The mancityfans.net football forum

Just a thought.

Pellegrini wants us to attack and attack and attack. And we do, especially at home where we just don't seem to stop running forward. This has and probably always will leave us open for counter attacks and it seems it leaves the defense more or less disorganised, as well as out of effective cover from the midfield from time to time. It's not a problem though, as long as we score more than the opposition. If we like today score six a game, our opponents are gonna have to try pretty hard to equalize.

The question is though, are there any centre backs out there that could make our defense rock solid under these circumstances? Kompany is about as good as it gets when it comes to a centre back but in my opinion, it's doubtful that we'd get a good and solid defensive pairing like we had like a season ago, even if we gave him a clone of himself or Lescott as he was during our title winning season or Van Buyten or whoever. It's just impossible to get a neatly organized defence with Pellegrini's tactics.

IMO, if we want Pellegrini's style of play to continue we have to accept some dodgy defending as our defenders will be left more or less to themselves at times. Of course our defence can be shored up to an extent but I'm thinking we can tweak it, not massively improve it.

Am I wrong in thinking this or not? Roberto Carlos's blanket allegory comes to mind.

A:No.

When we attack in the way we do - in numbers and play 4-4-2 usually against 4-5-1, we are as you say open to the counter attack. So protecting the back four when we don't have the ball can sometimes make defending more difficult, particularly on the counter as the defence is more exposed.

Only Arsenal, Spurs (1 goal better) and Everton, Southampton (3 goals better) have actually conceded fewer goals in the league this season than City. So I think we aren't as bad in this area as we probably think, though we could at the same time find room for improvement.

We don't defend as well as we attack but we attack more than we defend. So to an extent it's the old adage that attack is the best form of defence

Defending is overrated i prefer attacking.

Seeming as noone seems to disagree with me, shouldn't we cut our defenders some slack? They're facing a tough task and it's pretty much impossible for any of them to shine on a consistent level. Mediocre defending is what we'll get in this system, errors will happen. Fine for me but we shouldn't call for defenders' heads when they fail, as our system is set up for them to fail.

Best form of defence is attack as was highlighted perfectly by our 6-3 win yesterday.

Cocacolajojo wrote:Seeming as noone seems to disagree with me, shouldn't we cut our defenders some slack? They're facing a tough task and it's pretty much impossible for any of them to shine on a consistent level. Mediocre defending is what we'll get in this system, errors will happen. Fine for me but we shouldn't call for defenders' heads when they fail, as our system is set up for them to fail.

Me and Piccs had this exact conversation on the way to Sunderland (before we got too pissed to make sense) and reached the same conclusion. The manager has decided die an attacking game, predominantly by ditching the two defensive midfielder approach that Mancini used. Those (few) days when we don't click going forward we probably willbe punished, but it's a risk worth taking.

I think we've only got a psychological hurdle to surmount/by-pass.

We've got to play as though every game is a home game, irrespective of where it is. When we can achieve that mindset, the defensive aspect will fade into something not worth worrying too much about and something we just accept as par for the course.

We are set up to attack first and defend second. The problem is that irrespective of team selection on any one day a big percentage of our front six don't do enough to defend from the front, or try to get the ball back with any great determination.

Attack Attack Attack best form of defence attack until the cows come home

It is a very difficult job to defend in this City team & imo, we do not have the players to do it to the preferred standard. We may get away with it, as we did v Arsenal, because of the quality elsewhere, but we do not have the right balance imo.

Having said all that:

1) Bayern's back 4 is worse than ours defensively but the team usually manages to keep the pressure off them.

2) Some of the defending v Arsenal/Southampton/Bayern etc, was total shit even when everyone was in position.

Some of the 'offside' traps for instance v Arsenal= dogshit.

It's a tough job & we will always be a bit vulnerable, but it's possible to do it 200% better than we are doing currently & the Count knows this; he is not happy with our defending v Arsenal.

Ted Hughes wrote:It is a very difficult job to defend in this City team & imo, we do not have the players to do it to the preferred standard. We may get away with it, as we did v Arsenal, because of the quality elsewhere, but we do not have the right balance imo.

Having said all that:

1) Bayern's back 4 is worse than ours defensively but the team usually manages to keep the pressure off them.

2) Some of the defending v Arsenal/Southampton/Bayern etc, was total shit even when everyone was in position.

Some of the 'offside' traps for instance v Arsenal= dogshit.

It's a tough job & we will always be a bit vulnerable, but it's possible to do it 200% better than we are doing currently & the Count knows this; he is not happy with our defending v Arsenal.

