Is now the time to consider Mancini's tenure at the club

[Balti]

the CHAMPIONS are unbeaten in 33 Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium, winning 30.

yeah he's shit; get him binned lol

 

[Rocket-footed kolarov]

I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s time to address Mancini’s tenure, however it’s certainly time for Mancini’s to take a long, hard look at his tactical approach, and man management approach to see where he can fix the problems that clearly exist. Domestically, in the main, he’s fine. An FA Cup followed by a Premiership title are testimony to that. However in Europe, in every season since Mancini became our manager, he’s underperformed. In his first full season we limped through the Europa League until we met a mediocre Dynamo Kiev, and got knocked out. In last season’s Champion’s League we failed to get out of a tough group, although it was equally as tough for Napoli on their first Champion’s League campaign and they managed to qualify. We then failed in the Europa League to another mediocre side in Sporting Lisbon. This season we’ve, in everything but mathematics, been knocked out of the Champion’s League again. Yes it’s another tough group, but Ajax are nothing special, they’d lost to both Dortmund (1-0 away) and Madrid (4-1 home) previously so a 3-1 defeat to them was catastrophic, and unacceptable.

Mancini’s tactics in Europe seem to be to slow the game to a crawl, attempt to dominate the possession, although not in dangerous areas of the pitch (dangerous to the opposition I mean, as proven by the Dortmund goal we insist on dominating possession in areas dangerous to us should we make a mistake) and try and take the few chances we create. This categorically isn’t working in the way Mancini would hope. The lack of pace or impetus is allowing the opposition to gain confidence and to attack us with the pace we seem to lack. 3-5-2 may well work very well for certain sides, but it needs the right players in the right positions. 3-5-2 with Gael Clichy as a centre half is stupendously idiotic a plan. Clichy is a short, fairly quick fullback/wing back, he is completely unsuited to the centre half role, and looks lost when asked to play there.

City seem to be crying out for a more direct style of play in Europe. By direct I don’t mean Sam Allardyce football, what I do mean is instead of playing 15 sideways passes between the 4 defenders and 2 holding midfielders (the sum total of which is the ball is exactly where it started, with our defenders who have 11 opponents in front of them) perhaps, on occasion, we try and beat a man, or we play the ball forward to the feet of a striker and support the man. We’ve got a squad filled with quality, and goalscorers throughout, our strength is our ability to score goals, and lots of them, and it’s easier to achieve this in the final third of the pitch than it is on the halfway line.

I don't think Mancini will ever learn, he has chronic distrust of wingers and I don't think he will ever set us to play with a bit of pace and power, if were are to play possession we must play it fast, slow possession will only ever work when you are already leading and well in command of the game i.e. using to take the sting out of it.
The tough group and lack of world class signings are not good enough excuses for not qualifying, last year all we one result away from qualification (either drawing or winning in Napoli or Villareal drawing them) this year we will be lucky to get 4 or 5 points, just missing out is one thing abject failure is another.
Mancini was the right appointment at the time and has proven that of course but unless he addresses the issues in Europe he has outgrown his use; the owners want to build a super club, super clubs do not continually fail in European competion. Benitez is on the same level as Mancini, and at the moment he looks a far better prospect for European football; despite never really having the dressing room at Inter he still got them out of the group and they reached the quarter finals after he was sacked; the height of Mancini's success in Eurpoe has been achieved by a team in free fall by a rookie manager in Leonardo who is a better Director of football.

 

[Cobwebcat]

I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s time to address Mancini’s tenure, however it’s certainly time for Mancini’s to take a long, hard look at his tactical approach, and man management approach to see where he can fix the problems that clearly exist. Domestically, in the main, he’s fine. An FA Cup followed by a Premiership title are testimony to that. However in Europe, in every season since Mancini became our manager, he’s underperformed. In his first full season we limped through the Europa League until we met a mediocre Dynamo Kiev, and got knocked out. In last season’s Champion’s League we failed to get out of a tough group, although it was equally as tough for Napoli on their first Champion’s League campaign and they managed to qualify. We then failed in the Europa League to another mediocre side in Sporting Lisbon. This season we’ve, in everything but mathematics, been knocked out of the Champion’s League again. Yes it’s another tough group, but Ajax are nothing special, they’d lost to both Dortmund (1-0 away) and Madrid (4-1 home) previously so a 3-1 defeat to them was catastrophic, and unacceptable.

Mancini’s tactics in Europe seem to be to slow the game to a crawl, attempt to dominate the possession, although not in dangerous areas of the pitch (dangerous to the opposition I mean, as proven by the Dortmund goal we insist on dominating possession in areas dangerous to us should we make a mistake) and try and take the few chances we create. This categorically isn’t working in the way Mancini would hope. The lack of pace or impetus is allowing the opposition to gain confidence and to attack us with the pace we seem to lack. 3-5-2 may well work very well for certain sides, but it needs the right players in the right positions. 3-5-2 with Gael Clichy as a centre half is stupendously idiotic a plan. Clichy is a short, fairly quick fullback/wing back, he is completely unsuited to the centre half role, and looks lost when asked to play there.

