Exactly, he's got Fernandinho running around like an absolute lunatic, but it's doing the team more harm than good half the time. I think he worked so well on the right because his energy was used in areas where it had no negative impact. By that, i mean the odd occasion that the ball was played round him, there still wasn't any danger because there were a load of bodies in the way because he still had Sagna behind him, plus two centre backs and Fernando. Yesterday he just had Demichellis and Mangala directly behind him. He is simply having to cover too much distance with a press and it so laughably easy to play around. Even with Yaya pressing as well, it is still so easy to take them out of the game with a quick 1-2 (as happened for their goal).
And as for your last points, i totally agree. We have a Brendan a lot of stick on here because we didn't like him, but he is streets ahead of Pellegrini. And as for Sagna, he actually had the perfect chance to try him at centre back once Demichellis went off. He already knows how well Fernandinho has done on the right hand side (albeit it in mifield), he could have easily moved Sagna to centre back and then we could have kept Fernandinho's energy on the right side of the pitch, where he could have perhaps contributed offensively. Furthermore Sagna and Mangala both speak exactly the same language so you would imagine communication between the pair would be excellent.
I don't think the problem is a lack of awareness at the Managerial level. I'm sure he knows this is an option. He just thinks his 'Way' is better and will constantly refer to more chances created in post match interviews. He fully believes the system is fine but it is not being implemented well and in that he is at least consistent. Can't see him changing now. Bumpy Ride Ahead.
Yeah we all agree i think.
Again part of that problem is the fact that our best player with the ball (or most secure) is Yaya. He drops deep to pick it up and play out, which means Silva drops a little bit, which means Aguero either has to drop or he has to become isolated. Defenders squeeze up on him so he often has to play with his back to goal. For example, when Smalling was booked in the first half. How deep was Aguero? Ridiculous.
In the summer we should have signed a technically excellent player to build the play from the back, or failing that as a second option we should probably have signed an offensive but energetic midfielder (in the Pogba mould - didn't necessarily even have to be Pogba) and dropped Yaya deeper, confining him to a similar role to the one he played at Barcelona.
For now, when Yaya drops to pick the ball up, we are losing an attacking player, Fernando nor Fernandinho can really advance further forward than him at this point, so his only forward passes are to Silva, Sterling/Navas or Aguero. So that's 3 players. Wheras if we had a technically better deeper player than Fernando, he would have 4 options for the forward pass as he would also have Yaya. It's like playing with a man less and contributes greatly to how poor we look going forward.
I was watching Bayern against Juve, and when they attack they look like they have 3 or 4 extra players, and that's because the defenders split, and allow Alonso the ball. The full backs push into midfield spots, and Vidal and Muller press forward, giving Alonso 4 forward passing options immediately in front of him, plus Lewandowski, Costa and Ribery.
We have Yaya doing the Alonso job, but with Fernando and Fernandinho stood next to him, Sagna and maybe Clichy slightly ahead and Aguero, Silva and Sterling running around trying to get free. It doesn't work.
have to agree when you look at what he said post match
"We did not deserve to lose. We dominated the game from the first minute and we were the only team who wanted to play during the whole game - but we missed three or four chance to score.
in his mind his way is working and only bad luck prevented us from winning
You may well be right but I fear that this stuff is way to complicated for the Engineer to comprehendWell that's the other side of it as well mate, none of out attacking players press as much as they should either. Having said that, since we don't have a fundamental pressing system in place, it is better to contain than it is to press singularly as doing so makes you very easy to play around.
You would think the staff would pick up on it. I've lost count of the number of times i have watched a CityTV video on the OS and seen all the players stood in a circle with one man chasing round trying to win the ball back. This is the exact scenario we are creating for ourselves when we press with just 1 player, yet we continually do it. We either contain as a team or we press as a team. It needs to be decided.
If we are going to press, Yaya needs to be play just in front of the back four, purely because 1: on form he is one of our better players so therefore needs to play, 2: this is the one position where you don't want your player to actually press too much. You want him to contain - which is something he is more suited to. And 3, he needs to drop this deep to pick the ball up anyway. So he needs to be told to stay in that position and not try and influence the game at the other end.
And if we are going to contain, i would play Fernando in that position. If we continue to do a bit of both, we have to play with Fernando protecting Fernandinho and Yaya in much the same system as we did in Seville.
As for us matching them in midfield, we didn't really did we? Silva never put Carrick under any great pressure, and even then he had Schneiderlin dropping beside him, which in turn gives Yaya a decision to make (does he push on and engage him). If Mata drifts in, Fernandinho has two men - him and Lingard to engage, so they get advantages over us, especially if we try to engage in a 1 vs 1 pressing situation.
It was naive to expect a 2 man central midfield with or without the help of Silva to dominate or even control a 4 or 5 man midfield.