Lancet Fluke
Well-Known Member
You make it sound like scoring goals but still being reasonably tight at the back is almost an impossible dream. Have we been reduced to barely believing that normal, balanced football is possible?
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How far will the fall be before evasive action is taken?
- Thread starter B\connellblue
- Start date
Blankomania
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 6 Aug 2006
- Messages
- 247
I feel that one of the things that sums up the team at the moment is the playing of delph on the left. I feel sorry for the lad because he clearly has no idea what he is supposed to be doing in the final third, he's a box to box midfielder not a winger, you don't see Leicester playing drinkwater or kante on the wing.
Pellegrini has played him there 3 times, against arsenal, everton in the cup and against Leicester. All three cases we subbed him off while we were struggling against the opposition.
Now i get the theory, that hes providing defensive cover but why doesn't pellegrini improve one of our actual wingers and get them to track back. Look at Heynckes at bayern he got ribery and robben to track back, Mourinho got hazard to track back more.
We would rather play a player out of position, then try and improve sterlings game and get him to track back, why not give barker a chance and coach a defensive side into him.
Rather than trying to improve the players we have, we just end up spending 30 million on a new player, you only need to look at the centre backs to see that.
Pellegrini has played him there 3 times, against arsenal, everton in the cup and against Leicester. All three cases we subbed him off while we were struggling against the opposition.
Now i get the theory, that hes providing defensive cover but why doesn't pellegrini improve one of our actual wingers and get them to track back. Look at Heynckes at bayern he got ribery and robben to track back, Mourinho got hazard to track back more.
We would rather play a player out of position, then try and improve sterlings game and get him to track back, why not give barker a chance and coach a defensive side into him.
Rather than trying to improve the players we have, we just end up spending 30 million on a new player, you only need to look at the centre backs to see that.
Lancet Fluke
Well-Known Member
I feel that one of the things that sums up the team at the moment is the playing of delph on the left. I feel sorry for the lad because he clearly has no idea what he is supposed to be doing in the final third, he's a box to box midfielder not a winger, you don't see Leicester playing drinkwater or kante on the wing.
Pellegrini has played him there 3 times, against arsenal, everton in the cup and against Leicester. All three cases we subbed him off while we were struggling against the opposition.
Now i get the theory, that hes providing defensive cover but why doesn't pellegrini improve one of our actual wingers and get them to track back. Look at Heynckes at bayern he got ribery and robben to track back, Mourinho got hazard to track back more.
We would rather play a player out of position, then try and improve sterlings game and get him to track back, why not give barker a chance and coach a defensive side into him.
Rather than trying to improve the players we have, we just end up spending 30 million on a new player, you only need to look at the centre backs to see that.
I'm pretty sure Sterling worked reasonably hard and tracked back when he was at Liverpool. Or am I imagining that? Totally agree about Delph though. That Dax character was trying to say the other day that it was a sound tactical decision to play Delph on the left (to snuff out the threat of Mahrez) but what he failed to acknowledge was what you just said, that Delph has played there before and (not surprisingly) it doesn't work. But then Dax seems to pride himself on arguing that decisions that haven't worked and were never likely to work are some kind of tactical master stroke.
cleavers
Moderator
No, I said nothing of the sort, that's just how you've read it, that's not my fault.You make it sound like scoring goals but still being reasonably tight at the back is almost an impossible dream. Have we been reduced to barely believing that normal, balanced football is possible?
Sigh
Well-Known Member
More important to be seen to be nice than right, again. Fine words butter no fucking parsnips.
Fire him.
Fire him.
Lancet Fluke
Well-Known Member
It is how it came across to me but I certainly wasn't having a go at you, apologies if it came across like I was.No, I said nothing of the sort, that's just how you've read it, that's not my fault.
