Mancini's biggest fault. (IMO)

[schfc6]

I see Ya Ya's position next season being the one that Gaz Baz plays in now.
When we have had ALL players fit I see Mancini wanting to play 2 of 3 from Tevez, Balotelli and Dzeko with Silva linking play. Leaving De Jong as a holding midfielder and then playing 2 central midfielders to go box to box. I think Ya Ya will be one of these and I see us signing another powerful running midfielder, or hope that Milner forfils his potential as a box to box central midfielder.
But can anyone remember the last time we had no injuries or disciplinary issues? I can't.

Based on the signings made, and the positions the players played in at previous clubs I would guess Mancini would have played a starting xi like this if all were fit and playing to full potential.

Hart
Boateng Toure Kompany Kolarov
De Jong
Ya Ya Milner
Silva
Balotelli Tevez

I know this isn't our strongest side at present, but I guess Lescott's form has been very good this season and Richards has proven a lot of people wrong.

I for one am happy to give Mancini time. All I here is about negativity and negative tactics.
But look at Mancini's signings, Balotelli, Silva, Johnson, Ya Ya not excatly boring, Kolarov like him or loath him, he's certainly not a boring player.

Good things will come I'm sure. I'm confident with 3 more Top draw signings we will be a very very good side.
If we reach the CL I see us adding a strong box to box midfielder in the mould of Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez or Fellaini and a link player or forward like Pastore or Sneijder.
A third signing depending upon who leaves.

Only my opinion.

 

[mancity1]

We need two players to come in over the summer that can link our forward thrusts with pace that are better than what we have in midfield now and another central defender and fullback that can play both sides of the park.

We need a Modric and a Bale quality type of player preferrably both if we are to progress in Europe ( assuming we make it ) and finish higher in the premiership next season.

That assumes we don't lose the likes of Tevez or Balotelli in the summer.

 

[Fuzzmaster101]

His biggest fault is he doesn't care.

He doesn't care for opinion.

He doesn't care for compromise.

He doesn't care about perception.

And most importantly of all, he doesn't care for his players.

You really believe that?

Maybe we should also question the players and their contribution to the current situation;
Tevez - stone overweight and lost his touch in front of goal and guilty of giving possession away,
Silva - Been off the boil for a couple of weeks,
Yaya - labouring at the moment.

It's a blip... nothing more!

It's a blip that's lasted all season. We've been found seriously wanting when up against good opposition. We've also scraped by some teams we shouldn't have struggled against. We've lost games we shouldn't and on a few occasions, maybe 5 or 6 we've looked excellent. I'm not talking here about recent form and my OP never at any point mentioned recent form. I'm looking at the season as a whole. Yes it's a results game and currently we're in 4th and in the semi-final of a cup. I'm looking at how the team looks on the pitch. Is the team effective often enough? Not for me. How do we usually win games? By having better players than the opposition, again in my opinion, not by playing as a team and looking like we have a plan of attack. I'm just commenting on what I see on the pitch.

What I see is this, "get the ball to the goal-scorers, maybe they can win us the game". Which they often do. What happens when this plan fails? Nothing, we have no other plan. That's the way it looks and it's been that way all season.<br /><br />-- Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:39 pm --<br /><br />

Can you point out where I said he was a bad player? I said right at the start I think he's a great player but not in this roll. Whatever your take on it it's not working. We are in 4th but only because Liverpool have been terrible (but are improving) and Tottenham have dropped points they shouldn't have. We're here by luck rather than by design. That's not what I want to see, a team who struggles it's way to potentially finishing in the minimum required position. I don't think anyone else does either.

Give it time he has not had the time to mould the team he wants and due to injuries certain players have had to feature more. Plus you just explained it but the reality is the Premiership is tough, yes it would be wonderful if we were top of the table with 10 points to spare but the team there has been together for YEARS. If the spuds are so good and have such a fantastic AM why have they dropped points? Why are they not above us? Same goes for the red dippers?

We have better players than Tottenham, that's why. They have a couple who are better than ours in my opinion. Bale and Modric. Everyone else in our team are better than the equivalent at Tottenham, again in my opinion (a lot of the dropped points came when Modric was out injured, they also scraped a few results during that time too, just like we have most of the season). Our injuries are neither here nor there, the system remains the same regardless of who's available and it's a system which is not only not working but has looked shaky all season and is fundamentally flawed when none of the midfield three is a real playmaker. That's my point, it's simple. Do I expect to win everything in sight, of course not. Do I expect us to look like a team that's at least going somewhere? Absolutely. Do I expect us to look effective as a team? Absolutely by this point in the season. I can excuse the first half of the season being shaky, not the second half.

 

[thomasobDK]

I agree with your assesment. Clearly our problem is in the midfield and our lack of ability to create chances from there. It's been obvious to me for quite some time, that Barry and Yaya likes to be in the same position and thereby more or less screw up each others game.

IMO we need to settle for one of them, because the true DM role should in most games be Dejongs spot. I also agree that the natural spot for Silva is the AM, so for my money Yaya should be moved back a bit, this will also give him more space for his runs forward. I would use Milner as a sub for Yayas spot and Barry as sub for Dejong.

