Pellegrini Thread

[OB1]

As tWe've dragged ourselves through Christmas and new year, rather than roar through it, but have had to weather injuries, suspensions and a packed schedule. We aren't playing at our best, but we haven't been able to play even close to full strength throughout.

The performance yesterday was terrible but I didn't see much wrong with pellegrini's selections, and his arm was forced in a lot of decisions yesterday. The only strange thing he did for me was the straight swap of yaya for fernandinho, where yaya would surely have been more effective further forward, maybe with Milner deep.

But overall we roll on, keep fighting and trust that that crispness comes back into our game without any major damage caused.

I said after the game the other day, I'm extremely pleased with this Xmas period. We've taken full points in games where we had to slug it out in tired and torrid conditions. It's alright going round thumping Spurs 6-0 but if you then drop points to Palace it's essentially useless.

Pellegrini has shown that he has put together a squad that can twat teams on their day but also grind out results when they need to, making us favourites for the title in my book. Our problem last year was our inability to keep motivated in the smaller games which is starting to clear up

I'm a little concerned at our upcoming away fixtures mind but I've gone from disliking Pellegrini when he took over to at least beginning to understand his methods and admiring them somewhat. He doesn't play how I would like us to play but he's doing a very good job in my opinion.

So how would you like us to play?

 

[Anonymous]

So how would you like us to play?

I'm guessing more pragmatically. :)

 

[taconinja]

As tWe've dragged ourselves through Christmas and new year, rather than roar through it, but have had to weather injuries, suspensions and a packed schedule. We aren't playing at our best, but we haven't been able to play even close to full strength throughout.

The performance yesterday was terrible but I didn't see much wrong with pellegrini's selections, and his arm was forced in a lot of decisions yesterday. The only strange thing he did for me was the straight swap of yaya for fernandinho, where yaya would surely have been more effective further forward, maybe with Milner deep.

But overall we roll on, keep fighting and trust that that crispness comes back into our game without any major damage caused.

I said after the game the other day, I'm extremely pleased with this Xmas period. We've taken full points in games where we had to slug it out in tired and torrid conditions. It's alright going round thumping Spurs 6-0 but if you then drop points to Palace it's essentially useless.

Pellegrini has shown that he has put together a squad that can twat teams on their day but also grind out results when they need to, making us favourites for the title in my book. Our problem last year was our inability to keep motivated in the smaller games which is starting to clear up

I'm a little concerned at our upcoming away fixtures mind but I've gone from disliking Pellegrini when he took over to at least beginning to understand his methods and admiring them somewhat. He doesn't play how I would like us to play but he's doing a very good job in my opinion.

So how would you like us to play?

Can't speak for Damocles, but I would prefer a 4-3-3. Little less open but would still allow our players to create plenty of chances.

 

[Dribble]

I said after the game the other day, I'm extremely pleased with this Xmas period. We've taken full points in games where we had to slug it out in tired and torrid conditions. It's alright going round thumping Spurs 6-0 but if you then drop points to Palace it's essentially useless.

Pellegrini has shown that he has put together a squad that can twat teams on their day but also grind out results when they need to, making us favourites for the title in my book. Our problem last year was our inability to keep motivated in the smaller games which is starting to clear up

I'm a little concerned at our upcoming away fixtures mind but I've gone from disliking Pellegrini when he took over to at least beginning to understand his methods and admiring them somewhat. He doesn't play how I would like us to play but he's doing a very good job in my opinion.

So how would you like us to play?

Can't speak for Damocles, but I would prefer a 4-3-3. Little less open but would still allow our players to create plenty of chances.

Wasn't 4-3-3 what our new 'holistic' approach supposed to be based on from the under 6's to the first team ala Barca?

 

[Rammy Blue]

Is there a finite point at which the system should be abandoned then ? For example - if we have to play Garcia/Fernandinho in a two man midfield do we immediately abandon the high line ?

Do we also then abandon our one touch passing when Milner, Kolarov, Dzeko or Lescott play ?

To be fair mate, we didn't play a particularly high line yesterday.<br /><br />-- Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:50 pm --<br /><br />

So how would you like us to play?

Can't speak for Damocles, but I would prefer a 4-3-3. Little less open but would still allow our players to create plenty of chances.

Wasn't 4-3-3 what our new 'holistic' approach supposed to be based on from the under 6's to the first team ala Barca?

Yep, in fact I started a thread on the subject a while ago.

I believe we'd see that system more often if we had the correct deep lying midfielder within the squad. Needless to say, Garcia isn't that man.

 

[Shaelumstash]

Just to clarify, most managers have a preferred system, but if they do not have the players available to make that system work, they will adapt it for the good of the team.

Is there a finite point at which the system should be abandoned then ? For example - if we have to play Garcia/Fernandinho in a two man midfield do we immediately abandon the high line ?

Do we also then abandon our one touch passing when Milner, Kolarov, Dzeko or Lescott play ?

-- Sun Jan 05, 2014 4:36 pm --

Really? I feel we were too narrow because of the lack of respect our fullbacks generated on the attack. I didn't think the opposition generated enough of a sustained attack to miss a CB.

Yep - really. That was the change I would've made at half time.

Not for our defending, but for our attacking. We play from the back - so when we don't have a ball player at the back everything becomes slower. The key to breaking down stubborn back lines is being able to transition quickly from defence to attack and also overloading the midfield by having one of our centre halves push forward to create the extra man. Was never going to happen yesterday with the triumvirate of Nastasic, Lescott, and Garcia.

