Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

I tend to take the view that the problems are more down to recruitment than the manager. MP has every right to expect that, during Yaya's absence, Fernandhino (a £30m+ signing) will step up and put in the occasional dominant performance.

Where I think MP is open to criticism is with regard to the sheer awful lethargy that has characterised our first half performances at the Etihad this season. Even during our recent decent run the best performances were away at Southampton and Sunderland. The home games were still played at a terribly slow tempo. It was obvious after 10mins yesterday that it was going to be another bad day. I cant remember us really have a go from the start of a game since we played Spurs in October (and perhaps to a lesser extent the derby).

Agree with your comments.

Judging by the article on BBC though, he is as clueless now as he was several weeks ago in how to solve this perceived 'creativity' issue. Dead man walking now IMO; he might not get much say in who the personnel are but he is expected to be able to motivate the team and tease out a performance by adopting the correct tactics. Unfortunately he is obtuse when it comes to playing the Stokes, Hulls, and Middlesboroughs of English football and ultimately, it is often your performances against these minnows that decides the league.

 

[blueinsa]

I tend to take the view that the problems are more down to recruitment than the manager. MP has every right to expect that, during Yaya's absence, Fernandhino (a £30m+ signing) will step up and put in the occasional dominant performance.

Where I think MP is open to criticism is with regard to the sheer awful lethargy that has characterised our first half performances at the Etihad this season. Even during our recent decent run the best performances were away at Southampton and Sunderland. The home games were still played at a terribly slow tempo. It was obvious after 10mins yesterday that it was going to be another bad day. I cant remember us really have a go from the start of a game since we played Spurs in October (and perhaps to a lesser extent the derby).

And they (Spurs) were probably the last team to come to the Etihad and not park a gigantic bus in front of their own goal. It's difficult to generate tempo against teams like that, and particularly when your whole game is based around probing and intricate passing triangles. Bar Navas, and he's extremely one dimensional, we have virtually no real width, pace or dribbling ability, and no-one who can cross a ball, in the entire squad. Pellegrini's copping all the flak (and rightly so in respect of some of his team selections), but whether he's ultimately responsible for the dreadful form of players like Kompany and Zabaleta, what increasingly looks like a busted flush of a footballing philosophy, and the assemblage of a squad that struggles to play any other way, is another matter.
I honestly don't think another manager would make more than a marginal impact with this set of players, and facing blanket defending every week. The issue though is very real, and in the full expectation that we are going to face another 7 parked buses at home, plus another 3 away, I have genuine concerns that we won't finish in the top 4, and if that happens we are royally fucked

Tempo. Play with tempo is the only thing we can do mate.

 

[phil31]

All he has to do is play his best team, week in, week out and keep a settled back 4.

The players have it in there heads, that no matter if they have a great game one week, they will still be dropped the next week, not good for moral.

How Fernando gets a game every week is beyond me. No wonder Milner won't sign a new deal.

MP is on borrowed time. He wants to keep everyone happy and have all the players like him. He needs to be more ruthless.

Tick tock MP

 

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

The team of players we have should be able to go out and beat dogshit like Hull regardless of who the manayis or even without one.

Maybe Pellegrini isn't the right man, but whoever comes in or if he stays, these players need to step up their game because right now this team of champions is playing shite. No effort or urgency. You can forgive a lack of ability, they can't all be Aguero, but laziness in pros representing our great club is unforgivable. The players need to take a long hard look at themselves.

I think there was more than a good chance of Hull setting up the way they did, it was a certainty given their position in the league. I think if the fans on here were given the option to set the team up versus Hull, we would have done a better job of it.

I'm sorry to say that as MP is a great guy but..

 

[mosssideblue]

How long does winning the league and a cup buy a manager?

I think he's struggling!
Changing players for the sake of it, dropping the 3 best players from Chelsea was ridiculous. Playing Nasri for 90mins and having Dzecko doing most of his work outside the box was baffling and taking Silva off was the final straw

If this form carries on, I can't see him being here at the start of next season

Whether you are right or not about his tenor next season, that team he put out yesterday should have had more than enough ability to beat Hull. Not defending his team selection as I thought it was wrong, but surely he must have thought they could win between them

 

[Thenumber1blue]

When was the last time we scored attacking the south stand ?

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I tend to take the view that the problems are more down to recruitment than the manager. MP has every right to expect that, during Yaya's absence, Fernandhino (a £30m+ signing) will step up and put in the occasional dominant performance.

Where I think MP is open to criticism is with regard to the sheer awful lethargy that has characterised our first half performances at the Etihad this season. Even during our recent decent run the best performances were away at Southampton and Sunderland. The home games were still played at a terribly slow tempo. It was obvious after 10mins yesterday that it was going to be another bad day. I cant remember us really have a go from the start of a game since we played Spurs in October (and perhaps to a lesser extent the derby).

Agree with your comments.

