Why are we so bad in Europe?

[drone]

Answer to the original question:

Roberto Mancini

This ;)

1. "we are struggling to impose our dominance on teams who are tactically better than us."

Why do they have better tactics, who is responsible for it? Mancini.

2.&3. Who's job is to form a squad, bring just the right players and sell the ones who are not that good?
All of Mancini's recent buys were just wrong. He's obsessed with attackers, and generally brings a bunch of players who play on the same position. So inevitably some of them end up on bench, don't have the consistency and it doesn't create much of a team spirit.
At the same time the defense relies on Kompany's brilliance and Lescott's mood.

With Silva and Toure out of form, and a generally unimaginative midfield, the ball just circles back and forth, ends up usually with Hart, and it doesn't reach the attackers.
Or, the attackers themselves are scattered all over the field.

What striked me the most against Ajax is how no one seemed to know where and what exactly they should play. It's not just in Champions League, but also in the Premiership, where we struggle even against weaker teams and the brilliance of individuals saves the day (Dzeko recently, but others too).

So basically, what most City fans won't admit because of loyalty and blablabla, Mancini's isn't good enough for the Champions League (it is proven over and over again), and frankly I'm not a fan of his Premiership performance either ;)

 

[Lavinda Past]

Technically naive.

 

[Freestyler]

Formation, tactics, management.

 

[Brendan110_0]

I blame that gypsy curse.

 

[Stoned Rose]

We dont do well at CL level because of one very simple reason-

Several of our best 11 aren't good enough for CL level.

Yes, they are very very good at prem level, but this is the CL. We are drawn against 3 Champions from other 'football countries'. They are clearly going to be bloody good sides.

As much as I love them all, Lescott, Barry, Milner, Nasri and Dzeko (all starters last night), simply aren't sufficient at this level (in their overall contributions), despite being more than capable of winning premierships.

We were completely outplayed in midfield last night and we had very little if any creativity or pace about our approach. We were slow and 'obvious'. Even our best player Yaya looks fairly 'ordinary' in CL games.

You lads can bring up this, that and the other as excuses or reasons but imo they mean nothing. We just aren't good enough at this level.

Let me illustrate this - lets say we had bought Hazard, Dembele, Corzola (who were available) in the summer would Milner & barry have played as part of our 'best 11' in a CL game?

Would they fuck. And there is the problem.

Our 'best 11' is no better than it was last year. This year we have a harder group. Do the math.

 

[Marvin]

Formation, tactics, management.

And intensity. Dortmund pressed us all over the pitch and we couldn't handle it. They don't do that every week. We just play our normal game, and that's not good enough when the opposition are giving everything

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

We dont do well at CL level because of one very simple reason-

Several of our best 11 aren't good enough for CL level.

Yes, they are very very good at prem level, but this is the CL. We are drawn against 3 Champions from other 'football countries'. They are clearly going to be bloody good sides.

As much as I love them all, Lescott, Barry, Milner, Nasri and Dzeko (all starters last night), simply aren't sufficient at this level (in their overall contributions), despite being more than capable of winning premierships.

We were completely outplayed in midfield last night and we had very little if any creativity or pace about our approach. We were slow and 'obvious'. Even our best player Yaya looks fairly 'ordinary' in CL games.

You lads can bring up this, that and the other as excuses or reasons but imo they mean nothing. We just aren't good enough at this level.

Let me illustrate this - lets say we had bought Hazard, Dembele, Corzola (who were available) in the summer would Milner & barry have played as part of our 'best 11' in a CL game?

Would they fuck. And there is the problem.

Our 'best 11' is no better than it was last year. This year we have a harder group. Do the math.

Totally agree.

 

[tyqmvko]

Formation, tactics, management.

And intensity. Dortmund pressed us all over the pitch and we couldn't handle it. They don't do that every week. We just play our normal game, and that's not good enough when the opposition are giving everything

Agreed, pressing is the one thing I'd like us to adapt to, we give teams way too much time on the ball and in Europe you are always going to get punished when playing like that.

 

[Marvin]

Formation, tactics, management.

And intensity. Dortmund pressed us all over the pitch and we couldn't handle it. They don't do that every week. We just play our normal game, and that's not good enough when the opposition are giving everything

Agreed, pressing is the one thing I'd like us to adapt to, we give teams way too much time on the ball and in Europe you are always going to get punished when playing like that.

Either physically raise our game to the level we play when we meet Utd, Chelsea etc. Or put men behind the ball, defend deep and make ourselves tough to beat. If we don't have it in the tank to play with 10 men at the weekend and then compete in the Champions League in midweek then we have to change tactics, but mancini would have us believe that he doesn't believe in tactics just good footballers. I don't believe him.

 

[lafitz2008]

I was thinking today that I genuinely like every member of the squad and they all seem like very nice chaps.

In short,I think we need to sign a couple of right gnarly cunts.


We've had a few performances,particularly in Europe,where we've looked completely flat,bordering on disinterested,we need a couple of players that will encourage a bit of controlled agression in the others.
Something like Bellamy and dare I say it Roy Keane brought to the table.

Obviously there's more going wrong than just that but I think a bit of bite would be a start.