Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[Lavinda Past]

Just read the last couple of pages, and what a spoilt bunch of mard arses we've become. Looks like a lot of our fans agree that we didn't actually win the league last season, more like Liverpool and Chelsea threw it away.

That's very nearly funny.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Just read the last couple of pages, and what a spoilt bunch of mard arses we've become. Looks like a lot of our fans agree that we didn't actually win the league last season, more like Liverpool and Chelsea threw it away.

The polarisation of views has become entrenched. I like Pellegrini and admire and appreciate what he did last year. This year some of his formations, tactics, selections and substitutions have invited criticism and question. Still support him though - he deserves and has earned the chance to put it right. To not want him is one thing, but some of the vitriol and disrespect is uncalled for.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Just finished writing my KOTK article, which includes a piece on our troubles, and therefore been thinking very deeply about this. Firstly, we've started four of our six away games playing 4-4-2 and won three of them. However, the two we started playing 4-3-3, we drew both. So I refuse to blame the system itself for our performances.

He will be grilled by the Barca boys about what's causing the underperformance but suppose he says "There are too many players who are too far in their comfort zone and we need to get them out?" If they accept this, then not only do I think he won't be sacked but he'll be allowed another season, having ditched those not prepared to put in the effort.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Just finished writing my KOTK article, which includes a piece on our troubles, and therefore been thinking very deeply about this. Firstly, we've started four of our six away games playing 4-4-2 and won three of them. However, the two we started playing 4-3-3, we drew both. So I refuse to blame the system itself for our performances.

He will be grilled by the Barca boys about what's causing the underperformance but suppose he says "There are too many players who are too far in their comfort zone and we need to get them out?" If they accept this, then not only do I think he won't be sacked but he'll be allowed another season, having ditched those not prepared to put in the effort.

It's obvious to anyone who cares to look.
[1] YaYa can no longer be 1 of 2 players in midfield who has to defend. For whatever reason this season his defending sucks. So much so we have 1 player (YaYa's partner) facing 2 or 3 in front of our defence when the opposition counter attack.
[2] Frequent changing of players on the left side of defence. Just how the hell is Mangella supposed to get used to the Prem if he plays with different players every week?
[1] +[2] leads to [3] Fernando's confidence is down the toilet. Not helped by the fact he's giving the ball away too much.
[4] The opposition are defending with a narrow back 4 and a packed central midfield. They are quite happy to let us have the ball as they believe they will deal with the crosses. They press when we have the ball and if we lose it they counter attack quickly by passing YaYa and leaving Fernando/Fernandinho in a 1 v 3 situation.
[5] Our speed of counter attack is non very slow.
[6] Always the extra pass, Why shoot or dribble when the extra pass is the easier option?
[7] Sagna is not an overlapping full back (yet). We haven't won yet when he starts. He's getting better but without Zabs runs we miss a huge part of our attacking game.

Lots more but I can't be bothered

The answers to the first few involve pushing YaYa well up the pitch and playing James Milner and Fernandinho as the central defensive midfield pair and introducing Fernando gradually into a solid unit.

 

[Kazzydeyna]

Just read the last couple of pages, and what a spoilt bunch of mard arses we've become. Looks like a lot of our fans agree that we didn't actually win the league last season, more like Liverpool and Chelsea threw it away.

Agreed. Shock horror, we may not win it this season. But - ready yourselves for a shock blues - teams don't win the league every season. Not this league.

Let's say we only finish third this year.

That means we've finished 3rd (on goal diff v 2nd), 1st, 2nd, 1st, 3rd in 5 seasons. With an fa cup and league cup and charity shield thrown in for good measure.

Not good enough clearly.

After waiting 35 yrs for a trophy - any trophy - and 44 yrs for a league title to have done the above in 5 seasons is monumental.

But not for some of us. Some of us have become all that we used to hate about that lot from down the road.

I slagged MP off early last season too , which might make me a hypocrite this time around but I learned from that. Have patience and enjoy the best city sides any of us have ever seen.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Our serge seems to be doing ok.

He does indeed. Didn't play much last season though, did he?

PS, I accept the premise that all players have different thresholds when it comes to sustaining levels of performance, if it means an end to the fatuous debate of comparing this player with that player.......

You invaded Poland

Lol! :-)

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Just read the last couple of pages, and what a spoilt bunch of mard arses we've become. Looks like a lot of our fans agree that we didn't actually win the league last season, more like Liverpool and Chelsea threw it away.

