Expectations…
City have been immense, best in class for a long sustained period of time.
Best thing we can do is look at the situation again.
We have struggled to replace some world class players and it shows. We have struggled badly with injuries and it must be sickening. No other team can survive without its mains CBs. Stones never available is a nightmare.
Far too many players aging and injured. New players are expected to perform at the level we have become accustomed to but are either not good enough or struggling to adapt.
So realistically we are at a decent level. Not great, not bad but somewhere in the middle.
Pep? I don’t know he seems to be struggling with the amount of changes. He likes a small squad, where he relies in a certain amount of players but he has had to manage a lot of outgoing and incoming. The settled squad inherited does not exist currently.
Nothing we can do about it unfortunately but let it play out. We have signed some good players in January. Good players seem to be the main point. How good are the new players? Jury is out.
The system that served us so well is busted. We are so poor in possession now I would love a change to counter attacking football. Everyone now accepts a pale imitation of what we used to be.
Playing out from the back, it’s shocking. Putting aside the keeper change for a second,edie played a big role but Donna saves more so it evens out. The defenders can’t be trusted to break the lines, can’t pass more than once without a mistake.
The midfield is not solid with only nico or rodders holding it together. Haaland due to these issues can’t get into the game. New winger now will be interesting.
Sorry for rant, defence and midfield is solely to blame. Pep also for persisting on playing out with players who can’t do it to a high level leaving us vulnerable. Wingers also have issues, 8/10 also is an issue. Camping out with no solution only for a quick break against the high line is again a walking disaster.
We are clearly a team in transition. To what tho? It’s confusing and not identifiable as a pep team, more like a mixture of Klopp and pep but doing neither to a high level and thus play crap.
Make your mind up time. Personally the players are not capable of possession football that is effective. Pep can’t let it go as that’s his philosophy, the club buy seemingly with one eye on the future.
Need to decide what way we want to go. This stuck in the middle is why results like yesterday happen often.