this is a fact of life we'll have to put up with, as many top teams have had to do for years. (not so much Utd though who teams used to sit off for some reason)
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What do you think is wrong?
- Thread starter ono
- Start date
this is a fact of life we'll have to put up with, as many top teams have had to do for years. (not so much Utd though who teams used to sit off for some reason)
Pablo ZZZ Peroni
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Let down by players :) This quote on sky from the weekend says its all:
"We weren't good enough today. I don't know why. I'll have to analyse the game and I'll know more about it...... I know the team wanted it but that (shit) can happen.You trust on something and it's not there. And you wait for it and you (still) don't get it and you have to work for it"
"We weren't good enough today. I don't know why. I'll have to analyse the game and I'll know more about it...... I know the team wanted it but that (shit) can happen.You trust on something and it's not there. And you wait for it and you (still) don't get it and you have to work for it"
BlueAnorak
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Looking that the start of each half against Liverpool and Stoke I have noticed a few things about the way we leaked goals in these games.
The first point is that we are outnumbered in central midfield. Never a good thing - it works against our passing game as our central midfield players have less time to think and less time to pass the ball to a City player up the pitch. when Fernando plays it is made worse because although he is a good tackler, he rarely passes the ball forwards or takes the ball forward himself into space - he looks for a pass sideways or backwards and this puts his team mates under pressure as a swarm of opposition harriers approach them leaving them with no option either except to hoof the ball up the pitch. Even if the hoof is accurate, the receiving player has to bring it under control which isn't easy and NOT our passing game. We either play an extra player in midfield to counteract the opposition trying to outnumber us (at which point our passing options improve) or play a different midfielder - one who can pass forwards or surge forward with the ball.
The second is the ludicrous high line City are playing when DeMichelis is playing LCH. He simply just doesn't have the pace to do it from the off. If he stays put he gets passed round, if he steps forward he isn't quick enough to get there and gets passed round and if he runs back with the attacker he loses out in the foot race with the attacker. This is exacerbated by being outnumbered in central midfield. If DeMichelis plays, either play a deeper line so Hart can sweep up behind him or play a different player.
The third point is the positioning of Sterling and Kolarov. Prior to mid October, when the opposition had the ball Sterling tracked back and put himself in a position inside/behind Kolarov so if a winger cut in he was their to block the run and give Kolorov time to recover - it also allowed Kolarov to concentrate mainly on the run down the outside. Now he doesn't go into this position as he is now 3/4 yards away covering a pass into central midfield. This has led directly to three goals being conceded by players getting round Kolorov and putting a ball into the box (2 Liverpool and 1 Stoke). Again this is not helped by Demichelis loosing out in the foot race with the player going to the near post. This is clearly a coaching change by Pellegrini. Probably to get quicker counter attacks under way. It will probably work when Cliche is full back but not for Kolarov. It is certainly killing us though, and yet, Pellers persists with it. Back to the previous tactics please.
Most importantly It beggars belief that Pellers cannot see what is happening but yet there are no instructions/order to players to sort it out, nothing. He just sits on his bum and watches the car crash unfold. That beggars belief - Brain farting of epic proportions.
The first point is that we are outnumbered in central midfield. Never a good thing - it works against our passing game as our central midfield players have less time to think and less time to pass the ball to a City player up the pitch. when Fernando plays it is made worse because although he is a good tackler, he rarely passes the ball forwards or takes the ball forward himself into space - he looks for a pass sideways or backwards and this puts his team mates under pressure as a swarm of opposition harriers approach them leaving them with no option either except to hoof the ball up the pitch. Even if the hoof is accurate, the receiving player has to bring it under control which isn't easy and NOT our passing game. We either play an extra player in midfield to counteract the opposition trying to outnumber us (at which point our passing options improve) or play a different midfielder - one who can pass forwards or surge forward with the ball.
The second is the ludicrous high line City are playing when DeMichelis is playing LCH. He simply just doesn't have the pace to do it from the off. If he stays put he gets passed round, if he steps forward he isn't quick enough to get there and gets passed round and if he runs back with the attacker he loses out in the foot race with the attacker. This is exacerbated by being outnumbered in central midfield. If DeMichelis plays, either play a deeper line so Hart can sweep up behind him or play a different player.
