andyhinch
Well-Known Member
Not saying it wasn't, I'm more than happy with the signing, just ended up leaving us a bit short with an unforeseeable injury
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Why has this season been difficult?
- Thread starter NorthernBoy
- Start date
BillyShears
Well-Known Member
Not saying it wasn't, I'm more than happy with the signing, just ended up leaving us a bit short with an unforeseeable injury
Yeah definitely. I wonder how many players they could've signed last summer dangling the Pep carrot though. We did very well just to get KDB and Raheem.
andyhinch
Well-Known Member
I'd have loved PP in hindsight but you can't start buying players on the off chance the ones you are buying are going to get an injury, it's not football manager.Yeah definitely. I wonder how many players they could've signed last summer dangling the Pep carrot though. We did very well just to get KDB and Raheem.
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader
Well-Known Member
I don't disagree that we have been unfortunate more than others. It's frustrating. However we are playing dismal football just like last year, and even adding on those points would leave us underperforming with the financial backing and resources we have.
I hope that the club have a plan in mind and that Pep has the magic touch, because I think he'll need it.
I agree that the over-riding feature is one of UNDER-PERFORMING. The quality of the individuals when put together as a starting eleven haven't delivered as one would have hoped. The DT this morning have an article outlining how we have thrown away the title. Looking at the season overall, it's difficult not to agree with that premise.
BillyShears
Well-Known Member
I'd have loved PP in hindsight but you can't start buying players on the off chance the ones you are buying are going to get an injury, it's not football manager.
Think we might see a football manager'esque summer of transfers at City this summer. ;)
We didn't get the basics right defensively.
Kompany has been our only world class defender and he's been crocked. Without him, we don't have a single world class player in the back four - MDM, Zaba (crocked for most of the season) and Clichy were once world class but are getting long in the tooth, Sagna has been impressive, Otamendi can be good but is inconsistent and Mangala and Kolarov aren't good enough. Those ingredients don't add up to a solid defensive unit. The problem has been exacerbated by Pellegrini's insistence of playing a midfield two too often and giving the back four too little protection.
If we had had a really solid back four all season we would be challenging for the top spot now at the very least.
Pellegrini and Txiki take the blame, of course, but I think some of this would have been hard to predict. Last summer, Kompany was working hard in pre-season, Zaba an MDM were fit and impressive, Mangala had had a strong end to last season...
Kompany has been our only world class defender and he's been crocked. Without him, we don't have a single world class player in the back four - MDM, Zaba (crocked for most of the season) and Clichy were once world class but are getting long in the tooth, Sagna has been impressive, Otamendi can be good but is inconsistent and Mangala and Kolarov aren't good enough. Those ingredients don't add up to a solid defensive unit. The problem has been exacerbated by Pellegrini's insistence of playing a midfield two too often and giving the back four too little protection.
If we had had a really solid back four all season we would be challenging for the top spot now at the very least.
Pellegrini and Txiki take the blame, of course, but I think some of this would have been hard to predict. Last summer, Kompany was working hard in pre-season, Zaba an MDM were fit and impressive, Mangala had had a strong end to last season...
oakiecokie
Well-Known Member
Don`t sit on the fucking fence wasp,just tell us. ;)PELLEGRINI
andyhinch
Well-Known Member
Hope so, the cats pissed off with me kicking it all the time:-)Think we might see a football manager'esque summer of transfers at City this summer. ;)
oakiecokie
Well-Known Member
You phleb. ;)There was a stat table just before the Norwich match which showed have had more changes in line up than anyone else. Other teams around us in that table were all at the bottom of the league.
Leicester had the fewest changes. Having a settled team has always been important even since 'rotation' became the fashion.
I have been privileged to watch Silva but week in week out he turns out and does his best but it is far from his best. He cannot be rested because Nasri and KVB have not been fit to take over the burden. Similarly Kompany out is a big loss but neither Mangala or Otamendi have been able to play themselves in because of their own injuries. The full backs have had to be chopped and changed for various reasons.
In the past 'experts' were screaming at us especially in Europe for playing with two strikers despite rattling in goals from all over. We switch the Kun up front with Bony's limited and occasional contribution and the days of 156 goals in a season become a distant memory.
Of course there are other things too but I will have to tell them to the phlebotomist if i don't get a move on.