Judging by the article on BBC though, he is as clueless now as he was several weeks ago in how to solve this perceived 'creativity' issue. Dead man walking now IMO; he might not get much say in who the personnel are but he is expected to be able to motivate the team and tease out a performance by adopting the correct tactics. Unfortunately he is obtuse when it comes to playing the Stokes, Hulls, and Middlesboroughs of English football and ultimately, it is often your performances against these minnows that decides the league.

What would be helpful is if some of the armchair experts on here told us what the 'correct tactics' are? And by tactics I mean tactics, not meaningless platitudes about having more passion.
We played two completely different 45 minutes yesterday, the first utterly dreadful, bereft of pace and width, with two defensive midfielders having to act as de facto playmakers, and the second with pace, width and no little desire.......and the result was ultimately near enough the same. We didn't score from open play before the break and we didn't score from open play after it.
So is the manager, who did the double last season, really obtuse, or one faced with opponents intent on stifling the game each week and possessed of a squad, assembled with a view to playing a particular way, that lacks several of the qualities needed to circumvent the bus parkers?
Don't get me wrong, I'm far from happy with either manager or team, but I think there is some mitigation to be had.

 

[SWP's back]

You all need to have confidence in Pellegrini in the same way BillyShears does.

14 wins and 1 draw was the prediction last week up until the end of the PL season.

That means you'll win your next 14 games. Do so and your champions.....

And our champions what? Don't leave me in suspense.

 

[SWP's back]

I tend to take the view that the problems are more down to recruitment than the manager. MP has every right to expect that, during Yaya's absence, Fernandhino (a £30m+ signing) will step up and put in the occasional dominant performance.

Where I think MP is open to criticism is with regard to the sheer awful lethargy that has characterised our first half performances at the Etihad this season. Even during our recent decent run the best performances were away at Southampton and Sunderland. The home games were still played at a terribly slow tempo. It was obvious after 10mins yesterday that it was going to be another bad day. I cant remember us really have a go from the start of a game since we played Spurs in October (and perhaps to a lesser extent the derby).

And they (Spurs) were probably the last team to come to the Etihad and not park a gigantic bus in front of their own goal. It's difficult to generate tempo against teams like that, and particularly when your whole game is based around probing and intricate passing triangles. Bar Navas, and he's extremely one dimensional, we have virtually no real width, pace or dribbling ability, and no-one who can cross a ball, in the entire squad. Pellegrini's copping all the flak (and rightly so in respect of some of his team selections), but whether he's ultimately responsible for the dreadful form of players like Kompany and Zabaleta, what increasingly looks like a busted flush of a footballing philosophy, and the assemblage of a squad that struggles to play any other way, is another matter.
I honestly don't think another manager would make more than a marginal impact with this set of players, and facing blanket defending every week. The issue though is very real, and in the full expectation that we are going to face another 7 parked buses at home, plus another 3 away, I have genuine concerns that we won't finish in the top 4, and if that happens we are royally fucked

Burnley came and had a go in that time didn't they?

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I tend to take the view that the problems are more down to recruitment than the manager. MP has every right to expect that, during Yaya's absence, Fernandhino (a £30m+ signing) will step up and put in the occasional dominant performance.

Where I think MP is open to criticism is with regard to the sheer awful lethargy that has characterised our first half performances at the Etihad this season. Even during our recent decent run the best performances were away at Southampton and Sunderland. The home games were still played at a terribly slow tempo. It was obvious after 10mins yesterday that it was going to be another bad day. I cant remember us really have a go from the start of a game since we played Spurs in October (and perhaps to a lesser extent the derby).

And they (Spurs) were probably the last team to come to the Etihad and not park a gigantic bus in front of their own goal. It's difficult to generate tempo against teams like that, and particularly when your whole game is based around probing and intricate passing triangles. Bar Navas, and he's extremely one dimensional, we have virtually no real width, pace or dribbling ability, and no-one who can cross a ball, in the entire squad. Pellegrini's copping all the flak (and rightly so in respect of some of his team selections), but whether he's ultimately responsible for the dreadful form of players like Kompany and Zabaleta, what increasingly looks like a busted flush of a footballing philosophy, and the assemblage of a squad that struggles to play any other way, is another matter.
I honestly don't think another manager would make more than a marginal impact with this set of players, and facing blanket defending every week. The issue though is very real, and in the full expectation that we are going to face another 7 parked buses at home, plus another 3 away, I have genuine concerns that we won't finish in the top 4, and if that happens we are royally fucked

Burnley came and had a go in that time didn't they?

As did Palace, but it was still a performance primarily based on blanket, disciplined defending. Burnley played a lot of long balls into the channels, particularly down their right (our left), and bullied our centre halves. And therein lies a bigger problem for me than our failure to break down parked buses. We are shambolic at the back and can't seem to keep out even the most limited of journeyman forwards