Citybarca

Here is the place to talk about all things city and football!

Citybarca

Postby Ted Hughes » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:31 am

I've mentioned on here that I was wondering if Bob's attacks on AJ's workrate were down to the fact that he wanted to try out him, Nasri & Silva, in a Barca style team & it would only work if we closed down with 11 players. Well we did it last night & strung together 861passes. Not only that, we hunted Stoke's defenders like wolves when they had the ball. For all of Stoke's rolling over, it would have been unthinkable for Bob to even attempt to put out a side like this v Stoke even a year ago, we just didn't have the positive attitude to keep the ball & defend high up when we lost it.

I've criticised some of Bob's sitting back tactics in some games since he arrived (I think he overdid it to some tune last 2 seasons) but I think last night, on the quiet, was yet another evolution/revolution in our progression this season & I think what he's doing is outstanding.

Personally, I think we look better when we play like that, rather than the kind of almost bogus 4-4-2 we played v Arsenal although we have more penalty area threat with two strikers. We usually play one of the strikers deeper though & let Silva roam more, but recently we have been a bit more rigid, with Balo & Aguero almost playing as a pair.

Last night though was something else again, with AJ, Nasri, Silva, Yaya all moving in a very Barca way.

Personally, the stuff we've played this season will do for me & I can accept it even if it doesn't bring the short term success it appears destined to bring. If we end up with fuck all & the rags win everything else but we are building a team to play this kind of football, I'll sign up for as long as it takes.

How about yous ?
The pissartist formerly known as Ted

VIVA EL CITY !!!

Some take the bible for what it's worth.. when they say that the rags shall inherit the Earth...
Well I heard that the Sheikh... bought Carlos Tevez this week...& you fuckers aint gettin' nothin..
Ted Hughes
Donated to the site
Donated to the site
Colin Bell's Football Brain
 
Posts: 28488
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:28 pm
Supporter of: Bill Turnbull
My favourite player is: Bill Turnbull

Re: Citybarca

Postby Beeks » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:36 am

Ok..I'm in...
Image
User avatar
Beeks
Shaun Goater's 103 Goals
 
Posts: 7545
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:43 am
Location: Leigh/South Stand 116
Supporter of: The Sky Blues
My favourite player is: Fernandinho

Re: Citybarca

Postby Scatman » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:42 am

Only if I get double loyalty points
Scatman
Dickov's Injury Time Equaliser
 
Posts: 4544
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:06 am
Location: Manchester

Re: Citybarca

Postby john68 » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:45 am

Lasst season, I got tired of my own continuous chant of patience, patience and more patience. Whether I liked what I was watching at the time, I could see there was method within the sometimes percieved madness. The team weren't always getting the message but by the end of the season, there were big signs that they were learning and so was Mancini.

To those who think this is what you have been waiting for all these years...forget it. Mancini is a perfectionist and this team is only partly evolved into what he wants, our owners demand and what we are likely to see inthe future. Johnno is quality but he needs/needed to learn to play the Mancini way. That is why I think that Nige will eventually be replaced. No question about his ability to play but a question mark over his ability to play the way Mancini wants.

This is a 10/15 year project. we are still only a couple of years into it....How good is this gonna be. I just hope I live long enough to see it.
I KNOW THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU THINK I WROTE, BUT I AM NOT SURE YOU REALISE THAT WHAT YOU READ IS NOT WHAT I MEANT
User avatar
john68
Kaptain Kompany's Komposure
 
Posts: 14630
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:47 pm
Location: Sittin' on the dock of the bay...wastin' time.
Supporter of: ST MARKS (W GORTON)
My favourite player is: BERT TRAUTMANN

Re: Citybarca

Postby dazby » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:52 am

I think we're developing the perfect combination of Italian defensive nous and counterattacking capabilities, Spanish movement and skill, and English directness.
Attack the argument of the person, not the person of the argument- except Carl.
User avatar
dazby
Joe Mercer's OBE
 
Posts: 19308
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:02 am
Location: Brisbane Australia
Supporter of: Manchester City
My favourite player is: Ed

Re: Citybarca

Postby twosips » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:54 am

I fucking love the barca style of play, so I was absolutely chuffed to see us trying to develop into a possession lead style last season.

I find it beautifully artistic and a pleasure to watch. The patience with which we play is captivating, and I love how comfortable our players are technically. We're by far the best passing team in England, and i'd be surprised if we're not now in the top handful of teams in the world when it comes to keeping the ball.

We're nowhere near Barca's level of technical ability yet, but who is? If we want to do that we'll have to maintain about 65%, and higher, of the ball for a whole 90 minutes against the better teams, not just Stoke. We've shown glimpses of it though - against Arsenal, the first half hour against Chelsea, and against United last season in the FA Cup and even this season (though i do think the 6-1 was more counter-attacking at times)....It can be done, and who's to say that we won't eventually find a way to match Barca, but with our own twist on it?

I do think we'll continue to develop and find ways to continuously assert ourselves against all teams throughout the game. It's amazing to watch and i'm ridiculously excited to think how good we'll be in a couple of years time.
twosips
Kinky's Mazy Dribbles
 
Posts: 2974
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:58 am
Supporter of: mcfc

Re: Citybarca

Postby dazby » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:06 pm

Let's face facts, it was Sven who initiated City into the possession based play. Leslie and Mancio have developed it.
Attack the argument of the person, not the person of the argument- except Carl.
User avatar
dazby
Joe Mercer's OBE
 
Posts: 19308
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:02 am
Location: Brisbane Australia
Supporter of: Manchester City
My favourite player is: Ed

Re: Citybarca

Postby sweenyuk » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:14 pm

even some of the advertising hoardings were moved closer to the pitch last night to prevent the long throw in's, great attention to detail
User avatar
sweenyuk
De Jong's Tackle
 
Posts: 1012
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:54 pm
Location: Leigh
Supporter of: City
My favourite player is: Silva

Re: Citybarca

Postby john68 » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:16 pm

dazby wrote:Let's face facts, it was Sven who initiated City into the possession based play. Leslie and Mancio have developed it.


