Training Ground work bearing obvious fruit

[kippaxblue76]

Today was the best away performance defensively for me, the back five were outstanding. More good work from the training ground me thinks.

 

[spacecadet]

I was worried when we had lost four away games early on. I thought is Senor Pellegrino learning quick enough?
Wow, never seen such destructive football on such a regular basis at City in my forty-odd years watching.
Wonderful times Blues.

 

[adrianr]

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

Was that the one where silva played a one-two, crossed deep and negredo dropped back and got a free header?

The Touchline man at sky said on the commentary that Pellegrini laughed to the bench after and said "see?"

 

[adrianr]

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

Was that the one where silva played a one-two, crossed deep and negredo dropped back and got a free header?

The Touchline man at sky said on the commentary that Pellegrini laughed to the bench after and said "see?"

Hah, certainly was. Very close effort too, Negredo in acres of space.

 

[jollylescott]

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

Was that the one where silva played a one-two, crossed deep and negredo dropped back and got a free header?

The Touchline man at sky said on the commentary that Pellegrini laughed to the bench after and said "see?"

Just watched the replay. That was Demichelis peeling off at the back and Silva almost got the ball to him. This was a move that we have used recently when Demichelis headed the ball back and Vinny scored. I think it might have been the Swansea game. I'm not sure there have been so many games lately it has become a blur!

 

[kippaxblue76]

Today was only the second clean sheet away from home all season, under some pretty intense pressure as well, excellent desire, determination and organisation. More training ground work coming to fruition.

 

[JOGAMIGMOG]

Yeah, not a clean sheet really though was it??

 

[skybluepete]

IT looks to me like the evolution of this wonderful team of ours is being incubated directly on the training ground. You can see the progression in so many areas as the season progresses.

1) Corners - We are an enormous threat from corners. We are looking for the short one less, and putting it into the same front post area every time. There are big players are winning headers and the others make clever runs to the back post. Then, even if the header isn't "middled", we have lads arriving to convert at the far post. Ya Ya did this against United. Negredo at Blackburn, loads of others. Not hugely compilcated, but devastatingly effective this season.

2) Free kicks - Ya Ya has his technique perfect for those on the left side of the box, Kolorov from the right. Even Silva has taken one or two dangerous ones.

3) Penalties - I keep reading on the training reports how we practice penalties every session, and we have had three takers and havent come close to missing one yet.

4) High tempo passing - the bedrock of our game. Every single player looks to keep the ball moving and to bang it into feet. The continual movement which accompanies this is what keeps posession and leads to chances.

5) Off the ball movement and running - Look how many times our forwards make clever, diverting runs when we drive down on goal. Again, simple stuff but we are doing it really effectively

6) Breaking down stubborn teams - Last night was the culmination of a progressive improvement in our ability to break down defensive teams. What we do is play our little triangle passes a little deeper, draw a player or two out, then ruthlessly exploit the space that has created. And we vary things all the time - occasional ball from deep, occasional overlap, etc. This drags the opposition all over.

7) Using the width of the park - Our fullbacks and Navas and to a lesser degree Milner are adept at overlapping and running at the full back. This is creating us a lot of corners, from which we are a threat, and a lot of goals as well

8) Effective defending. Whilst we stuttered at the beginning of the season, we have learnt to play the high line when necessary. We don't look vulnerable to corners/setpieces either, and the individual errors which blighted the early games have all been ironed out. Whilst we will always conceed goals due to our killer instinct, last night again was another rock solid display from the back line.

All of this progression is clearly down to technical training ground work and you have got to give enormous respect to the manager and his coaching staff for this. It's been a joy to see this evolve over the course of the last few months, and a joy to see how our player are responding to this.

This is what are destroying teams. Everyone talking about these shit teams that keep turning up at the Etihad, but they cant get near
the ball. They press and we pass around and break on them, so they sit off and our tight one touch football breaks them down.
Great to watch and long may it continue.

I think we have been passing the ball quite well and like this for the last few seasons really, the season we won the league we passed teams off the park tbf, we are probably getting the ball into forward /dangerous areas quicker though.

I also think are full backs have been playing like this for a while now too.

One of the main differences for me is that we're pressing the opposition much higher up the pitch and winning back possesion where we can really hurt teams,we are defending from the front 2.

The 2strikers are working hard to get the ball back with the midfield denying the opposition space and time on the ball,, add to this kompany trying to win the ball back just beyond the half way line, we are all over the opposition like a rash!!<br /><br />-- Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:05 am --<br /><br />

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

Was that the one where silva played a one-two, crossed deep and negredo dropped back and got a free header?

