Manuel Pellegrini (cont)

[Bill]

Again, you don't do the things Pellegrini has done if you can't set a team up to defend properly. You and one or two others mistake being a negative/pragmatic manager who plays safety first football whenever the opposition get a bit scary with being a good defensive coach. Allardicie or Pulis are the guys for you!

both fat sam and club shop tony would win the league with our squad. even moyes would.

The fact that the biggest wum on this forum is a moderator says quite a lot about it's current state.

MA is not a mod as far as I know. He does chat shit mind.

 

[cookster]

Does any other top side rotate their defence like us?

I don't watch much of La Liga and the German league anymore but I bet they don't.

 

[J_Bow]

Does any other top side rotate their defence like us?

I don't watch much of La Liga and the German league anymore but I bet they don't.

No top team rotates a back four, especially not every game or two the bed rock of any top team.

 

[BobKowalski]

Again in agreement with you. Just picking up on a couple of points:

1. There is a very fine line between hitting the woodwork and scoring. We have hit the woodwork 10 times in the league this season which (with Burnley) is more than anyone else in the league. To put that figure into perspective last year we hit the woodwork 10 times ALL season.

2. There has been a fall off in our percentage of shots on target. We are not as ruthless which is down to the players and not the system.


A couple of interesting stats:

1. We have had more attempts at goal this season than any other team in Europe (5 main leagues)

The top 3 in Europe are:

City 410
Liverpool 398
Real Madrid 392

If we adjust for attempts per game the top 4 are:

Real Madrid 17.8
Bayern 17.8
Juventus 17.2
City 17.1


We are achieving these high figures WHILST restricting opponents to fewer opportunities in the Premier League than anyone else (except Southampton) this season AND than under Mancini in 2011/2012. (I loved Mancini so not taking sides)

And what are the quality of the chances we create and concede and is this argument about chances created/conceded any different to LVG waving dossiers about and redefing what is and what isn't a 'long ball'?

As a general point stats of this type in isolation are indicators only but there is an obvious correlation between them and actual performance/results .... just look at the 4 teams there.

You can drill down into the "attempts" stats and highlight areas where the attempt was made from " inside 6 yard box, inside penalty area, outside penalty area etc etc. Simplistically, attempts from inside the 6 yard box > Inside the penalty area > outside the penalty area. In data terms are attempts are good - for example, City and Bayern are the top 2 teams in Europe for attempts from inside the box. Of course, you have to factor they are playing differnt opposition but interesting all the same.

As for Long Ball, the definition is "an attempted or accurate pass of 25 yards or more". About 15% of all there passess are accurate or inaccurate long balls. We are down at about 8%. As United are now a "passing team" (3rd behind City and Arsenal this season) it means it is 15% of a lot of passes so in absolute terms they have one hell of alot of long passes. In fact they top Europe for the most "accurate" long ball passes. That's where LVG's argument comes into play and the direction of the passess but the funny thing is it will stick with him now.

So in essence and taking the City/Bayern stat for attempts inside the box and that inside the box is better than outside then Pellers is correct to stick with his current strategy as it produces the best chance ratio. Except that in 24 games it hasn't worked but going by the law of averages we stick with it because it must break in our favour at some point.

It's the same with our defensive woes and the argument that as we concede less chances per game than most it's not the system but the players that are the issue. Again I can see the logic yet by God we are conceding some shockers this season just we as did last season. We look increasingly frayed at the back and the persistant doubt I have is that we are always 5 minutes away from a total fuck up. This is not a new concern as I had it last season and I have it even more this season. As for scoring we may be up there with the 'created chances in the box' stat but is that blocked shots in the box? Are they clear chances or half chances? The stats are fine but they do not measure the quality of the chances created or conceded so I dont feel they tell the full story.

It's an interesting debate and despite my preference for a more disciplined, pragmatic approach where we control the game I have sympathy for Pellers in sticking with his beliefs - although having just seen the team for Stoke it seems pragmatism may have won out.

 

[cookster]

Just seen the latest interview an he's moaning about opposition sides not having "attacking intent". Sounds like a broken record ATM.

 

[deano ou812]

Just seen the latest interview an he's moaning about opposition sides not having "attacking intent". Sounds like a broken record ATM.

Hope that's not him getting excuses in when we fail to move the ball about with any pace or not taking shots on when the chance presents itself...

 

[NQCitizen]

If the players still 'love' Pellegrini they've got a funny way of showing it.

Two managers. Two titles. Two lame defences. Two players (Aguero and Yaya) pulling us out of the mire each season.

Perhaps it was the other players all along...

*edit: I might be made to look a bit of a tit by a glorious win, but that's ok*

 

[blueinsa]

Well done gaffer.

Played with a passion and desire once more and in that 2nd half we had a real purpose about us.

 

[pudge]

At last it seems he gave the players a bollocking at half time, good job.

 

[FantasyIreland]

At last it seems he gave the players a bollocking at half time, good job.

Nah....he's too much of a pussy,i reckon he passed the buck.