Quite right Ted.If we are going to attack with so many players getting committed, we really need individual defenders who are capable of handling 1 on 1 situations well. Pace is usually a prequisite and ideally strength as well so at present we aren't there.Not sure I agree though that Bayern's defence is worse than ours.It might not be great but it aint bad.

Playing the offside game is dangerous especially when the players haven't played that much together and especially if we are allowing the opposition to get a run at us which is what happens when you lose the ball with so many committed upfield.We saw tonight how a team like Liverpool can exploit that when Spurs were pushing high ( how stupid was that?)

I hope it will get better with Vinnie back and staying injury free but will will be vulnerable to good passing sides who see the weakness and have good runners from midfield (even Jordan Henderson)

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:It is a very difficult job to defend in this City team & imo, we do not have the players to do it to the preferred standard. We may get away with it, as we did v Arsenal, because of the quality elsewhere, but we do not have the right balance imo.

Having said all that:

1) Bayern's back 4 is worse than ours defensively but the team usually manages to keep the pressure off them.

2) Some of the defending v Arsenal/Southampton/Bayern etc, was total shit even when everyone was in position.

Some of the 'offside' traps for instance v Arsenal= dogshit.

It's a tough job & we will always be a bit vulnerable, but it's possible to do it 200% better than we are doing currently & the Count knows this; he is not happy with our defending v Arsenal.

Quite right Ted.If we are going to attack with so many players getting committed, we really need individual defenders who are capable of handling 1 on 1 situations well. Pace is usually a prequisite and ideally strength as well so at present we aren't there.Not sure I agree though that Bayern's defence is worse than ours.It might not be great but it aint bad.

Playing the offside game is dangerous especially when the players haven't played that much together and especially if we are allowing the opposition to get a run at us which is what happens when you lose the ball with so many committed upfield.We saw tonight how a team like Liverpool can exploit that when Spurs were pushing high ( how stupid was that?)

I hope it will get better with Vinnie back and staying injury free but will will be vulnerable to good passing sides who see the weakness and have good runners from midfield (even Jordan Henderson)

As two knowledgable gents who go to games and gets to see the form of the team on and off the ball etc, things you don't see when you're forced to see the game broadcasted as I do, what would you change? Who'd you bring in? Does Ferna need to be moved back a bit?

Cocacolajojo wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:It is a very difficult job to defend in this City team & imo, we do not have the players to do it to the preferred standard. We may get away with it, as we did v Arsenal, because of the quality elsewhere, but we do not have the right balance imo.

Having said all that:

1) Bayern's back 4 is worse than ours defensively but the team usually manages to keep the pressure off them.

2) Some of the defending v Arsenal/Southampton/Bayern etc, was total shit even when everyone was in position.

Some of the 'offside' traps for instance v Arsenal= dogshit.

It's a tough job & we will always be a bit vulnerable, but it's possible to do it 200% better than we are doing currently & the Count knows this; he is not happy with our defending v Arsenal.

Quite right Ted.If we are going to attack with so many players getting committed, we really need individual defenders who are capable of handling 1 on 1 situations well. Pace is usually a prequisite and ideally strength as well so at present we aren't there.Not sure I agree though that Bayern's defence is worse than ours.It might not be great but it aint bad.

Playing the offside game is dangerous especially when the players haven't played that much together and especially if we are allowing the opposition to get a run at us which is what happens when you lose the ball with so many committed upfield.We saw tonight how a team like Liverpool can exploit that when Spurs were pushing high ( how stupid was that?)

I hope it will get better with Vinnie back and staying injury free but will will be vulnerable to good passing sides who see the weakness and have good runners from midfield (even Jordan Henderson)

As two knowledgable gents who go to games and gets to see the form of the team on and off the ball etc, things you don't see when you're forced to see the game broadcasted as I do, what would you change? Who'd you bring in? Does Ferna need to be moved back a bit?

Don't know who I'd bring in. Nobody mentioned as favourite on here bar Pepe. Not impressd with ANY central defenders from the obvious candidates. I hope the scouts/Tricky have people lined up.

I wouldn't move Fernandinho but I'd find a better/faster version of Garcia.

I think it's a learning curve to get it right though. I've said all along, I don't think it can be done in one season; too many things. Unfortunately, the usual way to learn is by problems surfacing. That's why I'm happy to play Barca next. If they dick us, it shows us where we need to improve. If we win, it shows us where we are getting it right.