Why has this season been difficult?

[2sheikhs]

Poor buys, failure to recognise and react to opponents strengths and styles, lack of motivation and leadership.

 

[Steve68]

Neither the players or the manager give a flying frack. Whatever we achieve this season is Despite not Because.

 

[Terra Passenger]

Poor buys, failure to recognise and react to opponents strengths and styles, lack of motivation and leadership.

IMO, it's far much simper than that.

It's TMD - clueless in terms of purchases, strategy substitutions and most of all motivation.

But TMD has an outstanding personality - I wish him well at the next club; but I'm elated that he won't be our manager next season.

 

[BluessinceHydeRoad]

This season has NOT been difficult as far as the league cup was concerned and we won it. In the CL we have, for the first time, a fair draw (though more difficult a group than the other English sides) and we have performed quite creditably so far. In the FA cup we were going along quite nicely until the FA and BBC decided to see what they could do make things difficult. In the league our chances have been hit by a whole host of factors, most of which have been highlighted. Our supporters have their own views on which are the most important but it is depressing that many take a strong moral viewpoint and attach greatest importance to some form of "little Citeh myth" - that our club is made up of a bunch of incompetents trying their hardest to cheat loyal, virtuous fans out of the success which is their due. Some facts surrounding team selection and injuries seem to me to be of at least some relevance.

We have played 29 PL matches so far this season. In those games we have had to use no fewer than five pairings in central defence. The most frequent pairing is actually Otamendi and Dimichelis and they have played together eight times. After that we have Otamendi and Mangala, and Otamendi and Kompany both on seven. Then comes Kompany and Mangala on five. Mangala and Dimichelis have played together once. Thus the appearances have been almost evenly between the pairings, and if we look at the number of consecutive games played, three of the pairings have managed five consecutive appearances - which means that our two CBs have had short runs with the same partner then it has been all change. We have never known continuity and this seems a clear explanation of our defensive fragility and relatively small number of clean sheets.

Our title chances wre held to depend in large measure on our "fab four" of Sterling and Aguero aided by our expensive purchases de Bruyne and Sterling. Whether they could/would have delivered the title will be forever unknown because they have only been able to play together five times so far, but we were undefeated when they played. If we extend the scope to include our famous "spine" of "big" players - the "fab four" plus Joe Hart, Ya Ya and Vinnie - we see that we have never - not for one solitary minute - been able to put them on the pitch at the same time.

There should be less talk of our squad being the best in the PL and much more attention paid to the players we have actually been able to put on the pitch. Sergio has started 21 of the 29 matches, but his fitness has been such that he has only played the full 90 minutes on ten occasions, Sterling has played the full 90 only 7 times (from 21 starts), Silva 10 times from 20 starts, Toure 12 times from 22 starts, de Bruyne 14 from 19 while Vinnie has made only 12 starts all season.

All this adds up to a very difficult PL season.

 

[Esteban de la Sexface]

We aren't good enough. Whoever is to blame, players, managers, physios the bare simple facts are that we've had 11 internationals on the field for pretty much every premier league game (kelechi, other kids not yet fully internationals)

Those players aren't good enough to win a poor premier league. It goes to show that even with the playing staff we have injuries to our spine absolutely murder us, Vinny and Sergio especially so.

Guardiola has the toughest job of his career

 

[Terra Passenger]

We aren't good enough. Whoever is to blame, players, managers, physios the bare simple facts are that we've had 11 internationals on the field for pretty much every premier league game (kelechi, other kids not yet fully internationals)

Those players aren't good enough to win a poor premier league. It goes to show that even with the playing staff we have injuries to our spine absolutely murder us, Vinny and Sergio especially so.

Guardiola has the toughest job of his career

I respect your opinion.

But at the same time I couldn't disagree more.

All of our players are - FUCKING WORLD CLASS!

We're not performing well, because, we're mailing it in. We aren't motivated. We're simply showing up for a job.

Whose fault is that?

It's Pellegrini - "THe Master Demotivor."

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Injuries - This has affected other sides though too.
Poor tactics - Liverpool at home/Leicester at home spring to mind. Pellegrini has a lot to answer for from a selection and tactics point of view.
Bad decisions
Ageing players - Too many of our players are over or approaching 30
Poor transfer strategy over last 3 years leaving us relying on the same players all the time. Not addressing the weak areas (Midfield and Left Back)
Individual form
Lack of faith in youth in the last 2/3 seasons meaning only one can be relied upon to start or play regularly and even he isn't trusted.
Silly mistakes

Having said that it will end up better than last season if we manage to get top 3. The League Cup win being the silver lining and who knows what the CL will bring but at least it has been progress in that!

 

[IH8MUFC]

Players have all got old. They are being out worked.
Limited introduction of younger players who can work harder.

 

[chedlee]

I respect your opinion.

But at the same time I couldn't disagree more.

All of our players are - FUCKING WORLD CLASS!

We're not performing well, because, we're mailing it in. We aren't motivated. We're simply showing up for a job.

Whose fault is that?

It's Pellegrini - "THe Master Demotivor."

So you are suggesting that he isn't just not providing the necessary motivation he is actually, by some means or other, actively demotivating the players?

The biggest 'criticism' you could level at him, imho, is that he trusts the players too much. The impression I get is that he doesn't always feel the need to tell great passers where/how/when to pass it, or goal scorers to score etc. But the flip side of this must surely increase motivation. Take Bony for example, everyone was suggesting he shouldn't play him at the weekend and you could argue, after the fact, that they were right. But how can Bony not be motivated by that sort of faith from a manager? Why would he want to prove everyone else (who didn't want him to play) right and the only person who had faith in him wrong?

There has certainly been a lack of effort from some players at key points in recent games but I don't see how that is the fault of the manager who picked them.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

The manager has been shown to be out of his depth.

Some of the players aren't putting a proper shift in.

Injuries.

The manager being out of his depth.

Not sure if I mentioned it but the manager being out of his depth.