Recruitment issues

[PrezIke]

ESPNFC pundits were ridiculing our transfer policy on defenders but their analysis was beyond naive and obtuse.

The idea we just need to buy a "proper centre back" is mindless given our style of play.

Also, they were heavily criticising Ake as much as Garcia, when I didn't see him do as poorly as they portrayed him.

They quoted the amount of money spent, but no reference to how Mendy has had 2 serious knee injuries that have ruined his career and our effectiveness as we saw what he offered in the few games prior to the injury.

Laporte has been easily the best, but we all know issues at the no.6 and an aging Silva were related to our defensive problems.

 

[citymad]

ESPNFC pundits were ridiculing our transfer policy on defenders but their analysis was beyond naive and obtuse.

The idea we just need to buy a "proper centre back" is mindless given our style of play.

Also, they were heavily criticising Ake as much as Garcia, when I didn't see him do as poorly as they portrayed him.

They quoted the amount of money spent, but no reference to how Mendy has had 2 serious knee injuries that have ruined his career and our effectiveness as we saw what he offered in the few games prior to the injury.

Laporte has been easily the best, but we all know issues at the no.6 and an aging Silva were related to our defensive problems.

Shelling out another 100 mill on two more defenders doesnt look good though. Hopefully this time it'll be money well spent. Only time will tell. I'm more confident about Ake, I think he'll end up being a top defender. Now all we need to do know is find a couple of very good attacking fullbacks.

 

[Keeper!]

ESPNFC pundits were ridiculing our transfer policy on defenders but their analysis was beyond naive and obtuse.

The idea we just need to buy a "proper centre back" is mindless given our style of play.

Also, they were heavily criticising Ake as much as Garcia, when I didn't see him do as poorly as they portrayed him.

They quoted the amount of money spent, but no reference to how Mendy has had 2 serious knee injuries that have ruined his career and our effectiveness as we saw what he offered in the few games prior to the injury.

Laporte has been easily the best, but we all know issues at the no.6 and an aging Silva were related to our defensive problems.

They have a great point. You could put the worlds greatest CB's in our team and they would be exposed.

Our team is suicidal in the way it defends, we have pull back playing on the edge of the opponents area and two defensive midfielders unable to get around the pitch.

We have to change the way we play, the full back have to stay back more and give the team far better shape defensively or we have to recruit DMF who have pace and incredible stamina. We need a young Fernandinho, not sure a freak like him exists these days!

 

[GaudinoMotors]

What were or injuries like when we had the traitorous physio? Much better or has he improved under Klopp too?

 

[alexmcity]

They have a great point. You could put the worlds greatest CB's in our team and they would be exposed.

Our team is suicidal in the way it defends, we have pull back playing on the edge of the opponents area and two defensive midfielders unable to get around the pitch.

We have to change the way we play, the full back have to stay back more and give the team far better shape defensively or we have to recruit DMF who have pace and incredible stamina. We need a young Fernandinho, not sure a freak like him exists these days!

No, that's wrong. Fernandinho got injured in February 2019, Gundogan replaced him and we continued to be rock solid at the back, even with Zinchenko at LB! Why? Mostly because we had Kompany and Laporte at CB.

Also Fernandinho was crap in Pep's first season to the extent that Pep had to play Toure at DM. This myth that our defensive stability was all down to Fernandinho has to die. It's silly and it is also a big reason why both Rodri and Gundogan are heavily criticised for the mistakes of the defenders.

Our defence suffered badly from several simple things: Kompany retired, Laporte got injured, Stones had personal problems and permanent injuries, Otamendi declined. Suddenly, all our CBs from 17/19 were unavailable for one or another reason and we played almost the entire 19/20 season with a makeshift defence. Yet, many on here still think it's mostly about not having Fernandinho at DM. Utterly simplistic.

 

[Del_Bosque]

No, that's wrong. Fernandinho got injured in February 2019, Gundogan replaced him and we continued to be rock solid at the back, even with Zinchenko at LB! Why? Mostly because we had Kompany and Laporte at CB.

Also Fernandinho was crap in Pep's first season to the extent that Pep had to play Toure at DM. This myth that our defensive stability was all down to Fernandinho has to die. It's silly and it is also a big reason why both Rodri and Gundogan are heavily criticised for the mistakes of the defenders.

