Scooby Blue said:
but if MH (for example) had picked such a defensive midfield in both legs vs Utd we would have had a 300 page lynching thread within minutes of the final whistle.
with mancini the defensive midfield was clearly part of a plan to allow the front players space and freedom, for all the talk of a defensive approach yesterday we got more shots on goal than them. we were tight and organised for the most part, and dangerous on the break. if hughes had done the same I would have given him credit, but too often we were so disorganised it was difficult to tell what the gameplan.
It is true people were more negative about his tactics, but I think that was the result of many things tho. he did suffer from his utd connection, but the concerns people had about him were very broad. let's not forget hughes was here for well over a year, many people gave him the benefit of the doubt many times before deciding they didn't like him. for people like me, he didn't inspire, he didn't give credit, and the team looked disorganised, a bunch of individuals. but it's very hard to pin down how and why. it's easier to pick on the tactics and say, that's why we aren't functioning as a team, when the truth is probably that because of communication and leadership behind the scenes the team didn't understand how to work together as a team.
it was down to the brand of football we were playing, his attitude when things went wrong, the way he dealt with problems and conflict, his unwillingness to risk anything by playing youngsters, his general style of communication.
mancini on the other hand is clear in his aims, upbeat, gives credit to everyone. I just feel like I would follow him, and to me, Richard's resurgence, Boyatta's brave displays, the fact we look very well organised, that people know their jobs, all these things suggest that he has a similar effect on the players.