Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[Larry Stranger]

The biggest thing about Pellegrini is his stubborness to play Yaya in a 4-4-2 system especially against the better clubs. I think the decision needs to be made to either keep Yaya and play him further up in a 4-2-3-1 or to get a replacement for him in a 4-4-2. You need someone to keep control of the ball, but you also need to have someone who can break up plays before it gets to you back line. It doesn't matter who you pair with Yaya you'll have that problem in a 4-4-2.

 

[Larry Stranger]

This was extremely concerning to me. We went from total control in the first half to an unbelievable lack of control for 20 mins of the 2nd half. Only stemmed when the subs came on. I was reading how we would have won 4-0 on the post match thread if their keeper hadn't had a blinder but that doesn't tell the full story. They could have had 3 or 4 from either stupid decision making (Bony challenge and Fernando challenge) and poor covering and defending leading to the hit post and miss from 2 yards out.

I'm not sure leaving out the three you mentioned made much difference to be honest. It sent a message but I don't think any of those players would have performed any differently or worse than those who played.

Time will tell if we can sort this out but if not then changes have to be made either with the manager or some players.

We haven't secured anything yet and total focus needs to be on winning the next three very winnable games to build a gap and secure at least 2nd place.

I think that Sergio should have been subbed instead of Bony. I know Bony didn't score and Aguero might be a better striker, but Bony was holding the ball up extremely well and that was one of the reasons why we couldn't control the game after that.

 

[christened at st marks]

This was extremely concerning to me. We went from total control in the first half to an unbelievable lack of control for 20 mins of the 2nd half. Only stemmed when the subs came on. I was reading how we would have won 4-0 on the post match thread if their keeper hadn't had a blinder but that doesn't tell the full story. They could have had 3 or 4 from either stupid decision making (Bony challenge and Fernando challenge) and poor covering and defending leading to the hit post and miss from 2 yards out.

I'm not sure leaving out the three you mentioned made much difference to be honest. It sent a message but I don't think any of those players would have performed any differently or worse than those who played.

Time will tell if we can sort this out but if not then changes have to be made either with the manager or some players.

We haven't secured anything yet and total focus needs to be on winning the next three very winnable games to build a gap and secure at least 2nd place.

I think that Sergio should have been subbed instead of Bony. I know Bony didn't score and Aguero might be a better striker, but Bony was holding the ball up extremely well and that was one of the reasons why we couldn't control the game after that.

Agreed yet another bad sub

 

[jaiguruKun]

Whenever there has been a hint of a crisis before Pellegrini seems to have had a happy knack of reversing the slide. That said, the Liverpool performance was a real red flag signal, a throwback to the latter days of Mancini. In the second half the team just stopped playing in a way I haven't seen for a long time. I'm afraid that the players have lost confidence in him as a result of the utterly nonsensical tactics and team selection against Barca.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

This was extremely concerning to me. We went from total control in the first half to an unbelievable lack of control for 20 mins of the 2nd half. Only stemmed when the subs came on. I was reading how we would have won 4-0 on the post match thread if their keeper hadn't had a blinder but that doesn't tell the full story. They could have had 3 or 4 from either stupid decision making (Bony challenge and Fernando challenge) and poor covering and defending leading to the hit post and miss from 2 yards out.

I'm not sure leaving out the three you mentioned made much difference to be honest. It sent a message but I don't think any of those players would have performed any differently or worse than those who played.

Time will tell if we can sort this out but if not then changes have to be made either with the manager or some players.

We haven't secured anything yet and total focus needs to be on winning the next three very winnable games to build a gap and secure at least 2nd place.

I think that Sergio should have been subbed instead of Bony. I know Bony didn't score and Aguero might be a better striker, but Bony was holding the ball up extremely well and that was one of the reasons why we couldn't control the game after that.

Agreed yet another bad sub

Yet Aguero started playing well when Bony went off. I don't think Aguero likes any of his strike partners to be honest. I think he would be happier playing up front on his own.