Well personally from what I have seen of Garcia in the 18 months he's been here, I would never play him in a 4 man midfield against any professional side. He's too slow and immobile and leaves us horribly exposed in the middle.

Secondly, it obvious to anyone who has seen them play together that Dzeko and Negredo together does not work, and never will.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that with both of these problems, we're better suited to 4231 away from home when Aguero / Jovetic are out, and Garcia is in.

The proof in this particular pudding is that Pellegrini keeps starting with this 442 with Dzeko / Negredo and then changes it after an hour when we look dreadful. The next step it to change it from the start.

 

[Anonymous]

Well personally from what I have seen of Garcia in the 18 months he's been here, I would never play him in a 4 man midfield against any professional side. He's too slow and immobile and leaves us horribly exposed in the middle.

Secondly, it obvious to anyone who has seen them play together that Dzeko and Negredo together does not work, and never will.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that with both of these problems, we're better suited to 4231 away from home when Aguero / Jovetic are out, and Garcia is in.

The proof in this particular pudding is that Pellegrini keeps starting with this 442 with Dzeko / Negredo and then changes it after an hour when we look dreadful. The next step it to change it from the start.

Since I'm a simpleton. Lets go back and do this slowly so I understand fully. You said:

Pellegrini picks his system first, and then tries to shoehorn players in to it. He needs to learn that the system needs to be adaptable to fit the players available.

What is this "system" which he's shoehorning player into? Is it 442 or is it a high defensive line, or is it both ?

And as I've asked above, when should he abandon this system ?

 

[Shaelumstash]

Well personally from what I have seen of Garcia in the 18 months he's been here, I would never play him in a 4 man midfield against any professional side. He's too slow and immobile and leaves us horribly exposed in the middle.

Secondly, it obvious to anyone who has seen them play together that Dzeko and Negredo together does not work, and never will.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that with both of these problems, we're better suited to 4231 away from home when Aguero / Jovetic are out, and Garcia is in.

The proof in this particular pudding is that Pellegrini keeps starting with this 442 with Dzeko / Negredo and then changes it after an hour when we look dreadful. The next step it to change it from the start.

Since I'm a simpleton. Lets go back and do this slowly so I understand fully. You said:

Pellegrini picks his system first, and then tries to shoehorn players in to it. He needs to learn that the system needs to be adaptable to fit the players available.

What is this "system" which he's shoehorning player into? Is it 442 or is it a high defensive line, or is it both ?

And as I've asked above, when should he abandon this system ?

It's both. He should abandon one or both of these things if he does not have the players available to make it work.

I invite you to re watch the Cardiff game with Lescott and Garcia playing a high defensive line as the most obvious example.

Garcia is not suited to a 442 in any circumstance. Watch any game he's played for us in that shape. Then watch his performance against Bayern away in a 4231 and note the difference.

Watch any game Dzeko and Negredo have started together. Then note the improvement in the latter stages of those games when he brings one of them off for an extra midfielder.

 

[Anonymous]

It's both. He should abandon one or both of these things if he does not have the players available to make it work.

I invite you to re watch the Cardiff game with Lescott and Garcia playing a high defensive line as the most obvious example.

Garcia is not suited to a 442 in any circumstance. Watch any game he's played for us in that shape. Then watch his performance against Bayern away in a 4231 and note the difference.

Watch any game Dzeko and Negredo have started together. Then note the improvement in the latter stages of those games when he brings one of them off for an extra midfielder.

You're not answering my question. When should he abandon his "system" ? I realise that Garcia isn't best suited to playing a two man midfield and that Dzeko/Negredo aren't the best centre forward partnership we have.

My question though is simple. When should Pellegrini abandon his "system" and apply whatever "system" you would prefer. I'd like a definite answer as to which personnel should play in which system.

And like I said. Since on touch passing is probably one of the most important prerequisites of playing in this City team - do we abandon that and go long when Milner, Kola, Dzeko, etc play ?

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Well personally from what I have seen of Garcia in the 18 months he's been here, I would never play him in a 4 man midfield against any professional side. He's too slow and immobile and leaves us horribly exposed in the middle.

Secondly, it obvious to anyone who has seen them play together that Dzeko and Negredo together does not work, and never will.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that with both of these problems, we're better suited to 4231 away from home when Aguero / Jovetic are out, and Garcia is in.

The proof in this particular pudding is that Pellegrini keeps starting with this 442 with Dzeko / Negredo and then changes it after an hour when we look dreadful. The next step it to change it from the start.

Since I'm a simpleton. Lets go back and do this slowly so I understand fully. You said:

Pellegrini picks his system first, and then tries to shoehorn players in to it. He needs to learn that the system needs to be adaptable to fit the players available.

What is this "system" which he's shoehorning player into? Is it 442 or is it a high defensive line, or is it both ?

And as I've asked above, when should he abandon this system ?

It's both. He should abandon one or both of these things if he does not have the players available to make it work.

I invite you to re watch the Cardiff game with Lescott and Garcia playing a high defensive line as the most obvious example.

Garcia is not suited to a 442 in any circumstance. Watch any game he's played for us in that shape. Then watch his performance against Bayern away in a 4231 and note the difference.

Watch any game Dzeko and Negredo have started together. Then note the improvement in the latter stages of those games when he brings one of them off for an extra midfielder.

This all, your opinion. So why do you state it like some sort of fact.