Citybarca

[Ted Hughes]

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 ?

[Beeks]

Ok..I'm in...

[Scatman]

Only if I get double loyalty points

[john68]

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.

[dazby]

I think we're developing the perfect combination of Italian defensive nous and counterattacking capabilities, Spanish movement and skill, and English directness.

[twosips]

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.

[dazby]

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

[sweenyuk]

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

[john68]

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?

[Sideshow Bob]

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?

[Feed The Goat]

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

[Pretty Boy Lee]

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.

[dazby]

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.

[brite blu sky]

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?

[getdressedmctavish]

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.