Three years of bad transfer dealings

[mancity1]

The more i see one of the very best centre halves in the world look like an ill shadow of what he can be because of the manager's appalling defensive tactics, i am changing my outlook on Mangala. I was really unimpressed after the Everton game but having just seen Kompany have two mares i just think it's Pellegrini's completely unstructured tactics that are making our defenders look a lot worse than they really are. So i will hold back on the "completely unimpressive performance" posts about him until Pellegrini sorts his fucking head out and gets this team defending.

Tactically MP is not as inflexible as some make out but when we don't score goals we can come unstuck because we don't have the speed in midfield and in defence to cover the counter attack.

On top of this its clear when we don't score first we are very vunerable to the counter attack and even when we do particular of late we are still very nervous defensively and that has to change.

Its called confidence in doing the right things and right now we lack that throughout the whole side to the point where we struggle at set pieces at both ends of the ground.

 

[shallyman]

Mangala, Fernando, Cabellero, Navas, Fernandinho, Jovetic

Looking at those individual signings, they all occurred mostly unchallenged. There was no bidding war because the work behind the scenes started very early on. The players were targeted, and by the time anything was rumored in the press the deals were as good as done. It seems that the secretive nature of these signings, and getting one over rivals was a bigger factor than seeing if they were a good fit. I think that if you want to get the best players out there, you have to throw your hat into the ring. If there was a better way, don't you think the others would have worked it out by now?

 

[Marvin]

3 or 4 games there was talk about establishing club records for successive wins.

Now almost overnight the rags come out of the gutter and you want to make fundamental question marks against the same players!

This football. Get used to it. Same lessons every season

We've dipped because human performance is subject to 101 variables, and some of them like ACON and injury are out of our control, and if you really are mad enough to want to analyse game by game failings then look at the big name established players. They are the ones whose game has dipped. But no one is going to question how good Aguero and Kompany are. That would be too stupid

 

[Graceyboy]

Lets get some fkn perspective here first. Its always fickle fans with hinesight that start giving it to the players they now say are shit. At the time of the signatures, the MAJORITY all thought our signings were top draw, and we were picking up the "next wave of top talent" not the established names that cost the top prices.

City have been very lucky, VERY LUCKY, in having some of our top signings come here and hit the ground running, Yaya, Silva, Aguero to mention 3. Not all players can do that, not all teams get that luxary either. We have quality quality players in our squad and some need a bit of slack to get to grips.

We need to allow our manager to navigate around hurdles that come up ie Injuries, form, hierachy demanding winter friendlies in thier country, contract distractions, these are things that he has no direct responsibility over. We have our hands tied to a certain degree with FFP, but we also want to be looking at giving players the time to be coached and improved.

The pressure at this club now to perform is immense, and maybe some players just can't live upto it. We have seen many players at different clubs choke on the big stage, but are not bad players, they just don't cut it.

Those that want to give it to individual players that they are crap etc, why don't you go back through BM topics of post match threads where these players had a great game and just remind yourselves that these players have the ability, they just need the time and backing to get their consistancy.

We are no longer a club that spends on revolutionary scales, we add to our squad diligently where needs be. and certainly not at the behest of impatient, ill informed fans. City don't panic buy on the last minute. In depth dossiers are compiled to try to ensure we are recuiting the right guys.

Lets give our players and management our backing.

I think we have given the players and management the backing and whilst I agree with a lot you say maybe its down to the 3 players you mention quality rather than luck as to why they hit the ground running. I mean how much time do these players need? The first lot bought, Jovetic, Navas have had near 2 seasons how much more time do they need?

Also Manuel has had close to £200m to spend since he has been at City so we are spending money on that scale I am afraid just not as wisely as we once spent it.

I know what your saying, but when I say they need time, I mean time on the pitch, not elapsed time since they signed. When you are a player that is rotated often, its very hard to get that consistancy. Silva, Yaya, Aguero are all 90 minuters every game unless injured

 

[Latics Fan SJK]

It surprises me to see people say there was a greater need for a centre back to (presumably) dislodge Demichelis, rather than bring in a world class wide player.

