First point.
This is not an anti Mancini thread, i wouldnt dare, and he has to answer to no-one with the possible exception of our owners, however, i am old school, from the days when all teams played 4 games over Xmas and New Year, and before the (awful) squad rotation policies now followed by most teams.
I appreciate the game has changed, but from when i first started watching football (1960`s) you rarely if ever changed a winning team, and the only real reasons to change a player were injury, suspension, or loss of form. I appreciate with a 25 man squad we constantly try to keep everbody happy, but realistically this isnt possible, and more to the point results suffer as a consequence.
This is not a knee jerk, post match reaction, i wasnt happy as soon as i realised players that i, (and i believe most others would agree with ) would be in our best starting line-up, were rested, ie clichy, Richards, Silva, Aguero and Mario, were (i suspect) all rested and saved for the Liverpool match. I accept that had these all been playing, there is still no guarantee that we would have won, but i think we would have had a far better chance. Indeed Roberto almost seems to agree, as from half time onwards, when things were not going well, the resting policy went straight ouit of the window.
Repeating the point, that i have always felt this way, i wasnt happy when Dzeko was rested / rotated after scoring 4 at Spuds, and i couldnt understand resting David Silva against Newcastle, (and still bringing him on, and risking Injury towards the end, when we were already winning.
Sure, i`m not the manager, Roberto is, but i have NEVER understood this obsession with resting players for future games, if you are playing well in the team, you should stay in the team until you are either injured or suspended, the time to totate and give other squad members a game, is when the game is won, eg 3 goals up 15/20 mins to go.
If we had gone down this route, (and won at Sunderland) whats the worst we could be facing now, injured or tired / exhausted players unable to play against Liverpool, so with 3 points (already in the bag other squad members who (may have) had to come in would have had the chance to raise our points total from the 2 games from 3 to 4 or 6 we may indeed with a potentially weakened team have lost to Liverpool and stayed on 3 points, but that is now the BEST points we can hope for, and we have to win to achieve that.
Pretty much, everytime i have questioned the team selection(as players have been rotated) we have still won, and i presume must will say that proves the decision to rotate was right. Personally i think we have continued to do well and win DESPITE rotation /resting, not because of it.
Winning the next match, is by and large not relevant, if you dont win the current match.
As Cup holders, i think EVERY match from hereon in is a priority, (ok Europa League should be assessed on an ongoing basis, and weighed up according to whether or not we are still in the other 2 cups) therefore , our strongest available team should start EVERY game, substitutions should be for injury, or tactical, as and when needs must, and for rotation / resting only when the game is won.
thoughts?
This is not an anti Mancini thread, i wouldnt dare, and he has to answer to no-one with the possible exception of our owners, however, i am old school, from the days when all teams played 4 games over Xmas and New Year, and before the (awful) squad rotation policies now followed by most teams.
I appreciate the game has changed, but from when i first started watching football (1960`s) you rarely if ever changed a winning team, and the only real reasons to change a player were injury, suspension, or loss of form. I appreciate with a 25 man squad we constantly try to keep everbody happy, but realistically this isnt possible, and more to the point results suffer as a consequence.
This is not a knee jerk, post match reaction, i wasnt happy as soon as i realised players that i, (and i believe most others would agree with ) would be in our best starting line-up, were rested, ie clichy, Richards, Silva, Aguero and Mario, were (i suspect) all rested and saved for the Liverpool match. I accept that had these all been playing, there is still no guarantee that we would have won, but i think we would have had a far better chance. Indeed Roberto almost seems to agree, as from half time onwards, when things were not going well, the resting policy went straight ouit of the window.
Repeating the point, that i have always felt this way, i wasnt happy when Dzeko was rested / rotated after scoring 4 at Spuds, and i couldnt understand resting David Silva against Newcastle, (and still bringing him on, and risking Injury towards the end, when we were already winning.
Sure, i`m not the manager, Roberto is, but i have NEVER understood this obsession with resting players for future games, if you are playing well in the team, you should stay in the team until you are either injured or suspended, the time to totate and give other squad members a game, is when the game is won, eg 3 goals up 15/20 mins to go.
If we had gone down this route, (and won at Sunderland) whats the worst we could be facing now, injured or tired / exhausted players unable to play against Liverpool, so with 3 points (already in the bag other squad members who (may have) had to come in would have had the chance to raise our points total from the 2 games from 3 to 4 or 6 we may indeed with a potentially weakened team have lost to Liverpool and stayed on 3 points, but that is now the BEST points we can hope for, and we have to win to achieve that.
Pretty much, everytime i have questioned the team selection(as players have been rotated) we have still won, and i presume must will say that proves the decision to rotate was right. Personally i think we have continued to do well and win DESPITE rotation /resting, not because of it.
Winning the next match, is by and large not relevant, if you dont win the current match.
As Cup holders, i think EVERY match from hereon in is a priority, (ok Europa League should be assessed on an ongoing basis, and weighed up according to whether or not we are still in the other 2 cups) therefore , our strongest available team should start EVERY game, substitutions should be for injury, or tactical, as and when needs must, and for rotation / resting only when the game is won.
thoughts?