Mancini's selection and tactics

[supercrystal7]

We know we have tried a new formation, but it's a leap to say that the new formation causes the defensive lapses

What about our inability to kill games off when we are in control. That is a recurrent theme too.

I subscribe to the Champions malaise theory. The players just aren't as switched on as they were last season

But if I were Mancini I'd make it as easy as possible for them and go back to 4 at the back

Its also other teams working out where we are at our most vunerable and having the ability to exploit it.

Pressing us in our own half home or away is something we were not used to last season as much as we dominated possession in our opponents half and they could at best catch us on the break ala Sunderland at home and away for that matter.

All sides especially in the second half in all games bar Stoke perhaps have pressed us back deeper and deeper as the games wore on.

Perhaps in part you can call that not being switched on but we certainly lack the ability to link up quickly and keep possession like we did last season.

Until we start to dominate possession and move the ball quickly in the opposition half for long periods we will continue to leak goals.

I don't think teams are adopting new tactics against us. I think we are conceding possession cheaply so teams are having more of the attacking play. They are just taking advantage of our general sub-standard play. I am confident we will put this right

This is precisely why you need options when plan A is not working. Would feel more confident of winning a match if you took of Toure and Silva?

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

 

[Ragnarok]

Its also other teams working out where we are at our most vunerable and having the ability to exploit it.

Pressing us in our own half home or away is something we were not used to last season as much as we dominated possession in our opponents half and they could at best catch us on the break ala Sunderland at home and away for that matter.

All sides especially in the second half in all games bar Stoke perhaps have pressed us back deeper and deeper as the games wore on.

Perhaps in part you can call that not being switched on but we certainly lack the ability to link up quickly and keep possession like we did last season.

Until we start to dominate possession and move the ball quickly in the opposition half for long periods we will continue to leak goals.

I don't think teams are adopting new tactics against us. I think we are conceding possession cheaply so teams are having more of the attacking play. They are just taking advantage of our general sub-standard play. I am confident we will put this right

This is precisely why you need options when plan A is not working. Would feel more confident of winning a match if you took of Toure and Silva?

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

The only person on this forum who speaks footballing sense all the time Well done. i am a big fan of yours.

 

[supercrystal7]

I don't think teams are adopting new tactics against us. I think we are conceding possession cheaply so teams are having more of the attacking play. They are just taking advantage of our general sub-standard play. I am confident we will put this right

This is precisely why you need options when plan A is not working. Would feel more confident of winning a match if you took of Toure and Silva?

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

The only person on this forum who speaks footballing sense all the time Well done. i am a big fan of yours.

Thanks I just try and call things as I see them.

 

[Mancio]

I don't think teams are adopting new tactics against us. I think we are conceding possession cheaply so teams are having more of the attacking play. They are just taking advantage of our general sub-standard play. I am confident we will put this right

This is precisely why you need options when plan A is not working. Would feel more confident of winning a match if you took of Toure and Silva?

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

The only person on this forum who speaks footballing sense all the time Well done. i am a big fan of yours.

+1

its a bit of a shame you have to read a couple of not city fans like him and castle for find some good football brain.

 

[FantasyIreland]

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

We do not have the midfield to play an effective 442.That problem yet again hasn't been addressed.

 

[sir baconface]

In a few years.. management seems so stressful no wonder Pep took a sabbatical.

Even if those pics are carefully selected, they are very graphic. They remind me of how much Blair aged in office only, in his case, he was a canute so I didn't care. I really like Mancini but, stripping away the veneer, he still has things to prove as a very top manager. Few in history have had such resources or the leeway to burn every player they don't like. That can work in the short term and it delivered our first trophies in years. Now the going is rougher Bobby has to either get lucky soon with a good run or show a wider repertoire of managerial skills.

That includes showing greater sensitivity to rotation as well as sound judgment on who to move on and when. In some ways it will be this season more than last when he truly earns his money.