Quite agree Dazzler mate...but have to say that Mancini has developed it into something rather more special than I thought he would. Didn't he say recently that he himself was a little suprised at how quickly things had improved?
I KNOW THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU THINK I WROTE, BUT I AM NOT SURE YOU REALISE THAT WHAT YOU READ IS NOT WHAT I MEANT
User avatar
john68
Kaptain Kompany's Komposure
 
Posts: 14630
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:47 pm
Location: Sittin' on the dock of the bay...wastin' time.
Supporter of: ST MARKS (W GORTON)
My favourite player is: BERT TRAUTMANN

Re: Citybarca

Postby Sideshow Bob » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:20 pm

was thinking the exact same thing last night, ted. bob has clearly been studying a lot of barca film, b/c this constant, high pressing game is entirely new for us. have our tactics changed since the early season, or is it just that our fitness has improved?
Sideshow Bob
Shaun Goater's 103 Goals
 
Posts: 7886
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:19 am
Supporter of: MCFC
My favourite player is: Jonny Evans

Re: Citybarca

Postby Feed The Goat » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:27 pm

sweenyuk wrote:even some of the advertising hoardings were moved closer to the pitch last night to prevent the long throw in's, great attention to detail


They did that last season too it only partly works as they can still run down the line but they don't get the same directness into the box
Feed The Goat
Donated to the site
Donated to the site
De Jong's Tackle
 
Posts: 1679
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 4:45 pm
Location: Blackley

Re: Citybarca

Postby Pretty Boy Lee » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:29 pm

I quite enjoyed the way sven had Richards and dunne playing the ball out.

We didn't have the team all the way through to be great at it, but it was a fucking breath of fresh air from the year before.
Pretty Boy Lee
Pablo Zabaleta's Manc Accent
 
Posts: 13386
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:22 am
Location: Brisbane baby!
Supporter of: City!
My favourite player is: Yaya

Re: Citybarca

Postby dazby » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:34 pm

Sideshow Bob wrote:was thinking the exact same thing last night, ted. bob has clearly been studying a lot of barca film, b/c this constant, high pressing game is entirely new for us. have our tactics changed since the early season, or is it just that our fitness has improved?


I think it's just evolved. Mancio started at the back and made us hard to beat. Once that was bedded in he worked on the attacking side.
Attack the argument of the person, not the person of the argument- except Carl.
User avatar
dazby
Joe Mercer's OBE
 
Posts: 19308
Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:02 am
Location: Brisbane Australia
Supporter of: Manchester City
My favourite player is: Ed

Re: Citybarca

Postby brite blu sky » Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:21 pm

Ted Hughes wrote:I've mentioned on here that I was wondering if Bob's attacks on AJ's workrate were down to the fact that he wanted to try out him, Nasri & Silva, in a Barca style team & it would only work if we closed down with 11 players. Well we did it last night & strung together 861passes. Not only that, we hunted Stoke's defenders like wolves when they had the ball. For all of Stoke's rolling over, it would have been unthinkable for Bob to even attempt to put out a side like this v Stoke even a year ago, we just didn't have the positive attitude to keep the ball & defend high up when we lost it.


Bob has kept saying that AJ has all he needs.. the question is for what! I'd agree that Mancini wants all the front men to interplay like barca... why wouldn't he for starters. AJ has to be good enough with his feet and we have seen now that his awareness is coming on in leaps.. add a bit of workrate and viola you have a player able to hold his own with Nasri, Silva, Yaya etc.

I would add that i seriously hope that while honing players into identikit barca players, Bob and the team keep a mind to developing their individual speciality too. What strikes me about the system we appear to be developing is that all the players mill about all over the place and transfix the oppo but then can drop into trad mode and do something that just ignores all that. And that for me is the key to unpredictability in any given moment.

Faced with AJ on the right wing nowadays the defender will not know if he is going to find another player or jink past into the area.. or cut in and shoot. In addition the CB covering the LB doesn't know if he has to stay alert to it either while also trying to keep an eye on Aguero or Silva.

Like others i think there is still along way to go. After all it is no good just trying to copy barca, City have to be able to beat them. We have to take the best of them and add some other tricks on top.

Long throw anyone?
[center]Image[/center]
User avatar
brite blu sky
Dickov's Injury Time Equaliser
 
Posts: 4995
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:23 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Citybarca

Postby getdressedmctavish » Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:59 pm

city will not match barca for one reason, Messi. He makes so much possible. For example Barca can afford the luxury of a holding mid and two players out tight to the touch line because Messi plays for two, scoring 40 plus but being an extra midfielder and then striker arriving late.City are more collective, less dependant on any one player. We therefore have to be selective in our committment to wing play and cannot afford the luxury of a pure holder like Nige.Personally I think we look better with only 1 up top. It allows us more of the ball and the goals can come from any one of many making the late run into the box which is devastating. All a joy to the eye.In my view if we'd used 1 up top throughout the chimps league we'd still be in it.Be interesting to see whether newly in form Sunderland and Brom can do to combat us or whether we systematically take them apart. I wouldn't want to be a manager trying to plan against us.
getdressedmctavish
Donated to the site
Donated to the site
Richard Dunne's Own Goals
 
Posts: 997
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:04 am


Return to The Maine Football forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Nickyboy, Sparklehorse and 253 guests