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Think the rest have figured out how to play us. Earlier in season we were playing keep ball at back and teams were run ragged chasing ball down. Now they just lay off us and play on the break. We seem to be stuck in this slow build up with no pace and struggle to change up a gear. We are creating so few chances. Mancini needs to inject some more energy from the start and get back to quick pass and move.

That should have been obvious to our opponents from our Champions League games; even Villareal had us figured out.
Hopefully Ya Ya will come back, reasonably refreshed, and re-ignite our season.
If not, we're fucked!

Agree. Over the past 5 or 6 games (I think since the Norwich match), I've noticed teams chase us a lot less in the opening 25. Basically, our tactic had been to tire them out by passing it around, and testing for weaknesses, then later taking advantage of their tiredness. Now, teams know that if they stay firm at the back, we lack the creativity to score, and they hope to nick something on the break.

The fact that such a strategy has resulted in defeats to two lower-mid table teams suggests we have problems which need to be addressed.

we have enough quality players to be able to vary our play, problem is we keep doing the same thing for 90 minutes even when its not working

Champion League, Everton, West Brom, sunderland are all examples and we are so set in our ways we seem unable to change.