City seem to be crying out for a more direct style of play in Europe. By direct I don’t mean Sam Allardyce football, what I do mean is instead of playing 15 sideways passes between the 4 defenders and 2 holding midfielders (the sum total of which is the ball is exactly where it started, with our defenders who have 11 opponents in front of them) perhaps, on occasion, we try and beat a man, or we play the ball forward to the feet of a striker and support the man. We’ve got a squad filled with quality, and goalscorers throughout, our strength is our ability to score goals, and lots of them, and it’s easier to achieve this in the final third of the pitch than it is on the halfway line.

There is no difference in Europe!! How many times? Are we saying we couldn't beat Tromso because they don't play in the Premiership?

There are good and bad teams in the Premiership and Europe we don't need to adapt our style or tactics anymore than we would for different Premiership styles.

The difference is that in the CL there are a few teams as good as us and we keep drawing them.

That's it.

People can analyse tactics all they want but Ajax are no better than Spurs and its possible we could lose away to Spurs if we play badly...which we did.

Three at the back, four at the back....FC Bollockheim...IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE....we are going to lose sometimes.

The number of tactical geniuses on here is amazing.

There is nothing wrong that a little patience would not sort out...we are meant to be good at that. Obviously not.

 

[toplad]

Which other manager leaves people questioning his ability as constantly as Mancini?
Massimiliano Allegri is the only one that comes to my mind and he's getting the sack anytime soon. (BTW he also won a league title).

 

[MATCITY]

Which other manager leaves people questioning his ability as constantly as Mancini?
Massimiliano Allegri is the only one that comes to my mind and he's getting the sack anytime soon. (BTW he also won a league title).

Mark Hughes

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Which other manager leaves people questioning his ability as constantly as Mancini?
Massimiliano Allegri is the only one that comes to my mind and he's getting the sack anytime soon. (BTW he also won a league title).

Another manager getting the flack for his board failing him.

 

[levets]

Re: Is now the time to consider Mancini's tenure at the clubs

-There was no player error involved in the goal before halftime.
======
Have another look at what happens to allow the ball out wide.

-Lescott was part of a diamond zonal marking formation that had no players on either posts.
====
Lescotts fault all day.... And I'm a fan of JL.

-There was no player error for the third goal.
==========
Have another look. does Barry lose possession to Eriksson?

If every player plays below their ability, then you cannot blame the fucking players. Simple as that.
==========
Are you on fucking drugs? what the fuck is this?

I'll ask you again... Did Kun, Nasri & Richards all miss clear opportunities to put us 2-0 ahead?

Did the midfield lose possession bang on HT?

Did Lescott allow a free header at a corner?

Did Barry lose possession for the 3rd

Did Edin miss 2 clear opportunities late on?

The answer to each question is absolutely fucking yes...

so which mistake that mancini made is bigger than these...

flapping fuckers doing my head in

Dear child, if all it took to lose a match of football 3-1 playing a group of superstars against an academy team, was losing possession a few times (a third of the way up the fucking pitch), and a few missed chances, then every game would end in a loss... for both teams (yes that's impossible, which illustrates the stupidity of your post).

Did you not watch the fucking match? The first goal went in because Clichy was caught trying to defend a cross and the player it was sent to (who also scored). Mancini doesn't get paid to prance around the bloody technical area shouting random poems, he is paid to see the threat coming (and it was mentioned before the 40th minute). All Mancini had to do was hold his defensive midfielders behind their attacking midfield and there would have been no confusion by Clichy.

Second goal was 100% down to zonal marking in the box. They were clearly setup in a half-diamond with no one instructed to cover the posts. The same fucking thing allowed Skrtel to score on us at Liverpool. Had they man-marked and had someone on each post, if Lescott would have been beaten (unlikely if he was able to get a spring), then Clichy would have cleared it from the post. It was no accident, that defensive mistake, that was a blatant strategic decision. Who is ultimately responsible for strategic decisions? Yaya Toure, Barry, Kompany? Pfff. You are clueless.

The Third goal came within a couple minutes of changing to a back three. This decision we all know was a shit decision. If you think it wasn't then why THE FUCK did Mancini immediately change back to a back four after the goal? Our defense was in such tatters that Clichy didn't even know what position he was going to be moving to. No one to blame but Mancini. Or wait, was it Dzeko's fault they switched to a back 3, had no idea what the fuck they were doing, and then let a player get a free shot from the edge of the box??? Give me a fucking break.

I suppose it was just a fluke that Mourinho took Mancini's European flops and won the CL with them after two years? Its pretty clear that Mancini knows how to build a team, its even more clear that once he's assembled it, he knows how to manage it in the domestic leagues. Its absolutely clear that he cannot produce in Europe. Knocked out by Dinamo Kiev, and Sporting Lisbon in the Europa league??? Embarrassing. Only taking a point off Napoli? Embarrassing.

Or is it just me that looks at the tactics of all the managers in Europe he's faced, and think's he's been terribly out classed? Jesus Christ, he's made Frank De Boer look like a tactical genius!

