Too Many Free Roles

[kunaguero10]

Its something that's been bugging me all season; the fact so few of our players have designated positions and roles out on the pitch.

Agüero does, the defenders do. In between that however, all too often it is just a minefield of players moving about where the fuck they please, like a game of playground football.

I'll add Navas and Sterling who is fairly rigid in his position, but who knows what Silva's and KDB's best positions are? Every time they've been on the pitch together it's not been clear who is playing in the central number 10 position and who is out wide - and therefore it's not clear when they switch around either.

I'm not having that they can't play together either, I feel that if they were given defined positions (ie pick one to play predominantly in the number 10 role) and the right system was put in place it would work a treat.

Similarly I feel our central midfielders don't have defined roles either, it is rare we see someone specifically doing the holding role (how often does Fernando find himself on the edge of the opposition's box?) and I don't believe we've struck a balance between attacking and defending between the CMs too often.

I know in today's game teams and players are fluid and it's more common to switch positions etc, but I feel there isn't any actual gameplan or rationale to our set up and Pellegrini lets the players figure it out for themselves during the game.

It also doesn't help that no one has any idea what our best formation is either.

I can't wait til next season when we have an actual scientific system in place and players have a clear role to perform. Does anyone else share my feelings on the subject?

 

[Ric]

I think trying to shoehorn Toure, Silva and De Bruyne into the same side isn't working at the moment, but I suspect Pellegrini will persevere with this "tactic" in the hope that it eventually clicks.

 

[ballinio]

Said this for months too many players not disciplined enough & allowed to roam all over the pitch, one is possible but we have 3 or 4 at it.

 

[01cravend]

I think trying to shoehorn Toure, Silva and De Bruyne into the same side isn't working at the moment, but I suspect Pellegrini will persevere with this "tactic" in the hope that it eventually clicks.

Classic Pellers

 

[Kompany is King]

Could it be Pellegrini is trying to get his team to play a version of "total football", like the Dutch with Cruyff?

 

[Ric]

Could it be Pellegrini is trying to get his team to play a version of "total football", like the Dutch with Cruyff?

I'm not sure any great thought has gone into it to be honest. I think he just believes in playing his best players, regardless of whether or not they complement each other.

 

[bluesoup]

I'm not sure any great thought has gone into it to be honest. I think he just believes in playing his best players, regardless of whether or not they complement each other.

I just think he doesn't know his best team, let alone for different games. He's had long enough to work it out !

 

[kunaguero10]

Said this for months too many players not disciplined enough & allowed to roam all over the pitch, one is possible but we have 3 or 4 at it.

I don't actually place much blame on the players for this, as I don't believe the manager gives them a proper set of instructions to stay disciplined to.

 

[1961_vintage]

Its something that's been bugging me all season; the fact so few of our players have designated positions and roles out on the pitch.

I love the concept of such a fluid system and, when it works, it is superb to watch. But the players need to take responsibility to make it work and, for whatever reason, we have too many that don't have that mentality. Whether we need sticks but deploy carrots, or need carrots but deploy sticks - we have a group that appears under-motivated, lacking in inspiration and for the best part operating without a clear and common purpose. Leadership on and off the field seems somewhat bereft.

 

[cibaman]

I was thinking that the problem with KdB is that he's too restricted in away games. He doesn't have a great engine or terrific pace which means that when he plays out wide the game has to come to him. When we're struggling to impose ourselves the game can pass him by.

 

[hilts]

We manage to weaken the team by putting too many flair players in it, but not only that this actually hampers the flair players as well, the toure,kdb,silva situation has been done to death for a long time now, we have to presume manual just doesn't see it, it's even a negative on Fernandinho

We have to wait till next season I'm afraid

 

[dadnlad]

works at home just away from home need to settle the game before total football works

 

[themanc]

the manager does not set the team up properly away from home, let the home team have the ball and play on counter attack.

 

[kippaxblue76]

To many passengers when we don't have the ball, especially away from home. Every team we come up against works harder than us. Pellegrini on the whole plays his best 11 players and not the best "team". As soon as i saw the lineup yesterday i knew we would struggle.

Play 3 proper midfielders, 2 wide men with pace who also help the fullbacks, win the midfield battle then the extra quality should tell. More often than not if you win the midfield you win the game. It astounds me he keeps persisting with the same set up.

 

[BigOscar]

As Ric said, it's all about ramming Yaya, Silva and De Bruyne into the same team and it just isn't going to work. We seem to be of the belief that we will be more attacking if we ram more attacking players in the team, but all it does is lose us control of the game and force attacking players to try and do jobs they can't do. Yaya cannot play in central midfield anymore, his defending is pathetic and he doesn't contribute a whole lot from an attacking perspective when he plays there either, while De Bruyne is not much of a winger either.

I think we'd look a far better side by just having one of those three playing as a number 10, then having two of Dinho/Delph/Fernando in behind him, with Navas and Sterling on the wings. We'd at least have a shape then and have people playing in their actual positions. At the moment it's just a mess.

 

[Chi-town blues]

Pelle"s philosophy is that the players should take responsibilities and use their intelligence . Right now we got teamful of thinkers and less doers.

 

[quiet_riot]

I think the theory of 'free roles' is a good one - in that in can cause confusion amongst defenders who don't want to get dragged about man-marking, and so they don't know who is picking up who. We don't seem particularly great at causing that confusion in practice, though.

 

[ballinio]

As Ric said, it's all about ramming Yaya, Silva and De Bruyne into the same team and it just isn't going to work. We seem to be of the belief that we will be more attacking if we ram more attacking players in the team, but all it does is lose us control of the game and force attacking players to try and do jobs they can't do. Yaya cannot play in central midfield anymore, his defending is pathetic and he doesn't contribute a whole lot from an attacking perspective when he plays there either, while De Bruyne is not much of a winger either.

I think we'd look a far better side by just having one of those three playing as a number 10, then having two of Dinho/Delph/Fernando in behind him, with Navas and Sterling on the wings. We'd at least have a shape then and have people playing in their actual positions. At the moment it's just a mess.

This is correct