What's the problem(s)?

I think the fear factor is totally gone and I could see in the opponent's post match reflections. Matches after matches i see opponents revealing the game plan to either attack the fullbacks or play counters or shift deep. And that's on Pep not on the players. And since the results are often repeated with the same issues even opponents don't think of a different plan. How can Leicester and Wolves get beaten by West Ham but turn Prime Barcelona against us because they know exactly what to do.
Our personnel are good enough, we don't need 11 world class players to get results against leicester or Wolves or Lyon or Leeds.
 
I don’t believe Pep’s tactics are the problem, quite simply cos the players are no longer implementing them properly.
Nor do I believe recruitment is the problem.
I’ve already said we have become lazy, we no longer press like a Pep team, we no longer pass and move like a Pep team and we no longer work hard for 90 minutes like a Pep team.
The question to that is why?
Have the players had enough of Pep?
Are the players physically exhausted after 2 seasons of giving everything they’ve got?
I doubt the latter is the case this early into a season.
We’ve not been found out, we’ve just stopped doing what makes a Pep team great.
We can sign say a better left back and it won’t change all that much until we as a team start working harder all over the pitch.
Pep’s tactics won’t change, he said this when he came to England, he likes to play a certain way.
Now here’s the problem.
Either the players (the whole team) start doing what he wants or he has to leave, because his tactics will only work if implemented in full.
Yeah we’ll beat quite a few teams, scores lots of goals, probably get top four, but we won’t win the league while this problem exists.
I know we’re not clinical enough, I know we make mistakes but if we get back our work ethic we get back to dominating teams.
Then we can look at tweaking tactics for certain games, replacing players and fix the problem areas on the pitch, whereas now the problem area is all over the pitch.
 
I tell it how I see it, after the CAS the result last season I expected this club to come out fighting, guns ablazing.

We have seen the opposite, the poor performance from all involved in Portugal against Lyon the bollocks from the media, hesitation in getting our targets in early, and a general feeling of change has fallen over the club.

We have become meek and mild on and off the pitch and the we are disrespected off it alarmingly.

And the biggest worry on the latter is the lack of a fight back from the top of the club.
the 'media' thread is that way --------->
 
The way things are going hilts, we will be very lucky to qualify in the top six this season. Just said on radio Manchester that Cavani is flying into Manchester to join the rags. Why hasn't Pep tried to bring him to City. We surely could do with a player of his calibre, so why aren't we trying to go for him.

Has Pep already given up on winning the Premier League. I hope that, that isn't the case. I just wonder what is really going on at City. Have the board withdrawn the new contract and Pep knows that this is his last season with us.

Pep has still about 33hrs to bring in renforcements, will he do this. I really very much doubt it. Pep has known where are problems where for all of last season, and the start of this. I guess we will have to wait and see if Pep will go for someone. However I will not be surprised if Pep doesn't bring someone in.
 
Blowing out of our arse second halfs, look nowhere fit enough , kdp looked pissed off with the midfield, foden is struggling to get back to what we know he can do, looked knackered. Mahrez don't do enough unless we are well on top. Mendy, when will it sink in with pep.liability.
 
Just watching the women and it's the same old same old. If yer didn't know any better yer'd think that the City women thought that string ten aimless passes together and yer get a goal. But we only seem to get to pass seven and the fuckin' ball is passed into no-women's-land. I bet there's a shrine in the City changing room to the God Possession. We have the lion's share of the game and then become a sitting duck for the only chance these women opposition teams can muster! And when a pass is on for chance at goal we have a fuckin' shot that leaves yer thinkin' "Pass the fuckin' thing!'

I'm surprised our away kit isn't red and blue stripes with flashes of yellow:-)

Awaits crystal palace gag
 
I think the fear factor is totally gone and I could see in the opponent's post match reflections. Matches after matches i see opponents revealing the game plan to either attack the fullbacks or play counters or shift deep. And that's on Pep not on the players. And since the results are often repeated with the same issues even opponents don't think of a different plan. How can Leicester and Wolves get beaten by West Ham but turn Prime Barcelona against us because they know exactly what to do.
Our personnel are good enough, we don't need 11 world class players to get results against leicester or Wolves or Lyon or Leeds.

Or Norwich rags etc.....
 
This season feels like the end of an era - and I’m willing to accept it as that, providing the seeds of the next one are sown this year.

