No Yaya in the team...

[fatbloke]

If we play in the champions lge without him we will get taught a lesson in how to keep the football non of our other midfielders can pass/keep the ball like him.

We get taught "ball retention" lessons in the Champions League because Yaya is like a traffic cone and we can't press quickly enough to get the fucking thing back.

 

[uwe rosler 28]

We get taught "ball retention" lessons in the Champions League because Yaya is like a traffic cone and we can't press quickly enough to get the fucking thing back.

No we get these lessons as nobody can keep hold of the ball

 

[BlueAnorak]

If we play in the champions lge without him we will get taught a lesson in how to keep the football non of our other midfielders can pass/keep the ball like him.

On the contrary, if we play YaYa in a defensive 2 we will get beat as:
(1) The good teams exploit the space he occasionally leaves behind him; AND
(2) The opposition overload on our defence if he is caught forward and he fails to pick up a runner going up to join the opposition defence.
Now - if we play with a defensive 3 this isn't too bad but with a 2 it's cost us so many times in Europe I've lost count.

 

[schfc6]

↑
We get taught "ball retention" lessons in the Champions League because Yaya is like a traffic cone and we can't press quickly enough to get the fucking thing back.

No we get these lessons as nobody can keep hold of the ball


You lads should talk about the chicken and the egg... It would be easier to solve.

 

[Viridian]

clearly Yaya's role in the side needs to change because he's 32 now and therefore can't do the 90-minute box-to-box job he's done twice a week for the last six years (yep, i've mentioned that on purpose). but he's the sort of player you still build a team around, and given our current shortage of attacking midfielders (De Bruyne and Nasri injured, Roberts on loan) it might be worth changing to 4-3-3 with Yaya at the front of the midfield triangle. we did it in Sevilla and it worked wonders, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to make that work in the league. Yaya can't dominate matches like he used to - only a fool would demand it of him - but we can use his remaining strengths to our advantage now that our squad is stretched. it would suggest that Pellegrini is learning quicker than he usually does if we were to change to a 4-3-3 against Sunderland, with Delph or Fernando next to Fernandinho in the two and Yaya just in front. it's either that or we take advantage of Kelechi's good form and revert to 4-4-2, which wouldn't be the worst idea but would leave us a little short in crucial areas considering Sunderland seem to pack the midfield these days and punt it to Defoe.

but yeah, Yaya still has to start the majority of our games and a couple of cup wins against shit teams without him in the side doesn't really sway me from that opinion.

 

[OB1]

Please feel free to explain because I reckon 95% of us here won't have a clue what "ball recoveries" mean if it doesn't include interceptions and tackles. Unless its picking up the ball after someone else has made a tackle I'm out of ideas.

You don't need ideas if you can use Google ;-)

From Opta's Event Definitions:

Recovery

This is where a player wins back the ball when it has gone loose or where the ball has been played directly to him.

Tackles

A tackle is defined as where a player connects with the ball in ground challenge where he successfully takes the ball away from the man in possession. All tackles are really a successful event.

A Tackle Won is deemed to be where the tackler or one of his team-mates regains possession as a result of the challenge, or that the ball goes out of play and is "safe".

A Tackle Lost is where a tackle is made but the ball goes to an opposition player.

Interception

This is where a player intentionally intercepts a pass by moving into the line of the intended ball.

- See more at: http://optasports.com/news-area/blog-optas-event-definitions.aspx#sthash.MxBGWgiX.dpuf

 

[OB1]

Nice to see some common sense on this thread today.

The problem that often arises on forums is that views get polarised; even when people do not necessarily have extreme views. I try to take the approach of focussing on the positive aspects of individuals rather than the negative, which doesn't mean I never criticise, but one of the reasons I spend more time "defending" Yaya and Pellegrini is that there more than enough people queuing up to criticise. In the case of Yaya, I confess that I find it odd that there has been a seemingly constant need since he arrived for some to focus on the weaknesses of a player who is one of the most complete that I have personally watched and who I am sure, in the Opta sense, has been City's most influential since he joined the club.

I love my stats, I can't help it (my job is all about numbers FFS), but my eyes told me on Saturday that there was a Yaya sized hole in our midfield in terms of controlling the ball and it is usually the case in his absence. It didn't matter on Saturday against Villa but it will against more adept opposition. I also felt on Saturday that despite all the running about City's midfield did, they didn't do a particularly good job of regaining possession and Villa actually did a better job of that. We didn't need Yaya on Saturday and he did need resting but if he had been in front of two of the guys who did play in midfield, I reckon we would have had greater control of the game. That's hypothetical but was is not is the need to be able to play consistently and convincingly without Yaya starting and we simply do not yet have enough evidence to show that we can. Maybe Dinho or Silva or Nasri can yet step to the plate to be the hub of the side; maybe a new approach will have to be the way forward.

 

[fatbloke]

You don't need ideas if you can use Google ;-)

From Opta's Event Definitions:

Recovery

This is where a player wins back the ball when it has gone loose or where the ball has been played directly to him.

Tackles

A tackle is defined as where a player connects with the ball in ground challenge where he successfully takes the ball away from the man in possession. All tackles are really a successful event.

A Tackle Won is deemed to be where the tackler or one of his team-mates regains possession as a result of the challenge, or that the ball goes out of play and is "safe".

