Post by a rag, but quite a good one

[Crossie]

I think we are a jack of all trades, master of none.

We haven't really found our tactical identity, ever since "score when we want" went out of the window sometime around the Bayern game.

[Sideshow Bob]

I think the players who made that fluidity work earlier (namely Silva, Aguero, Nasri, Barry who was in decent form) have gone off the boil a bit..

this is the most insightful post on that thread. our key players are all underperforming and/or injured. in silva's case, possibly others, i think bob should take most of the blame for the dip in form. go back and read match threads for oct/nov/dec - many of us were wondering why the fuck he wasn't resting silva...at least for home games against weaker opposition, FFS.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

United, time and time again have showed how effective it can be to play with wingers and not over complicate things. If you can put in 10-15 crosses a game and get good numbers into the box the chances are something will fall your way.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Rag or not, I thought that was just your average football fan drivel written in a message board. Nothing insightfull really.

Exactly this. We used the same system when we beat his team 6-1 and made them look decidedly inferior. we used this system at the beginning of the season when we were tearing it up. He has no idea what he's looking at.

And we have used it since January. Look what's happened.

[london blue 2]

United, time and time again have showed how effective it can be to play with wingers and not over complicate things. If you can put in 10-15 crosses a game and get good numbers into the box the chances are something will fall your way.

This post is so true, we lack space on the pitch where recently united make it look massive, simply because of a straight forward tactic that we have struggled to ever enforce.

[Original Dub]

Width and pace.

We have a specialist in neither. Mancini should have sorted it... Maybe he asked for it in jan, who knows.

But that's all we're missing to change games and I'd rather he stayed in charge while we tried fitting what I believe to be the final pieces, rather than start again.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

United, time and time again have showed how effective it can be to play with wingers and not over complicate things. If you can put in 10-15 crosses a game and get good numbers into the box the chances are something will fall your way.

This post is so true, we lack space on the pitch where recently united make it look massive, simply because of a straight forward tactic that we have struggled to ever enforce.

Just look how many goals they get from crossing the ball from out wide. Nothing special, nothing breathtaking just very, very effective. Mancini's stubberness to avoid playing with wingers has cost us.

[phips]

United, time and time again have showed how effective it can be to play with wingers and not over complicate things. If you can put in 10-15 crosses a game and get good numbers into the box the chances are something will fall your way.

This post is so true, we lack space on the pitch where recently united make it look massive, simply because of a straight forward tactic that we have struggled to ever enforce.

Just look how many goals they get from crossing the ball from out wide. Nothing special, nothing breathtaking just very, very effective. Mancini's stubberness to avoid playing with wingers has cost us.

This is what worries me...Mancini's stubbornness. If we buy a winger will Mancini actually commit to changing
his playing style and incorporating crosses from the wing (not fullbacks) and keeping width, or will the
winger essentially be wasted by not being utilized in their position.

[john68]

You are entirely right about Mancini's inability to change his style...disgusting the way his inflexility with his tactics still harps back to the time he took over and focuswsed on defence all the time.

I think he should let Yaya move further forward by using someone like Barry as an anchor. He could even allow his full backs to push upfield and overlap into the wide space in the corners....and why he never allows such talent as Silva and Aguero the freedom to destroy teams with their talent is way beyond me.

If he had allowed us to play more fluid football, maybe we would have destroyed teams at the start of this season.

Bring back Hughes eh!....or maybe Pearce?

[london blue 2]

You are entirely right about Mancini's inability to change his style...disgusting the way his inflexility with his tactics still harps back to the time he took over and focuswsed on defence all the time.

I think he should let Yaya move further forward by using someone like Barry as an anchor. He could even allow his full backs to push upfield and overlap into the wide space in the corners....and why he never allows such talent as Silva and Aguero the freedom to destroy teams with their talent is way beyond me.

If he had allowed us to play more fluid football, maybe we would have destroyed teams at the start of this season.

Bring back Hughes eh!....or maybe Pearce?

Not like you to come out with a ridiculous petty comment but well done.

[Nijinsky]

You are entirely right about Mancini's inability to change his style...disgusting the way his inflexility with his tactics still harps back to the time he took over and focuswsed on defence all the time.

I think he should let Yaya move further forward by using someone like Barry as an anchor. He could even allow his full backs to push upfield and overlap into the wide space in the corners....and why he never allows such talent as Silva and Aguero the freedom to destroy teams with their talent is way beyond me.

If he had allowed us to play more fluid football, maybe we would have destroyed teams at the start of this season.

Bring back Hughes eh!....or maybe Pearce?

Not like you to come out with a ridiculous petty comment but well done.

Stretched sarcasm maybe, but I wouldn't say petty.. in the main, it's a good point! Those who say Mancini is stubborn and reluctant to change tactics/vision must be very short-sighted. I'm not one to have given up just yet, but if the season is to end without a title, then it's not because of stubbornness - maybe, if viewed game-by-game, but compared to last season (and each season as a whole), we have progressed in every way - let's be optimistic as fans, and expect that same progress. So assuming we've fucked a great chance this season, surely we'll piss it the next?

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Have Mancini's tactics worked this season? Maybe in the first part but you can't exactly say they've worked since the New year.

[Nijinsky]

You are entirely right about Mancini's inability to change his style...disgusting the way his inflexility with his tactics still harps back to the time he took over and focuswsed on defence all the time.