My ideal lineup: (subject to change considering opposition)
Hart
Richards - Kompany - Lescott - Kolarov
De Jong
Yaya
AJ - Silva - Tevez
Dzeko

This would allow Tevez to drag his defender towards the middle of the defense leaving space for Kolarov, to get a cross in to Dzeko.

 

[Fuzzmaster101]

I agree with your assesment. Clearly our problem is in the midfield and our lack of ability to create chances from there. It's been obvious to me for quite some time, that Barry and Yaya likes to be in the same position and thereby more or less screw up each others game.

IMO we need to settle for one of them, because the true DM role should in most games be Dejongs spot. I also agree that the natural spot for Silva is the AM, so for my money Yaya should be moved back a bit, this will also give him more space for his runs forward. I would use Milner as a sub for Yayas spot and Barry as sub for Dejong.

My ideal lineup: (subject to change considering opposition)
Hart
Richards - Kompany - Lescott - Kolarov
De Jong
Yaya
AJ - Silva - Tevez
Dzeko

This would allow Tevez to drag his defender towards the middle of the defense leaving space for Kolarov, to get a cross in to Dzeko.

This would be about my favourite line-up too. You could swap Balo for Dzeko, or even Tevez for Dzeko with Balo out wide. Silva would then be the playmaker a roll that he does better than anyone else in our current squad. As I've said, if Silva is not available then Tevez could play off the front in a No10 like roll or as a third choice you could play Milner there. Yaya would be my 4th choice for that position (assuming MJ is not fit as usual) and only to be used there in emergencies.

 

[DetCity]

Yaya can play DM or AM and these are the qualities Mancini likes about him so while he may be going forward he is also very defensive minded. How many games has he been subbed?

You've actually hit the nail on the head there. Playing him in his role is fundamentally a defensive decision. And that's we don't create enough chances, don't play with enough tempo, can't break down defensive teams and can't get back in games in the last period. It's not the only reason for these flaws but it's a big one.

I've thought the same thing, though I think that Yaya's strength on the perimeter of the box is also a great offensive asset, as he rarely gives the ball away from that position. I think it's telling that a lot of his goals, both scored and created, have come from his runs from a deeper position.

I'm not 100% sold that Mancini really thinks he is a top 4 AM, however, I think Mancini may simply consider him the best available. He did make moves for Krasic in the summer and Ashley Young in January. We'll know more when AJ is fully fit and we have more options out wide, letting Silva play more centrally. My limited knowledge of pre-City Mancini is that he liked to play with a trequartista, something Yaya most clearly is not.

 

[Freestyler]

the prayer to all our answers.

------De Jong---Y.Toure

------------Milner

 

[route46]

he is to quick to swap players during the game.

 

[DetCity]

Fuzz mate look at the teams Mancini has put out since Johnsons injury. He likes his midfield more defensive minded only once has he tried Tevez, Dzeko and Balo and allowed Silva to fall back into the role of AM. Its worked so far and has at forth that was always the target and we over achieved maybe that is why everyone is now unhappy. Yaya is quality and has assists and four good goals to prove it. He is simply tired.

Barca did not want him to go, but we all know Barca promotes players from the Basque region and they played Sergio Busquets more. As they did with Pedro over Ibra and Pique over Abidal. This does not mean he is a bad player. For 3 years he was their starting DM until Busquets came through.

Can you point out where I said he was a bad player? I said right at the start I think he's a great player but not in this roll. Whatever your take on it it's not working. We are in 4th but only because Liverpool have been terrible (but are improving) and Tottenham have dropped points they shouldn't have. We're here by luck rather than by design. That's not what I want to see, a team who struggles it's way to potentially finishing in the minimum required position. I don't think anyone else does either.

I agree with a lot of your OP, but I don't think 4th place after 30 games can be constituted as luck. 30 games shows much more than just form. We're in 4th place because, by and large, we've performed better than the 16 teams below us.<br /><br />-- Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:54 pm --<br /><br />

I was firmly in the camp of giving Mancini enough time to mould the team and style of play into something to be feared.

Milner should have played central midfield (his best position) at the expense of Yaya on Saturday with AJ playing wide right,if AJ had received the ball in the positions outside the box that Milner had we could have been 2-0 up at half time-Chelsea first half were there for the taking,His tactics are complete dogshit to be honest.Silva is looking more dissalusioned by the week and is another player playing out of position,Dzeko hasnt got the pace to play deep and is a player who relies on good service in and around the box not picking the ball up on his own half way line.

Tactically Mancini is shit,and if hes lost the dressing room then hes history.

Rijkaard please

Milner for Yaya has some merits, sure, but expecting AJ to play 90 minutes after missing that much time with a busted ankle is ridiculous. If you were to suggest that he should have been brought on sooner, than maybe, but filling your argument with hyperbole like we "could have been 2-0 up at half time" is a bit to far to be realistic.

 

[smiles]

I think he's good going forward, but would be better in a more central role.

Dejong, Barry DMF
Yaya CM
Milner/Silva AM

All too often I see him as the most forward man, and I think he's wasted there. Stick him in the middle of the park and let him do the rest.
More like an Alonso role when he was at the dippers.

I'd like to see a 442 with dejong and yaya in CM, or a 433 with a midfield of dejong, yaya and milner.