What's the difference?

[MATCITY]

Johnson

 

[Project]

A combination of the extra attacking player and no European football.

You really need a 25 man squad to tackle Europe and do well in the league. I think as of January we had 21, so couldn't cope with the injuries we sustained.

In the summer we really need to boost our personnel by 3 or 4 without letting anyone leave. As Fat Sam said yesterday in teams that are challenging on all fronts 60 games is enough to go around so that even squad players pick up 25-30 appearances.

Fergie figured that out ages ago and reaps the rewards in the second half of the season time and time again. He doesn't have the most spectacular squad but he has players who can come in every other week who can do a good job and allow key players to be rested. We lacked that big time over the past two months, and it took it's toll.

Compare our form in the first half of the season, when our second string would play in Europe allowing us to be fresh. We were top at one point. Then the knockout stage kicked in and we had to put stronger sides out and suddenly Yaya didn't have the energy for those runs, Tevez started to feel it and injuries started to happen.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Putting Barry on the bench - he influenced the game more yesterday by not being on the pitch than he does when he is on it.

Having Johnson giving us some much needed width.

Sunderland being awful also helped.

 

[Worst Case Ontario]

We played only 2 defensive mids

 

[Eastlands90]

What did we get right against Sunderland that transformed us in such a dramatic fashion?

For me?

* Playing Toure in a full midfield role rather than as a support striker

* Playing Balotelli as a striker rather than a winger

* Playing Silva in the midfield role rather than as one of the front three

* Playing Johnson to give us that width and pace that has been so lacking these past couple of months

* Playing round pegs in round holes

* Mancini looking like he has generated a team spirit as evidenced by the reaction to the goals

* Playing Sunderland at a time when they are plunging!

Great performance yesterday, the workrate was as it should be, we hunted the Mackems down in packs whenever they had the ball, and de Jong was world-class.

Let's just keep this momentum going for another couple of months...

Thought before kick-off that this would be our undoing. Given that a team hasn't won since Trafalgar, their top striker hasn't scored since Waterloo, they generally come to CoMS and we kick start their season with at least a draw.

Yesterday was an emphatic performance - the quality will be in whether it is replicated in the remaining fixtures.

This.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

We played only 2 defensive mids

We only played 1.

Yaya played in the role Barry plays but showed yesterday what we have missed in that role. When Barry plays there we do effectively play with another DM but Yaya showed that the role requires someone who can move forwards.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

4-4-2.

The irony being many of Mancini's biggest suppoters insisted his rigid 4-3-3, was correct.

The result yesterday says otherwise.

The conversion rates are great, but the chance creations were the biggest change.

Mancini has either woke-up or gone for broke.

Whatever it is, kudos for changing the rigid thinking.

 

[johnmc]

4-4-2.

The irony being many of Mancini's biggest suppoters insisted his rigid 4-3-3, was correct.

The result yesterday says otherwise.

The conversion rates are great, but the chance creations were the biggest change.

Mancini has either woke-up or gone for broke.

Whatever it is, kudos for changing the rigid thinking.

You got this from one game where the team we were playing had not won in 6, havent scored in god knows how long and who we should beat comfortably anyway

If we play that formation away at chelsea against Essien Lampard and Ramieres we'd get bummed

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

4-4-2.

The irony being many of Mancini's biggest suppoters insisted his rigid 4-3-3, was correct.

The result yesterday says otherwise.

The conversion rates are great, but the chance creations were the biggest change.

Mancini has either woke-up or gone for broke.

Whatever it is, kudos for changing the rigid thinking.

You got this from one game where the team we were playing had not won in 6, havent scored in god knows how long and who we should beat comfortably anyway

If we play that formation away at chelsea against Essien Lampard and Ramieres we'd get bummed

No argument from me. It was simply a nod that our system has to be flexible for different games.

At home, against dross such as Sunderland, Blackburn, Birmingham et al, Mancini needed to wake up sooner.

All the top teams go five against each other.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

4-4-2.

The irony being many of Mancini's biggest suppoters insisted his rigid 4-3-3, was correct.

The result yesterday says otherwise.

The conversion rates are great, but the chance creations were the biggest change.

Mancini has either woke-up or gone for broke.

Whatever it is, kudos for changing the rigid thinking.

You got this from one game where the team we were playing had not won in 6, havent scored in god knows how long and who we should beat comfortably anyway

If we play that formation away at chelsea against Essien Lampard and Ramieres we'd get bummed

Surely its all about being able to change formation as required though is it not? When Mancini was appointed I was really unsure by him but he won me over almost immediately because he was able to make changes to formations mid game which completely changed the course of a match. All of a sudden this season Mancini seems to have lost this ability and sticks rigidly to his 4-3-3 formation even if it is quite apparent that it is not working. Seeing us yesterday change our approach was like a breath of fresh air, yes fair enough we may not play the same way against your Chelseas or rags but against the likes of a poor Sunderland team we should be making these changes and stop setting up so defensively.