Our defence suffered badly from several simple things: Kompany retired, Laporte got injured, Stones had personal problems and permanent injuries, Otamendi declined. Suddenly, all our CBs from 17/19 were unavailable for one or another reason and we played almost the entire 19/20 season with a makeshift defence. Yet, many on here still think it's mostly about not having Fernandinho at DM. Utterly simplistic.

We played a much slower less expansive game though, teams seem to have figured that out and now sit off us

If we tried to keep it tight and nick a win Rodri or Gundogan might be ok, but we need someone mobile to stop the runners from midfield

 

[Marvin]

No, that's wrong. Fernandinho got injured in February 2019, Gundogan replaced him and we continued to be rock solid at the back, even with Zinchenko at LB! Why? Mostly because we had Kompany and Laporte at CB.

Also Fernandinho was crap in Pep's first season to the extent that Pep had to play Toure at DM. This myth that our defensive stability was all down to Fernandinho has to die. It's silly and it is also a big reason why both Rodri and Gundogan are heavily criticised for the mistakes of the defenders.

Our defence suffered badly from several simple things: Kompany retired, Laporte got injured, Stones had personal problems and permanent injuries, Otamendi declined. Suddenly, all our CBs from 17/19 were unavailable for one or another reason and we played almost the entire 19/20 season with a makeshift defence. Yet, many on here still think it's mostly about not having Fernandinho at DM. Utterly simplistic.

Double whammy. The lack of basic speed at the heart of City's defence makes it easy for teams like Arsenal, man Utd, Leicester, Spurs, Chelsea to counter-attack us.

The recipe is easy. Park the bus against City, break at speed. City are no longer good enough defensively to stop it.

But there's Dias to come in with Laporte. That may change a lot. We also have Doyle and can play Foden and Bernardo centrally. Foden and Bernardo are workaholics. There's also Doyle. It's not hopeless. Far from it. I reckon we've still got a top 4 side when Jesus is fit. If you can't defend and you can't score you definitely have problems.

That LCFC game was extreme. We had our usual defensive weakness. No centre-forward and LCFC had a day when everything went right for them. It happens. People draw the wrong conclusions from it. It's either calamitous or a conspiracy. In reality it reveals the same ongoing defensive weakness we had last season but remember that last season we were still a challenger.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Our obsession with not paying more than €65m for a player is starting to tell.

It's a PR decision, not a footballing one. We want to be seen to not be in the top 10 biggest transfers. A responsibly run club.

But what we end up doing, is spending €200m every season on 4 or 5 average players who don't improve us. We still spend more than anyone else, but don't improve.

Cancelo, Rodri, Mahrez, Torres, Ake, Dias. €260m all in. They're all worse than the players they're meant to be replacing.

Yaya, Silva, Kompany, Sané, and soon Aguero and Fernandinho. All gone.

And look at the state of what's replacing them.

For me, we should be buying one or two world class players a year, instead of 4 or 5 average.

It would cost the same money, we'd have better players, and more opportunities for youth players to come through instead of having their progress blocked by average dross.

Agreed. It would take us probably 3 seasons to get back to the top, but it would be worth the wait. We won’t do that though.

 

[alexmcity]

We played a much slower less expansive game though, teams seem to have figured that out and now sit off us

If we tried to keep it tight and nick a win Rodri or Gundogan might be ok, but we need someone mobile to stop the runners from midfield

They haven't figured anything out, they just take advantage from playing against a makeshift defence and a hit from injuries team. Once we find stability at CB and LB, things will be business as usual.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

We are no longer able to entice the opposition out of their shape. They know full well we would just pass through them, so they just stay in their shape and wait. The space is with our full backs because they know they cannot cross and they know that there’s nobody to head anything anyway (unless Delap plays).

So our aim should be to find two excellent attacking full backs that can cross. People seem to want solid full backs but that won’t help us. It won’t force the opposition to change the way they play against us. If Tagliafico isn’t that kind of full back then I’m afraid he will be another poor signing that sets us back further. Attacking well and pressing well is our best form of defence. We no longer apply sustained pressure. We used to be masters at it, now that’s Liverpool.