The 3-5-2

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Neither did I put words in your mouth but it didn't stop you claiming so.

When you said "what do you think people should just week after week say" you were putting words in my mouth. I didn't say anything remotely like that. Do you understand?

You're annoyed at me for pulling you up on that racism thing the other day. Get over it mate, it's pathetic.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Neither did I put words in your mouth but it didn't stop you claiming so.

When you said "what do you think people should just week after week say" you were putting words in my mouth. I didn't say anything remotely like that. Do you understand?

You're annoyed at me for pulling you up on that racism thing the other day. Get over it mate, it's pathetic.

If anything I was putting words in someone elses mouth. Not yours.

Oh, and you showed yourself to be some sort of weird BNP biggot in that topic and I don't hold people like that in very high esteem.

[Moonchesteri]

Is the 3-5-2 to blame for the first two goals we conceded?

This thread has nothing to do with the two opening goals or last nights defeat.

The only relation is that it infuriates me that even when we conceded two with the four-at-the-back formation we were comfortable, especially in the 2nd half prior to the goal from set piece. I'm sure had we continued with that we would've given ourselves a proper chance but now Bobby wanted to try this silly formation which completely shattered our team's shape and just threw away the good(ish) momentum we had in the beginning of 2nd half.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Neither did I put words in your mouth but it didn't stop you claiming so.

When you said "what do you think people should just week after week say" you were putting words in my mouth. I didn't say anything remotely like that. Do you understand?

You're annoyed at me for pulling you up on that racism thing the other day. Get over it mate, it's pathetic.

If anything I was putting words in someone elses mouth. Not yours.

Oh, and you showed yourself to be some sort of weird BNP biggot in that topic and I don't hold people like that in very high esteem.

BNP bigot? PMSL. I didn't automatically assume that someone giving a black kid stick was being racist so that makes me a bigot? That's priceless.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Neither did I put words in your mouth but it didn't stop you claiming so.

When you said "what do you think people should just week after week say" you were putting words in my mouth. I didn't say anything remotely like that. Do you understand?

You're annoyed at me for pulling you up on that racism thing the other day. Get over it mate, it's pathetic.

If anything I was putting words in someone elses mouth. Not yours.

Oh, and you showed yourself to be some sort of weird BNP biggot in that topic and I don't hold people like that in very high esteem.

BNP bigot? PMSL. I didn't automatically assume that someone giving a black kid stick was being racist so that makes me a bigot? That's priceless.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Is the 3-5-2 to blame for the first two goals we conceded?

This thread has nothing to do with the two opening goals or last nights defeat.

The only relation is that it infuriates me that even when we conceded two with the four-at-the-back formation we were comfortable, especially in the 2nd half prior to the goal from set piece. I'm sure had we continued with that we would've given ourselves a proper chance but now Bobby wanted to try this silly formation which completely shattered our team's shape and just threw away the good(ish) momentum we had in the beginning of 2nd half.

Ok mate, I apologise for making the wrong assumption then.

I don't agree that we were comfortable with 4 at the back, we were being exposed down the left wing for the entire game.

[Moonchesteri]

Is the 3-5-2 to blame for the first two goals we conceded?

This thread has nothing to do with the two opening goals or last nights defeat.

The only relation is that it infuriates me that even when we conceded two with the four-at-the-back formation we were comfortable, especially in the 2nd half prior to the goal from set piece. I'm sure had we continued with that we would've given ourselves a proper chance but now Bobby wanted to try this silly formation which completely shattered our team's shape and just threw away the good(ish) momentum we had in the beginning of 2nd half.

Ok mate, I apologise for making the wrong assumption then.

I don't agree that we were comfortable with 4 at the back, we were being exposed down the left wing for the entire game.

No worries, would not have been the first time I go over the top after a disappointing performance! but usually on those occasions I've been drinking but yesterday was different haha.

I thought we were fine. not great but doing ok. They controlled our left wing for sure but they didn't really threaten us imo (apart from the goal obviously) and I didn't see them scoring until they got one from a set piece.

[phips]

i just read something that Bob said about the 3-5-2. he doesn't believe its an issue because the team still has 11 on the pitch. he thinks that it doesn't matter if they use 3, 4, 5, or 6 defenders.

seriously?

[Mase]

i just read something that Bob said about the 3-5-2. he doesn't believe its an issue because the team still has 11 on the pitch. he thinks that it doesn't matter 3, 4, 5, 6 defenders.

seriously?

.

[dazby]

In a couple of years as a club we should be comfortable playing 5-6 different systems- with 3-5-2 being one of them. We should be comfortable playing a back 3, 4 or 5, depending on our situation. Yes, we are struggling with this system now, but we struggled with the other systems when they were first implemented.

I take short term pain for long term gain every time.

[Ted Hughes]

In a couple of years as a club we should be comfortable playing 5-6 different systems- with 3-5-2 being one of them. We should be comfortable playing a back 3, 4 or 5, depending on our situation. Yes, we are struggling with this system now, but we struggled with the other systems when they were first implemented.

I take short term pain for long term gain every time.

There's a time & place for trying it. I can accept it v Villa in the League cup or in the Charity Shield. Even last season when he used it in the FA Cup v rags, we were in a shit situation so anything was worth a try.

Against Ajax 2nd half, we had been doing pretty much exactly what we should have been doing 1st half. We made 1 mistake, & immediately the manager rips up the team ? It's utter bollocks.

His quotes today worry me. Basically he says 'we went 2-1 down so the manager has to do something'. It worries me that when we play these teams, he thinks HE has to win the game by outfoxing the oppo manager, rather than just making the players comfortable in a system & letting them win it. It's the same when we play Arsenal; every time he has to do something unexpected, rather than just putting out the best team & trying to beat them.

