Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[cleavers]

I'm not sure why you think it's wishful thinking that we'll stuff United btw. Nothing, and I mean literally nothing, they have shown so far this season suggests that they have any chance of keeping us out or taking points off us. Of the teams in the top 6 they are comfortably the least dangerous both as an attacking force and as a defensive unit. That's not some sort of arrogance on my part, I've got a family of reds and have seen plenty of them this season. I'm still scratching my head as to how they are in the top 4 when they have been so awful for so long.

Agree with all of that, however it doesn't make it a foregone conclusion like so many think, we only need to be 10% off, and they will want to put a halt on our current win of straight wins, no matter how poor they look they are still capable of getting a draw or win, so I'll continue to be pragmatic.

As for the other results, we only need to look at the previous 2 home games for examples of why we can still lose games we shouldn't, good performance and result as Saturday was.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

But will we ever lead the table from start to finish?? We always have to play catchup or come from behind! Would be nice to fire from the start and win the title with games to go

Sir Bob would have done that this season.

100% ;-)

 

[BobKowalski]

But will we ever lead the table from start to finish?? We always have to play catchup or come from behind! Would be nice to fire from the start and win the title with games to go

It would be nice, wouldn't it (though probably nowhere near as satisfying)?

Having pleasing thoughts of going top after the 37th game and then winning the last game to clinch the title having spent a total of 1 week in 1st place. Keep me laughing all summer that would.

 

[BillyShears]

He's not alone, much as I think we could go unbeaten, everything we've watched this season suggests otherwise, we might go 10 without defeat, but there will always be another West Ham, Stoke, Burnley performance in the team. I said yesterday I think we'll end up around the 85 point mark, that could be enough, as I think Chelsea are equally capable of giving away stupid points too.

Its like all the "we'll stuff united" comments I keep reading, its wishful thinking, based on the two squads we should but its by no means certain we will, and I'd rather not tempt fate on that, or the idea of winning 14 out of the remaining 15 games. Right now I'd just like to see us beat Hull on Saturday, and take it from there, because our home form this season hasn't been good enough.

I appreciate your pragmatism in terms of what the future holds for this season - however I don't envisage that remainder of this season to be as erratic as the last few months have been. Taking your three examples (West Ham, Burnley, Stoke) I'd say we dropped points in those matches for very different reasons and they were all games at different points in the team's evolution over the season. My own confidence is premised on the idea that we won't suffer anymore injuries to big players and that the spine of the team stays fit and available between now and the end of the season. If that happens we won't be beaten again this season.

I'm not sure why you think it's wishful thinking that we'll stuff United btw. Nothing, and I mean literally nothing, they have shown so far this season suggests that they have any chance of keeping us out or taking points off us. Of the teams in the top 6 they are comfortably the least dangerous both as an attacking force and as a defensive unit. That's not some sort of arrogance on my part, I've got a family of reds and have seen plenty of them this season. I'm still scratching my head as to how they are in the top 4 when they have been so awful for so long.

Yet they sit not far behind us having conceded less goals than we have.

Yes, we should beat them but we have managed to beat them on many occasions when they were the clear favourites. Referees can also play a big part in away derbies.

Of course at any given moment a referee can impact a game, or we could be off our game or we could suffer key injuries again. I just happen to believe that neither thing will happen. It's not definitive because I don't have a crystal ball and i'm not psychic but I feel comfortable looking at our remaining fixtures and feeling like I wouldn't expect us to lose another game, especially if we beat Liverpool away.

In terms of the rags having conceded less goals that doesn't mean they have a better defence than ours. It just means that they have spent more of their games defending and trying to keep clean sheets than going up the other end and scoring goals. I'm sure that if Pellegrini played a rigid tactical set up like TT (or Mourinho for that matter) does maybe we'd concede less too. But maybe we'd score less too.

Personally I like the shit or bust nature of our football, it's both entertaining, and deeply satisfying because last season it took us to a double and this season who knows how far it could take us.

 

[richards30]

But will we ever lead the table from start to finish?? We always have to play catchup or come from behind! Would be nice to fire from the start and win the title with games to go

It would be nice, wouldn't it (though probably nowhere near as satisfying)?

I'd love us to just demolish the league with every record broken! To do the domestic treble and semi or final of the champions league.