A Tackle Lost is where a tackle is made but the ball goes to an opposition player.

Interception

This is where a player intentionally intercepts a pass by moving into the line of the intended ball.

- See more at: http://optasports.com/news-area/blog-optas-event-definitions.aspx#sthash.MxBGWgiX.dpuf

So basically "if you stand around long enough and don't track runners into the box, eventually the ball will come back out to you".

 

[belperboy1]

Fatboke...... why do you continue to converse with them.?

Yaya will soon be gone now anyway .

Good luck to him in China or Dubai or wherever he trots up with his nice agent/mate.

 

[moorsideblue]

Can I ask mate did you think we looked any more solid defensively in that game without Yaya on the pitch?

seeing as we have kept a clean sheet in the last 3 games he hasn't started then yeah

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

In regards opposition using a high press, is it not more beneficial to have your technically more proficient players to counter this? The way to beat the press is by passing your way out of it, no?

Fwiw I don't think we look all that more solid defensively when Yaya is not on the pitch but I do think we lose a certain amount of control in general when he isn't.

it worked well against the dippers then ?

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

it worked well against the dippers then ?

Yeah, that defeat was nothing at all to do with a defence that included Demichellis, Mangala and Kolorov and an off form Sagna. We could have had Messi, Ronaldo and the three best midfielders in the world playing for us that day and we still would have lost.

 

[Barry Conlons wig]

In regards opposition using a high press, is it not more beneficial to have your technically more proficient players to counter this? The way to beat the press is by passing your way out of it, no?

Fwiw I don't think we look all that more solid defensively when Yaya is not on the pitch but I do think we lose a certain amount of control in general when he isn't.

what exactly are you

Nice to see some common sense on this thread today.

The problem that often arises on forums is that views get polarised; even when people do not necessarily have extreme views. I try to take the approach of focussing on the positive aspects of individuals rather than the negative, which doesn't mean I never criticise, but one of the reasons I spend more time "defending" Yaya and Pellegrini is that there more than enough people queuing up to criticise. In the case of Yaya, I confess that I find it odd that there has been a seemingly constant need since he arrived for some to focus on the weaknesses of a player who is one of the most complete that I have personally watched and who I am sure, in the Opta sense, has been City's most influential since he joined the club.

I love my stats, I can't help it (my job is all about numbers FFS), but my eyes told me on Saturday that there was a Yaya sized hole in our midfield in terms of controlling the ball and it is usually the case in his absence. It didn't matter on Saturday against Villa but it will against more adept opposition. I also felt on Saturday that despite all the running about City's midfield did, they didn't do a particularly good job of regaining possession and Villa actually did a better job of that. We didn't need Yaya on Saturday and he did need resting but if he had been in front of two of the guys who did play in midfield, I reckon we would have had greater control of the game. That's hypothetical but was is not is the need to be able to play consistently and convincingly without Yaya starting and we simply do not yet have enough evidence to show that we can. Maybe Dinho or Silva or Nasri can yet step to the plate to be the hub of the side; maybe a new approach will have to be the way forward.

whattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

 

[kippax91]

Been a great and important player for us jst sadly not at is best anymore

 

[adrianr]

Need to keep an eye on this one if everyone is sure he definitely isn't staying under Pep.

 

[Burtonblue]

He will be off to Inter this summer with our blessing.
Definitely will not fit into Peps style of play.
Will help reduce our wage bill although I suspect we will end up subsidising his move as no way can Inter afford his wages...

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Yeah, that defeat was nothing at all to do with a defence that included Demichellis, Mangala and Kolorov and an off form Sagna. We could have had Messi, Ronaldo and the three best midfielders in the world playing for us that day and we still would have lost.

we couldnt handle the high press or energy of the dippers , (who admittedly always treat a fixture against us , as their cup final) , it obviously wasnt all yaya's fault , but our ball retention in midfield was awful and yaya's inability to "track back" was alarming, which in turn put pressure on , an out of sorts the defence. The yaya subject is really incidental now , because his odious agent has already slagged Pep in the press ,and will be looking for his next payday. Would still like to see yaya leave the club on a high with a couple of winners medals , the least he deserves for his contribution to our recent success .

 

[Dax777]

In regards opposition using a high press, is it not more beneficial to have your technically more proficient players to counter this? The way to beat the press is by passing your way out of it, no?

Fwiw I don't think we look all that more solid defensively when Yaya is not on the pitch but I do think we lose a certain amount of control in general when he isn't.

We don't.What we often gain in more intensity on the defending end, is lost because we control the ball less. So in the end it's a Zero gain. Sure we make a few more tackles, but we end up giving up as many chances cause we simply don't control the ball as well. The stats back it up. Opposition's chances created doesn't change whether we play Yaya or not.

 

[Dax777]

Please feel free to explain because I reckon 95% of us here won't have a clue what "ball recoveries" mean if it doesn't include interceptions and tackles. Unless its picking up the ball after someone else has made a tackle I'm out of ideas.

Well, perhaps you should have asked!

 

[citijin]

you should all listen to Etoo and what he said about Guardiola. You will have an idea about who guardiola is, and why Yaya wont be here next year.

unfortunately the interview is in french, and i could not find an english translation.