The mancityfans.net football forum

I alluded to this in the 'Bin The Cups' thread and was wondering your thoughts. After a run of 8 games in 28 days (1 game every 3.5 days) and a possible upcoming 6 games in 19 days (1 game in 3 days nearly) with only another 3 days break inbetween, could fatigue be the reason for our current form and injury problems?

Looked like that to me on Sunday.

Poor lambs.

A game every three-four days.

Game
Light training /stretching
Full training
Game
Light training /stretching
Full training

Possibly a good part of the problem but why have we got rid of players we could have used to alleviate the problem & why didn't we rest players when 2-0 up v Aris?

lets all have a disco wrote:Poor lambs.

A game every three-four days.

Game
Light training /stretching
Full training
Game
Light training /stretching
Full training

And they're paid £100 grand a week!

Ted Hughes wrote:Possibly a good part of the problem but why have we got rid of players we could have used to alleviate the problem & why didn't we rest players when 2-0 up v Aris?

Adebayor et al are a good call but on the Aris front, don't we get automatic inclusion into the Europa if we win it; we may be showing intent?

Beefymcfc wrote:

lets all have a disco wrote:Poor lambs.

A game every three-four days.

Game
Light training /stretching
Full training
Game
Light training /stretching
Full training

And they're paid £100 grand a week!

I know being paid 100k a week doesnt make you less tired but come on i'd say at least 60% of a players time could quite easily be sat on the couch chilling/picking up the kids from school.

Most of them looked to be resting from 2-0 up against aris to me anyway.

I say its more to do with our injuries and our left back problems.

Our midfield was non existent on sunday, they didnt help the attack and were not back defending.

Beefymcfc wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:Possibly a good part of the problem but why have we got rid of players we could have used to alleviate the problem & why didn't we rest players when 2-0 up v Aris?

Adebayor et al are a good call but on the Aris front, don't we get automatic inclusion into the Europa if we win it; we may be showing intent?

I recon, if you watch the selections of most top 5 teams from now til the end of the season, they'll play strong teams in almost every game apart from when they play v really poor teams, then they'll rest as many players as they can. I agree with us starting with a strong team v Aris but we could have taken 3 off at half time & replaced them with kids & they wouldn't have scored.

Lack of squad rotation ( partly because of lack of squad),lack of understanding of how to play now that we have thrown in 1 or 2 new players up front to confuse the way of playing,a belief that playing a passing slow tempo game is the way forward,loss of form of key players (Tevez for sure),injuries to key players, and maybe just maybe a sign that the players are not fully on board( Tevez again),a belief that all is actually ok because we won 6 or 7 in a row at home( against rubbish mainly),starting to look fatigued because they are being told they are .

It's a combination of all sorts of things for me.

lets all have a disco wrote:

Beefymcfc wrote:

lets all have a disco wrote:Poor lambs.

A game every three-four days.

Game
Light training /stretching
Full training
Game
Light training /stretching
Full training

And they're paid £100 grand a week!

I know being paid 100k a week doesnt make you less tired but come on i'd say at least 60% of a players time could quite easily be sat on the couch chilling/picking up the kids from school.

It's not that simple though, is it. I used to play at a decent level once or twice a week and usually threw in a game of rugby when I wasn't playing. This was OK for a few weeks at a time but once it got to the point of playing 2 games on a regualr basis it began to take it's toll and I couldn't get myself to my usual 100% and there is no way I was playing to the levels these guys are.

if you have a game every 3 days, you dont need to train as the games will keep you fit. and why didnt we start with swp and milner at the start of the game because 1) give these two players game time and 2) rest a couple of players untill the secound half.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Lack of squad rotation ( partly because of lack of squad),lack of understanding of how to play now that we have thrown in 1 or 2 new players up front to confuse the way of playing,a belief that playing a passing slow tempo game is the way forward,loss of form of key players (Tevez for sure),injuries to key players, and maybe just maybe a sign that the players are not fully on board( Tevez again),a belief that all is actually ok because we won 6 or 7 in a row at home( against rubbish mainly),starting to look fatigued because they are being told they are .