 

[BillyShears]

Agree with all of that, however it doesn't make it a foregone conclusion like so many think, we only need to be 10% off, and they will want to put a halt on our current win of straight wins, no matter how poor they look they are still capable of getting a draw or win, so I'll continue to be pragmatic.

As for the other results, we only need to look at the previous 2 home games for examples of why we can still lose games we shouldn't, good performance and result as Saturday was.

I see you're determined to dampen my confidence and enthusiasm for the remainder of the season! :)

It's football, anything can happen, I get it. I'm doing my optimists of the world unite routine today. The very fact I can do it on a Monday suggests I might be onto something!

 

[cleavers]

I see you're determined to dampen my confidence and enthusiasm for the remainder of the season! :)

Not really, especially the enthusiasm, I'd sooner read that, than some of the plain wumming of others, but while I'm enthusiastic, I'm not quite so confident, (especially on injuries) so I'm keeping my expectations in check. If we're still only a few points behind, or better still level, going into April, then I'll start getting more giddy, right now there's more than a third of the season to go, and we have some tricky away games to come, so I'm happy to take one game at a time right now.

I'm one of those that reads the pre-match threads for every game, and sees the overly optimistic results being predicted every week, tempting fate, things like beating Chelsea 3-0 at SB, or beating Arsenal at home 4-0, neither were impossible, but both highly unlikely, especially the way we have been playing since the turn of the year. We have the best squad, but they still have to play well, and we've had a few under par for long periods of this season

I can see all the reasons for your optimism, and don't want to disagree with them, but I'll keep my feet on the ground for now.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

4 games 4 points, so a point a game.

Pellegrini is 2 games and 1 point, so half a point a game. In your eyes somewhat less than reasonable I assume.

The time to make the comparison is when they've both had the same number of cracks at the task, but in honesty what Pellegrini has or hasn't done at Stamford Bridge is utterly irrelevant as regards to De Niro's original statement, which was that Mancini wouldn't have failed to win Saturday's game. I simply highlighted that that statement was one built on sand, because Mancini had in fact failed to win there on 3 of his 4 visits

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. Even after having the same number of cracks the comparison is rather pointless as they don't take into account the relative strengths of the teams at the time. All these comparisons are irrelevant anyway.

I was merely pointing out that it is rather churlish to try to use it as a stick to beat Manicni with when the current incumbent doesn't boast a better record in that fixture himself.

That's fine, but if you read back through the thread, I in turn only raised the matter in response to someone else's claim that Bob would have made a better fist of it at Stamford Bridge than Pellers, and I wasn't using it as a stick to beat anyone with

 

[Bill]

Man City Hull
Stoke Man City
Man City Newcastle
Liverpool Man City
Man City Leicester
Burnley Man City
Man City West Brom
C Palace Man City
Man Utd Man City
Man City West Ham
Man City A Vila
Spurs Man City
Man City QPR
Swansea Man City
Man City Southampton

Looking at those fixtures, like I said yesterday, I can see us going the rest of the season unbeaten. Personally I think if we beat Liverpool then it'll give us the momentum for the other couple of semi tricky away fixtures.

With the Big Wilf and Yaya back it's going to be one hell of a run in. If we get our noses in front at any point it'll be game over for Mourinho.

Home games should all be won in theory but we have some very difficult away games at places like Liverpool, Spurs, Swansea, Stoke and Palace. Some of those teams are showing improved form and it wouldn't surprise me to see us drop a number of points against them. Then there is the derby where anything can happen.

I'd certainly much rather be in Chelsea's position right now with the fixtures they have left.

with yaya, nasri and bony in place we'll win all those games.

 

[PragueBlue]

Looking at those fixtures, like I said yesterday, I can see us going the rest of the season unbeaten. Personally I think if we beat Liverpool then it'll give us the momentum for the other couple of semi tricky away fixtures.

With the Big Wilf and Yaya back it's going to be one hell of a run in. If we get our noses in front at any point it'll be game over for Mourinho.

Home games should all be won in theory but we have some very difficult away games at places like Liverpool, Spurs, Swansea, Stoke and Palace. Some of those teams are showing improved form and it wouldn't surprise me to see us drop a number of points against them. Then there is the derby where anything can happen.

I'd certainly much rather be in Chelsea's position right now with the fixtures they have left.

with yaya, nasri and bony in place we'll win all those games.

Hope so. It's certainly possible if Bony and Toure come back fully fit and raring to go and we can keep other key players fit.