match v Bayern

[gavin]

Should be interesting for a friendly. It's on BT Sport. Volume down key is worn out already.

[Ludo]

I don't imagine it'll be much more than a run out for the kids, which might not be a bad thing.

[Swiss]

Aye, there's too few of the first team available. But will be interesting for playing style

[gavin]

Kelechi not in the squad for some reason!? Must be injured?

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-fixtures-iheanacho-pre-11634387

[Ludo]

Olympics maybe??

[zacc]

Kelechi not in the squad for some reason!? Must be injured?

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-fixtures-iheanacho-pre-11634387

was some ref to visas I read, Lee'll be after me for source now! 

[lee]

hehe zacc

[gavin]

Bit of a fuck up from the MUEN there. Kelechi starts.

Caballero, Maffeo, Adarabioyo, Kolarov, Angelino, Fernando, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Barker, Iheanacho, Navas

[gavin]

Fuck up from the City site too. They have been advertising 20.30 kick off on the fixtures page, and now they are counting down to it, saying over an hour to kick off.  The match kicks off in 9 minutes!!!!

You can't trust anything you read. Even when people are trying to get it right.

[goat]

already bored

[gavin]

Good job Willy is in.

[Swiss]

I've watched from the 18th minute.


Bayern should be 1 up, wrongly given for offside as Maffeo was playing him on, which is a shame for the lad as he was doing ok at that point.

Bayern have had 2 other great opportunities to score and we've the same old problems. The Nando's. No bloody movement and massive holes in the middle. No pass and move at all.

We're having problems picking up the runnners too.

Kids doing ok... Not noticed the Zinchenko one though

[Swiss]

Big deflection off Clichy for Bayern goal.

Also clearance hit ref for turnover of play which led to the goal.

[Swiss]

Movement, passing and, if Bony wasn't such a clutz, we've created a couple of openings.

[gavin]

Aye, unfortunate goal really. We'd been a bit better second half.

[lee]

has it finished?

[Swiss]

Just. 1-0 to Bayern.

Not a great match but 2nd half was better, faster and more incisive from us.

Hard to tell anything from these matches with so many kids though.

Except bony is shit and our midfield needs serious work

[goat]

does it?
no silva, gundothing or de bruyne..or sterling i spose

[gavin]

Aye, just now. Lost 1-0. Not a cracker, as expected from a pre-season friendly really. Danny Mills was just bemoaning the fact that City play Munich not Mansfield in friendlies now. Doesn't seem to have occurred to him that we never got invited to play Munich in them days because we only had shit like him and never won or qualified for owt. Not that we had a strong side out tonight anyway.

[zacc]

good thing about tonight's game (didn't see  it had a meeting to go to) is it means propa footy is only round the corner

[lee]

Aye, just now. Lost 1-0. Not a cracker, as expected from a pre-season friendly really. Danny Mills was just bemoaning the fact that City play Munich not Mansfield in friendlies now. Doesn't seem to have occurred to him that we never got invited to play Munich in them days because we only had shit like him and never won or qualified for owt. Not that we had a strong side out tonight anyway.

remember macclesfield in a pre season friendly and we got very very drunk 

[Swiss]

does it?
no silva, gundothing or de bruyne..or sterling i spose

I think that Pep will play in a 4-2-3-1, at least that's the noise being made...

It's that 2 I'm worried about, especially if we play the nando's together. For me, this was the problem area last season more so than the defence.
I just don't think the Nando's offer themselves up into spaces or pass and move. Countless times last season I watched them not track the runs from midfield and I'm not even sure Fernando can tackle. He can foul...
I think they are both 1 dimensional players who lack the skills to play in positions other than fart about the pitch fouling. Dinho less so, but I don't feel he can control a game like a top midfielder should.

For me, the 2 is the vital part of this formation, this is not a position for passengers. They should be the most disciplined players and with an all round skill base.
They have to be the first defensive line when not in possession, so understanding the positioning is a key attribute along with marking & tackling to win the ball back.
But above this, they must be a great passer with a whole range under their belts.

Pep calls it the Pivot role (Pivots from Defence to Attack to Defence). We know Pep likes this as A) he was one himself and B, think Busquets at Barce & Alonso/ Alcantara/ Vidal at Bayern. Or Pirlo!

