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I don't think any of us connected with the club saw this dramatic collapse coming. Sure we weren't exactly firing on all cylinders but there were a number of reasons for that,players coming back from the world cup,a dip in form of some key players and the usual injuries to contend with. We were all waiting for us to get back into our stride and crack on.To some extent we did.Perhaps buoyed by our dramatic late win against Bayern we then went on an incredible seven game winning run playing some great football along the way.We hit the buffers slightly on the 28th December against Burnley when we threw away a 2-0 lead and could easily have lost the game. Four days later we did the same against Sunderland but managed to win 3-2 before scraping home against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA cup.
There were a few worrying signs,especially how easily we were conceding goals but on the 10th January we played Everton level at the top with Chelsea. Our injury list though was now abating and Ya Ya was due to come back from the African cup of nations along with new signing Bony,surely now we would hit our usual second half of the season drive and crack on? Except we didn't.A draw and then a comprehensive 0-2 loss at home to Arsenal saw us back 5 points behind Chelsea.
An appalling display then saw us lose 0-2 to Middlesbrough before a good away display away at Chelsea saw us draw but a bit unlucky not to get the win,this was swiftly followed by a stuttering 1-1 draw at home to Hull, before two cracking back to back wins against Stoke and Newcastle scoring nine goals and conceding only one.The rest,aside from a 3-0 against a ten man West Brom and a stuttering 2-0 win against Leicester has been all downhill ever since culminating into Sunday's humiliating loss to the rags. Six losses and two wins although two of those losses were against Barcelona.
For me surprisingly i think our problems became more acute when we thought they were about to disappear with Ya Ya and injured key players returning. Ya Ya has looked like he doesn't want to be here most of the season and aside from brief flashes this has continued. Aguero as brilliant a striker as he is always takes at least 6-8 games to get his top form back when recovering from injury and Kompany's standards have dipped alarmingly,along with Zabaleta. Those four players are stellar in how we perform and on their day world class.To have one having an off day we feel it,all four and we REALLY feel it.Add to that new players not adapting and settling in as quickly as we would have liked and a manager stuck rigidly in his belief and tactics when it clearly isn't working and we are where we are.
On Sunday after a bright opening spell our collapse once they equalised was incredible.In the one game you would have thought the team would epitomise our famous ''Fight to the end'' chant they capitulated.All our pre game boasts that the rags would be found out when they met a better team like us blew up in our faces as it transpired WE were the team cruelly exposed.Everything that had been bad about us in parts all season all came home to roost in that one game.Lack of heart,fight,courage,conviction,no pressing a defence all over the place and a midfield once again overrun.It was painful to watch.
Sunday was a catalyst for this team and the club and i hope behind those closed doors a lot of soul searching,harsh words and hard work is going on.All divisions and problems now have to be cast aside and the team has to unite as one to get us the points we need to secure champions league football.The hard work then starts from there.
I don't think any of us connected with the club saw this dramatic collapse coming. Sure we weren't exactly firing on all cylinders but there were a number of reasons for that,players coming back from the world cup,a dip in form of some key players and the usual injuries to contend with. We were all waiting for us to get back into our stride and crack on.To some extent we did.Perhaps buoyed by our dramatic late win against Bayern we then went on an incredible seven game winning run playing some great football along the way.We hit the buffers slightly on the 28th December against Burnley when we threw away a 2-0 lead and could easily have lost the game. Four days later we did the same against Sunderland but managed to win 3-2 before scraping home against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA cup.
There were a few worrying signs,especially how easily we were conceding goals but on the 10th January we played Everton level at the top with Chelsea. Our injury list though was now abating and Ya Ya was due to come back from the African cup of nations along with new signing Bony,surely now we would hit our usual second half of the season drive and crack on? Except we didn't.A draw and then a comprehensive 0-2 loss at home to Arsenal saw us back 5 points behind Chelsea.
An appalling display then saw us lose 0-2 to Middlesbrough before a good away display away at Chelsea saw us draw but a bit unlucky not to get the win,this was swiftly followed by a stuttering 1-1 draw at home to Hull, before two cracking back to back wins against Stoke and Newcastle scoring nine goals and conceding only one.The rest,aside from a 3-0 against a ten man West Brom and a stuttering 2-0 win against Leicester has been all downhill ever since culminating into Sunday's humiliating loss to the rags. Six losses and two wins although two of those losses were against Barcelona.
For me surprisingly i think our problems became more acute when we thought they were about to disappear with Ya Ya and injured key players returning. Ya Ya has looked like he doesn't want to be here most of the season and aside from brief flashes this has continued. Aguero as brilliant a striker as he is always takes at least 6-8 games to get his top form back when recovering from injury and Kompany's standards have dipped alarmingly,along with Zabaleta. Those four players are stellar in how we perform and on their day world class.To have one having an off day we feel it,all four and we REALLY feel it.Add to that new players not adapting and settling in as quickly as we would have liked and a manager stuck rigidly in his belief and tactics when it clearly isn't working and we are where we are.
On Sunday after a bright opening spell our collapse once they equalised was incredible.In the one game you would have thought the team would epitomise our famous ''Fight to the end'' chant they capitulated.All our pre game boasts that the rags would be found out when they met a better team like us blew up in our faces as it transpired WE were the team cruelly exposed.Everything that had been bad about us in parts all season all came home to roost in that one game.Lack of heart,fight,courage,conviction,no pressing a defence all over the place and a midfield once again overrun.It was painful to watch.
Sunday was a catalyst for this team and the club and i hope behind those closed doors a lot of soul searching,harsh words and hard work is going on.All divisions and problems now have to be cast aside and the team has to unite as one to get us the points we need to secure champions league football.The hard work then starts from there.