What do you think is wrong?

[I'm With Stupid]

I can't believe that recruitment is the problem. We've had the odd cock up, but then so does every club in the world. Sterling was expensive, but he's also a long-term investment and a 20 year old kid who shouldn't be expected to be world class. De Bruyne should be expected to be world class for the money we paid, and so far, I'd say he's living up to the billing. Otamendi has been a great addition and individually, he's done really well. I think the business this summer can't be criticized, and I think even with the odd crap transfer window, we've had the best squad in the league since the season we first won it, hence why we've been the only team in the league consistently challenging for the title throughout that time. The only question would be whether they've bought the sort of players to play the style of play they insist on. Raheem and Kevin are both good players, but they are tailor made for a counter-attacking, fast paced style of football.

It has to come down to tactics for me, and so it would be obvious to point to the manager. But it's also worth mentioning that the manager was brought in because the higher ups want him to play a particular style of football, so you have to wonder how much freedom the manager has to change things. They specifically want to play a high defensive line, dominating possession and winning the ball back very quickly, high up the pitch. We do the first two, but we don't seem to do the third one, which is a big problem, because if you don't do that, you give the opponents a free run at your exposed defence. There are clearly certain players, like Toure, who don't particularly fit into that style of play, and players like Demichelis and Kolarov that aren't going to thrive 30 yards from their own goal (ironically, I think Delph's energy would suit this type of game, yet he was left on the bench against Stoke). I'm not sure I agree with this attitude of "we're the best team, we'll play how we want" with little consideration for the opposition, the conditions or the personnel you happen to have available. We should be capable of playing a variety of ways, depending on who's available, who the opponents are, and what's going on in the game at the time, but we seem to always try to play the same way.

Pellegrini changed from always playing two strikers to switching to one. I suspect a lot of that is down to the way the DoF wants the squad to play. I hope long term it works out, but you do wonder how much of our current problems are down to Pellegrini, and how much are down to him being dictated to.

 

[EL APACHE TEVEZ]

To consider what's going on across town and South west London,I don't think things are that bad are they.

 

[come-on-barney]

Laughable that the manager is copping all the flack for that performance, people need to look at the underlying causes more closely.

We have no coherent plan regarding our transfer policy except to throw obscene amounts of money around on fees for average players most of the time. Some may complain about a 'City tax' but do we really need to be forking out amounts nearing 30 million and 50 million for an immobile striker and Aaron Lennon's long lost twin? We also pay ridiculous wages to these players which makes it rather hard to move them on when the time comes.

Now, is this recruitment policy solely down to the manager or should fingers be pointed elsewhere? Our director of football seems to get off scot free in these discussions with some vehemently defending our transfer policy after the evidence points in the other direction.

You can reel off name after name that we've bought since the summer after we won the league under Mancini in which we've over paid for average dross and this is where the problem lies. Could you imagine having to sell Bony - which we will try to do this summer - we'll have to pay his contract up and let him go for around 10 million which means we probably won't get a penny back for him. Same for Fernando, Mangala and I'd put Sterling in that bracket too.

You can talk about tactics and motivation all day with justification but the simple fact is we have bought badly ever since Mancini asked for De Rossi, Van Perise and Hazard and ended up with Rodwell, Garcia and Scott Sinclair.

It’s really turning me off the club at present, just these fucking transfer circuses every summer in which we’re fleeced and exposed.

Your ire should be directed elsewhere.

I think as one poster stated compare our forwards now to under Mancini no comparison. The executive team should have given Mancini the money to build the squad. I think the squad is weaker now.

 

[stan bowles]

The main issues are: fitness (or lack of it), injuries to key players, the lack of commitment and poor attitude of some players, baffling player selections and formations from the manager and retaining players who are past their sell by date.

 

[mancity1]

The main issues are: fitness (or lack of it), injuries to key players, the lack of commitment and poor attitude of some players, baffling player selections and formations from the manager and retaining players who are past their sell by date.

Recruitment , wrong manager - training , medical staff , player overhaul in a nutshell.

Could be we have inadequate staff in the positions that have impact on these " minor " issues that need addressing.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

Laughable that the manager is copping all the flack for that performance, people need to look at the underlying causes more closely.

We have no coherent plan regarding our transfer policy except to throw obscene amounts of money around on fees for average players most of the time. Some may complain about a 'City tax' but do we really need to be forking out amounts nearing 30 million and 50 million for an immobile striker and Aaron Lennon's long lost twin? We also pay ridiculous wages to these players which makes it rather hard to move them on when the time comes.