Certain from the point of view of an outsider looking in, City have been crying out for a player of the Hazard, then Sanchez, mould ever since the takeover. When Sanchez became available last summer, it made complete sense to me for City to go all guns blazing for him and then look for a centre back after that. He would have added the much needed pace outwide, but with far more end product than Navas. He'd have also been able to operate from the left, as well as up top and could have contributed during the spell when you had Aguero, Dzeko & Jovetic out injured (although, granted, you coped well here anyway).

That's the biggest error you've made in your transfer dealings of late, which in all honesty I don't think have been particularly impressive over the years post Mancini, however you've still won a League / Cup double, so why would anyone *really* complain.

If you ask me whether you'd be worse off than you are now but with Sanchez in your squad rather than Mangala, I'd strongly disagree. Of course there's the potential issue that he may just have wanted to move to Arsenal, or just be in London, but I reckon if you really wanted him, you'd have got him.

Mangala could well become one of the best CB's in football over the coming years, but that doesn't mean right now he looks a poor acquisition, and you'd have to think there may have been better options out there for this season at least, and then look to fill the CB hole this coming summer. All hindsight, of course. Mangala has shown though that he can put in exceptional performances (Chelsea), but then he's also been made to look like Titus Bramble at times, too.

Fernando is just another Garcia to me, but with a little bit more pace. I don't think he's *much* of an upgrade, and I don't think he'll be the mainstay of your defensive midfield over the coming years.

 

[casualdeyna]

I feel sorry for Vinnie and Mangala at times because they play in defence for such a wide open team. I don't think it matters who we got in defence, or if we replaced Pellegrini, as I don't think we would change our style of play. We would still be attacking, still trying to get the full backs pushed right on, still try and walk the ball in to the net, and still be wide open on the counter.

Now I love the way we play football, and as I've said previous in the long-term trying to develop a "city way" of playing is absolutely the right way to go, but it just means when we don't play well, and especially not put the ball in to the back of the net, we are wide open on the counter. Look at the stats for the Arsenal and Boro defeats, we've had well over 60% possession, we are not being battered we are being sucker-punched for not putting the ball in the net.

I can't ever see Ferran going for a Mourinho type manager who changes the tactics week in week out to get results, I've read an interview with him on another thread where he basically states that even though he and Tixi don't tell MP how to manage the team there is an overall ethos that they do not expect the manager to deviate much from.

I'm not getting in to the how good a manager MP is, because he won a cup double last year and no other City manager in my lifetime (32 years) has done that, or where we would be if we would've bought Isco, Sanchez, Hazard etc. I just think there is over-reaction to teams figuring out if they can get to 60/70 minutes against us without conceding they will win because we play an open and expansive style of football, and I honestly don't see that changing regardless of who the manager is or who is wearing the shirt.

 

[Jack Wills]

I just think there is over-reaction to teams figuring out if they can get to 60/70 minutes against us without conceding they will win because we play an open and expansive style of football, and I honestly don't see that changing regardless of who the manager is or who is wearing the shirt.

If this is the case then we need to change something or we'll continue to be figured out and lose more and more. Teams need to adapt, whether that's the system or the players to deliver it is up to those running the club to decide, but if we've been figured out then we need to change something.

More goals from midfield/wings/corners would be a good start in my opinion, or certainly more of the vast number of chances we're creating being converted. So often recently we see 20+ shots on target, and no goals, or just 1. It's not really good enough. Hopefully Bony can address this to some extent.

 

[J_Bow]

3 or 4 games there was talk about establishing club records for successive wins.

Now almost overnight the rags come out of the gutter and you want to make fundamental question marks against the same players!