Bayern utilised 1 or 2 Pivot type players under Pep in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Sometimes one would be pushed further forwards and attack more. This meant the Wingbacks became inverted and would come inside to carry the ball or help shore up the midfield shield.
Xabi Alonso, 34 games, 1 goal, 2 assists. (Main Pivot)
Thiago Alcantara, 36 games, 4 goals, 6 assists.
Arturo Vidal, 41 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

Not a particularly fruitful goal scoring or creating position, but all 3 players had a Pass accuracy in the high 80's or low 90's (%).
Thiago and Vidal would be pushed further up the pitch when only one Pivot was needed, which probably accounts for the extra goals and assists.

We have Gundogan, specifically bought for this role, but he's injured.
unless Delph can be converted to Pivot (And he can pass well and tackles) then we don't have another player I would trust to play here, which is why I think the rumour of Kroos could carry some weight.

The three is fine but instead of Sterling, we may see Aguero out wide... He was always great at cutting in from the left.


Formation1

-----------Kelechi---------
Aguero----Silva----KDB-

Formation2

-----------Aguero---------
Sterling---KDB---Sane (If we land him)

And any combination of those players depending on inury, form etc.


Of course, these are only my opinions and Pep utilised different formation at the other clubs.

[Swiss]

If anyone reads that I'll be amazed


Also, watching some of the shiz Pep has said about how he likes his teams to play; he talked about a string of 15 passes. If you do not, then you cannot properly transition from attack to defence (playing long ball teams will be interesting...)

So I was counting in the match today, getting a lot of 7's, 9's and one 11 (When play started from GK or we won back possession). The 11 ended in a decent chance, except Bony was on the pitch...

[lee]

as long as we get rid of bony i dont care if we sign anyone

[goat]

fernandinho was our top player the other year, hes got a bit about him




             aguero
silva    de bruyne  sane
     gundy ferny

sorted

[Swiss]

Was that because the rest around him were on the wane?

[gavin]

I think that Pep will play in a 4-2-3-1, at least that's the noise being made...

It's that 2 I'm worried about, especially if we play the nando's together. For me, this was the problem area last season more so than the defence.
I just don't think the Nando's offer themselves up into spaces or pass and move. Countless times last season I watched them not track the runs from midfield and I'm not even sure Fernando can tackle. He can foul...
I think they are both 1 dimensional players who lack the skills to play in positions other than fart about the pitch fouling. Dinho less so, but I don't feel he can control a game like a top midfielder should.

For me, the 2 is the vital part of this formation, this is not a position for passengers. They should be the most disciplined players and with an all round skill base.
They have to be the first defensive line when not in possession, so understanding the positioning is a key attribute along with marking & tackling to win the ball back.
But above this, they must be a great passer with a whole range under their belts.

Pep calls it the Pivot role (Pivots from Defence to Attack to Defence). We know Pep likes this as A) he was one himself and B, think Busquets at Barce & Alonso/ Alcantara/ Vidal at Bayern. Or Pirlo!

Bayern utilised 1 or 2 Pivot type players under Pep in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Sometimes one would be pushed further forwards and attack more. This meant the Wingbacks became inverted and would come inside to carry the ball or help shore up the midfield shield.
Xabi Alonso, 34 games, 1 goal, 2 assists. (Main Pivot)
Thiago Alcantara, 36 games, 4 goals, 6 assists.
Arturo Vidal, 41 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

Not a particularly fruitful goal scoring or creating position, but all 3 players had a Pass accuracy in the high 80's or low 90's (%).
Thiago and Vidal would be pushed further up the pitch when only one Pivot was needed, which probably accounts for the extra goals and assists.

We have Gundogan, specifically bought for this role, but he's injured.
unless Delph can be converted to Pivot (And he can pass well and tackles) then we don't have another player I would trust to play here, which is why I think the rumour of Kroos could carry some weight.

The three is fine but instead of Sterling, we may see Aguero out wide... He was always great at cutting in from the left.


Formation1

-----------Kelechi---------
Aguero----Silva----KDB-

Formation2

-----------Aguero---------
Sterling---KDB---Sane (If we land him)

And any combination of those players depending on inury, form etc.


Of course, these are only my opinions and Pep utilised different formation at the other clubs.

A good manager will adapt to what he has available and his environment. I'm sure Pep is well aware that he doesn't have the same class of player here that he had in previous positions and also that the Prem is a different sort of league. Indeed he has made clear that the differences and challenge is why he wanted to come here. Hopefully he will even have the intelligence to adapt from match to match, something which Pelle refused to do.

Your pivot player sounds like an all round midfielder, something we have been looking for for a long while. They are special players indeed. I thought we got rid of De Jong because he could not do the constructive part of the job but really we have never succeeded in finding the answer.

[goat]

Was that because the rest around him were on the wane?

still had the likes of silva and aguero. he was just really good, not sure why hes gone backwards