Now, is this recruitment policy solely down to the manager or should fingers be pointed elsewhere? Our director of football seems to get off scot free in these discussions with some vehemently defending our transfer policy after the evidence points in the other direction.

You can reel off name after name that we've bought since the summer after we won the league under Mancini in which we've over paid for average dross and this is where the problem lies. Could you imagine having to sell Bony - which we will try to do this summer - we'll have to pay his contract up and let him go for around 10 million which means we probably won't get a penny back for him. Same for Fernando, Mangala and I'd put Sterling in that bracket too.

I agree mostly. But the manager does not play the right formation in a fair few games as well. But our recruitment policy is a huge point too.

Other tha. Fernandinho, de Bruyne and Otamendi I think we've signed poorly for three years.

 

[come-on-barney]

Besides the Pellers management issue there is also the elephant in the room. That is Kompany, Silva and Aguero. Whist no one can argue with their quality it is hard having your key players out injured so often.

 

[cibaman]

I think that its understandable that we are dropping points, given the injury situation. Its the manner of the defeats that is a concern. In our two title winning seasons we didn't lose a PL game by more than a one goal margin. We were never outplayed the way we have been recently.

 

[mancity1]

I can't believe that recruitment is the problem. We've had the odd cock up, but then so does every club in the world. Sterling was expensive, but he's also a long-term investment and a 20 year old kid who shouldn't be expected to be world class. De Bruyne should be expected to be world class for the money we paid, and so far, I'd say he's living up to the billing. Otamendi has been a great addition and individually, he's done really well. I think the business this summer can't be criticized, and I think even with the odd crap transfer window, we've had the best squad in the league since the season we first won it, hence why we've been the only team in the league consistently challenging for the title throughout that time. The only question would be whether they've bought the sort of players to play the style of play they insist on. Raheem and Kevin are both good players, but they are tailor made for a counter-attacking, fast paced style of football.

It has to come down to tactics for me, and so it would be obvious to point to the manager. But it's also worth mentioning that the manager was brought in because the higher ups want him to play a particular style of football, so you have to wonder how much freedom the manager has to change things. They specifically want to play a high defensive line, dominating possession and winning the ball back very quickly, high up the pitch. We do the first two, but we don't seem to do the third one, which is a big problem, because if you don't do that, you give the opponents a free run at your exposed defence. There are clearly certain players, like Toure, who don't particularly fit into that style of play, and players like Demichelis and Kolarov that aren't going to thrive 30 yards from their own goal (ironically, I think Delph's energy would suit this type of game, yet he was left on the bench against Stoke). I'm not sure I agree with this attitude of "we're the best team, we'll play how we want" with little consideration for the opposition, the conditions or the personnel you happen to have available. We should be capable of playing a variety of ways, depending on who's available, who the opponents are, and what's going on in the game at the time, but we seem to always try to play the same way.

Pellegrini changed from always playing two strikers to switching to one. I suspect a lot of that is down to the way the DoF wants the squad to play. I hope long term it works out, but you do wonder how much of our current problems are down to Pellegrini, and how much are down to him being dictated to.

No matter the spin put on it either the manager has issues that are not being addressed or the recruitment of square pegs in round holes by your own admission isn't going to make it happen either.

Its a bit of both more than likely.

Work ethic and mental strength/leadership are lacking in our playing group as well and its quite frightening how early you know we are in deep doo doo in some games which is perhaps a combination of the mindset of the players or some of them on a given day and the managers ability to set up the side to overcome it.

If you don't adapt you are asking for trouble and more and more sides see us as a side you can boss easily.

 

[Marvin]

When we won the league under Mancini we went through a bad patch in the 2nd half of the season where a big lead evaporated and we fell behind Utd.

When w won it under Pellegrini we couldn't win away for about 2 mnths.

We have half a team out. Our best players missing. It's been like that for 2 months and we are in 4 competitions. I am hoping that when we the disappointment is out of the way, City fans will reflect on where we are and the real problems that the manager faces.

I don't think he should be playing Demichelis, but then again, he did do a good job for us last season so you can understand why the manager plays him when Kompany and Mangala are out.

I think Pellegrini has to make some big decisions now:

1) Accept that Demichelis time is up

2) Drop Bony. The player is playing well below his level. We can't play him through this bad spell.

Fans need to get behind the team now. We have to create a defiant atmosphere. Are we capable of doing that, or are we just entitled customers who think our players are robots who should win every game?