Pep has changed the face of English football, and given City fans the most beautiful football and football success we have ever seen. Those are facts that are not in doubt.
The problem, though, is that Pep appears to have blind spots and has a propensity to tinker in ways some of us struggle to understand.
Tonight, most of us were wondering whether it would be Fernandinho, Rodri or Fernandinho AND Rodri, but there can be NO CITY FAN IN THE WORLD who would have suggested that playing NEITHER against a team that projects its power by overwhelming other teams with their midfield in a 5-2-2-1 formation with flying FBs.
While we have some of the best midfield playmakers in the world, we also showed we have almost ZERO POWER in the midfield when faced to go Mano á Mano against another powerful team.
This is third time in a row we have seen Pep outplayed by Tuchel’s straightforward power formation. The first two times we watched it, we nearly all had the “that’s only half our team” fallback position. Tonight? I don’t think so!
I defy anyone to suggest that KDB’s best position is thrashing himself as a false nine.
I defy anyone to suggest that against a back 5 with flying FBs, Sterling and Mahrez are going to track those FBs and defend like the Champions League depended on it.
I defy anyone to suggest that a small, but mobile midfield is the antidote to Chelsea’s 2-2+2 midfield they employ with the ball.
I defy anyone to suggest that City have an answer to ANY team that attacks the far post, or the through ball in the gap (esp on our left side).
I defy anyone to suggest that Pep, or City players, have laid a finger on Chelsea’s defensive back 5 in three games straight now.
I’m no genius coach, but I have now watched Chelsea play this SAME WAY THREE TIMES IN A ROW TO BEAT US.
It is no secret that City do not fare well against the 5-4-1, even when it’s West Brom playing it. For multiple seasons now, we have struggled with our slow build up against teams that collapse in on themselves into that 5-4-1 defensive set up. When it is against a team with quality going forward, it begs belief that we are sitting here talking about the same damned thing again.
And, for anyone who tells me we don’t need a big presence upfront, I would like to point out the impact Jesus and Aguero had when they came on....and the need to put one of our CBs upfront for the last 10-15 mins!
It’s been a fucking brilliant season, full of brilliant football, and the emergence of one of the best players in world football in Phil Foden (our MOTM by a wide margin today). However, there were TWO GAMES where Pep got it wrong, and so badly wrong that it “ruined” the season for many City fans.
For me, Pep (and a phalanx of supposed brilliant coaches) didn’t learn a damned thing about Chelsea in the games we lost, because THIS was the worst performance of the three in far and away the most important game of the three.
We barely laid a glove on their 3 CBS, Reese James and Chilwell were like shit on a blanket when Sterling and Mahrez were fed the ball, and Kante ruled the middle of the park.
And, while I will not make light of the disgustingly cynical foul on KDB by (cheating bastard..”oh, my head”) Rudiger, Kev has been a shadow of himself in the run in. Not sure if he simply ran out of gas from sprinting across the back line of teams, but why have the worlds best creative midfielder and then play him as the fucking CF rabbit pressing the opposition back line? Surely, that’s Bernardo/Jesus/Sterling/ Mahrez and even Foden’s stock in trade? Why are we flogging the shit out of our best player???
The quality of our team, and the fact that we have almost two first teams, is great, but it is time to revamp this particular squad. We have too much dead weight that isn’t doing the business.
I realize tonight isn’t the time to deconstruct the squad and attempt to rebuild it, but I’m going to say it anyway...
Mendy
Sterling
Jesus
Zinchenko
Mahrez(?)
...cannot be long term members of this squad. I’ve tried to be as constructive as possible about all 5 at any given time
We need to bring in a young LB and play Cancelo at LB, with Ake & Laporte filling in when necessary to bed in a new LB.
We need some steel in the middle of the park to replace the power and steel that was the backbone of this team for a decade with Yaya and Ferna.
We need a center forward. A big strong lad who knows where the goal is. It’s fine to play a false nine every now and then when the occasion might warrant, but, seriously...
We need understand the next iteration of football is a back 5/3, a midfield anchored with mobile steel, and an attacking midfielder and forward line that can dominate both the counter attack and attack down the lines, thhrough the channels and over the top.
That said...WHAT A FUCKING BRILLIANT SEASON!!!
Can hardly wait for the next one to start, so we can defend our title and see if we can reach the pinnacle of European football once more with a refreshing new look team with many of the same faces we already love!
Onwards and upwards...and there’s not much upwards from here. THAT is how good we have it at Manchester City right now.