I think he should let Yaya move further forward by using someone like Barry as an anchor. He could even allow his full backs to push upfield and overlap into the wide space in the corners....and why he never allows such talent as Silva and Aguero the freedom to destroy teams with their talent is way beyond me.

If he had allowed us to play more fluid football, maybe we would have destroyed teams at the start of this season.

Bring back Hughes eh!....or maybe Pearce?

Not like you to come out with a ridiculous petty comment but well done.

Stretched sarcasm maybe, but I wouldn't say petty.. in the main, it's a good point! Those who say Mancini is stubborn and reluctant to change tactics/vision must be very short-sighted. I'm not one to have given up just yet, but if the season is to end without a title, then it's not because of stubbornness - maybe, if viewed game-by-game, but compared to last season (and each season as a whole), we have progressed in every way - let's be optimistic as fans, and expect that same progress. So assuming we've fucked a great chance this season, surely we'll piss it the next?

Caveat; and this probably seems far too romantic for most, but I'm ever the optimist.. I view that progress as:

Cup (massive monkey off our back) and a start to be taken seriously
Dip of the toe in CL / Title challenge
A better run in CL / Title?
CL?

..we're on target! Fuck what the media/munchens have to say - they've only come back out of the woodwork since being odds-on for the title. Yes, we've seemingly fucked up a massive chance this season but we have still progressed - our owners will accept nothing less than progress, so the next progression is to win the league. So we might have to wait, it WILL come. Let us not get on each others backs and let us not be defeatist, instead let us all enjoy the end to our best season is as many years as I can remember. Much love.

[john68]

Have Mancini's tactics worked this season? Maybe in the first part but you can't exactly say they've worked since the New year.

In the League, we have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1 of our last 4 games, in the previous 8 League games prior to that, we had Won 7 and Lost 1.

Our problems in the League have only happened in the last four League games. You really do like to twist facts around, Do you work for the Daily Sport or is your name Custis?

[Nickyboy]

Have Mancini's tactics worked this season? Maybe in the first part but you can't exactly say they've worked since the New year.

In the League, we have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1 of our last 4 games, in the previous 8 League games prior to that, we had Won 7 and Lost 1.

Our problems in the League have only happened in the last four League games. You really do like to twist facts around, Do you work for the Daily Sport or is your name Custis?

well said that man...

We've bolloxed up in the cups but our league form has still been very good until very recently

[Original Dub]

Have Mancini's tactics worked this season? Maybe in the first part but you can't exactly say they've worked since the New year.

Worked better than every other manager in the league maybe... Or maybe bacon chops has done better. Hard to pinpoint because you're dealing with different squads, different expectations, different priorities...

If it wasn't for the scum taking an unprecedented amount of points, then you would probably say Mancini's "tactics" have been doing just fine.

But I think you mean City's form, no?

[Foreverinbluedreams]

United, time and time again have showed how effective it can be to play with wingers and not over complicate things. If you can put in 10-15 crosses a game and get good numbers into the box the chances are something will fall your way.

Kolarov alone put in 16 crosses against Sunderland, the second highest of any player in 90mins in the PL this season ( Jarvis highest with17 ).

I agree with getting numbers in the box, this is something we're not doing enough of and that would be my biggest criticism of Mario.

As for the original article, I didn't read all of it because the writer seemed to be suggesting too much movement in our team. Our problem is the opposite, there's not enough movement especially when Mario and Dzeko play up front together.

[Im_Spartacus]

Kolarov alone put in 16 crosses against Sunderland, the second highest of any player in 90mins in the PL this season ( Jarvis highest with17 ).

I agree with getting numbers in the box, this is something we're not doing enough of and that would be my biggest criticism of Mario.

As for the original article, I didn't read all of it because the writer seemed to be suggesting too much movement in our team. Our problem is the opposite, there's not enough movement especially when Mario and Dzeko play up front together.

During the commentary, it was suggested near half time that valencia had put in 20

With regards movement, we have an issue with strikers who dont attack the ball often enough. But the movement he mentions is that often our forwards get so involved in the patient build up play, that there is nobody up front to pass or cross to.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Kolarov alone put in 16 crosses against Sunderland, the second highest of any player in 90mins in the PL this season ( Jarvis highest with17 ).

I agree with getting numbers in the box, this is something we're not doing enough of and that would be my biggest criticism of Mario.

As for the original article, I didn't read all of it because the writer seemed to be suggesting too much movement in our team. Our problem is the opposite, there's not enough movement especially when Mario and Dzeko play up front together.

During the commentary, it was suggested near half time that valencia had put in 20

With regards movement, we have an issue with strikers who dont attack the ball often enough. But the movement he mentions is that often our forwards get so involved in the patient build up play, that there is nobody up front to pass or cross to.

I read that stat on OPTA, it was before the scum game.

I accept that happens but I don't believe we're any more guilty of this than anyone else, if our forwards weren't dropping back and helping out in midfield they'd be accused of being lazy.

There is one gripe I have and that is tempo. We need to speed up the pace of the game more often. We control the ball in the vast majority of games but don't move it quick enough. This lack of tempo for me has coincided with Silva's drop in form.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

There are some games such as United and Spurs when the fluidity works a treat and we destroy teams. But that can't work every game. United have shown that when playing against really stubborn defensive teams away from home the key is width. Get the ball out wide and cross it into the box, attack with numbers. It's not pretty but it can be bloody effective. Something we don't do enough. On the few occasions we do cross the ball, we have maybe 1 or 2 players making a half arsed attempt to attack it. They have a good 5-6 players.