IcriedwhenTueartleft
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 2 May 2011
- Messages
- 12,852
Some very good stuff in this thread. For me, it's summed up by comparison to 2 years ago when we last won the league. We were behind most of that season as well although that was partly due to having games in hand. Can't recall precisely but I think we lost 5 games that season? Anyway, we never got thumped once, can't recall us losing in the league by more than 1 goal and in most of those games we lost, we were unlucky against Cardiff, Villa and away at Chelsea.
Compare that and the way we have lost games this season, it's chalk and cheese and suggests bigger issues.
Compare that and the way we have lost games this season, it's chalk and cheese and suggests bigger issues.
In fact, sterling has proved to be very effective and hard working when played on the wing. And yes, playing a central midfielder on the wing is monstrously unfair in most cases.I feel that one of the things that sums up the team at the moment is the playing of delph on the left. I feel sorry for the lad because he clearly has no idea what he is supposed to be doing in the final third, he's a box to box midfielder not a winger, you don't see Leicester playing drinkwater or kante on the wing.
Pellegrini has played him there 3 times, against arsenal, everton in the cup and against Leicester. All three cases we subbed him off while we were struggling against the opposition.
Now i get the theory, that hes providing defensive cover but why doesn't pellegrini improve one of our actual wingers and get them to track back. Look at Heynckes at bayern he got ribery and robben to track back, Mourinho got hazard to track back more.
We would rather play a player out of position, then try and improve sterlings game and get him to track back, why not give barker a chance and coach a defensive side into him.
Rather than trying to improve the players we have, we just end up spending 30 million on a new player, you only need to look at the centre backs to see that.
Just one of the decisions that make you gape. I actually was elated initially to see the team, before I realised what the formation was. Delph out of position, sterling forced inside where his main strengths were wasted, leaving fernandinho effectively playing alone in midfield.
I mean, honestly, wtf?
Paul_Powers_Tash
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1 Jul 2013
- Messages
- 602
This manager took the best defence in the league for three years running and turned it in to a comedy side show. He actually added £75million worth of centre halves and made us much, much worse. Did we get unlucky in that 2 of the most highly rated centre halves in Europe actually turned out to be shite? Was is it just bad fortune that Kompany went from the best centre half in the league to one who gets laughed at on MOTD over the last 2 seasons? The only time any of our centre halves have shown decent form since Pellegrini got here was Kompany at the start of this season.
Nastasic was outstanding in his season under Mancini, and looked woefully out of his depth under Pellegrini. DeMichelis has done ok in patches, Mangala has potential but looks like an accident waiting to happen, Otamendi is clearly a top player, but his constant diving in and lack of concentration is costing us regularly. Kompany, as I said has had a dip in the last two seasons compared to previously. So out of the 5 centre backs Pellegrini has used, 4 have been clearly worse than they were previously. The only one who possibly remained the same is DeMichelis.
The other 4, two were already here and playing very well previously, so no blame for Txiki or recruitment there. Two were bought and were extremely highly rated. It surely can't be a coincidence that all 4 have regressed under Pellegrini's "management"?
So in short, yes the squad needs "tweaking" every year. That is the same at all top clubs. But to say the 2010 team needs "rejuvenating" is incorrect in my view. It's already been rejuvenated with some of the top talent in Europe. It's silly to say anyone who played in 2010 is incapable of playing now. Hart, Clichy, Zabba, Kompany, Silva, Nasri, Aguero are all very capable still at this level and at a decent age. In fact only Zabba is over 30, it's hardly Dad's Army.
From the core squad that won the first title clearly Yaya needs to move on, and in my view so does Kolarov. Other than that I don't see any major issues.
I've heard very good things about Angelino, so I'm sure he can come in to replace Kolarov, and we possibly need a new young right back. We definitely need a couple of centre mids to replace Yaya and Fernando. Hopefully one is Pogba. Other than that, I don't see the need for wholesale changes. The talent is there. They just need to be managed better.