It's a combination of all sorts of things for me.

Good points Doug but in the main you seem to be pointing the finger at Mancini; is that correct?

CITYSTEVEDON wrote:if you have a game every 3 days, you dont need to train as the games will keep you fit. and why didnt we start with swp and milner at the start of the game because 1) give these two players game time and 2) rest a couple of players untill the secound half.

And, on that note, why didn't we give someone a rest earlier when we were devoid of pace and creativity, allowing someone like Shaun to actually run at players, and also cover at the back?

I think we are starting to look a bit weary and it doesn't matter if they are paid £10 a week or £100k a week, they still get tired. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that that who would be the more fresher team on Sunday. City who have played every 3 days for the last 3 weeks and have played 43 games this season or Fulham who haven't played a midweek game in a month and have played 33 games this season.

Also de Jong, Johnson, Richards, Silva, Kompany were all out on Sunday, that is half of our team!

Beefymcfc wrote:

CITYSTEVEDON wrote:if you have a game every 3 days, you dont need to train as the games will keep you fit. and why didnt we start with swp and milner at the start of the game because 1) give these two players game time and 2) rest a couple of players untill the secound half.

And, on that note, why didn't we give someone a rest earlier when we were devoid of pace and creativity, allowing someone like Shaun to actually run at players, and also cover at the back?

He wasnt and will never again be the answer to city breaking down a team.

Maybe we should of played MJ too and won four thousand - nil

On Sunday that performance was simply down to fielding a side with no creativity in the middle of the park.
Even if Shaun isn't the long term answer, he certainly could have made a difference in that game.

Piccsnumberoneblue wrote:On Sunday that performance was simply down to fielding a side with no creativity in the middle of the park.
Even if Shaun isn't the long term answer, he certainly could have made a difference in that game.

I have just been told that although Shaun was on the bench, he wasn't fully fit.

Beefymcfc wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Lack of squad rotation ( partly because of lack of squad),lack of understanding of how to play now that we have thrown in 1 or 2 new players up front to confuse the way of playing,a belief that playing a passing slow tempo game is the way forward,loss of form of key players (Tevez for sure),injuries to key players, and maybe just maybe a sign that the players are not fully on board( Tevez again),a belief that all is actually ok because we won 6 or 7 in a row at home( against rubbish mainly),starting to look fatigued because they are being told they are .

It's a combination of all sorts of things for me.

Good points Doug but in the main you seem to be pointing the finger at Mancini; is that correct?

I think that's where it has to go.I do feel he has created the situation we are now in and it could go either way from here. It's a real test of his managerial skills now.

To me the Fulham game was 100% psychology.

Yes we were prob. tired, lacking players to injuries etc. etc. etc. But with the right coaching (in that I include mental build-up, focus on the task at hand, forgetting the negatives and focusing on the positives/what you can do something about, clear-cut SIMPLE strategy since we are tired ++) we should have dominated this game even with a depleted and tired squad.

Roberto is complaining about alot of fixtures yet he did not chance a youngster or even SWP. Both vs Aris at 2-0 up and today when he saw the dire performance our team put in he should have IMO risked a youngster or SWP earlier.

I mean motivation-wise we looked like a pub team being forced up at 07.00 on sunday to play the last game of the season, after allready placing last in the league, the day after new years... I am sure Guidetti/SWP or someone would atleast bring alittle winning desire or something to the team.

But mainly I would have wanted more good coaching from Mancini instead of moaning.

"OK lads, we've had alot of games but let's focus on Champions league, we NEED this! We GOT to win this... blah blah blah. I have come up with a good matchplan vs this team, I've made it pretty simple to fit with our current stamina etc."

john68 wrote:

Piccsnumberoneblue wrote:On Sunday that performance was simply down to fielding a side with no creativity in the middle of the park.
Even if Shaun isn't the long term answer, he certainly could have made a difference in that game.

I have just been told that although Shaun was on the bench, he wasn't fully fit.

Well it did cross my mind there must be a good reason for not using him.
However if he was on the bench surely he was ok for ten minutes at the end. Otherwise we might as well have given him the night off.