Imo, if he'd gone for a shit after Ajax scored , & stayed there, we would have won.

[phips]

part of the issue with this system could be our personnel. its obvious clichy isn't comfortable in this.

my optimal 3-5-2 back line would be:

----------Zab----VK---JL
Micah------------------------Kolarov


or even


---------Micah----VK---JL/Zab
Milner-----------------------Kolarov/Clichy


i don know why he thinks he has to take lescott off and move clichy in.

[bleedBlue]

It worked against Chelsea in the Community Shield which unfortunately probably gave Mancini the justification he needed for it.

I first saw it on the Asian tour and it was a head scratcher. We've just won the league with a style of play and formation so instead of building on that he goes with something completely different.

It's just plain stupid, and it's been found out every single time post-Community Shield. Micah's comments tonight are telling - the players don't want it any more than the fans do, yet here we are with it as Plan B and sometimes even Plan A.

It doesn't work so just drop it and go back to basics before we lose anymore important games.

It worked against Chelsea in the Community Shield .... False Positive to be honest, we were lucky to have won that game; Chelsea had so many opportunities to runaway with that match, which would have thrown us off. Plus, at the time Chelsea was still jellying... this Crap doesn't work against good teams,furthermore more the defenders we have are not good enough to adapt to this formation. and i double dare Mancini to try that against Chelsea again... they would destroy us.. out of a sudden Mancini thinks hes a football genius, which is not the case. To have found ourselves winning the League the way we did last year should be an indication that something was fundamentally wrong with the direction Mancini was leading the team. For a team that has been playing together for a while now, we are just not consistent enough, the whole freaking idea of building a great team is to build on previous experience, and improving game after game... honestly i dont see that happening to us. we one step forward, and Mancini idiotically take us back... don't get me started on our Europe performance.... personally the major problem i see Mancini's so-called philosophy, is the lack of killer instinct... look at Man-U for example, look how freaking quickly they move the ball up and down the pitch... Look at Spurs run in the CL , look how fast they were upfront... Mancini on the other hand believes in a slow build up... that's why he didn't value in Bellamy...

[aaron bond]

It worked against Chelsea in the Community Shield which unfortunately probably gave Mancini the justification he needed for it.

I first saw it on the Asian tour and it was a head scratcher. We've just won the league with a style of play and formation so instead of building on that he goes with something completely different.

It's just plain stupid, and it's been found out every single time post-Community Shield. Micah's comments tonight are telling - the players don't want it any more than the fans do, yet here we are with it as Plan B and sometimes even Plan A.

It doesn't work so just drop it and go back to basics before we lose anymore important games.

It worked against Chelsea in the Community Shield .... False Positive to be honest, we were lucky to have won that game; Chelsea had so many opportunities to runaway with that match, which would have thrown us off. Plus, at the time Chelsea was still jellying... this Crap doesn't work against good teams,furthermore more the defenders we have are not good enough to adapt to this formation. and i double dare Mancini to try that against Chelsea again... they would destroy us.. out of a sudden Mancini thinks hes a football genius, which is not the case. To have found ourselves winning the League the way we did last year should be an indication that something was fundamentally wrong with the direction Mancini was leading the team. For a team that has been playing together for a while now, we are just not consistent enough, the whole freaking idea of building a great team is to build on previous experience, and improving game after game... honestly i dont see that happening to us. we one step forward, and Mancini idiotically take us back... don't get me started on our Europe performance.... personally the major problem i see Mancini's so-called philosophy, is the lack of killer instinct... look at Man-U for example, look how freaking quickly they move the ball up and down the pitch... Look at Spurs run in the CL , look how fast they were upfront... Mancini on the other hand believes in a slow build up... that's why he didn't value in Bellamy...

Just for the record...no Chelsea didn't have many opportunities to runaway with the Community Shield match. We were dominant in that game and they scored against the run of play. Then Ivanovic chose to get himself sent off and we took advantage. Read the reports, check the stats, re-watch the game if you don't believe that's true.

Anyway, Xavi6 is correct - because we won that game and were the better team, that gave Mancini the confidence that the 3-5-2 could work. But it doesn't - we are clearly not comfortable with it, and we are a worse side for it.

I understand he wants a plan B for when things aren't working out in a match, but 3-5-2 is not the answer, and I just hope he realises that sooner rather than later.

[Cocacolajojo1]

It worked wonders today. Spurs could not handle the width it gave us and it enabled Maicon to get one back on Spurs' leftwing.

[Swales4ever]

i just read something that Bob said about the 3-5-2. he doesn't believe its an issue because the team still has 11 on the pitch. he thinks that it doesn't matter if they use 3, 4, 5, or 6 defenders.

seriously?

that's almost the way should be.
shall take a couple of seasons more at the current learning rate, apparently.

always providing that Ferran and Txiki wont do what they have been hired for, of course.
the longest renewal given to a City manager in the last 40 years is just a fake to ease them the task, obviously----> #lmao

[dazby]

It's the future.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

It worked wonders today. Spurs could not handle the width it gave us and it enabled Maicon to get one back on Spurs' leftwing.

Hope Micah Richards reads this....

[Fergiesnose]

It worked today because spuds are a Mediocre team at best, who pretend to be good. It also worked because we were already dominating possession and they couldn't get through. Try it against a half decent team and it will flop just as it has done all season.

If Mancini wants to play high possession games like Barcelona, he needs to get some better central midfielders, instead of holding ones gaz slow baz.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

It worked today because spuds are a Mediocre team at best, who pretend to be good. It also worked because we were already dominating possession and they couldn't get through. Try it against a half decent team and it will flop just as it has done all season.

If Mancini wants to play high possession games like Barcelona, he needs to get some better central midfielders, instead of holding ones gaz slow baz.

What was it like to lose the league in injury time last season, and to Citeh?