If any of you have seen a manager panic and make such blatantly stupid decisions in the Champions league, I BEG YOU to post some examples.

That includes the Fiasco of swapping a striker for a defensive midfielder in Munich while 0-2 down. That includes zone-marking Ronaldo with a single fullback, and not getting our team to push out and maintain possession for five fucking minutes. That includes repeated adjustments to 3-5-2 when it has yet to work in a single fucking match. That includes changing immediately back from the 3-5-2 switch to a 4-4-2 after failing at it miserably, this of course happening in two vital Champions League matches. That includes switching to a 4-0-6 formation to try and win a Champion's league match as if we had Ajax pinned in like QPR at home. The list goes on. Never seen a single manager make such an abundance of stupid decisions that can be directly linked to failure.

But its the players' faults?

CHILD? If you're going to address me, then get your facts right.

Who the fuck are you? surely a parody account

The fact is... whether it suits your fucking agenda or not... all 3 goals were due to PLAYER errors; AND we didn't take chances when they were presented.

Mancini frustrates me at times, but don't try and re write history FFS.

edited: As I lost it with this clown...

 

[inchy14]

Lescott is not world class. Neither is Barry. Neither is Milner. None of the new signings are world class. We're too reliant on the likes of Silva, Yaya and Kompany. All issues that the manager will be all too aware of. Without Silva the other night and with Yaya having an off night, we simply weren't good enough to overcome an average Ajax team. Down to the players, not the manager imo.

I know. That's my point.

But we have the best first 11 and the best squad in English football, and that's why we won the league. The players we have are easily good enough to beat Ajax, even without Silva. They were good enough to beat Dortmund too.

Poor tactical decision making by the manager cost us 5 points in those games. I'd even argue that they have cost us 7 or 8 points in Europe already.

Kompany cost us points in Madrid, not Mancini, Sergio and Nasri arguablly cost us against Dortmund as both could/should have scored early in the game.
Again chances went begging after taking the lead in Amsterdam though granted we weren't playing well.

Anyhow no chance Mancini has cost us 7 points, physical impossibility.

 

[Rocket-footed kolarov]

Lescott is not world class. Neither is Barry. Neither is Milner. None of the new signings are world class. We're too reliant on the likes of Silva, Yaya and Kompany. All issues that the manager will be all too aware of. Without Silva the other night and with Yaya having an off night, we simply weren't good enough to overcome an average Ajax team. Down to the players, not the manager imo.

I know. That's my point.

But we have the best first 11 and the best squad in English football, and that's why we won the league. The players we have are easily good enough to beat Ajax, even without Silva. They were good enough to beat Dortmund too.

Poor tactical decision making by the manager cost us 5 points in those games. I'd even argue that they have cost us 7 or 8 points in Europe already.

Kompany cost us points in Madrid, not Mancini, Sergio and Nasri arguablly cost us against Dortmund as both could/should have scored early in the game.
Again chances went begging after taking the lead in Amsterdam though granted we weren't playing well.

Anyhow no chance Mancini has cost us 7 points, physical impossibility.

players will always miss chances, there will allways be a chance that players will lose form, Mancini may well not be directly the problem but unless he has the solutions then he becomes part of the problem, he has failed to address the issues in Europe, he has n't inspired a winning siege mentality away from home and we often end up conceding poor goals to teams that work hard and expose our mistakes and bad choice of line ups; Kyiv, Napoli, Ajax, Sporting, Poznan. The list goes on we lose away from home in Europe more often than not. Tolmie's Hairdoo is crying out for Guardiola but the reality is Benitez would do. It is simply no longer the case that there are only a few managers that could match or better Mancini.

 

[Cobwebcat]

I know. That's my point.

But we have the best first 11 and the best squad in English football, and that's why we won the league. The players we have are easily good enough to beat Ajax, even without Silva. They were good enough to beat Dortmund too.

Poor tactical decision making by the manager cost us 5 points in those games. I'd even argue that they have cost us 7 or 8 points in Europe already.

Kompany cost us points in Madrid, not Mancini, Sergio and Nasri arguablly cost us against Dortmund as both could/should have scored early in the game.
Again chances went begging after taking the lead in Amsterdam though granted we weren't playing well.

Anyhow no chance Mancini has cost us 7 points, physical impossibility.

players will always miss chances, there will allways be a chance that players will lose form, Mancini may well not be directly the problem but unless he has the solutions then he becomes part of the problem, he has failed to address the issues in Europe, he has n't inspired a winning siege mentality away from home and we often end up conceding poor goals to teams that work hard and expose our mistakes and bad choice of line ups; Kyiv, Napoli, Ajax, Sporting, Poznan. The list goes on we lose away from home in Europe more often than not. Tolmie's Hairdoo is crying out for Guardiola but the reality is Benitez would do. It is simply no longer the case that there are only a few managers that could match or better Mancini.

You might as well say "in London" what does it matter where the team comes from? We play a lot less European games and overall Mancini's record against good and bad teams (wherever they are from) is excellent.