Our attack - what's off?

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.
 
HelloCity said:
Bernardo hasn’t contributed to the side for 15 months.
Click to expand...
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.
 
Rosler's Mullet said:
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.
Click to expand...
Yep, the one time sterling got behind the full back last night we scored
 
HelloCity said:
Bernardo hasn’t contributed to the side for 15 months.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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
 
Marvin said:
We created very little until the last moments.
Click to expand...
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.
 
Marvin said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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.
 
It really pisses me off when people say Bernardo has been off for 15 months. Bernardo is genuinely a world class talent and you all just write him off like this because pep prefers plodders.

Bernardo even this year when you see him play, his class shines his ball retention is not matched by any other player in this team.

City have been best to watch in the CL when he’s been playing Bernardo and Foden.

the problem with Bernardo is the lack of regular game time and a position that he can make his own. And that’s because Pep won’t allow it.

funny because he will allow others to have ten consecutive shit games and still continue to play them.

Some will laugh at what I’m about to say but I would love for pep to try Kevin deep with Foden and Bernardo ahead of him. Imagine the energy, imagine the link up.
 
I know it’s not a popular opinion but Pep system is working. We have dropped points because the players are not capable of executing his plan. The problem are all transfer related.

10-20 chances per game shows it working.
 
As I see it we are just far too predictable now, David Silva would do things that were unexpected and would always drive us forward, it would seem that we have no-one capable of replacing him in our squad. Foden has the skill and energy but doesn't get the chance often enough.

My pet hate is Mahrez, he either goes forward and then as soon as a defender comes to him he turns and passes backwards, he will occasionally go forward but will always cut inside to get the ball on his left foot and shoot... all the defenders we play against now know what he's going to do. More often than not he just simply loses possession and puts our defender under pressure from a breakaway. Last season Pep seemed to play him (Mahrez) regularly on the right in preference to Bernardo and this affected his (Bernardo's) confidence badly and he's never recovered.

When Mendy plays he seems to suffer from the same complaint, he either goes forward then passes it back losing all the impetus we've created, or crosses the ball so hard no-one can get near it.

Sterling is going through a dry spell, Jesus is not good enough and with Sergio being injured so much we haven't got anyone who can be relied upon to put the ball in the net on a regular basis... the only one who fully deserves to be played more is Torres but again last night he was kept on the bench.

Sterling/Delap/Torres anyone ?
 
Damanino said:
Maybe they dont pass to Jesus because they dont trust him. I know Jesus is isolated a lot but that excuse cannot go on forever or are we happy to play him as number one striker and having a return of 5 goals in like 30 games from him? Can we afford that? If top6 is the target then maybe yes.

He is so far away from a 20-25 goal striker in PL as he can be.
Click to expand...
Time to go 'balls deep' for a real goal machine, someone who can score from the edge of the box, or 2 yards. Are there any out there... I can think of only one.
On a separate note, how the fuck did the rags get Cavani, we should have stepped in and got him for a season, he would have been in double figures for us by now.
 
Damien10 said:
It really pisses me off when people say Bernardo has been off for 15 months. Bernardo is genuinely a world class talent and you all just write him off like this because pep prefers plodders.

Bernardo even this year when you see him play, his class shines his ball retention is not matched by any other player in this team.

City have been best to watch in the CL when he’s been playing Bernardo and Foden.

the problem with Bernardo is the lack of regular game time and a position that he can make his own. And that’s because Pep won’t allow it.

funny because he will allow others to have ten consecutive shit games and still continue to play them.

Some will laugh at what I’m about to say but I would love for pep to try Kevin deep with Foden and Bernardo ahead of him. Imagine the energy, imagine the link up.
Click to expand...
Ala pirlo
 
Watched the highlights again - the two headers at the end are painful to watch - keeper doesn’t make great saves, they’re hit straight at him. I’m feeling more positive this morning - those chances will be taken soon!
 
Many of our players (and those in other teams) are burned out mentally and physically from playing too much football. In our case it is obvious what has happened to KDB, Sterling, and Bernardo. They have all been flogged to death including a huge number of international matches. They look like spent fighters at the moment. I honestly don't know what the answer to this is and it has affected all teams (or at least those with a lot of international players)
The greed of the FA, UEFA, and the PL has killed the Golden Goose. Some of these burned-out players may never recover their top form again. Mental and physical fatigue has destroyed many careers over the years, especially in youngsters who have been overplayed. I also think Pep (and Klopp) are well aware of this situation and are just managing from game to game. This season is a farce.
 
Agree that he’s picking the wrong personnel. Sterling and Mahrez playing as inverted wingers are simply not prolific or clinical enough for where we want to be. With Aguero out, it’s infinitely more noticeable. Not to mention, neither one of them can deliver in the biggest games.

It’s not a question of form, it’s simply a fact. We can play Sterling and Mahrez in every single game from now until the end of the season, nothing will change.

Rodri and Gundogan in midfield together doesn’t work. David Silva’s verticality is sorely missed. He used to hover at the edge of the penalty area and play those one twos with the wingers and play those difficult passes in to the box. You got tight to him, he’d fuck you. You stood off him, he’d fuck you. This isn’t me slagging off Rodri or Gundogan, but they should be competing for the same number 6 role. Gundogan in the 6 can actually set the tempo very well, he’s wasting his own career playing in the 8 position

We don’t have a competent attacking left back, which makes marking Sterling even easier.

Pep isn’t going to stop playing Gundogan or Rodri together I’m afraid. He’s said about his players at Barca that basically they had done so much for him so how could he drop them? That’s how he’ll view Gundogan (pivotal in home straight in the last title win playing in the 6 position), undroppable.

Why Mahrez gets a pass, and Bernardo and Foden don’t is beyond me. That £60m price tag playing on Pep’s mind? No idea.

I said it yesterday, Pep has us well coached this season in terms of organisation, defending, even transitioning from midfield to attack despite the ponderous midfield. But when we have over 20 shots against West Brom and can only put a few on target, it’s literally a case of shit finishing by the forwards.

We’ve not bought well and I’ve always said Sterling is our Pedro. Pep has Pedro playing well above his level at Barca but when Pep left, Pedro was nowhere near as good. Still decent, but nowhere near as good. If we give Sterling a £400k a week contract and Pep leaves in 2 years time, he’s going to be our Rooney/Ozil.
 
Last edited:
Let's get Mesut Ozil signed in January. Might as well go full Arsenal as that's our trajectory at the moment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top