Our attack - what's off?

[mancity1]

No confidence amongst the players means predictable , slow build up play but as much as this is the quality of the forwards we have.

Kun is hear the end , Jesus is not the answer , Mahrez is average , Sterling has come down a few pegs , Bernado is a shadow of what he was in his second season with us.

Need an overhaul of the squad before we can become a power again.

 

[Marvin]

Bernardo hasn’t contributed to the side for 15 months.

I know but largely because he's no longer the central creative player in the side. He's on the periphery. He's still a very good player, and he offers a lot more than KDB does at present. We have to try him otherwise this will go on and on.

Perhaps you think that when Aguero comes back everything will be OK? it wont. Our forwards are being starved of the ball. We are trotting around in midfield achieving nothing.

 

[Bluearmy]

Agreed, it would be nice if our wingers actually took their man on on the outside with skill and /or pace occasionally just to mix it up a bit and fizz the ball across goal, the odd time we do this, it's panic stations in the oppositions defence.
Instead though, 99% of the time, he just checks back, cuts inside, plays it inside to Bernie (as an example) who then plays it to an (now out of position) overlapping Kyle/left back, who then often plays it inside, the ball's eventually worked in an arc to the other side, rinse and repeat until we lose possession, opposition break etc etc etc.

It seems to me there's an obsession with possession football all over the pitch, which is fine in the first two thirds, but the last third, occasionally/often you need to take the reins off a bit and give the flair players more freedom and less restrictions, it's all a bit too "safe" though much of the time.

Yep, the one time sterling got behind the full back last night we scored

 

[Damien10]

Bernardo hasn’t contributed to the side for 15 months.

How’s he supposed to contribute when pep won’t give him a proper run in the team? Not only does he refuse to give him a proper run to find form, he constantly changes his position.
Bernardo has all the attributes to replace David Silva. But pep has other ideas.

 

[David Silva]

We are way too conservative with our passing. Against a mass defence, the ball needs to be moving quickly, 1 or 2 touch around the 18yd box. That was our bread and butter for years under pep, but it isn’t happening anymore. Players routinely take far too much time on the ball.

Wonder if this is a conscious decision from Pep at some stage while we were extremely vulnerable on the counter, and he hasn’t been able to coach it out of them again.

We are desperately missing David Silva also (and Aguero).

 

[Musampa 209]

Too slow, nowhere near as direct as we used to be.

Too many touches in midfield, by the time our players get the ball they are surrounded.

Every one of them that’s played in the front 3 has missed sitters, but overall I do think the main problem is the midfield an our build up play.

 

[Ashleymcduff]

Main striker is old , injured , fat

he’s understudy works hard and isn’t a natural goal scorer.

the wingers are under performing massivly

so is the number ten Kdb he’s been awful all season .

The midfield is full of slow plodders .

we haven’t any game changers on bench , just like for like.


Also massivly missing a controller on the ball like David , that’s why we should of brought Grealish or Aouar in the summer

 

[Inter Me Nan]

We created very little until the last moments.

Very true, but the best sides in the world take those chances we got last night, that Sterling miss is unforgivable.
But you're also correct that it would only have papered over the cracks of the other problems in the side ie the ponderous midfield.

 

[adam.marrett]

Until Gundogan and Sterling's late chances we created next to nothing in that game.

You're being lazy as are most City fans who are reflecting on this game.

We aren't creating anything cause there's no space for Kev to play balls into and Kev being the only one to create anything is another issue entirely that I'll get to.

All our wingers as I see it besides Torres when he plays on the right are cutting inside from the flank into the crowded areas and clogging it up more. Mahrez from the right, Sterling from the left, Foden when he's on the right, Bernardo ditto.... teams are just defending deep against us and there's no space on top of those guys doing that. The most dangerous we look at the minute is when Walker or Cancelo provide width from the right, but all our play has to go down that flank when they play there, cause Mendy's delivery isn't up to it at left back since his injuries. Playing Cancelo at left back, he's not been bad there, but he just adds to the issue as being right footed he has to do the same to create anything, and Zinchenko is injured/unseen this season. Sterling could go back on the right wing to give width, but we have the issue on the left as we have no traditional left winger as such since Sane got injured and subsequently left. Mahrez can't play left wing, Bernardo maybe but that's about it. Gabby can and does for Brazil but without Aguero fit he has to play up front.

Plus with Bernardo falling off the cliff the last 15 odd months, David leaving, Foden not ready to take Silva's mantle fully yet and Gundogan playing deeper it's basically left to Kev to create chances for us. We have no one else capable which shouldn't be the case with the squad we have, but watching our games that's how I see it.

Not sure that's lazy but that's how I see it watching the games when dominate possession but aren't doing anything with it, or can't break through packed defences.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Last night was one of those nights when the defenders stuck to their game plan, and didn't put a foot wrong. The best teams in the world would have struggled against them.

There was a period in the game when Gundogan was the only player who seems to want to drive forward. It eventually brought the goal.

We have a team of players who've been drilled to play a particular way, and a manager who seems too stubborn to change. I am sure Pep will work it out find a way forward.