The third point is the positioning of Sterling and Kolarov. Prior to mid October, when the opposition had the ball Sterling tracked back and put himself in a position inside/behind Kolarov so if a winger cut in he was their to block the run and give Kolorov time to recover - it also allowed Kolarov to concentrate mainly on the run down the outside. Now he doesn't go into this position as he is now 3/4 yards away covering a pass into central midfield. This has led directly to three goals being conceded by players getting round Kolorov and putting a ball into the box (2 Liverpool and 1 Stoke). Again this is not helped by Demichelis loosing out in the foot race with the player going to the near post. This is clearly a coaching change by Pellegrini. Probably to get quicker counter attacks under way. It will probably work when Cliche is full back but not for Kolarov. It is certainly killing us though, and yet, Pellers persists with it. Back to the previous tactics please.
Most importantly It beggars belief that Pellers cannot see what is happening but yet there are no instructions/order to players to sort it out, nothing. He just sits on his bum and watches the car crash unfold. That beggars belief - Brain farting of epic proportions.
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What is wrong is that a team is only as strong as its weakest link and we have had to play a 34/35 year old in central defence, and the same group of 13-14 senior fit players don't have the freshness to match the physicality of teams who raise the intensity of their game
The Premiership ratchets up in intensity (if not quality) every season and its difficult to compete in it unless you are close to 100%.
Chelsea last season had hardly any injuries and excelled. You need to be injury free
A few people have commented that Demichelis and Kolarov are weak links. I agree about Demichelis, but not Kolarov. Defensively he could be better, but when he's 100% fit, there are very very few better attacking left backs in the game. At the start of the season, his sprints down the left wing allied with Sterling destroyed team after team, but after 2-3 months some of the freshness has gone from his game.
I sit on the touchline and the difference between when Kolarov is playing on that side, and when Sagna is playing on that side is massive. If there's one player who is taken for granted at City, it's Kolarov.
I am also a big fan of Clichy but he seems to be one of those players who has to be at his physical peak to play well.
The Premiership ratchets up in intensity (if not quality) every season and its difficult to compete in it unless you are close to 100%.
Chelsea last season had hardly any injuries and excelled. You need to be injury free
A few people have commented that Demichelis and Kolarov are weak links. I agree about Demichelis, but not Kolarov. Defensively he could be better, but when he's 100% fit, there are very very few better attacking left backs in the game. At the start of the season, his sprints down the left wing allied with Sterling destroyed team after team, but after 2-3 months some of the freshness has gone from his game.
I sit on the touchline and the difference between when Kolarov is playing on that side, and when Sagna is playing on that side is massive. If there's one player who is taken for granted at City, it's Kolarov.
I am also a big fan of Clichy but he seems to be one of those players who has to be at his physical peak to play well.
Looking that the start of each half against Liverpool and Stoke I have noticed a few things about the way we leaked goals in these games.
The first point is that we are outnumbered in central midfield. Never a good thing - it works against our passing game as our central midfield players have less time to think and less time to pass the ball to a City player up the pitch. when Fernando plays it is made worse because although he is a good tackler, he rarely passes the ball forwards or takes the ball forward himself into space - he looks for a pass sideways or backwards and this puts his team mates under pressure as a swarm of opposition harriers approach them leaving them with no option either except to hoof the ball up the pitch. Even if the hoof is accurate, the receiving player has to bring it under control which isn't easy and NOT our passing game. We either play an extra player in midfield to counteract the opposition trying to outnumber us (at which point our passing options improve) or play a different midfielder - one who can pass forwards or surge forward with the ball.
The second is the ludicrous high line City are playing when DeMichelis is playing LCH. He simply just doesn't have the pace to do it from the off. If he stays put he gets passed round, if he steps forward he isn't quick enough to get there and gets passed round and if he runs back with the attacker he loses out in the foot race with the attacker. This is exacerbated by being outnumbered in central midfield. If DeMichelis plays, either play a deeper line so Hart can sweep up behind him or play a different player.
