Pellegrini - The English Managers Syndrome

[Dax777]

The aging Yaya who shouldn't have been part of a midfield 2? Let alone a midfield 1? A team set up where we were fortunate to get a result. Silva should have been subbed before Delph was, and, in my opinion, for Fernandinho, to allow Yaya forward. He was doing a hell of a lot better than Silva. Silva had more space and was more direct in the build up to the equalising goal. With him on we had sustained pressure, which lessened after he was subbed. Better is a relative term as he was dire all game.

I'm not saying we should have stayed with a 4-1-5 formation, we shouldn't have needed to use such a daft formation. My point is that Pellegrini set the team up poorly, failed to notice poor performers and made very odd substitutions.

I don't think there was anything wrong with our setup. Players just preformed poorly, including Delph who had a MOTM last time out, and had a poor game today. Was more interested in attacking than being a disciplined CM.

As for your suggestions as to who should have been subbed and for who. I was also of the same opinion. But I'm happy Pelegrini disagreed as his actual sub got a result. Mine and yours on th other hand, may or may have not.

Had he not introduced Sterling. There would have been a massive moan, yet as it turned out, Sterling introduction made us worse.

You can tell most wanted that introduction, coz no one has moaned about it. Yet it turns out it was a bad idea. The point being, ideas are great, but reality often differs.

His subs earned a point in a game where errors would have cost us. Otamendis errors.

 

[Ajm1985]

I don't disagree with the notion of actually playing a midfield three but I would disagree that Yaya was ineffective today: he was our most involved player again. He made as many key passes as any other City player, he made tackles, interceptions, clearances, plenty of ball recoveries. His pass completion was lower than normal but I think that was down to the number of long passes he attempted.

He wasn't perfect and he got done on the opening goal but he was not alone in failing to prevent it.

He was more effective than Delph.

Perhaps i'll rephrase. A midfield 2, away from home especially, doesn't enable Yaya to be Yaya. He was one of the better players today, and you are quite right in saying he was more effective than Delph.

With the acceptance that he can't do his bullocking runs as often as he would like, his best attributes are his metronomic distribution, his vision, his passing around the box and his shooting. That he can still have an influence as he does is testament to his ability.

Yaya is expected to do everything going forward and be there to snuff out a counter attack and it's ridiculous. If Pellegrini wants him to start near enough every game, fair enough, he can conjure a goal from nothing and control a game, however against a pressing midfield he needs back up.

To answer @Dax777 , I would have had Ferna and Delph in front of the back 4 with Yaya a little ahead.

Despite saying that i agree with @cleavers that it's pointless making fault with tactics when the players lack concentration or the motivation to track back.

 

[cleavers]

I'd have Yaya in the middle of Delph and Dinho and vary the shape from fairly flat to both a triangle and inverted triangle depending on the circumstances.

I'd change the wide players depending on opponents and give them license to roam inside, with Delph and Dinho detailed to move across and help full backs defensively as required.

I'd limit the use of Silva and KDB at the same time. I'd even bench them both to start some away games.

I don't know if that approach would succeed but it matters not a jot because I don't get to decide and it won't happen so I can't be wrong ;-)

Same thinking here, I don't think we should play Silva and KdB together away from home, even at home in some games. Great players that they are, they don't compliment each other much, and neither offer anything defensively. We've been at our best with 2 up front imho, with Silva roaming behind, how we fit Navas, KdB and Sterling into that I've no idea, though Navas at least offers more defensively.

We're unbalanced again, with riches we can only have dreamed of, but we can't afford to play them all at once, it doesn't work.

 

[cleavers]

Players just preformed poorly, including Delph who had a MOTM last time out, and had a poor game today. Was more interested in attacking than being a disciplined CM.

Maybe he was told to do that ? He's got far more energy than Yaya, so its not a daft suggestion, and I thought he was drove us forward well, leaving Yaya to sit in front of the back four, but as my last post it leaves us unbalanced, and this is nothing new really.

 

[Dax777]

I'd have Yaya in the middle of Delph and Dinho and vary the shape from fairly flat to both a triangle and inverted triangle depending on the circumstances.

I'd change the wide players depending on opponents and give them license to roam inside, with Delph and Dinho detailed to move across and help full backs defensively as required.

I'd limit the use of Silva and KDB at the same time. I'd even bench them both to start some away games.

I don't know if that approach would succeed but it matters not a jot because I don't get to decide and it won't happen so I can't be wrong ;-)

In fairness, I'd probably do the same. Also I would have started Sterling today. But from the little I saw of Sterling was on I clearly would have been wrong.

Point being, we all can have our ideas on who to start, but their performances have constantly varied.

 

[Ajm1985]

I don't think there was anything wrong with our setup. Players just preformed poorly, including Delph who had a MOTM last time out, and had a poor game today. Was more interested in attacking than being a disciplined CM.

As for your suggestions as to who should have been subbed and for who. I was also of the same opinion. But I'm happy Pelegrini disagreed as his actual sub got a result. Mine and yours on th other hand, may or may have not.

Had he not introduced Sterling. There would have been a massive moan, yet as it turned out, Sterling introduction made us worse.

You can tell most wanted that introduction, coz no one has moaned about it. Yet it turns out it was a bad idea. The point being, ideas are great, but reality often differs.

His subs earned a point in a game where errors would have cost us. Otamendis errors.

I found Sterling's introduction a pointless sub, winger for winger when midfield was overrun.

Otamendi is frustrating as fuck. Either imperious or makes horrendous mistakes. He also seems to have an affinity for a stupid foul in a dangerous spot.

 

[Dax777]

Maybe he was told to do that ? He's got far more energy than Yaya, so its not a daft suggestion, and I thought he was drove us forward well, leaving Yaya to sit in front of the back four, but as my last post it leaves us unbalanced, and this is nothing new really.

I reckon he was given license to go up and down. He was just poor often on the down part. Besides we gave up a lot of balls in bad positions that erent his fault but the results was us being down to just Yaya.

 

[Dax777]

I found Sterling's introduction a pointless sub, winger for winger when midfield was overrun.

Otamendi is frustrating as fuck. Either imperious or makes horrendous mistakes. He also seems to have an affinity for a stupid foul in a dangerous spot.

The stupid fouls in dangerous areas don't bother me that much. It is those in mundane areas. At some point he chased Antonio to the corner and kicked him. Should have gotten a yellow for it but didn't. It was unnecessary. Antonio was going nowhere. Those are the ones that do my head in.

 

[Ajm1985]

The stupid fouls in dangerous areas don't bother me that much. It is those in mundane areas. At some point he chased Antonio to the corner and kicked him. Should have gotten a yellow for it but didn't. It was unnecessary. Antonio was going nowhere. Those are the ones that do my head in.

In one of the Everton games he forearmed the back of someone's head for a header on the halfway line. Completely pointless.

The foul today and the one where he wiped Kane out on the touchline against Spurs that led to a goal, stick out. I can only assume sometimes his motivation is to appear hard and fuck the consequences.

 

[Dax777]

In one of the Everton games he forearmed the back of someone's head for a header on the halfway line. Completely pointless.

The foul today and the one where he wiped Kane out on the touchline against Spurs that led to a goal, stick out. I can only assume sometimes his motivation is to appear hard and fuck the consequences.

I love the guy, one of his biggest fans here. But I yell at my TV or at the bar (pub if you are English) when he does that.

He needs to stop. I can live with his high octane aggressive style when in dangerous areas. Can't when he hacks at attacking players on unnecessary plays. He needs to stop that shit and the diving.

I can live with the once in a while error. I did with Kompany, but not the dumb shaite.