He was already playing that 442 4222 formation to start with. DeBruyne has to play as a 2nd striker or winger because it's the only way the manager can fit him into his team. Same as Silva has to & Nasri has to. Bony just replaced DeBruyne when he moved out wide. Same system which every fucking manager has seen us play 100 times. Delph had to play out wide so he could get in the team or there is no place for him in a Pellegrini 11. Sterling had to come on even when clearly fucking nowhere near it, because otherwise the manager would have to change the system if he used a different sub or had picked some kids.
Our tired non creative side had no football left in it by the end, so lumped it (badly) but the 11 he started with was full of holes & players being asked to do stuff they are not good at anyhow, thys nervous & disjointed. All this because of ONE injury to Nasri. Replace with like for like player? One if the creative players from the kids teams perhaps ? Change the system perhaps ? Not a chance. Destroy the team, stick players out of position & expect them to play the same anyhow.
People on here slaughtering the players for not being up for it etc, if you take DeBruyne & Auguero out of the equation, the unit feeding them, Delph on one wing, Navas on the other, a def mid & old Yaya as a box to box centre mid basically being told to defend & attack & create. That's a much worse setup than Everton or West Ham etc. Behind that, ageing Zabba, nowhere near match fit Vinny plodding about wasting the ball. It's not a surprise if that 'team' can't create anything, it's a surprise if it can.
His disciples will say it's the only team available to him. No it isn't. It's the team & formation he chose to pick. He has, as predicted, fucked off ALL of the kids who might have been used by now. That's ALL of them including Iheanacho. Don't fucking tell me Iheanacho has been 'nurtured' by this wanker.
Remember Iheanacho ? The kid who came on & kept our winning run going v Crystal Palace ? How we looked forward to him 'coming through' during the rest of the season. A new, exciting, young, dynamic, inspirational goalscoring attacker. Nailed on to make an impact amongst such class players.
Does he look a better player in his cameo appearences now after another year of Pellegrini ? To me he looks nervous & confused as to what to do. Should he just keep the ball moving around in his 3 mins & play safe, or try spectacular stuff to impress the manager ?
He hasn't improved even ONE FUCKING PERCENT under this shithouse. He's learned nothing. He has wasted two fucking years of his life.
The only hope he has is that this clueless old fucking mummy becomes so desperate for ideas that he has no option but to play him. Then he has to hope that after barely kicking a fucking ball at first team level, he can suddenly pick up the pace & find his form. If he can't, his season is over, no way will he get another shot at it.
That's the position Pellegrini has put the kid in. Desperate, rather than inspired. This is the kid Pellegrini said replaced Dzeko by his choice remember?
But it's a better position Iheanacho is in, than all the other kids of his age currently at the club. Lambs to the slaughter in the FA Cup. 'But at least some have shown they can do a job at this level & take part in the squad'. Yeah right. A half fit Sterling with Gareth Barry's pace is a better option than ANY of them apparently.
This fucking bloke could win the Champions League if enough are fit & the 2nd biggest danger, after Real Madrid, is which 11 he will put out if they are all available.
Ronaldo & Pellegrini: the biggest handicaps to us getting through to the Champions League final.