This football. Get used to it. Same lessons every season

We've dipped because human performance is subject to 101 variables, and some of them like ACON and injury are out of our control, and if you really are mad enough to want to analyse game by game failings then look at the big name established players. They are the ones whose game has dipped. But no one is going to question how good Aguero and Kompany are. That would be too stupid

Them successive wins came against the bottom feeder sides of the league in consecutive games (Leicester, Palace, West Brom & Sunderland) Not forgetting a horrible result at Burnley. Games we should win.

While we won those games we hardly looked at our best, I'd probably say our best league performance was away to Southampton. You could sense though that if we actually played a team that wasn't shit we would struggle. So when it came to Everton away and then Arsenal we looked below par.

You're correct that the likes of Kompany hadn't performed to his best in a while, the fact that arguably our best defensive performance of the season away to Roma didn't even need him involved. I don't understand the Aguero comment. He was brilliant till he got injured, you can't expect him to be 100% when he's possibly been rushed too soon yet again.

 

[bluefn]

I feel sorry for Vinnie and Mangala at times because they play in defence for such a wide open team. I don't think it matters who we got in defence, or if we replaced Pellegrini, as I don't think we would change our style of play. We would still be attacking, still trying to get the full backs pushed right on, still try and walk the ball in to the net, and still be wide open on the counter.

Now I love the way we play football, and as I've said previous in the long-term trying to develop a "city way" of playing is absolutely the right way to go, but it just means when we don't play well, and especially not put the ball in to the back of the net, we are wide open on the counter. Look at the stats for the Arsenal and Boro defeats, we've had well over 60% possession, we are not being battered we are being sucker-punched for not putting the ball in the net.

I can't ever see Ferran going for a Mourinho type manager who changes the tactics week in week out to get results, I've read an interview with him on another thread where he basically states that even though he and Tixi don't tell MP how to manage the team there is an overall ethos that they do not expect the manager to deviate much from.

I'm not getting in to the how good a manager MP is, because he won a cup double last year and no other City manager in my lifetime (32 years) has done that, or where we would be if we would've bought Isco, Sanchez, Hazard etc. I just think there is over-reaction to teams figuring out if they can get to 60/70 minutes against us without conceding they will win because we play an open and expansive style of football, and I honestly don't see that changing regardless of who the manager is or who is wearing the shirt.

This. 100%.

I said similar after the arsenal game and was shot down. It is how we play. Every player we have is coached in this system. From 5 to 25, it doesn't matter. It is exactly what barca did and we are copying it. Simple as that. Manuel is the coach but he is part of a bigger team. I'd never hold him responsible for our system failing, because he didn't create it.

On Saturday, we will not change how we play. We will go to SF and play how we always play. That is what we do.

I'm behind it. It is the correct way to play football. There are problems in that we may need better players to play the system, and that will be sorted. Tiki and ferran are football people. They are well assisted and know what they are doing. They are building a dynasty and 2/3 poor results will not even scratch their sides.

If we fail to win a trophy they will take stock in the summer and come back stronger with better players.

The only way pellers gets sacked is if he steps out and says he doesn't buy the philosophy.

If the players are not motivated then that is twice in 4 years from this squad. It will be one or two of them that make way this time, not the boss.

 

[01cravend]

Think our transfer dealings over the next few seasons will be crucial, and with the age of our squad could be due one of those transitional seasons

Mangala is our youngest regular first team player at 23, and only one of two(boyata) under 25.

Think we as a team\squad were at our best in the 11-12 season when all our current best players were between 23-27 years old

Now someone peaks physically late 20s early 30s amd can retain that physical fitness for up to 20 years, Milner could keep running around the pitch up to his 40's. But apparently we peak mentally at 22 and start to decline at 27. So as footballers it could be a case of teaching an old dog new tricks with our recent signings. Older players not adapting as well as possible younger ones. Not to the physical rigors of the prem but mentally. Send Navas back to La Liga and he could flourish again as the way he's learnt to play worked there.

It's purely speculation but I think our transfer needs a slight tweak in the age of the players we sign. Also if we sign them younger we might even make a profit on selling on players or at least recouping a good amount of The fee rather than letting them go for free or at a penny on the pound.