Do we play good football?

[OB1]

Thats not entirely our fault though, more teams know if they open up we'll beat them, catching us on the break is their best chance, yesterday we got an early goal that changed that. Its always difficult against a well drilled parked bus. But it is something we need to get better at. Maybe new full backs will help turn teams round quicker and get in behind to stop them doubling up on our wingers.

Nope, it's not City's fault. When team's park the bus, you have to have some patience and keep moving the ball about and probing for the right opening. Sure, there's times when we should move the ball quicker but a lot of the time, there's no point as you just risk giving it away more easily. If a team has all their players set behind the ball, you can take a bit more time and care about moving your players into position to attack and then try to speed things up around the opponent's box.

 

[BillyShears]

I think that was me. I didn't say he was a better manager I just said I enjoyed the football more. We attacked with a bit more passion under him than we do at the moment.

Maybe if you were mainlining crack during Mancini's reign you could come to this conclusion.

Oh and I guess we're airbrushing out of history how negative we were for his first 18 months in charge, and how that negativity gave Harry Rednapp's Spurs a CL spot above us.

Child was polite for me as you well know. Your post deserved a lot worse but okay, I'm feeling generous today.

 

[OB1]

I've seen almost everyone play this season. Most teams at least two or three times. It's like watching paint dry most of the time. The lack of ability, ambition, etc is just pitiful. You're spot on also about the way teams come to 'play dead' against us. It's a tactic they've gotten away with this season because of our poor finishing and the limitations in the squad. My bet we'll hand out some tonkings early doors next season to some parked buses and then the league's tactical genius's will have to figure out a different way to try and stop our side.

It's no coincidence that our fastest league goal of the season produced a game in which we battered the opponents; although they clearly chased the game more than Sam wanted. Getting two up on sides is what will really give us the chance to open the floodgates regularly and what is needed for that is mostly better finishing; improved defending will help but I keep saying score more and we will end up defending better.

 

[BillyShears]

It's no coincidence that our fastest league goal of the season produced a game in which we battered the opponents; although they clearly chased the game more than Sam wanted. Getting two up on sides is what will really give us the chance to open the floodgates regularly and what is needed for that is mostly better finishing; improved defending will help but I keep saying score more and we will end up defending better.

It's a worry for all our forwards how hard Pep has come down on our lack of cutting edge in the opposition box recently. He was particularly cutting after the weekend's game and I can't help but feel that we're gonna see more than just one 'forward' player brought in. He said it himself, finishing is like pace, you don't train it, you buy it.

 

[Blue Hefner]

It's a worry for all our forwards how hard Pep has come down on our lack of cutting edge in the opposition box recently. He was particularly cutting after the weekend's game and I can't help but feel that we're gonna see more than just one 'forward' player brought in. He said it himself, finishing is like pace, you don't train it, you buy it.

I'm no fan of 'money ball' but we are at a stage where we need to buy goals. A midfielder that can score on a regular basis and another striker to support/play with Jesus and Aguero

To answer the question, we do play good football. Unfortunately, it is not realistic to look like a Barcelona highlight reel for 90 minutes. Phil Neville spoke about the Premier League being 'boring'. Well, if Phil and the like stopped banging on about defenders needing to be 'no nonsense' and 'clear their lines' it might get a bit more interesting

Also, we are held at an unrealistic standard - Andy Dunne on the Sunday Supplement said that a better team than Palce would have scored and the defence looked ropey. First off, Palace didn't score and our defence didn't look that bad. But, you watch any game at any level and any team will get a couple of chances. It is unfair for City to be criticised for the opponents getting chances

 

[BillyShears]

I'm no fan of 'money ball' but we are at a stage where we need to buy goals. A midfielder that can score on a regular basis and another striker to support/play with Jesus and Aguero

To answer the question, we do play good football. Unfortunately, it is not realistic to look like a Barcelona highlight reel for 90 minutes. Phil Neville spoke about the Premier League being 'boring'. Well, if Phil and the like stopped banging on about defenders needing to be 'no nonsense' and 'clear their lines' it might get a bit more interesting

Also, we are held at an unrealistic standard - Andy Dunne on the Sunday Supplement said that a better team than Palce would have scored and the defence looked ropey. First off, Palace didn't score and our defence didn't look that bad. But, you watch any game at any level and any team will get a couple of chances. It is unfair for City to be criticised for the opponents getting chances

Absolutely on the money BH.

Particularly the bit about unrealistic standards (both from the outside and the inside). I don't really even know what people want or expect. Our highs this season have been spellbinding even if we haven't been consistent in putting in performances of that level. But to just blithely state "i'm not entertained" or "it's boring watching us pass it side to side" stinks of moaning for the sake of it. Especially when those things are then being used as a stick to beat the manager with.

