Why has this season been difficult?

There are plenty of theories and reason why we have had a difficult season, probably all valid, but there is something else going on as well. It's been difficult for almost everybody except Leicester and possibly Spurs, though point wise they are not much ahead of what they would expect it's just got them higher than it should have. There has been a narrowing in strengths between lower and mid table teams.
That's why we need an exceptional coach to kick us on , Luckily we are getting the best so lets just look forward.
 
The key moment imo happened early season, when we were looking pretty much invincible & got a fortunate lead v Juve.

Instead of shutting up shop, & tearing them a new arsehole on the break, the OC just plodded on with the same tactic, half pressing, half standing still, & they got in behind us twice with Otamendi showing up as a rank average centre back with no reactions or pace.

All the feeling of invincibility disappeared & it was evident that once again, we weren't anything special after all. Then he proceeded to run KDB, who was in amazing form when he arrived, into the ground, playing him over & over, without rest ,in new circumstances, as he has no management skills & was relying on DeBruyne to prevent us from losing/ drawing most games.

DeBruyne lost form, we picked up injuries, all the optimism & inspiration from early season, disappeared & we needed leadership.
 
willy eckerslike said:
Every team and every fan can pick out bad decisions. If we were a handful of points behind then there's an argument but we are woefully underperforming and this just sounds like clutching at straws.

It all started with this holistic nonsense. Building a team around a style of play, instead of building a team around the capability of the players like everyone else in England.

Might work in a two horse league like Spain but I have major doubts here.
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Indeed they can, but not with the consistency that they have visited MCFC. And it is not just 'bad' decisions but decisions that cost points. Tottenham away - we had that game by the throat and they get TWO fuckin' lifelines to nick the game. Tottenham home - the most disgraceful decision you will probably find in the PL this season gifts Spurs the leg-up most often reserved for MANUre. Everton at home - the most blatant penalty in the PL this side of any of the last two thousand Christmases goin' beggin'. That's eight points in just three games that I don't recall the 'swings and roundabouts' method of awarding points ever repaying in any games I've watched.
 
If anyone thinks that the Pep announcement cost us, imagine what would have happened had there been no Pep and we were performing as we have been over most of the season. The press would be speculating all the time about Manuel getting the bullet in the summer, if not sooner, and we'd have been linked with all kinds of managerial candidates - no doubt some decent but probably some real ne'er-do-wells in addition. That would have been far more destabilising, IMO.
 
Combination of things.

Injuries have hurt a lot, as have a lot of key ref decisions go against us.

Key players have lost form (Silva, Yaya).

I don't think our tactics help, nor has the insistence in playing some players despite them really deserving a spell on the sidelines.

You've got to give credit to opposition, we are facing much tougher tests from the likes of West Ham.

I'm not sure the Pep announcement helped or hurt, if it did hurt that's pretty damning on people that have let their standards drop. I do wonder, if the Pep announcement hadn't been made whether we would be facing constant speculation whether MP was about to lose his job.

It's funny, would have dreamed of 4th spot and a league cup win not that long ago, wouldn't have even bothered about the champions league let alone being on in the knockouts. Now it seems like an awful season.
 
oakiecokie said:
Although I agree with most of your thoughts I must disagree ref Fernandinho.Without doubt he has been one of our most consistent players since we bought him.Even at the age of 30 he still covers more ground than most and has some decent ability to go with his energy and work rate.Just think you`re doing him a dis-service calling him a "solid player".Other than that I can`t argue with your "solid" post. ;)
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You're probably right mate. It didn't come across how I meant it - I love Fernandinho, and he has been our player of the season I think, and great for us since he came. Just when comparing him to an Aguero or KDB in terms of big moments - but yeah, it isn't all about that.
 
Not so much one specific issue, as the feeling that we ignored so many warning signs from last season.
Too much rotation leading to silly dropped points, sluggish starts to games, an alarming lack of pace in central midfield, Silva and Yaya both drifting out of games, Aguero and Kompany never fully fit.no urgency, and always this blind assumption that everything will suddenly come good.
Rewind to the 1-1 at Stamford Bridge last Season. Nothing has changed, even the threads about City fans fighting amongst themselves. We've drifted for almost two years, and major surgery is required.
 
We've seen the worst example of squad mismanagement since the bad old days of the mid 1990s.
 
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