He was pissed off enough as it was last night being subbed. If he had been subbed before Bony he would have been fuming. An unhappy Aguero is not good news for us.

 

[city saint]

I think that Sergio should have been subbed instead of Bony. I know Bony didn't score and Aguero might be a better striker, but Bony was holding the ball up extremely well and that was one of the reasons why we couldn't control the game after that.

Agreed yet another bad sub

Yet Aguero started playing well when Bony went off. I don't think Aguero likes any of his strike partners to be honest. I think he would be happier playing up front on his own.

He was pissed off enough as it was last night being subbed. If he had been subbed before Bony he would have been fuming. An unhappy Aguero is not good news for us.

you cant let the tail wag the dog if he thought aguero wasn't doing it he should sub him and not worry if he gets a strop on.the best managers manage the match situation and worry about other problems afterwards

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Agreed yet another bad sub

Yet Aguero started playing well when Bony went off. I don't think Aguero likes any of his strike partners to be honest. I think he would be happier playing up front on his own.

He was pissed off enough as it was last night being subbed. If he had been subbed before Bony he would have been fuming. An unhappy Aguero is not good news for us.

you cant let the tail wag the dog if he thought aguero wasn't doing it he should sub him and not worry if he gets a strop on.the best managers manage the match situation and worry about other problems afterwards

I would agree in general but the last thing I want to see is Aguero pissing off. Bony might have held the ball up well but his finishing was dire. Had he scored one of the great chances he had we wouldn't have had to take anyone off.

 

[g180aj]

When the players knew Mancini was out, they were able to ease off.

Now some of our players know their time is up, they again lack the required level of intensity and motivation.

The by-product of that is the manager suffers the fall-out.

We are seeing the tail-wind of a variety of transfer regimes, from Hughes right through to Txiki/Pellegrini.

It's a patchwork quilt of those who shined, those who whined, those who thrived, and those who should never have been.

Pellegrini is the biggest and most unfortunate recipient of all that.

The only cure can be a clear decisiveness.

An acknowledge of the faults of everyone, and yet an emotional detachment, regardless of what has gone before, in terms of moving forward as a team for the next few years.

That goes for Yaya, Silva, Kompany, whoever.

It's a judgement call that can only be made by the 'informed'

I'm uncomfortable that one man in Txiki, football man or not, seemingly being the absolute overlord over whether a City team is successful or not.

He either trusts Pellegrini with the keys to the vault, or a dismissal HAS TO BE MADE.

His team selections and insistence on 442 isnt down to the players. Nice bloke that he seems, his constant playing of a 442 against teams that flood their central area`s to win is the root of all his and our problems. We get away with this most of the time because the individual quality we have on pitch, dig us out of a hole of Pelligrini`s making. His team selections have been nothing short of shambolic.

I travel with a supporters branch to both home and aways and have lost count of the times groans have rung out on hearing Pelligrini`s team selections. I`m sure anybody whole travels in a large group will back this up, it cant just be our branch

I`m also not happy with the messiah Txiki`s transer business since joining our club either, although to some extent his spending has been hampered by ffp which of course it was designed and evolved to do.

Pellegrini won two trophies in his first season playing 442, so you can perhaps possibly make a case that he has firm evidence of its success.

He continually stresses the word trust in his player.

Whilst him picking 442 isn't down the players, those same players can't suddenly throw their hands up in the air and state it's a flawed system, when Pellegrini can just point them in the direction of the medals in their back pocket.

My assessment is Pellegrini trusts a little too much and it is some of the players, whether down to fitness, age or being disgruntled, who have downgraded the effectiveness of a 442.

For me, systems are just another convenient caveat when things don't work out the way you want them to in competitive sport.

It will always be about desire, intensity and application. 442 against Leicester, 442 against United, the only difference can be all of those attributes.

45,000 against Stoke, 45,000 against United, what is the vast difference between the two atmospheres?

It simply comes down to it mattering all the more and people being up for it.