The Touchline man at sky said on the commentary that Pellegrini laughed to the bench after and said "see?"

Just watched the replay. That was Demichelis peeling off at the back and Silva almost got the ball to him. This was a move that we have used recently when Demichelis headed the ball back and Vinny scored. I think it might have been the Swansea game. I'm not sure there have been so many games lately it has become a blur!

Fulham i think

 

[kippaxblue76]

Yeah, not a clean sheet really though was it??

What was the score ?

 

[SrilankanBlue]

Thrilled with the pure character and desire and desperation to win shown today in the face of big pressure of needing to win and Newcastle and a packed St james' park fired up after the disallowed goal.

 

[citytill1die84]

Yeah, not a clean sheet really though was it??

2-0 let me think???????? Ye looks like a clean sheet to me.

 

[uberblue]

Think our high pressing is proving only moderately successful. We're a yard off the pace to make it work 100%. The better teams are able to accurately pass their way through it. That's the reason we sometimes look dangerously exposed - once it breaks down, half our team is at the other end of the pitch, leaving 4 on 4's.
Hi risk against Barca.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Circa 14 minutes in, Silva short corner to Negredo header.. Definitely looked like one from the training ground.

Was that the one where silva played a one-two, crossed deep and negredo dropped back and got a free header?

The Touchline man at sky said on the commentary that Pellegrini laughed to the bench after and said "see?"

Just watched the replay. That was Demichelis peeling off at the back and Silva almost got the ball to him. This was a move that we have used recently when Demichelis headed the ball back and Vinny scored. I think it might have been the Swansea game. I'm not sure there have been so many games lately it has become a blur!

I remember the "peel off" free kick, and we have done it before. But we are talking about a different incident: a corner where Silva played it short to someone who was close to the corner of the box, who pinged it straight back to him. He crossed it to the penalty spot area where Negredo had dropped off 5 yards and was unmarked.

 

[SWP's back]

Yeah, not a clean sheet really though was it??

Course it fucking well was.

 

[blueinsa]

Think our high pressing is proving only moderately successful. We're a yard off the pace to make it work 100%. The better teams are able to accurately pass their way through it. That's the reason we sometimes look dangerously exposed - once it breaks down, half our team is at the other end of the pitch, leaving 4 on 4's.
Hi risk against Barca.

Im convinced that folk post on here without even watching us sometimes!

 

[Anonymous]

Think our high pressing is proving only moderately successful. We're a yard off the pace to make it work 100%. The better teams are able to accurately pass their way through it. That's the reason we sometimes look dangerously exposed - once it breaks down, half our team is at the other end of the pitch, leaving 4 on 4's.
Hi risk against Barca.

Im convinced that folk post on here without even watching us sometimes!

It's more that the analysis seems somewhat lacking. For example - "pressing high up the field leaves us exposed". Well yeah - any team who presses as high up the field as we do will leave themselves exposed. It's why a team like Barcelona has conceded the vast majority of their goals in the last few years from counter attacks.

Anyway yeah, training ground work is clearly bearing fruit. Yesterday (as in recent weeks) we look for all the world like Pellegrini's Villareal but with better players. Our pressing movement, passing, understanding of positioning, fluidity, all those little technical details you learn in training are all coming to the fore.

The fact we have both the character and mentality of a top team allied with the undoubted technical ability we have is at times frightening.

Yesterday was another huge away win. Next on our travels will be Spurs - 3 points there and then Chelsea at home to put them out of the race once and for all :)

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Yeah, not a clean sheet really though was it??

2-0 let me think???????? Ye looks like a clean sheet to me.

Dead right, ct1d84 - as clean as a whistling wanker's whistle!

 

[skybluepete]

Think our high pressing is proving only moderately successful. We're a yard off the pace to make it work 100%. The better teams are able to accurately pass their way through it. That's the reason we sometimes look dangerously exposed - once it breaks down, half our team is at the other end of the pitch, leaving 4 on 4's.
Hi risk against Barca.

Im convinced that folk post on here without even watching us sometimes!

I kind of know what he means tho, we will only get better playing this way though but right now the better and more intelligent players do catch us from time to time.
A lot of the time if you look at the pitch when were attacking(better from a birds eye veiw)
We only have our two c/h to rely on because every other player is pushed on- i have seen vinnie on numerous occasions this season flying in to win the ball back well into the oppositions half- against real quality though, we would have to be careful .

 

[cleavers]

We only have our two c/h to rely on because every other player is pushed on- i have seen vinnie on numerous occasions this season flying in to win the ball back well into the oppositions half- against real quality though, we would have to be careful .

14 wins and 2 draws in the last 16 games would suggest it works quite well.