The third point is the positioning of Sterling and Kolarov. Prior to mid October, when the opposition had the ball Sterling tracked back and put himself in a position inside/behind Kolarov so if a winger cut in he was their to block the run and give Kolorov time to recover - it also allowed Kolarov to concentrate mainly on the run down the outside. Now he doesn't go into this position as he is now 3/4 yards away covering a pass into central midfield. This has led directly to three goals being conceded by players getting round Kolorov and putting a ball into the box (2 Liverpool and 1 Stoke). Again this is not helped by Demichelis loosing out in the foot race with the player going to the near post. This is clearly a coaching change by Pellegrini. Probably to get quicker counter attacks under way. It will probably work when Cliche is full back but not for Kolarov. It is certainly killing us though, and yet, Pellers persists with it. Back to the previous tactics please.
Most importantly It beggars belief that Pellers cannot see what is happening but yet there are no instructions/order to players to sort it out, nothing. He just sits on his bum and watches the car crash unfold. That beggars belief - Brain farting of epic proportions.
On your first point, it's up to the three advanced players to move their fucking arses into position to receive the ball fro the deep lying midfielders. They have a responsibility to give their team mates an option to pass to. There's not enough willing runs coming from our attacking midfield trio and this then creates a situation where we're easily outnumbered when the opposition press.
Most of our issues can be put down to a simple lack of effort, or to put it another way players not giving their all for whatever length of time we're on the pitch. There seems to be this malaise from some of our star players who think they can just go through the motions and that will be enough, this problem has been particularly evident this season in PL games preceding CL midweekers.
mosssideblue
Well-Known Member
Too many injuries to key personnel with a dramatic fall off in quality.
No leadership on the pitch
Poor team selections
In that order.
No leadership on the pitch
Poor team selections
In that order.
What is wrong is that a team is only as strong as its weakest link and we have had to play a 34/35 year old in central defence, and the same group of 13-14 senior fit players don't have the freshness to match the physicality of teams who raise the intensity of their game
The Premiership ratchets up in intensity (if not quality) every season and its difficult to compete in it unless you are close to 100%.
Chelsea last season had hardly any injuries and excelled. You need to be injury free
A few people have commented that Demichelis and Kolarov are weak links. I agree about Demichelis, but not Kolarov. Defensively he could be better, but when he's 100% fit, there are very very few better attacking left backs in the game. At the start of the season, his sprints down the left wing allied with Sterling destroyed team after team, but after 2-3 months some of the freshness has gone from his game.
I sit on the touchline and the difference between when Kolarov is playing on that side, and when Sagna is playing on that side is massive. If there's one player who is taken for granted at City, it's Kolarov.
I am also a big fan of Clichy but he seems to be one of those players who has to be at his physical peak to play well.
Yet Kolarov just stood off Shaqiri when Fernando slid in on him for the first goal. Fernando didn't do enough in that tackle to win the ball but what he did do was momentarily knock the ball out of Shaqiri's path, at this point Kolarov should be nipping in and stealing the ball or at the very least force Shaqiri to play it. Instead he just stands back and watches and then inevitably gets outpaced on his outside allowing the cross in. He also doesn't do nearly enough to attempt to block the cross, have a look at Otamendi behind him busting a gut to get s block on the cross and then compare and contrast to Kolarov's lack of effort.
There were a few errors in the build up to that goal. I agree Kolarov was partly to blame. Mostly Demichelis.Yet Kolarov just stood off Shaqiri when Fernando slid in on him for the first goal. Fernando didn't do enough in that tackle to win the ball but what he did do was momentarily knock the ball out of Shaqiri's path, at this point Kolarov should be nipping in and stealing the ball or at the very least force Shaqiri to play it. Instead he just stands back and watches and then inevitably gets outpaced on his outside allowing the cross in. He also doesn't do nearly enough to attempt to block the cross, have a look at Otamendi behind him busting a gut to get s block on the cross and then compare and contrast to Kolarov's lack of effort.
I think Kolarov's game is starting to suffer with the amount of football he has played. I don't know that stats, but I strongly suspect that Kolarov runs further than any other player, certainly he's sprinting up and down that left flank, whereas the midfielders are doing less sprinting and more jogging and it's the all out sprints that are exhausting.
I'm probably defending him too much because he gets so much criticism much of it I think undeserved
Kinkladze 1
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Absolutely nothing wrong.
The owners have plans and we aren't where they want to be yet but we will be.
All the flapping is laughable.
Be patient.