Quite obviously, you also need to recognise the shortcomings of your personnel, and apply them accordingly.

My view is the manager has been hanging on, pretty much like our supporters, that things would eventually turn for the better, based on what has gone before.

This is the precise reason why Simeone would be perfect for us, the work rate he demands from his players is the biggest and most important thing we lack. He plays in the same way all of the big teams do he presses and wins back possession quickly and attacks at pace and his players buy into his way because of his passion and probably a little out of fear which is good, a boss should be a boss not a push over.

 

[fatbloke]

I don't think the players have the belief in Pellegrini or his tactics in the really big games. It's difficult to remain positive and 100% committed to something you don't believe can work.

One example...
Three seasons on the trot Nasri has played wide against a Bayern Munich or Barcelona and been forced to do so much running it's impossible to then expect him to play football. He's had 3 players to defend against in those games, trying to get back and help the fullback out against Robben/Pedro etc. while covering an overlapping Alvez and also a being expected to tuck in and make an extra man in central midfield against Iniesta or someone equally as good when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch.

I don't even want to know what the fuck the central midfielders are thinking knowing they have to chase 3 top class players and cover the fullbacks, try and protect the central backs and actually play football as well... Good luck..

That's a tactical mistake, 3 seasons in a row by two different managers and you winder why the players are a bit disheartened. Before anyone brings money into it, it's irrelevant. If anyone sees their boss making the same mistakes so many times it's going to affect their commitment as well.

 

[supercity88]

His team selections and insistence on 442 isnt down to the players. Nice bloke that he seems, his constant playing of a 442 against teams that flood their central area`s to win is the root of all his and our problems. We get away with this most of the time because the individual quality we have on pitch, dig us out of a hole of Pelligrini`s making. His team selections have been nothing short of shambolic.

I travel with a supporters branch to both home and aways and have lost count of the times groans have rung out on hearing Pelligrini`s team selections. I`m sure anybody whole travels in a large group will back this up, it cant just be our branch

I`m also not happy with the messiah Txiki`s transer business since joining our club either, although to some extent his spending has been hampered by ffp which of course it was designed and evolved to do.

Pellegrini won two trophies in his first season playing 442, so you can perhaps possibly make a case that he has firm evidence of its success.

He continually stresses the word trust in his player.

Whilst him picking 442 isn't down the players, those same players can't suddenly throw their hands up in the air and state it's a flawed system, when Pellegrini can just point them in the direction of the medals in their back pocket.

My assessment is Pellegrini trusts a little too much and it is some of the players, whether down to fitness, age or being disgruntled, who have downgraded the effectiveness of a 442.

For me, systems are just another convenient caveat when things don't work out the way you want them to in competitive sport.

It will always be about desire, intensity and application. 442 against Leicester, 442 against United, the only difference can be all of those attributes.

45,000 against Stoke, 45,000 against United, what is the vast difference between the two atmospheres?

It simply comes down to it mattering all the more and people being up for it.

Quite obviously, you also need to recognise the shortcomings of your personnel, and apply them accordingly.

My view is the manager has been hanging on, pretty much like our supporters, that things would eventually turn for the better, based on what has gone before.

This is the precise reason why Simeone would be perfect for us, the work rate he demands from his players is the biggest and most important thing we lack. He plays in the same way all of the big teams do he presses and wins back possession quickly and attacks at pace and his players buy into his way because of his passion and probably a little out of fear which is good, a boss should be a boss not a push over.

Simeone plays Mourinho style defensive lines and concentrates on defence first. If you want to see Silva, Nasri etc running themselves into the ground tirelessly and defending for most of the game then fine... he isn't a manager I want to see at the club and he will not allow our best players to play their natural games. He's done well with Atletico but he won't help the progress of our younger players, he won't embrace the tactics we've taught through the whole club. Ancelotti or Guardiola are the only two who might. Possibly Klopp as well. Perhaps Simeone would change style at a different club but let's let him go elsewhere first to find out.