Get a grip!

[Anonymous]

Didn't see anything to inspire confidence that top 4 is nailed on or that top 4 isn't nailed on. Very hard to gauge what will happen on just 3 games but if making a judgment now we will drop well short of winning the league. I must admit that I thought we'd be performing better than we currently are; and it is disappointing that another season of medicrity will slip by unless Pellegrini really can be El Ingeniero at a higher level and more competitive league than he's used to.

Honestly having watched Chelsea and the rags as well as CIty and Arsenal in all their games this season - I'd have to say that right now none of last season's top 4 look like champions. United barely threatened Liverpool, Chelsea should've at the very least dropped two points against Villa. After Newcastle I thought we looked most likely champions. After the two games we've just played I'd say we're in the same position as Chelsea and the rags.

The premier league being as competitive as it is will be difficult not just for City but for all the teams chasing the title. There are going to be very few gimme's for the top teams, and Liverpool's win yesterday shows that the top 4 will be much more open as a race than it was last season. Was interested to read that in 2013 Liverpool have collected two more points than the rags.

I was bitterly disappointed with the first half performance against Hull. It's difficult to fathom why we were so tentative. The good thing is that we're seeing this at a time where to some degree it can be excused by the fact that we have a new manager who's only had a short time to impress upon the team how he wants them to play, and for all the negativity we've kept two clean sheets, picked up 6 points from 9 and scored 8 goals in 3 games.

Sadly none of us can predict the future with any certainty. My gut feeling is that in a month's time we'll be a much better team than we seemed to be in the first half against Hull. I don't expect the squad and players to need months to adapt to what Pellegrini wants.

 

[East Level 2]

Can we go to Stoke and get a point? We just need to show the world including the fans that the old City is still alive and I think we'll get back on track

Can we get a point at Stoke? Don't know, don't care. That's because we want three points to make up for the points dropped at Cardiff.
If you look at where we want to finish you can set a points target based on the points achieved by the teams finishing in that position over the past few seasons. It's not an exact science but a close approximation.
Split the points home and away, look at the opposition and allocate wins, draws and defeats according to where you think other clubs will finish. Once again it's not exact as our wins at the swamp will testify.
However you look at it I think Cardiff will finish low enough for us to have targeted it for a win. Obviously Hull and Newcastle at home would also be wins, and until their win at West Ham most people would have had Stoke in the same category. Six points from three games is below the required rate, but it's too early to panic. Four games is also too early to panic, but seven points from four games is even further behind the required return especially as all four opponents are likely to finish in the bottom half of the table.
Further point about Stoke: At Stoke we've had a one goal defeat and four draws. At our place we've had five wins from five scoring fourteen goals without reply. Our away form against them really is a bogey that should be picked and flicked.
As we did in the cup.

 

[Anonymous]

I This is markedly worse at the moment because we don't have Vinny bringing the ball from defence: the centre halves are just giving it to Ya Ya. And we ended up on ~Saturday with a massive gap between the holding players and the attacking players, which stymied all of our link play.

I completely agree with this. Without wanting to excuse players playing poorly, I do think that the key to playing a high pressing game with a high defensive line is having centre halves with the ability to step out of defence with the ball and push up into central midfield positions, reducing the gaps for the opposition to work in. If you look at the two most effective teams when it comes to pressing high and playing a high defensive line then they'd currently have to be Dortmund and Barca. Both teams rely heavily on Hummels and Pique, and in Barca's case it's so important that they'll play a midfield player like Mascherano at centre half rather than a pure central defender to make sure that the threat remains.

Frankly, I think we need to overhaul the back 4 in the next two transfer windows. Vinny and and Nasty are the only two who would be guaranteed to stay and I'd be looking for at least one full back for each side and two centre halves. Between Zaba, Richards, Clichy and Kola we don't have a single cultured full back who has the quality of pass or cross required. Other than Vinny we don't have a centre half with the aggression and ball playing ability to step out of defence and close down space, win the ball, and then move forward like a more midfield player.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think Txiki dropped a bollock in not paying the money Roma wanted for Marquinhos.

 

[SWP's back]

Our season should come down to battles between the potential top eight rivals, not scraping past other teams with little to spare. If it was just an off day, then fine but Newcastle apart can anyone recall our last good performance?

Ermmmm? Serious? We have only played 3 games. So what you are in effect saying is "we have played poorly in the last 2 games" yes?

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I This is markedly worse at the moment because we don't have Vinny bringing the ball from defence: the centre halves are just giving it to Ya Ya. And we ended up on ~Saturday with a massive gap between the holding players and the attacking players, which stymied all of our link play.

I completely agree with this. Without wanting to excuse players playing poorly, I do think that the key to playing a high pressing game with a high defensive line is having centre halves with the ability to step out of defence with the ball and push up into central midfield positions, reducing the gaps for the opposition to work in. If you look at the two most effective teams when it comes to pressing high and playing a high defensive line then they'd currently have to be Dortmund and Barca. Both teams rely heavily on Hummels and Pique, and in Barca's case it's so important that they'll play a midfield player like Mascherano at centre half rather than a pure central defender to make sure that the threat remains.

Frankly, I think we need to overhaul the back 4 in the next two transfer windows. Vinny and and Nasty are the only two who would be guaranteed to stay and I'd be looking for at least one full back for each side and two centre halves. Between Zaba, Richards, Clichy and Kola we don't have a single cultured full back who has the quality of pass or cross required. Other than Vinny we don't have a centre half with the aggression and ball playing ability to step out of defence and close down space, win the ball, and then move forward like a more midfield player.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think Txiki dropped a bollock in not paying the money Roma wanted for Marquinhos.