 

[cookster]

Why should Mancini be pissed off about the summer transfer window? we kept our best players on long term deals, got rid of some deadwood and improved the squad. I do think Mancini looks unhappy but perhaps thats because he had control over Marwood, i mean he publically blamed Marwood for the lack of players however could anyone see him behaving the same against Soriano?

Also to the person who said Mancini will be sacked if we lose to Fulham and Dortmund thats the biggest load of shite I have heard. IMO the board will stick with Mancini through a rough patch hence the new 5 year deal however the only way I can see them getting rid of him is if he alienates the dressing room. We all know that man management is not one of Bobby's strong points but I can't help feeling is he carries on the way he is then he will lose the dressing room the comment about Hart and treatment of Dzeko compared to Mario is quite fankly appalling. Against Arsenal I seriously felt sorry for Edin, he was our best player on the pitch who also looked the most likely to create something and gets subbed when an unfit Aguero who IMO had his worst game for city stayed on the pitch was a joke. What has Dzeko got to do to get a run of games?

How on earth have we done that?

Nastasic is an improvement on Savic
Rodwell and Garcia are better options than De Jong and Hargreaves
Maybe AJ is better than Sinclair but not by much IMO and AJ is hardly a world beater
And the return of Tevez.
So I make the current team now an improved team from last season but we are just out of form and Mancini is getting the tactics wrong.

This is exactly my point! We still have the squad that won the Premier League and have added 5 quality players, plus Tevez is here all season. Most Manager's would be more than happy - so what's Mancini's Beef?

 

[supercrystal7]

I have said it before, but Mancini would love to play the 4-4-2 virtually every game. However, if Silva and Toure are not on form it won't work well. The 3-5-2 was to give the team other options.

I don't get the mass hysteria on this forum. It's never good to go out of a cup, but it is hardly the end of the world. More importantly Nastasic and Garcia are being bled into the team quickly, which may be very important in the run in.

We do not have the midfield to play an effective 442.That problem yet again hasn't been addressed.

Mancini tried to address this, by getting a very good pacy winger. It did not happen. Mancini ideally wants to play 4-4-2 without the ball, but giving Silva a lot of freedom with the ball. The other winger would be more orthodox and stay out wide when necessary. The second striker will also drop back onto the winger occasionally. Defensively always a 4-4-2 or rather 4-4-1-1, but with the ball a very fluid 4-4-2 alternating from a 4-2-3-1. He will probably still play this formation with Nasri.

 

[greasedupdeafguy]

4-3-3 would suit us perfectly if we signed a world class winger and a top quality deep lying midfielder. We should have spent the 50 million on those two positions instead of what we did in buying quantity over quality.

 

[Akira]

Personally, I believe the eagerness and drive to succeed in Europe has had a huge effect on our tactics.

Of course we would love to play the simple 4-4-2 but it's common knowledge this outdated formation cannot go far beyond England. Moreover, we do not have the proper midfield setup for this system. Reference the Rags' midfield and ours. The Rag's midfield is heavily generated around work ethic and work rate, ours is on flair, physicality and ball retention. And our wingers, if we even have any, are pacy, nor direct-running enough to play the strengths of a 4-4-2's wide midfield.

Thus, Mancini is trying out a new formation/tactic that is to stabilise us in Europe. Last season, we attempted an all-guns blazing tactic which resembles a 4-2-2-2, brought us huge success domestically. But in Europe, the entire tactic got found out. It was weak on counters and a good attacking move can easily outplay the flat midfield.

I'm not intelligent enough, nor resourceful enough to know whether what Mancini's tinkering is right nor wrong, regardless of 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1, etc, but I'm just saying, with last season's formation, (WHICH actually, if you noticed, before Samir went out, we started with it against Madrid) we wouldn't even go far in Europe. Probably an odd win against Ajax or Dortmund, but another team like Napoli, and we are left for dead.<br /><br />-- Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:44 am --<br /><br />

4-3-3 would suit us perfectly if we signed a world class winger and a top quality deep lying midfielder. We should have spent the 50 million on those two positions instead of what we did in buying quantity over quality.

Bale? They wouldn't sell, and Bale wouldn't leave.