Have we been found out big time?

[paulchapo]

I am worried that our fear factor and aura may have been shattered for good and teams now have the perfect blueprint to play against us. In amongst all the recriminations and post match interviews something Mark Hughes said was very interesting.He was asked if he had been tempted to play his four forwards together before yesterday. He replied he had but was too scared to but he thought today was the perfect time having watched us play.

Before teams would sit back and hope to hit us on the break and get something from set pieces.They were scared to death to have a go for fear of being picked off.Now they see the shambles our so called midfield protection and defence is and know if they press and run at us we will crumble.Without Aguero our attack is now lightweight and carries little threat so they are even more encouraged.

If and when we get all our main players fit and on the field this may change of course but in the meantime we need to change our tactics and set up for this but i fear our manager either can't or won't do so.

 

[Phil1]

If the opposition see us line up with no protection in the middle of the park and a makeshift partnering of CB's then it's pretty easy to figure us out.

 

[Tanzeylee]

 

[bluegoal]

In the last 16 of champs. Semis of league cup. And 3rd in the league.....

Yep it the end of the world.

 

[MCFC1993]

Our biggest problem is we can't play against teams who have lots of energy and press. We try to pass pass pass but we're not accurate enough or fast enough ala Barca.

However I also think work rate heavily factors into this, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm yet to see a game where we outrun the opposition, some of our players become passengers for 90mins instead of digging in and fighting.

 

[paulchapo]

I am not saying it is the end of the world just that we have been sussed and asking if the manager can now adjust our shape to deal with it.As we were two goals down after 15 minutes yesterday,not heeding the lessons of the Liverpool game,i seriously doubt it.

 

[dasein]

Erm, yeah we have
(did you really need to ask?)

 

[lasereyes]

Yup, i hear a few managers clubbed together to buy a Cray supercomputer and figured out if we have our best players injured, we wont be as good.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

is this not the same for all the top clubs then ? united, arsenal, chelsea all losing games. Maybe the clubs lower down have got stronger ?

 

[worsleyweb]

We can't just be top all the time. We are hardly shit are we.

Going to be an interesting season.

 

[manimanc]

is this not the same for all the top clubs then ? united, arsenal, chelsea all losing games. Maybe the clubs lower down have got stronger ?

I'd agree with you mate.
I reckon the rest have caught up with the top 6/top 10.
So called lesser teams are having a go at the so called top 4 teams and getting results.
It makes it exciting at least and it's good that 1 team aren't running away with it.
To be honest I'm quite enjoying the season up to now.

 

[dasein]

I'd agree with you mate.
I reckon the rest have caught up with the top 6/top 10.
So called lesser teams are having a go at the so called top 4 teams and getting results.
It makes it exciting at least and it's good that 1 team aren't running away with it.
To be honest I'm quite enjoying the season up to now.

Yeah, yesterday was fun wasn't it?

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I'd agree with you mate.
I reckon the rest have caught up with the top 6/top 10.
So called lesser teams are having a go at the so called top 4 teams and getting results.
It makes it exciting at least and it's good that 1 team aren't running away with it.
To be honest I'm quite enjoying the season up to now.

its definitly making the league more exciting rather than having the same clubs winning all the time. we aren't gonna win every game, but at least we are near the top and still in everything.

 

[malg]

 

[paulchapo]

The so called lesser clubs have indeed been able to buy more quality players due to the tv money.For us it is more worrying,we could have easily conceded 6 or 8 goals against the dippers and 6 yesterday.Southampton which we won went 2 goals down and played like teams used to against us with the same outcome.As soon as they started to have a go we were rattled and hanging on at times.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I'd agree with you mate.
I reckon the rest have caught up with the top 6/top 10.
So called lesser teams are having a go at the so called top 4 teams and getting results.
It makes it exciting at least and it's good that 1 team aren't running away with it.
To be honest I'm quite enjoying the season up to now.

Are you Alan Ball in disguise, mate?

On the other hand, if you're saying that the trickle down effect of the tv money has allowed some of the lesser lights — no disrespect, but I'm thinking of Palace, West Ham, Stoke, etc. — to buy some very useful players from the continent and level up the playing field so that no-one completely runs away with it, well yes, there's a case to be made.

Ah, previous post, just seen you, you just beat me to it. We must have been having the same thoughts as we were typing them in!

 

[BlueTG]

We have no Plan B. Stop our Plan A and we're stuck every time.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Completely agree with paulchapo's assessment of the Southampton game, by the way. I thought we looked rocky at times in that match. But the way it panned out was weirdly like the Arse vs Sunderland yesterday. Very similar pattern. Sunderland pushed them very, very hard, and were well worth a point. With more class in their finishing, in fact, and less class from Cech (what a fine keeper he still is!), they could have taken the three points and run with them. As we did, the Arse only really settled when the third went in.

Perhaps that is the only positive thing to take from yesterday. Nobody, with the exception of Leicester, looks very good. If we're still in the mix after the Arsenal and Leicester aways , then assuming that Vinny and Sergio get back and stay fit (and that Merlin stays fit, along with KDB and Sterling), then we've still got a fair chance. Huge assumption, of course.
On the other hand: could Leicester go the distance? Could they…? It seems impossible, but they're still looking as full of energy and confidence as ever.

 

[Why Always Ste]

Agreed with points made.
We lack a Plan B under MP, which would see us more tighter at the back, cut the high offside trap and play a little more boring on days when the opposition want to speed the game up and press us.

Add the lack of Plan B and more tv money for clubs to buy better players, we will get turned over...

Vinny is sadly missed as well.
Awful to think out of all the quality we have we rely on VK so much.

Hes our true leader.

 

[manimanc]

Yeah, yesterday was fun wasn't it?

Depends how you viewed it. If you was watching in a pub with your mates and having a few beers and the banter then yes it was fun.
If you was at the Brittania freezing your tits off watching us get played off the park by leslie and had paid £40 for the pleasure then it wasn't much fun......until you hit the pubs.
But as the song goes ...."we don't give a fuck coz we're all pissed up. .." then yesterday was just another crazy day through the eyes of following city.