Pep’s done at City, and for the most part it’s been an incredible period for our club. He revolutionised English football through the way we played, and created an identity for our style of football which will be his legacy - but it feels like we need someone else now to grab that identity and take it forward to the next level.

We’re not going to sack him - he has too much respect at the Club for that - so we need to accept this season as being the footnote to something great.

What will make this easier to take will be bedding in a new spine to our team grown through the Academy. With players like Harwood-Bellis, Doyle, Palmer, Foden and Delap, I believe we can start our next era. I’m encouraged that Pep is giving these lads minutes, and so long as he keeps that up, I can live with not winning this season by taking a long term view on it.

We’ve also got a centre back partnership that feels genuinely solid with Dias and Laporte, which could give us our next foundation.

Last season was dreadful, with little excitement for the future bar Foden. This one already feels different - like we’re staring something now which will give us our next era of success.
 
One big problem is that we would be more prepared to be patient and accept a couple of seasons in 2nd place (Christ!) if we tried to perhaps blood some more youth.

for example, in those positions where we are struggling.
Why not try one of our own instead of Rodri, mahrez or even that 2nd midfield position (if we assume foden is better suited to be wide /further forward)

far easier to accept coming 2nd best in games where academy prospect has done his all over same old same old.

this won’t happen
 
This current squad is easily our weakest in the past 10 years, yet its the most expensive.

The root of the problem is not on the pitch or Pep.
 
Mendy Playing at LB over Ake.
No pre season.
No fit senior strikers.
Apart from Fernandinho lack of mobility & Tacklers in Midfield.
At least 3 of the Ake, Fitness & Strikers back we can fix
 
I agree,we have been spoilt in terms of what we witnessed in those 2 seasons,but the drop off has been much more dramatic than it should have been.

We need to find that press again,we need to start getting bodies in the box when on the attack (our wide men often find themselves passing backwards when in the final 3rd,purely down to having no options) and we need to get more back when under the cosh.

Keep saying it,but we need a big physical/industrious and clinical striker.He would both take the pressure off the engine room and would be the much needed outlet and target our schemers are looking to find.
what , do you mean, we might score off a corner. ?
 
This current squad is easily our weakest in the past 10 years, yet its the most expensive.

The root of the problem is not on the pitch or Pep

We haven't had anywhere near the return on outlay for many a player in the past 3 seasons.

The fact we are still talking about Ferny and Kun says alot.

We should be disappointed with recruitment strategy despite the 2 titles under Pep and despite his spin I am sure he is as well.

To be successful he needs players who buy into his way of playing and ones that buy in quickly.
 
This season feels like the end of an era - and I’m willing to accept it as that, providing the seeds of the next one are sown this year.

Pep’s done at City, and for the most part it’s been an incredible period for our club. He revolutionised English football through the way we played, and created an identity for our style of football which will be his legacy - but it feels like we need someone else now to grab that identity and take it forward to the next level.

We’re not going to sack him - he has too much respect at the Club for that - so we need to accept this season as being the footnote to something great.

What will make this easier to take will be bedding in a new spine to our team grown through the Academy. With players like Harwood-Bellis, Doyle, Palmer, Foden and Delap, I believe we can start our next era. I’m encouraged that Pep is giving these lads minutes, and so long as he keeps that up, I can live with not winning this season by taking a long term view on it.

We’ve also got a centre back partnership that feels genuinely solid with Dias and Laporte, which could give us our next foundation.

Last season was dreadful, with little excitement for the future bar Foden. This one already feels different - like we’re staring something now which will give us our next era of success.

Good post mate a like wasn't sufficient
 
Richard Keys has absolutely nailed it.....



I'm amazed no one on here thought of it. Bring in Sam as Frau Pep's understudy for this season. Then take over next season
 
The problem as I see it is if we don't score our goals early on when we are firing on all cylinders and creating chance after chance the whole teams mentality drops, we start to sit off and let teams get back into the game and tend to concede on the first attack we face.
 
1. We've stopped passing teams to death.
2. Notice on the half way line in wide positions that we don't have that intricate give and go anymore, partly due to Silva moving on.
3. Awful to say with the team we've got but we're not creating enough chances - lots of possession outside the box but not much in it.
 
With a full pre-season and if they got the same results I would totally agree with you.
Looking for a marked improvement over these next 6 games.

I dont get why some are going on about pre-season as being the issue. We are in the same boat as all the other teams, yes we played the CL but that was short lived anyway
 

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