Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[BillyShears]

It's not just yesterday's performance though is it? It's every game since Christmas. Burnley, Sunderland, Wednesday, Everton, Arsenal, Boro, Chelsea and Hull. That's 8 games, and we've played well and exhibited any kind of control in just one (Chelsea), plus the first 45 in another (Everton). The rest have followed a pattern of shoddy defending and inability to break down parked buses. There's been nothing in those games that makes me think Leicester, West Brom, Palace etc, will be any different, Ya Ya returning or not.

That's fair enough mate, but i've been here before with Pellegrini and with this group of players. Losing the title is one thing but falling further down the table isn't going to happen IMO. If it does I'll be the first to reach for a mea culpa.

 

[Nascent Blues]

Gotta love Bluemoon. Barring the rags and Taggart, and the Arse and Wenger, virtually every manager falters and gets the sack eventually, and sure as eggs is eggs, out come the trumpeting experts - gainfully employed as bank tellers, hairdressers and scaffolders - to tell us they knew it all along, but were mercilessly hounded out of Bluemoon for their beliefs, like Jews from the Pale of Settlement.

You made a statement wishing that other posters would put forward an alternative to the 'we nee to show more passion' brigade, to which I replied. I'm not desperate for you to answer my post, desperate to be proved right and I'm definitely not a 'trumpeting expert', but that team selection was wrong in my eyes and I've explained why. I could be ripped apart for my lack of football knowledge from those that are in a far greater position to dissect such footballing conundrums, and that's fine. However, your descent into the ''trumpeting experts' routine, especially when considering this is a forum for discussion, is bemusing to say the least.

The bemusement is mine, because I was referring neither to you, nor about you! I have no issue with your post whatsoever.

If you have no issue with my post, are the 'trumpeting experts' just posters who don't agree with your stance on things?

It seems strange that you were criticising people for not giving an alternative viewpoint with regards to tactics and team selection, and instead just referring to the players/team needing 'passion'. Yet when posters do question Pellegrini's team selection and put forward an alternative - something which you asked for - they are 'trumpeting experts', unless that is of course you happen to have 'no issue' with their post.

 

[Eccles Blue]

As most of you know I have stated a couple of times on here that in Mr Pellegrini I trust, and I still do trust him but not quite as much as I did before.............. however for me Brian Kidd's face (when I was watching MOTD) said a lot, he looked worried, concerned whatever you like to call it but he definitely didn't look as if he had faith in what was happening. Kiddo seems to do a heck of a lot of work with the players and I just wonder sometimes how he feels about this situation.

 

[wayne71]

Can see a lot more people noticing what a few of us have been saying for a few months

And yet we were hounded out for having those opinions, only on Bluemoon

I think a few people have invested so much praise in Pellegrini that they can no longer see the wood from the trees

Its not the managers fault this time, its the squads 'end of the cycle' ;)

I think we'll make top 4 but we'll struggle to hold on to 2nd place unless something drastic changes.

We seemed to have no end of inside info when the previous manager was struggling so it would be interesting to have some info on what the hell is going on behind the scenes.

 

[blueinsa]

Can see a lot more people noticing what a few of us have been saying for a few months

And yet we were hounded out for having those opinions, only on Bluemoon

I think a few people have invested so much praise in Pellegrini that they can no longer see the wood from the trees

Its not the managers fault this time, its the squads 'end of the cycle' ;)

I think we'll make top 4 but we'll struggle to hold on to 2nd place unless something drastic changes.

We seemed to have no end of inside info when the previous manager was struggling so it would be interesting to have some info on what the hell is going on behind the scenes.

Like buses, fuck all then 2 come at the same time......

 

[Didsbury Dave]

He keeps saying we need to "return to our normal performance".
Against Chelsea we get back to our normal level of performance then the next game he drops two outstanding performers (navas and milner) and changes formation.
Absolutely staggering.
yesterday should have been the same team that played at Chelsea no questions asked.

Bizarre that people keep saying this.

