So what is wrong at the moment?

[Dizzie]

I think when we are struggling like this Pellegrini needs to look at our strengths and weaknesses and pick his team accordingly. Pick your best players and play them in their best positions.

The left side of our defence is a weakness so you strengthen it by putting Milner in front to offer some assistance.

Toure and Fernando can't play as a midfield 2, so you add a 3rd body there.

Fernandinho isn't a holding player so you don't play him as one.

Silva is more effective with a free role not playing out wide, so you give him that role etc

We need to try and play something like this:

..................Hart

Zaba....Kompany...MDM...Clichy/Kolarov

.............Fernando

...Fernandinho..Toure..Milner

.................Silva

.............Aguero

Keep a stable team, lay off the rotation (particularly in defence), play to our strengths until we get some confidence and form back and then gradually introduce other players.

That's the exact team I play on fifa :P

And you're from Knaresborough, I'm from Harrogate :)

 

[PragueBlue]

I think when we are struggling like this Pellegrini needs to look at our strengths and weaknesses and pick his team accordingly. Pick your best players and play them in their best positions.

The left side of our defence is a weakness so you strengthen it by putting Milner in front to offer some assistance.

Toure and Fernando can't play as a midfield 2, so you add a 3rd body there.

Fernandinho isn't a holding player so you don't play him as one.

Silva is more effective with a free role not playing out wide, so you give him that role etc

We need to try and play something like this:

..................Hart

Zaba....Kompany...MDM...Clichy/Kolarov

.............Fernando

...Fernandinho..Toure..Milner

.................Silva

.............Aguero

Keep a stable team, lay off the rotation (particularly in defence), play to our strengths until we get some confidence and form back and then gradually introduce other players.

That's the exact team I play on fifa :P

And you're from Knaresborough, I'm from Harrogate :)

Obviously a hotbed of football intelligence then ;-)

Do you travel to games with the Harrogate branch?

 

[sh249]

I think when we are struggling like this Pellegrini needs to look at our strengths and weaknesses and pick his team accordingly. Pick your best players and play them in their best positions.

The left side of our defence is a weakness so you strengthen it by putting Milner in front to offer some assistance.

Toure and Fernando can't play as a midfield 2, so you add a 3rd body there.

Fernandinho isn't a holding player so you don't play him as one.

Silva is more effective with a free role not playing out wide, so you give him that role etc

We need to try and play something like this:

..................Hart

Zaba....Kompany...MDM...Clichy/Kolarov

.............Fernando

...Fernandinho..Toure..Milner

.................Silva

.............Aguero

Keep a stable team, lay off the rotation (particularly in defence), play to our strengths until we get some confidence and form back and then gradually introduce other players.

I agree with a lot of that, especially the rotation. I also don't think that the 4-2-3-1 suits us, despite what everyone in the media says. I'd tweak it slightly though to play a 4-3-1-2. With just Aguero up front and Silva behind, I fear we might become a bit toothless (I appreciate that we're hampered here by the fact that Dzeko and Jovetic are both off form).

--------------------Hart-------------------
Zaba--Komp--Mangala/Demichelis--Clichy
---Fernandinho--Yaya--Milner------
--------------------Silva------------------
-------------Aguero--Jovetic------------

If Kolarov was fit, I'd play him to give us more width going forward. Not a huge Milner fan, but we need his energy at the moment, and he and Fernandinho would hopefully help cover those wide areas and stop us being so open on the counter attack. I'm hopeful that (irrespective of formations) Silva coming back will also help Jovetic.
We don't really have any good wide attacking players (hence why the 4-2-3-1 doesn't suit us), but we do have decent options in the centre of midfield (Fernandinho, Yaya, Milner, Fernando, Lampard, Nasri - although several are off form), arguably the best No. 10 in the world in Silva (and a good back up in Nasri), one world class striker and two good ones (who are also off form). As you say, we should look to play to those strengths we have.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Perhaps we need to take a step back and look at our situation , for 5 years we have been the most successful team in england and we are probably having our worst period of form during this time. With Chelsea having an outstanding start to the season and our under par performances in europe the media spotlight was always going to turn on Pellers and our club.