Mancini got far more out of our defenders than Pellegrini does. I'm sure Guardiola will too. The issue isn't that our player's aren't good enough. The issue is the manager isn't, and next season will prove that beyond any doubt whatsoever.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely spot on. In fact I'd go further. It is evidently true that Pellegrini hasn't developed individual players or built any sense of team during his term but why is this? His tactical choices baffle me on a weekly basis. The weekends game was a perfect example. Leicesters greatest threat is fast transition primarily through Vardy and Mahrez in the first or second phase; anyone who has seen them this season knows this. Both Vardy's and Mahrez preferred zone is Leicesters right hand channel as they attack. So how does Pellegrini counter their primary threat, obviously he plays our two slowest defenders in that area! Now knowing that pace is the key wouldn't you have thought Pellegrini would have chosen Cliche and Sagna rather than Kolarov and MDM?
I could go on and on about how week after week he has got it tactically wrong and how he is ruining player like Sterling, Delph, Otamendi, Yaya and now Kalechi by asking them to do jobs that they are not best suited to or roles that best address the needs of the team with reference to the opposition.
We have a great squad that is so far less than the sum of its parts because of this clown, it's hard to take. I wonder what practical jokes he's going to come up with for the Spurs game?
Nastasic was outstanding in his season under Mancini, and looked woefully out of his depth under Pellegrini. DeMichelis has done ok in patches, Mangala has potential but looks like an accident waiting to happen, Otamendi is clearly a top player, but his constant diving in and lack of concentration is costing us regularly. Kompany, as I said has had a dip in the last two seasons compared to previously. So out of the 5 centre backs Pellegrini has used, 4 have been clearly worse than they were previously. The only one who possibly remained the same is DeMichelis.
The other 4, two were already here and playing very well previously, so no blame for Txiki or recruitment there. Two were bought and were extremely highly rated. It surely can't be a coincidence that all 4 have regressed under Pellegrini's "management"?
So in short, yes the squad needs "tweaking" every year. That is the same at all top clubs. But to say the 2010 team needs "rejuvenating" is incorrect in my view. It's already been rejuvenated with some of the top talent in Europe. It's silly to say anyone who played in 2010 is incapable of playing now. Hart, Clichy, Zabba, Kompany, Silva, Nasri, Aguero are all very capable still at this level and at a decent age. In fact only Zabba is over 30, it's hardly Dad's Army.
From the core squad that won the first title clearly Yaya needs to move on, and in my view so does Kolarov. Other than that I don't see any major issues.
I've heard very good things about Angelino, so I'm sure he can come in to replace Kolarov, and we possibly need a new young right back. We definitely need a couple of centre mids to replace Yaya and Fernando. Hopefully one is Pogba. Other than that, I don't see the need for wholesale changes. The talent is there. They just need to be managed better.
Mancini got far more out of our defenders than Pellegrini does. I'm sure Guardiola will too. The issue isn't that our player's aren't good enough. The issue is the manager isn't, and next season will prove that beyond any doubt whatsoever.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely spot on. In fact I'd go further. It is evidently true that Pellegrini hasn't developed individual players or built any sense of team during his term but why is this? His tactical choices baffle me on a weekly basis. The weekends game was a perfect example. Leicesters greatest threat is fast transition primarily through Vardy and Mahrez in the first or second phase; anyone who has seen them this season knows this. Both Vardy's and Mahrez preferred zone is Leicesters right hand channel as they attack. So how does Pellegrini counter their primary threat, obviously he plays our two slowest defenders in that area! Now knowing that pace is the key wouldn't you have thought Pellegrini would have chosen Cliche and Sagna rather than Kolarov and MDM?
I could go on and on about how week after week he has got it tactically wrong and how he is ruining player like Sterling, Delph, Otamendi, Yaya and now Kalechi by asking them to do jobs that they are not best suited to or roles that best address the needs of the team with reference to the opposition.
We have a great squad that is so far less than the sum of its parts because of this clown, it's hard to take. I wonder what practical jokes he's going to come up with for the Spurs game?
nellyonthewing
Well-Known Member
pellegrini's team talk.."Its Spurs on sunday ,coach leaves saturday at 4pm.