We've been missing Nasri's tight passing like made, and yesterday was a 442 team set up to utilise both silva and Nasri as playmakers. He was always coming back into the team when available because his and yaya's absense together have meant that we haven't had enough creative: navas has been hitting the front man with every cross and silva has been getting marked out of games.

The problem with the first half yesterday was not tactics. It was intensity and creativity. They were all taking the safe option instead of gambling. And, following a performance like Chelsea, where we didn't let them get out of heir own half by aggressively pressing and harrying, it was shocking to see how we strolled around and waited for everyone else to do the dirty work.

The problem with the SECOND half was tactics. We went to a diamond midfield and the whole area around the hole got crowded. Nasri was dead on his feet and kept playing it safe. Jovetic didn't know where the hell he was meant to be because we effectively had 3/4 'hole' players all trying to play in the same area.

You could see that the pressure is building on Pellegrini in that second half. He was trying to be bold and decisive and in reality he was panicking. Too many subs, too many shape changes, too much uncertainly on the field. He should have decisively changed thing at half time with the introduction of navas and lampard, for Nasri and Fernando. Then he should have left it to work. Maybe jovetic for one of the strikers a bit later.

He needs to steady the ship for the second time this season, but he's running out of options as we could be out of all competitions if we don't put it right soon. I'd be surprised if he was sacked in the summer but if we fall away now he might well be.

I still think he has it in him but if he goes he goes. No big deal as long as we get a quality replacement and don't take a punt on Vieira or someone. Guardiola would be just the ticket.

 

[baildon blue]

The defending for Hull goal reminded me of when Frank Clarke was in charge .
I saw many mistakes that 1997-1998 season .
Even near the end it was keystone cops defending by Vincent Kompany .
What I'm getting at is Pellergrini needs to start sorting these really silly mistakes in defence .

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

You made a statement wishing that other posters would put forward an alternative to the 'we nee to show more passion' brigade, to which I replied. I'm not desperate for you to answer my post, desperate to be proved right and I'm definitely not a 'trumpeting expert', but that team selection was wrong in my eyes and I've explained why. I could be ripped apart for my lack of football knowledge from those that are in a far greater position to dissect such footballing conundrums, and that's fine. However, your descent into the ''trumpeting experts' routine, especially when considering this is a forum for discussion, is bemusing to say the least.

The bemusement is mine, because I was referring neither to you, nor about you! I have no issue with your post whatsoever.

If you have no issue with my post, are the 'trumpeting experts' just posters who don't agree with your stance on things?

It seems strange that you were criticising people for not giving an alternative viewpoint with regards to tactics and team selection, and instead just referring to the players/team needing 'passion'. Yet when posters do question Pellegrini's team selection and put forward an alternative - something which you asked for - they are 'trumpeting experts', unless that is of course you happen to have 'no issue' with their post.

Clearly I'm going to have to spell out the bleeding obvious to you. I was referring solely to Chris's ill disguised "a few of us have been saying it for months" boast. Given that I was replying directly to him, I have no idea why you have chosen to assume it was about you (or anyone other than Chris come to that). I hope that's now clear enough

 

[Deleted member 58678]

We've struggled for a fair amount of time, including part of our unbeaten run. We finally get something going and look like we might turn a corner at Chelsea and he changes the fucking team including dropping two of our better performers in that Chelsea game. That's unbelivably poor management!

If Barça need a goal they never take Iniesta off. Just like we should never take Silva off (especially when we have no Yaya and Nasri is unfit) when we need a goal(s). Later in the game when defenders are tired Silva can spot on lapse in concentration and could easily set up a goalscoring chance.

Remember "Fortress Etihad"? Well we've won two of our last six home games. We've lost seven games at home in twelve months. We've dropped 12 points at home this season and we're only in February. We've scored one goal (a set piece) in 4.5 hours of football at home. We've scored just two goals from open play in the first half at home this season. We've been knocked out of three cup competitions at home in the last year, all three against teams we'd well expect to beat (not like it was Chelsea). This is the worst we've been at home since Pearce.

 

[manimanc]

We've lost twice in the last 20 games...
I prefer to have a glass half full....