DD said:
For a start, Balotelli and Kolarov are being put on a pedestal as if they are Messi and Maldini. Chances are they are not going to make that much difference. I hope they do but I think you have to be prepared that they are not going to drastically alter things.
If people are happy with the way we are playing, then they are 'settling for medicority' because in only three games have we risen above mediocre. In two of those, the opposition were utterly dreadful. The Liverpool and West Brom performances were good by this season's standards. By Chelsea and United standards they might have been deemed as 'acceptable' as we mustered up a whacking great three shots on target in each.
Even the Europa League qualification is in doubt. if Juve win by a goal at Poznan, we have to go to Italy and get a point, no matter what we do against Salzburg, such are the complexities of the qualification rules. To not qualify from that group would be an utter embarrassment but it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that we will go out thanks to the manager's pathetic tactics in Poland.
With the quality of player at the disposal of this manager, we could and should have been doing so much better. We may never have a better chance of winning the league than this year with Chelsea and United looking a shadow of their former selves. However, we seem happy to sit back and hope that 5th and 6th slip up yet again to keep us 4th despite another abject display.
Well, 5th and 6th are not going to slip up sine die. At some point soon we are going to have start playing well ourselves to earn points. The sad thing is, by the time the penny drops (if it ever does), that league that could have been won will be well and truly beyond our reach.
I disagree, I personally don't think we are realistic challengers to the title, if you look at United and Chelsea, the sides who will contest it again this season imo, the spine of there sides has been in place for at least 5 years, United's being Van der Sar, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher and Rooney and Chelsea's, Cech, Terry, Cole, Essien, Lampard and Drogba, these players have known nothing but success in their times at the clubs, Chelsea's spine being the stronger of the two, is the reason I think they will take the title. The spine of City's team has been here a maximum of 3 years with Vincent Kompany being the longest serving player, it will take another full year with this squad, with no major overhaul again before we can be considered title challengers.
You also have to take into account a large part of our business in the summer was bringing in players from overseas, meaning they will take even longer to get to grips with the Premier League, Silva and Balotelli seem to have done this with ease, whilst the likes of Yaya Toure and Boateng are still adjusting, all these factors will contribute to the style of football on offer whilst Mancini finds his best system and allows the players to ease into it.
You also say Mancini used "pathetic tactics" in Poland,
well the fact of the matter is we dominated the game, and but for a freak goal and Silva missing on open net we would have got something, it also allowed the likes of Hart, the Toure brothers and Gareth Barry to get a much needed rest, which contributed hugely to our fantastic performance at West Brom, which would of been 3 or 4 nil but for Balotelli getting sent off.
Give the man time and he will get it right, and we, the fans will reap the rewards.
