How can we address these bad performances?

[birchwoodgingerste]

Stop putting square pegs in round holes play players in there familiar positions and go back to basics.

 

[Axel Freed]

I agree with the OP about Ake. He gives us a solidity that we don’t have when he’s not in the side.

Gvardiol is young and he’ll improve, his eventual ceiling may be higher than Ake’s but right now Ake looks much the better defender

 

[AshtonBlueMooner]

How can we address these bad performances?

Simple. Go and get a VHS video of the performances from the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s and you’ll soon realise that you are in dreamland.

Bad performances. Do me a bloody favour.

 

[The blue phantom]

I've just skimmed through the matchday thread. Armageddon. Season over. We'll be lucky to get top 4. Why do posters do this shit to themselves every season. 3 points off top with all the so called big teams played. It beggars belief the amount of folk who throw the towel in.

 

[jimharri]

Get a new manager in, and the job will be sorted. Ten Hag may well soon be available.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Agree haaland doesn't always have to start either

Wtf

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Our last three midfield signings have been Phillips, Kovacic and Nunes. I'm not going to write them off yet (well not the ones that came in this year), but for a manager who once said he's player 10 midfielders if he could, that's a huge step down from the likes of Fernandinho and Gundogan. I also wonder whether it puts more pressure on Rodri to do more, meaning he's less able to protect the back four. Add to that the fact that we're playing two strikers and we're just missing that level of control over games. The last few games have been end-to-end, and that's not typically the sign of a team in control.

And then the whole four centre back system (yes, I know Walker is a full back, but he's a very defensive one these days without the passing range of a lot of players in the squad), which was an improvisation last year because of the Cancelo, but has been adopted as our first choice this season. While it's often good, I feel like the fact that it's basically our only possibility now is a bit of an issue (unless you want to play Gomez, which he never does). The irony is that this system was supposed to make us more solid defensively, but we're shipping goals at an alarming rate. 16 in 14 now. If that carried on til the end of the season, we'd be letting in 43 goals, which would be our worst goals against since the 09/10 season.

 

[manimanc]

We just play the next game. Simples.

 

[chris85mcfc]

Just beat Villa and then win the following 4 games!

 

[vanchi]

Agree with gvardiol not doku he's been the only shining light last few city games.

when it’s about control you cannot be serious about doku being better than gvardiol lmao, i’m sure pep will work
on that but that is so not doku’s forte. pacy winger tax eh.