I think you're missing everyone's point. I think the question we'd like to know the answer to is how can a team full of such good players play so shit so often.
Millwallawayveteran1988
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Yet Kolarov just stood off Shaqiri when Fernando slid in on him for the first goal. Fernando didn't do enough in that tackle to win the ball but what he did do was momentarily knock the ball out of Shaqiri's path, at this point Kolarov should be nipping in and stealing the ball or at the very least force Shaqiri to play it. Instead he just stands back and watches and then inevitably gets outpaced on his outside allowing the cross in. He also doesn't do nearly enough to attempt to block the cross, have a look at Otamendi behind him busting a gut to get s block on the cross and then compare and contrast to Kolarov's lack of effort.
Kolorov and Fernando are shit. That's why.
BlueAnorak
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It's all about selecting a formation for the available players NOT pushing players into positions in your favourite formation. Pellers has never been good at that and with our injuries the way they are it really is showing.
It's just been a topsy turvy season. Nothing to it. Some wanted Mourihno last year, now his team ( which is as talented as ours, is lounging in midtable).
We've not been great, but neither has all the other contenders. Injury isn't helping, and our new signings will struggle to gel if they never get a good amount of time with the other key players.
This all hurts. Frankly, I'd beef up the CM position with Ruben Neves, and fight till the end. If injury doesn't let Aguero, Silva, Kompany Zab and Clichy to play enough, we will eventually suffer. There are no remedies to quality starters missing time.
We've not been great, but neither has all the other contenders. Injury isn't helping, and our new signings will struggle to gel if they never get a good amount of time with the other key players.
This all hurts. Frankly, I'd beef up the CM position with Ruben Neves, and fight till the end. If injury doesn't let Aguero, Silva, Kompany Zab and Clichy to play enough, we will eventually suffer. There are no remedies to quality starters missing time.
AustinBlue
Well-Known Member
Insufficient inflatable bananas. Queues for the halftime pints look almost organized. Nobody pissing on the back of your leg in the Kippax. It's all gone a bit shit.
D
D
Deleted member 58678
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He's got tendonitis around one of his knees and is being asked to play. He was our best defender for the previous two years to this one, you don't just lose it in four months.Numbered?
Finished more like!
Because we don't have as many 'good players' as you think.I think you're missing everyone's point. I think the question we'd like to know the answer to is how can a team full of such good players play so shit so often.
HolisticJim
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The league is there for the taking and were pissing it away which is what frustrates me.
We desperately need some consistency in our team selection. We need MP to open his eyes and play form players - taking Fernandhinio off against stoke was just madness.
And we need to play the other team - Away to stoke on a shitty day was always going to need us to play with some metal.
We desperately need some consistency in our team selection. We need MP to open his eyes and play form players - taking Fernandhinio off against stoke was just madness.
And we need to play the other team - Away to stoke on a shitty day was always going to need us to play with some metal.
moenchengladbach blau
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There were a few errors in the build up to that goal. I agree Kolarov was partly to blame. Mostly Demichelis.
I think Kolarov's game is starting to suffer with the amount of football he has played. I don't know that stats, but I strongly suspect that Kolarov runs further than any other player, certainly he's sprinting up and down that left flank, whereas the midfielders are doing less sprinting and more jogging and it's the all out sprints that are exhausting.
I'm probably defending him too much because he gets so much criticism much of it I think undeserved
Am I the only one who thinks that a cross one yard into the goal area should have had a goalie actually going for it and taking it rather than just watching it go past?
Father Paul
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It's getting a little tedious. Yesterday Pellers is bragging to the MEN that we are still able to "do the quad" and then team turn out a shit performance v Stoke. Talk of multiple trophies is a tad arrogant and would be bread and butter for Leslie to fire up his team in his pre-match speech. Ditch the talk and just do the business on the pitch. I know we have been crippled by injuries but someone who has the nickname "The Engineer" should be able to set the team up to make us hard to beat. A draw today would have been a credible result and keep us moving forward.
A lot of common sense and distasteful facts as wellSome shameful fucking childish shit on this thread from grown men!
Father Paul
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Can somebody find out the last time a team with the sixth worse defence won the league??i think it's 6th best but anyway, i still think attack is more important than defence, but we'll agree to disagree!