near post... Can't we mix it up or try new things because if things are predictable people can work on cancelling them out. One deep corner to the back post and otamendi steaming in as he can head a ball as we've seen. Instead we persist on the near post. So the opposition just contest it making it harder for our players to run onto it.

I remember reading something about a study done on all the corners taken by every team in the league over a season and it concluded that you're 3 times more likely to score from an inswinger than outswinger. No prizes for guessing which type we take.

Those first 4 corners of De Bruynes were carbon copies - outswing it in, get nowhere near it, repeat.

 

[hilts]

I'm predicting the end of our season off of our current form, what are you basing your predictions off?

Blind faith and sheer fuckwittery would be my guess

 

[Cheesy]

What is he going to be remembered for? Winning the league with Mancini's squad, being left behind by Chelsea, ruining our defence, and having lost 5 games prior to Christmas - whic no team has done and then gone on to win the league!

The man is a fraud, I can not understand any remaining support that he has.

Bang on BS.

In Mancini's final season we all know that we had the best squad in the league but Bobby managed to alienate so many players with his authoritarian style that they effectively downed tools. Bobby had to go, we all know that or things would have just got worse.

Manuel comes in and those unhappy players suddenly feel loved again and decide to start putting in the effort again. Yes, there was some great football but strangely the best we looked all season was when the manager was forced into tactical changes by injuries to key players. Oh, and we scraped over the line to win the league. That with by far & away the best squad in the league and a helping hand here & there.

Before last season we spent £75m to strengthen the squad and, apart from a week or so over Xmas/New Year, never looked like we were going to challenge for the league. Another £100m+ spent before this season and, unless things improve drastically, we're going to be fighting for 3rd/4th.

The job of a manager (in any profession) is to improve the performance of the individuals below him and to make the team perform to a level that's greater than the sum of their parts. Pellegrini is completely failing in this regard.

He'll leave this club having taken us backwards on the pitch.

 

[we are really here]

I remember reading something about a study done on all the corners taken by every team in the league over a season and it concluded that you're 3 times more likely to score from an inswinger than outswinger. No prizes for guessing which type we take.

Those first 4 corners of De Bruynes were carbon copies - outswing it in, get nowhere near it, repeat.

I'm with you on that one. Also has happened a couple of times if the defence play it right and get a good clearence they're already at our shaky defence with even less protection than the players who are supposedly there to offer that safety

 

[Cobra]

He'll leave the club having won 1 title in 3 years, despite easily having the best squad for each of them and having almost unlimited funds to spend. And he was very fortunate to even win that title, it took an absolute brainfart by Liverpool and Rodgers for us to do so.

 

[hilts]

Bang on BS.

In Mancini's final season we all know that we had the best squad in the league but Bobby managed to alienate so many players with his authoritarian style that they effectively downed tools. Bobby had to go, we all know that or things would have just got worse.

Manuel comes in and those unhappy players suddenly feel loved again and decide to start putting in the effort again. Yes, there was some great football but strangely the best we looked all season was when the manager was forced into tactical changes by injuries to key players. Oh, and we scraped over the line to win the league. That with by far & away the best squad in the league and a helping hand here & there.

Before last season we spent £75m to strengthen the squad and, apart from a week or so over Xmas/New Year, never looked like we were going to challenge for the league. Another £100m+ spent before this season and, unless things improve drastically, we're going to be fighting for 3rd/4th.

The job of a manager (in any profession) is to improve the performance of the individuals below him and to make the team perform to a level that's greater than the sum of their parts. Pellegrini is completely failing in this regard.

He'll leave this club having taken us backwards on the pitch.

You could give this guy 500 million for transfers but he will still play ya ya in a two, play players in the wrong position and try to shoehorn 6 attacking players into one team

 

[The blue phantom]

Bang on BS.

In Mancini's final season we all know that we had the best squad in the league but Bobby managed to alienate so many players with his authoritarian style that they effectively downed tools. Bobby had to go, we all know that or things would have just got worse.

Manuel comes in and those unhappy players suddenly feel loved again and decide to start putting in the effort again. Yes, there was some great football but strangely the best we looked all season was when the manager was forced into tactical changes by injuries to key players. Oh, and we scraped over the line to win the league. That with by far & away the best squad in the league and a helping hand here & there.

Before last season we spent £75m to strengthen the squad and, apart from a week or so over Xmas/New Year, never looked like we were going to challenge for the league. Another £100m+ spent before this season and, unless things improve drastically, we're going to be fighting for 3rd/4th.

The job of a manager (in any profession) is to improve the performance of the individuals below him and to make the team perform to a level that's greater than the sum of their parts. Pellegrini is completely failing in this regard.

He'll leave this club having taken us backwards on the pitch.

Theres no one on here can say with honesty we've moved forward since he took over.

 

[adrianr]

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 good post. Though my previous bullishness about still winning the league is wearing thin. When this squad turns it on it can still dick anyone in the league - Like I said, it seems we've used Chelsea falling off a cliff as an excuse to take it easy, and have now found ourself drifting perilously far from the summit.