Who and what’s to blame?

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Mahrez is a big problem with regards to speed.

Hes played really well but he just slows everything down immensely. By the time he's taking 10 touches, tried some step overs, checked back and passed inside the opposition are completely settled.

Sterling is much slower on the left as well, because he has to check back inside constantly.

So by playing Mahrez we end up with 2 slow wingers. It also effects the speed of passing because instead of being able to pass down the channels into space, Rodri, Silva, KDB etc. Have to pass directly to feet and into more crowded areas.

Thst doesnt mean there isnt a place for him in the squad but we need another left winger with genuine pace so that we can replicate the Sané/Sterling partnership.

Completely agree. Mahrez, Sterling, Mendy, Walker, De Bruyne, all are coming inside with the ball.

Stands to reason, everything is slowed down because the field becomes even more congested and there is then more margin for error on the turnover of the ball.

In actual fact, only Gundo and Laporte are consistently looking for a wide out ball. That's why teams are on to our centre-backs so quickly.

We have seen it twice now against United and Chelsea, a simple ball down the sides between the centre-back and full-back, is now killing us.

There is no recovery pace in the team outside of Walker.

Aside from him and Laporte, I don't rate any of our current defensive ranks.

City probably need to make a couple of of statement-like signings just to send a fresh message through the entire dressing room.

 

[domalino]

I think a lot of the problems this season have been off the pitch.

The contract dispute between Sané and the club wasn't great.

Walker and Stones blew up their marriages with affairs and got exposed in the papers and it massively effected them.

I think Delph was a very popular player in the dressing room who always kept spirits high, Mendy went from being the supportive bundle of energy to consumed with problems over form and fitness. Kompany was missed off the pitch more than on it, IMO as the calm leader.

Arteta left and we lost a major connecting part in the dressing room. Peps wife and daughter were away in Barcelona for a long stint.

The UEFA ban wont have helped at all, nor Bernardo's racism incident.

More than anything I think the mood around the club has been a bit suffocating and negative.

We created this atmosphere where any dropped points is a disaster and we have to win all competitions or it's a failed season. The good feeling around the club hasn't been there this season.

I do think it's easily remedied though. A couple of new players with the right attitude, Juanma Lillo should change things up, the pressure of expectations will have gone.

 

[BillyShears]

I think a lot of the problems this season have been off the pitch.

The contract dispute between Sané and the club wasn't great.

Walker and Stones blew up their marriages with affairs and got exposed in the papers.

I think Delph was a very popular player in the dressing room who always kept spirits high, Mendy went from being the supportive bundle of energy to consumed with problems over form and fitness. Kompany was missed off the pitch more than on it, IMO.

Arteta left and we lost a major connecting part in the dressing room.

The UEFA ban wont have helped at all, nor Bernardo's racism incident.

More than anything I think the mood around the club has been a bit suffocating and negative.

We created this atmosphere where any dropped points is a disaster and we have to win all competitions or it's a failed season. The good feeling around the club hasn't been there this season.

I think most of that is on the money.

But also think that in general, the squad needed freshening up. Of course you can't legislate for issues in people's personal lives, but what you can do is give them a new impetus when they come into work. We have had the same squad since 2017 more or less. Those players have been in the Pep intensity bubble for that long. It stands to reason that they needed something new and fresh when they came back last summer.

Almost in every line on the pitch. A new centre back, a new midfielder, and a new attacker. All players to push those who are already there. The Cancelo transfer is probably the weirdest since the takeover in almost every aspect because it felt like from day one Pep didn't want/rate him. So why bring him in. Just sell Danilo if he's desperate to leave and go buy a player you want.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I think a lot of the problems this season have been off the pitch.

The contract dispute between Sané and the club wasn't great.

Walker and Stones blew up their marriages with affairs and got exposed in the papers and it massively effected them.

I think Delph was a very popular player in the dressing room who always kept spirits high, Mendy went from being the supportive bundle of energy to consumed with problems over form and fitness. Kompany was missed off the pitch more than on it, IMO as the calm leader.

Arteta left and we lost a major connecting part in the dressing room.

The UEFA ban wont have helped at all, nor Bernardo's racism incident.

More than anything I think the mood around the club has been a bit suffocating and negative.

We created this atmosphere where any dropped points is a disaster and we have to win all competitions or it's a failed season. The good feeling around the club hasn't been there this season.

Perhaps that is why it feels like a culmination season for this current cycle?

Winning an FA Cup and the Champions League would feel very much like the end of a journey rather than the start of a new one.

Chelsea had something similar when Drogba was coming to the end?

There has been a lack of intensity from the team and the fans this season. Pep is all about intensity, but you can only push the envelope on that so far.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I think most of that is on the money.

But also think that in general, the squad needed freshening up. Of course you can't legislate for issues in people's personal lives, but what you can do is give them a new impetus when they come into work. We have had the same squad since 2017 more or less. Those players have been in the Pep intensity bubble for that long. It stands to reason that they needed something new and fresh when they came back last summer.

Almost in every line on the pitch. A new centre back, a new midfielder, and a new attacker. All players to push those who are already there. The Cancelo transfer is probably the weirdest since the takeover in almost every aspect because it felt like from day one Pep didn't want/rate him. So why bring him in. Just sell Danilo if he's desperate to leave and go buy a player you want.

