Our second half performances

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I'm With Stupid

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Why are we so shit in the second half of games? I just saw this on the BBC, but most of us don't need a bunch of stats to notice it.

84f27d90-0064-11f1-a8b8-bdd2c5f9bcad.png.webp


It used to be the case that in a game like Spurs the other day, even if we'd gone in 1-0 up, I'd be fairly confident that the flood gates would open in the second half. The longer the game went on, the more likely we'd be to score. But now it's like if we don't take 3 or 4 chances in the first half, we end up clinging on.

So what is it? A lack of fitness? Opponents figuring out our tactics and changing things as half time? Just not being good enough to deal with an opponent who has nothing to lose by going for it?
 
I just don’t believe there is much of a killer instinct in this squad anymore.

Gone are the days where we’d won a game at half time and then ruthlessly go out and stick another 2/3 past an opponent.

Teams knows they can get at us. We will persist with a high line but at a slower tempo. We inevitably get caught out, concede and the heads drop.

It’s a really familiar pattern and makes me really appreciate the yards the likes of Vinny, Yaya, Silva, KDB and Aguero would put in game by game. They were by and large absolutely ruthless.
 
I'm With Stupid said:
Why are we so shit in the second half of games? I just saw this on the BBC, but most of us don't need a bunch of stats to notice it.

84f27d90-0064-11f1-a8b8-bdd2c5f9bcad.png.webp


It used to be the case that in a game like Spurs the other day, even if we'd gone in 1-0 up, I'd be fairly confident that the flood gates would open in the second half. The longer the game went on, the more likely we'd be to score. But now it's like if we don't take 3 or 4 chances in the first half, we end up clinging on.

So what is it? A lack of fitness? Opponents figuring out our tactics and changing things as half time? Just not being good enough to deal with an opponent who has nothing to lose by going for it?
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Complacency and an erroneous and self serving belief that we are the best. We have turned into the rags.
 
svennis pennis said:
I just don’t believe there is much of a killer instinct in this squad anymore.

Gone are the days where we’d won a game at half time and then ruthlessly go out and stick another 2/3 past an opponent.

Teams knows they can get at us. We will persist with a high line but at a slower tempo. We inevitably get caught out, concede and the heads drop.

It’s a really familiar pattern and makes me really appreciate the yards the likes of Vinny, Yaya, Silva, KDB and Aguero would put in game by game. They were by and large absolutely ruthless.
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Vinny, Yaya, Silva, KDB and Aguero all had seasons at City when they won nothing.
 
Pep obviously instructs them to keep the ball 2nd half and slow the game down . But this current squad can't do it . They just hog the ball and stop moving into space . Forwards still need to make forward runs to create space . They all just stand still . And we end up boxing in our own defenders playing shit backwards passes under pressure . We used to do it for fun .
 
We used to be experts at game management in 2nd halfs, keeping the ball in the fridge as Pep used to say. Then picking teams off for 2nd or 3rd goals towards the end.

I just don’t think the players now are up to the same standard technically to be able to keep the ball as well as we used to, especially the midfield.
 
For me it’s the midfield. In the first half of games whoever the 3 is seem aggressive and on the front foot but for whatever reason in the second half there doesn’t seem to be any legs and when we do have the ball it’s easily lost. I’m not sure if it’s a fitness issue, mentality issue or tactical issue.

I’m leaning more towards fitness due to the injuries we’ve had and the lads in there either playing game after game or coming back from injury.
 
We might have a 2nd half problem but anyone using tonight as an example needs to give their head a wobble. 5-0 up, a very inexperienced back four, and a big game in a few days. I knew that the 2nd half would be a complete non event before it had even started.
 
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