brite blu sky wrote:There are two main problems with City that keep re-occuring imo. One is putting enough effort in. The other is similar, certain players not doing the basics of their job.. and I'm looking squarely at Yaya for that. I know some have been going on about it, but I just can't get over the dereliction of duty that he has shown. It would be better if he didn't bother drifting back at all, that way at least the other players would know for sure that he wasn't going to cover or challenge a player 5 yds away and they could then at least decide themselves to organise and do something. The worse part of it is that he looks like he is thinking about putting in a challenge and then doesn't.. it is worse than not being in the vicinity at all.
So that needs sorting out because a fair few goals have led directly from the confusion he has helped create. We lost 2pts at Fulham for no other reason than lack of just 5yds of effort to put some kind of pressure on someone waltzing along with the ball.
While that continues the defence will be left in the lurch of being in the wrong positions at times right in front of goal, scrambling to cover and inevietably cheap goals will be conceeded.
There are two solutions, one dont play Yaya in a deep role. tother is tell the rest of the players to completely ignore what Yaya is doing if it is on our side of the halfway line!
The passing game requires as a fundamental basic a lot of movement off the ball, there is a basic level of effort that you cannot go below or it all stop working. In the Prem that hasn't happened for more than a few minutes at a time, if it does we will look like we did in Naples.
City's system means that we can cope with even quite a few players not at their best, but the two points I'm making above are of our own making and can be cut out. We would be imo less inclined to conceed the kind of gifted goals we have done. Doesn't seem like a big ask to me... not like expecting players to suddenly become a lot better or anything. Just do the basics and keep moving for 90 mins.
That said, I'm convinced that Mancini will have set out that going to anfield and getting a result is a marker for the season and the effort will be there. If it is the Scoucers wont be able to live with it however much they manage to up their game.
I agree entirely about Yaya & it gets worse when he has to play games midweek without a rest. He should be played in a kind of free role & never relied upon to do anything, & I do mean ANYTHING. That goes for set pieces too. His total lack of awareness for the 1st goal v Napoli has been mirrored many times for goals conceded at set pieces where he fails to block a man who ends up getting a free run & jump, or just doesn't even compete for a header & basically lets the bloke score.
It's easy to see why Bob gives him these jobs; because he could do them easily. The problem is he won't. He doesn't have it in him to give that bit extra in most games. When he's a bit tired he just goes 'ah bollox to it' & has a rest. He jogs, he doesn't pick up & he doesn't get off the ground for headers. Sometimes he still keeps running but it's so slow & lacking in effort that he's actually getting his breath back whilst he's running. If you watch him, he's just jogging in little circles, totally not even thinking about getting involved in the play.
This is when he's dangerous to the oppo on a break, as he can suddely sprint away if he pushes himself, but it's also when he's very very dangerous to us, as players think he's picking up runners or marking a space but he's not, he's just having a rest.
The workrate of the whole team & the tactical awareness has seemed lacking in Europe though. None of the team closed down Napoli as well as they did Newcastle. I watched the Geordies v Stoke & they are real grafters. We out-grafted them when we lost the ball but were not at the races in the same situation v Napoli or Bayern. I don't know why that is.
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