It's utterly bizarre that we're holding Guardiola to a standard that we literally wouldn't hold any other manager to, simply because some dickhead in the media wrote last summer that he was going to change English football overnight.

 

[OB1]

I'm no fan of 'money ball' but we are at a stage where we need to buy goals. A midfielder that can score on a regular basis and another striker to support/play with Jesus and Aguero

To answer the question, we do play good football. Unfortunately, it is not realistic to look like a Barcelona highlight reel for 90 minutes. Phil Neville spoke about the Premier League being 'boring'. Well, if Phil and the like stopped banging on about defenders needing to be 'no nonsense' and 'clear their lines' it might get a bit more interesting

Also, we are held at an unrealistic standard - Andy Dunne on the Sunday Supplement said that a better team than Palce would have scored and the defence looked ropey. First off, Palace didn't score and our defence didn't look that bad. But, you watch any game at any level and any team will get a couple of chances. It is unfair for City to be criticised for the opponents getting chances

Best not to listen to the media too much, including ex-pros (not that Dunne is the latter), because they are often very ill-informed. City concede fewer shots than any other team in the league and, to my eyes, have been conceding fewer good chances in the latter part of the season. Palace had one really good chance and Willy stopped that. They had one other attempt from inside our penalty area and three shots from outside the box, one blocked and two off target.

 

[OB1]

It's a worry for all our forwards how hard Pep has come down on our lack of cutting edge in the opposition box recently. He was particularly cutting after the weekend's game and I can't help but feel that we're gonna see more than just one 'forward' player brought in. He said it himself, finishing is like pace, you don't train it, you buy it.

He wants goals from the forwards but also midfield so it will be interesting to see where the money goes but at least one top striker seems a good bet. If the much mooted move for Sanchez comes off and Aguero chooses to stay, I still like the idea of nabbing Llorente from the Swans, preferably sending Bony back the other way.

 

[BillyShears]

He wants goals from the forwards but also midfield so it will be interesting to see where the money goes but at least one top striker seems a good bet. If the much mooted move for Sanchez comes off and Aguero chooses to stay, I still like the idea of nabbing Llorente from the Swans, preferably sending Bony back the other way.

I see a scenario where Kelechi leaves, Nolito too, Sanchez comes in, we keep Aguero, AND THEN we go and sign A N Other forward player. The numbers work fine and you can afford to go a season being top heavy. Originally I thought it'd be an out and out back up like Llorente, now I think it'll be someone of the level of the other players.

 

[Marvin]

I'm no fan of 'money ball' but we are at a stage where we need to buy goals. A midfielder that can score on a regular basis and another striker to support/play with Jesus and Aguero

To answer the question, we do play good football. Unfortunately, it is not realistic to look like a Barcelona highlight reel for 90 minutes. Phil Neville spoke about the Premier League being 'boring'. Well, if Phil and the like stopped banging on about defenders needing to be 'no nonsense' and 'clear their lines' it might get a bit more interesting

Also, we are held at an unrealistic standard - Andy Dunne on the Sunday Supplement said that a better team than Palce would have scored and the defence looked ropey. First off, Palace didn't score and our defence didn't look that bad. But, you watch any game at any level and any team will get a couple of chances. It is unfair for City to be criticised for the opponents getting chances

I agree that Guardiola has been very critical of our attacking play, but I feel he has the answer with jesus. We were waiting until January to play him, and he did not disappoint but his injury did. Then as soon as he returns the goals flow again. Sane and Jesus are pretty much the best young players in their position in the world. Seriously. Remember that we have hardly been able to play Sane and Jesus this season. Sane arrived injured and clicked only in the New year and Jesus got injured almost as soon as he became eligible. So essentially we have been playing most of the season without our ideal forward line.

Can we improve on Sterling / Roberts on the left? Yes. That's a possibility. Sterling is going to have to be on his game because he has so much talent but doesn't apply himself as much as he might. Just take your man on every time. Aguero is vulnerable if someone bids stupid money. He might want to move on because I don't see him as an automatic starter any more.

The places where we will be looking to strengthen are I feel:

Centre-back. Even though Kompany is back now. Two successive seasons have been destroyed by injuries to Kompany
Full backs. I'd keep navas if we can, and add a lb and rb
Goalkeeper.
Centre-mid to replace Yaya. He should have been replaced 2 seasons ago, but very difficult to find someone like that. Fernandinho also getting old so this is becoming a priority.

Get 3-4 of those positions sorted and get lucky with Kompany/Silva/jesus next season then we can win titles again.