Our surge in winning started on 19th December. de Bruyne got injured on 20th January.I am not missing any point. I cannot agree with the sequence or timing of changes you refer to. When Kevin was injured people feared how much we would miss him. But his absence led to changes in the team, leading to our surge in winning , to the extent that some wondered if he could get back in the team, " are we better without Kevin" was debated. . He did get back in the team but not in his regular midfield role, but as a false 9 or deep lying 9 or in a rotating front 3 with Foden and Mahrez as played in both CL semi-finals. Read Kevin's interview this week about his surprise at where Pep is playing him. You don't need to explain anything, just re-watch our games since we drew with West Brom. that would be a better use of time ,and it is, imo very clear as to how we evolved from struggling in Nov. to Champions in May and (fitness/form/lack of pre-season aside) why. Our system is fluid and for now successful.
I enjoyed thatShaelumstash is Alan Ball
Most people complaining about Lillo earlier in the thread were saying we’d changed our style of play and it wasn’t working (we were 14th) and that it was boring to watch.mccity said:
Probably lol, although I don't intend it to be that way. I guess I'm adopting the old calling a spade a spade mentality that's so popular on here.
No I didn't reply to you by mistake, I disagreed that we "went back to our old style of play" in your reply to mccity, we changed the way we played, tweaked as I said.Perhaps you replied to me by mistake? Everything you’ve just said backs up my point.
Think about it. In a 433 the wingers are pushed up higher against their opposing full back.Most people complaining about Lillo earlier in the thread were saying we’d changed our style of play and it wasn’t working (we were 14th) and that it was boring to watch.
Pep is on record as saying he “didn’t like” the team, and in November went back to our old style of play. Which we did, to great success.
No I didn't reply to you by mistake, I disagreed that we "went back to our old style of play" in your reply to mccity, we changed the way we played, tweaked as I said.
As noted in Jack Gaughan's article today "They were not ‘back’, but different." "The mistakes were eradicated, a paltry 37 shots on target conceded in 20 victories." "City had gone back to basics, allowing the ball to do the work in the final third. Goals have not always flowed but Guardiola’s order to his forwards in the middle of December to simply run less in possession had borne fruit."
It is rare to agree with much in DM articles but as Pep, Ferna and Kevin have all spoken in a similar vein in recent weeks it is a reasonable article. Pep has also spoken recently, of the positive influence of Lillo so maybe "Most people complaining about Lillo earlier " should not have been as quick to judge his role, as mccity alluded to.
Mostly I agree, yet the majority of pundits and ex players stated ( sometimes correctly) we had a weak defence in the title winning seasons. Since Leicester 2-5 we have conceded 19 goals in 34 PL games and yes some look like goals conceded before but very few claim we have a weak defense now.Only the false 9 has been different.
Both Fabian Delph and Oleks Zinchenko have played the in-field full back role in title winning seasons for us before.
And in our previous title winning seasons with Pep we had the best defensive records in the Prem. And we’ve also conceded stupid goals in the last five months - think about United at home, Chelsea in the FA Cup, among others, goals that look exactly like goals we’ve conceded before.
"Perhaps you replied to me by mistake? Everything you’ve just said backs up my point." And in a way he's agreed with me, almost.Our surge in winning started on 19th December. de Bruyne got injured on 20th January.
You’re right about what happened after that. But in a way you’ve agreed with him because you’ve said it changed to a rotating 3 up top rather than a 4231.
I mostly agree with most of what you say. I cannot fully understand why you say "When people start talking telephone numbers I just tend to switch off because it tends to be complete nonsense." when your replies to me have been a litany of telephone numbers. It seems other posters telephone numbers are nonsense to you but not your own. Ok, so be it, forget numbers and enjoy today's game.Lahm was a full back who tucked in to central midfield for Pep’s Bayern. So was Kimmich. So was Alaba.
Pep played Clichy and Sagna in these roles in his first ever competitive game against Sunderland.
Delph played in this role for pretty much the entirety of 2017/18. Zinchenko has played in this role for the last few seasons.
It’s nothing new. It’s not something Pep invented in November. All of the above happened with a core shape of 433
When people start talking telephone numbers I just tend to switch off because it tends to be complete nonsense.
You can have a false 9 and it still be 433. You can tuck your full backs inside and it still be 433.
The major difference between how we played pre-November (4231) and post-November (433) is changing from two holding midfielders to one.
That change makes a huge difference to the way a team plays.
4231 can give you quite a cautious, flat midfield and limited passing options going forward with an over reliance on a number 10.
433 allows you to have two midfielders higher up the pitch, pressing higher up and giving you two forward passing options making it easier to play at a higher tempo both in and out of possession.
That change was absolutely fundamental to our upturn in form and results. Go back and watch. Pep’s said it himself.
Aaaah !!!. I thought there was something familiar. Don't tell him but I'm Joe Royle.Shaelumstash is Alan Ball
Have you claimed you £5.Aaaah !!!. I thought there was something familiar. Don't tell him but I'm Joe Royle.
Also backs up what I'm saying by and large. Let's simplify things and call Pep's team 1+10 or just 11, although maybe not today's selection.Think about it. In a 433 the wingers are pushed up higher against their opposing full back.
The extra number 8 is pushed up higher against the opposition’s midfield.
It’s easier to press while running less.
You’re also creating more natural triangles and natural passing lanes so you don’t have to run with the ball as much to progress up the pitch, you can let the ball do the work.
Again, all backs up what I’m saying.