The polarisation of views has become entrenched. I like Pellegrini and admire and appreciate what he did last year. This year some of his formations, tactics, selections and substitutions have invited criticism and question. Still support him though - he deserves and has earned the chance to put it right. To not want him is one thing, but some of the vitriol and disrespect is uncalled for.

Good call. My concern as well, which is partially unrelated to Pellegrini, is that I don't think any manager out there could fashion a silk purse out of Fernando, Fernandinho, Jovetic, Lampard, Nasri and an ageing Ya Ya, in terms of a winning combination. There's very little pace there with which to either counterattack or press, if you play Ya Ya it has be in the no.10 role in a 4-5-1, something he was piss awful at on Saturday and also leaves you with the problem of where to play Silva, and so on and so on. Questions need to be asked of our transfer buying strategy as much as they do the manager

 

[BillyShears]

Sounds to me like he's cracking, maybe he wants putting out of his misery so he can pick up a payoff.

I'll tell you something for free Rammy, we should be careful what we wish for. When Mancini went Pellegrini was at least on the market, but going into next summer without a manager is gong to see our pool of candidates very limited. Klopp isn't going to leave Dortmund. As much as we'd all love it to be true, did you see his celebrations after they won at the weekend? It's not just not gonna happen.

Same applies to Bayern and Pep. To me it's just fanciful that he's going to leave Bayern and arguably one of the most complete squads in the world, and pitch up at City this summer where he's probably got literally only five or six players capable of playing the way he wants. It's a pipe dream.

That's not to say that Manuel isn't in danger, as he clearly needs to arrest this slide pronto. However I really fear if Abu Dhabi can't get one of the two guys mentioned above, the third choice is going to lead us straight back up the road we're currently on.

I'm fucked if I know what to do right now.

 

[NipHolmes]

Wins the double.
No pre season for many key players in the team.
Lost Negredo and not able to replace.
Most difficult opening fixtures of any side in the league.
Injuries.
Bayern was a close game, should've had penalty and then lost the game. Roma close again and we were robbed in Moscow with that equalizing penalty.
Chelsea fixture we should've had penalty via Costa foul on Dzeko. Arsenal fixture we should've had a penalty via Wilshere handball.
Cap off the fact we were hamstrung by FFP.

Third place isn't so bad for a team in a 'bad moment'. We have been unfortunate so far imho and once form returns we will be fine. Chelsea have had a tremendous start and its almost unfair to compare ourselves to what is imo a perfect start from them. When you get a piss easy CL group and add Costa, Fabregas and Luis to a team it's no wonder they've improved their showings in the league. Fair dues to them, I have no problem finishing second to them should they continue being hard to beat and resilient in winning, they play good football and look drilled all over the pitch.

Keep the faith blues. If you want to cheering up look at United's summer business and their league position. Fingers crossed they miss top4 again.

 

[BillyShears]

Wins the double.
No pre season for many key players in the team.
Lost Negredo and not able to replace.
Most difficult opening fixtures of any side in the league.
Injuries.
Bayern was a close game, should've had penalty and then lost the game. Roma close again and we were robbed in Moscow with that equalizing penalty.
Chelsea fixture we should've had penalty via Costa foul on Dzeko. Arsenal fixture we should've had a penalty via Wilshere handball.
Cap off the fact we were hamstrung by FFP.

Third place isn't so bad for a team in a 'bad moment'. We have been unfortunate so far imho and once form returns we will be fine. Chelsea have had a tremendous start and its almost unfair to compare ourselves to what is imo a perfect start from them. When you get a piss easy CL group and add Costa, Fabregas and Luis to a team it's no wonder they've improved their showings in the league. Fair dues to them, I have no problem finishing second to them should they continue being hard to beat and resilient in winning, they play good football and look drilled all over the pitch.

Keep the faith blues. If you want to cheering up look at United's summer business and their league position. Fingers crossed they miss top4 again.

I think we'd all settle for 2nd/3rd if there was a little more indication about where things are heading. Part of the issue with Pellegrini is his age and the fact that most of us seem to feel even if he stays beyond this season, he isn't going to be here longer than 1 more season after that.

There's something very insidious about managerial instability especially where the players are concerned. As much as I agree with Soriano's vision that managers generally are best in 3/5 year cycles, you have acknowledge that having that sort of mindset leaves a weakness players can exploit if they don't fancy the manager.