We also need one of the central defenders to have pace and playing such a high line vs Cardiff with Garcia and Lescott was asking for trouble and arguably unfair on them.

Having time to reflect on Saturday's game, however poor the first half was the second half was very good. It just felt mediocre due to the funeral atmosphere in the ground. When we were shit (most of the time) many Blues would have gone home happy that either of the two goals was worth the admission fee alone. It was cheaper then!!

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

Didn't see anything to inspire confidence that top 4 is nailed on or that top 4 isn't nailed on. Very hard to gauge what will happen on just 3 games but if making a judgment now we will drop well short of winning the league. I must admit that I thought we'd be performing better than we currently are; and it is disappointing that another season of medicrity will slip by unless Pellegrini really can be El Ingeniero at a higher level and more competitive league than he's used to.

Honestly having watched Chelsea and the rags as well as CIty and Arsenal in all their games this season - I'd have to say that right now none of last season's top 4 look like champions. United barely threatened Liverpool, Chelsea should've at the very least dropped two points against Villa. After Newcastle I thought we looked most likely champions. After the two games we've just played I'd say we're in the same position as Chelsea and the rags.

The premier league being as competitive as it is will be difficult not just for City but for all the teams chasing the title. There are going to be very few gimme's for the top teams, and Liverpool's win yesterday shows that the top 4 will be much more open as a race than it was last season. Was interested to read that in 2013 Liverpool have collected two more points than the rags.

I was bitterly disappointed with the first half performance against Hull. It's difficult to fathom why we were so tentative. The good thing is that we're seeing this at a time where to some degree it can be excused by the fact that we have a new manager who's only had a short time to impress upon the team how he wants them to play, and for all the negativity we've kept two clean sheets, picked up 6 points from 9 and scored 8 goals in 3 games.

Sadly none of us can predict the future with any certainty. My gut feeling is that in a month's time we'll be a much better team than we seemed to be in the first half against Hull. I don't expect the squad and players to need months to adapt to what Pellegrini wants.

If you back track any more Billy you will be in reverse.Brilliant.You have gone from us romping the league (don't deny you haven't said it) to us being in a more competative league so it is going to be hard for everyone.
You seriously change your own little agenda to suit what is happening week in week out.
Of the highlighted bit-you clearly stated last week that "city will definitely get out of the champions league group".....Not so confident now are we hey after seeing that shambles at the weekend.

 

[Anonymous]

If you back track any more Billy you will be in reverse.Brilliant.You have gone from us romping the league (don't deny you haven't said it) to us being in a more competative league so it is going to be hard for everyone.
You seriously change your own little agenda to suit what is happening week in week out.
Of the highlighted bit-you clearly stated last week that "city will definitely get out of the champions league group".....Not so confident now are we hey after seeing that shambles at the weekend.

Can we make a deal? Lets ignore each other. We clearly have fuck all time for one another and turning every thread into "i think you're a twat" "I think your'e a hypocrite" is boring for everyone else.<br /><br />-- Mon Sep 02, 2013 1:12 pm --<br /><br />

We also need one of the central defenders to have pace and playing such a high line vs Cardiff with Garcia and Lescott was asking for trouble and arguably unfair on them.

Having time to reflect on Saturday's game, however poor the first half was the second half was very good. It just felt mediocre due to the funeral atmosphere in the ground. When we were shit (most of the time) many Blues would have gone home happy that either of the two goals was worth the admission fee alone. It was cheaper then!!

I wonder if Micah will get a chance to play centre half in the high line high pressing system. I fear his positional sense won't be good enough but he's certainly got the pace/aggression.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

If you back track any more Billy you will be in reverse.Brilliant.You have gone from us romping the league (don't deny you haven't said it) to us being in a more competative league so it is going to be hard for everyone.
You seriously change your own little agenda to suit what is happening week in week out.
Of the highlighted bit-you clearly stated last week that "city will definitely get out of the champions league group".....Not so confident now are we hey after seeing that shambles at the weekend.

Can we make a deal? Lets ignore each other. We clearly have fuck all time for one another and turning every thread into "i think you're a twat" "I think your'e a hypocrite" is boring for everyone else.

Quite happy to ignore you Shears but only when you apologise for bringing my family into it.Again...please don't deny you did.
When have I called you a twat by the way? I haven't.
I have just come back at you every time you have rubbished the fantastic work Mancini did for us and the trophies he won. If you don't like him that's fine but don't try to dirty his name with the crap you write about him because a lot of supporters will come back at you.
As I said in my first post.You are back tracking because you realise that City maybe aren't going to be the team you thought they were this season so you change your drivel from "romping the league to it's gonna be tough for all the last years top 4"..

 

[yerwot?]

Nufc were truly dire so not a good guide, the other two games proved what most of us feared, that losing VK and Nasti was a serious problem, and the sticking-plaster of Lescott/Garcia did not come anywhere up to standard. Nasti was rusty, as could be expected in his first game.
My concern is that overall we seemed to rely on individual brilliance too much, that defending dead ball/corners had no 'organiser' and we waste free-kicks with two yard passes that end up with Joe having to make a hurried kick up-field, back to where the free-kick was. We get more corners than most teams, but we hardly ever profit from, or even look likely to.
Most of the above can be expected, what with a new manager in a new to him league, and new players, i wont say new system as it does not appear radically different to my untrained eye.

 

[Anonymous]

Chippy - where's your post about Zaba/full backs gone? Did you delete it?