£120m on Rodri and Cancelo?

I'd have rather not spent the money and gone with Fernandinho in the middle again. He has been magnificent, regardless.

There continues to be a massive blind spot on City identifying quality/need in recent years, certainly under Pep?

Outside of Laporte, Sane and Jesus, the signings have not lived up to expectation.

Mendy, Cancelo and Rodri - £170m, really?

That's another world class holding midfielder and centre-back right there?

 

[shevtheblue]

This, but would like to add our inability to create chances. I can only remember the one that hit the post last night from open play. Still lets go and win the champions league just to take the gloss off the dippers season.

I think we are still making chances, but they're not as clear cut as they used to be and IMHO that is due to a lot of the "samey" type of players in Bernardo, Mahrez and Dave. The injection of pace isn't there and it's why KDB makes such a huge difference where he can change tempos, but around that where you have Rodri, Gundogan, Dave, Bernardo & Mahrez all with similar patterns it gets a bit easier to defend when you have figured a pattern. I think a lot of the opposition have figured that pattern out, how else could an average manager with an average team like Utd have beat us twice?

 

[domalino]

I think most of that is on the money.

But also think that in general, the squad needed freshening up. Of course you can't legislate for issues in people's personal lives, but what you can do is give them a new impetus when they come into work. We have had the same squad since 2017 more or less. Those players have been in the Pep intensity bubble for that long. It stands to reason that they needed something new and fresh when they came back last summer.

Almost in every line on the pitch. A new centre back, a new midfielder, and a new attacker. All players to push those who are already there. The Cancelo transfer is probably the weirdest since the takeover in almost every aspect because it felt like from day one Pep didn't want/rate him. So why bring him in. Just sell Danilo if he's desperate to leave and go buy a player you want.

My number 1 target would be David Alaba right now I think he solves a lot of problems at LB, CB, knows Pep's system inside out and is a proper leader for Bayern and serial winner.

The forward needs to have genuine, scary pace.

Other than that I think it's almost more about who gets taken out than brought in. No more carrying people, if they arent going to commit to football 100% then they shouldn't be here.

 

[simon23]

Fuck me we may as well give up then? The squad went to fucking Madrid and won. We also battered the rags at the swamp in the League Cup which we also won by the way.

We also beat Chelsea at the Etihad. We lost to United at the Swamp in the league because Pep decided our best player needed resting.

Talk about OTT ffs grow a pair man.

Few signings in defence and we'll be back fighting. Reading this thread and what some people are spouting you'd think we were bottom of the league.

utd also beat us twice - with relative ease the second time - this squad is struggling with injuries and suspensions none of these games are a given - thats all im saying

it will take more than a couple of defensive signings over the next 18 months (but i agree defense is the biggest issue) - but if you loko at Txixi and peps record with signings, its not great. For every Laoprte and Walker there is a Stones, Mendy, Angelino, Cancello and Danillo so again no guarnatees

 

[Tb1981]

Completely agree. Mahrez, Sterling, Mendy, Walker, De Bruyne, all are coming inside with the ball.

Stands to reason, everything is slowed down because the field becomes even more congested and there is then more margin for error on the turnover of the ball.

In actual fact, only Gundo and Laporte are consistently looking for a wide out ball. That's why teams are on to our centre-backs so quickly.

We have seen it twice now against United and Chelsea, a simple ball down the sides between the centre-back and full-back, is now killing us.

There is no recovery pace in the team outside of Walker.

Aside from him and Laporte, I don't rate any of our current defensive ranks.

City probably need to make a couple of of statement-like signings just to send a fresh message through the entire dressing room.

For me it’s simple
Is stones the answer ? If not sell him
Same applies to mendy and cancelo
Just sell and replace
Otamendi just give him away
Would love a sancho as well to add something different

 

[simon23]

My take now is nobody wins it 4 seasons running so we lost this year , win it next. Even if we were getting 99/100 points this year it may not have been enough to stop Liverpool this season, they only wanted 1 thing.

Besides Pep knows why and will put it right, Liverpool won't repeat an over 100 point season.

https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/pep-guardiola-reaction-chelsea-2-man-city-1-63728717


“This season we dropped points at the beginning, some unfairly and some because we made mistakes like today,” he conceded.


"
Pep also admitted he always believed winning the Premier League year after year was a huge challenge, saying: “I never thought that we always could win (the league).

“We can now say the last 10 competitions we played in, we won eight titles," said the Catalan.

“That’s never happened before in this country. You cannot win all the time.

“We missed one central defender and Laporte was injured in the season.

“That was a problem for us and we didn’t show the consistency we needed to play better.

“I’ve never thought as a manager that you can always win.

“Liverpool, after winning the Champions League and not winning the Premier League for 30 years, played with incredible focus as if it was the last chance they had.

“We cannot forget that we won two titles this season and we have two more to play for.

“We are going to try. We are going to try and qualify for the Champions League next season and then we can play in it in August.

“We have to take a little bit of perspective, be humble and say we can’t win all the time.

Interesting that in the last couple of weeks since CAS whenever Pep talks about the champs league its in a very postive light - ie WE WILL be playing in it etc