But this is the time to get behind the club/team , we all have our opinions about tactics / players etc , but i have every confidence from our owner downwards that the club will bring more success , it looks like we could miss out this season , but i think of the 80 odd other league clubs in UK and think , some of these poor bastards that support their club through thin & thin (like we have) and will probably never see a cup in their trophy cabinet

The only real gripe i have is the closed shop that Platini , UEFA and ECA which they obviously do not want our club to be a part of , the draws and some decisions from the officials are dubious to say the least , apart from this , maybe some perspective is required.

 

[northstander]

there's nothing wrong, get players back and we'll be on our way, we're about the same as last season points wise, arsenal were 8 points ahead, what happened ? we smashed them, overtook them , chelsea beat us at our place and went 8 points clear we overtook them, liverpool were 8 points ahead with 5 games to go and the title came back to the etihad.
personally i'm not worried at the moment like demichelis mangala needs time to settle, he will come good, i am pissed off at being out of capital cup but shit happens, FA cup will do nicely and if we fail to qualify to next stage of champions league then europa cup in the cabinet will do nicely.
ANYWAY why so glum we beat WARBURY away on saturday albeit with the help of an own goal, but they all count !!!!

 

[waspish]

Nowt

 

[fatbloke]

The problem is in midfield, it's excruciating to watch the lack of energy and intensity from certain players. Fernando is being left isolated defensively because other than Milner no one actively tries to win possession back. There's no pressure on the ball, there's no closing down, there's no one winning second balls, there's no desire to even get back behind the ball from certain players and we all know who I'm talking about. Without that commitment and work rate you're fucked whether you've got Ged Brannan or Lionel Messi.

The attacking side of our game is the same - our midfield is painfully lacking in movement and energy, Milner is the only player willing to make runs to get in behind defences and get in the box.

 

[Mico]

The problem is in midfield, it's excruciating to watch the lack of energy and intensity from certain players. Fernando is being left isolated defensively because other than Milner no one actively tries to win possession back. There's no pressure on the ball, there's no closing down, there's no one winning second balls, there's no desire to even get back behind the ball from certain players and we all know who I'm talking about. Without that commitment and work rate you're fucked whether you've got Ged Brannan or Lionel Messi.

The attacking side of our game is the same - our midfield is painfully lacking in movement and energy, Milner is the only player willing to make runs to get in behind defences and get in the box.

Agreed. The high-pressure tactics from last year aren't there.

 

[Jack Wills]

The problem is in midfield, it's excruciating to watch the lack of energy and intensity from certain players. Fernando is being left isolated defensively because other than Milner no one actively tries to win possession back. There's no pressure on the ball, there's no closing down, there's no one winning second balls, there's no desire to even get back behind the ball from certain players and we all know who I'm talking about. Without that commitment and work rate you're fucked whether you've got Ged Brannan or Lionel Messi.

The attacking side of our game is the same - our midfield is painfully lacking in movement and energy, Milner is the only player willing to make runs to get in behind defences and get in the box.

This is exactly right, it's frustrating to watch. I don't understand how the manager hasn't seen this and addressed it, or even the players themselves. They must watch videos of previous games and see what's going wrong, and what other teams are doing.

I just don't get why they seem unable or unwilling to fix it - it's not like they need to become more skilful or do things they've never done before - that's the worrying thing, we look like we're off the pace every game, are they unfit compared to other teams, or just lazy fuckers resting on their laurels or what? Or is it Pellers sticking with deluded belief that his slow, slow, slower intricate passing game will come good in the end? Maybe it will, but it's bloody painful at times!

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I think when we are struggling like this Pellegrini needs to look at our strengths and weaknesses and pick his team accordingly. Pick your best players and play them in their best positions.

The left side of our defence is a weakness so you strengthen it by putting Milner in front to offer some assistance.

Toure and Fernando can't play as a midfield 2, so you add a 3rd body there.

Fernandinho isn't a holding player so you don't play him as one.

Silva is more effective with a free role not playing out wide, so you give him that role etc

We need to try and play something like this:

..................Hart

Zaba....Kompany...MDM...Clichy/Kolarov

.............Fernando

...Fernandinho..Toure..Milner

.................Silva

.............Aguero

Keep a stable team, lay off the rotation (particularly in defence), play to our strengths until we get some confidence and form back and then gradually introduce other players.

That's the exact team I play on fifa :P

And you're from Knaresborough, I'm from Harrogate :)

Obviously a hotbed of football intelligence then ;-)

Do you travel to games with the Harrogate branch?

Good posts from the posh Yotkshire folk!

If only Silva could play on one leg lol!

Ps: I get on the Harrogate coach in Leeds