***stoke v city official match thread***

[Hazy2]

Teams are onto us big time. Today could have been another hammering.

[Mase]

A performance nearly as bad as King Kev's left wing anti British drivel he spouts on Facebook.

Kev Keegan?

[Blue In Bolton]

Fucking fuming. No heart, intelligence or desire from any number of players (Joe Hart and Sagna excepted).
Just spineless and weak and as others have said thanks for fucking the weekend up, City!!

Thought Sagna positioning was very poor on both goals, his man finished the moves off. Not solely blaming him as others should not have let ball get that far but his contribution on each was not good enough.

I do see your point mate but it didn't help Sagna with Demichelis being caught flat footed almost constantly and an attacking tactic to get him up the right-hand side early on to deliver crosses. It does defy belief that the players can turn out a performance like that when you know that going to Stoke you have to match them for effort and desire at the very least otherwise you are fucked from the start.

[RodneyRodney]

SPINELESS, CLUELESS,DIRECTIONLESS,GUTLESS,UTTER 5H1TE today.
One of our worst displays under Pellegrini.
2-0 was VERY kind to us ; it could have been six.
He has to go. He hasn't got clucking few.
If G isn't coming, then who ?
Anyone ?
Hughes ?
Moyes ?
Somebody ?

[shawzy]

A performance nearly as bad as King Kev's left wing anti British drivel he spouts on Facebook.

Kev Keegan?

Sorry i meant the lunatic King Colin..My apoligizes

[Crossie]

We'll win the next 2, then draw one then lose one away. Repeat...

[South Stand Balti]

SPINELESS, CLUELESS,DIRECTIONLESS,GUTLESS,UTTER 5H1TE today.
One of our worst displays under Pellegrini.
2-0 was VERY kind to us ; it could have been six.
He has to go. He hasn't got clucking few.
If G isn't coming, then who ?
Anyone ?
Hughes ?
Moyes ?
Somebody ?

Frank Clark. Anyone

[PrezIke]

Big blue - it doesn't matter who you have on the field or how much they cost if there is a big gaping hole in the middle. We constantly struggle with just 2 in the middle. As for the players-Sterling was outclassed by Shaqiri, MDM is past his best, Fernando would not get in many Prem sides, Bony? It's not a lineup I was dreaming of 3 years ago

How is it that we need 3 center miss when 2 was enough for decades? How do teams lineup against us with 2 CMs and win? This "we need 3 players on the middle" is nonsense. We just need our players to show up.

MDM is past his best, but Bony and Fernando would get in to most pl sides and fans across the league would be happy to have them. Sterling just didn't show up (like the rest of the team).

You start to sound more than a little spoiled by saying "not the lineup I was dreaming of 3 years ago". Well it not too bad when you see who we have injured is it!?!

We had the players out there, they just failed to perform.

Cheers for your resposing, BB.

A few weeks ago, after the Palace (?) Leauge Cup win and the Sevilla win many here were raving about how good Fernando was, about how he was hurt last season, and how inexpensively he cheap we got him for. Now he's not good enough for the Prem?

MDM is struggling and Bony isn't doing as well as I believe he is capable of and Sterling is 20 years old and learning. He did well parts of this game, more so than some others, that includes no-can-do-wrong Silva who never gets a word from the same loudmouths on here who also go quite silent when we are doing well.

That being said, I am concerned about the managerial situation, mostly. Maybe the players are tired too, sure, but are we going to struggle to find motivation when Kompany and Yaya are not there? I know we got killed against Liverpool when Yaya was there, but we sure need to use training and possibly tactical adjustments to work against a high press a lot more.

[Cocacolajojo1]

Perhaps this is just me being too focused on one player, but I really think that MDM cost us that game. Last season we had several games were the defence, mostly Kompany, would make a mess out of nothing and we'd come under pressure and the entire team build would just collapse mentally. This game I feel was a repat of that, just as Mangala's display against Liverpool left the team railing.

In a wider sense though, what's worrying is that a bad performance from a centre back or two can turn the entire team spineless. That used to be the case during the spring, Then we turned things around gradually in the last 6 (or 8?) games and when the season started, it looked like we were in tip top mental shape again. Several of the pundits were saying that the team and especially Kompany were on a mission, or something like that. Now, again, the team mentality seems to be back to where it was this spring. It's so easy to get into our face and disturb us and there's little resilience. Either we show up or we don't. It seems like at least.

I think that's worrying because it's definitely a leadership issue. Is there a leader in our team without Kompany? Some might say Yaya but I just don't think so anymore. Secondly, these mental dips occurr regurarly for City during february-march every season. This year though, it seems we've hit one early.We probably can't afford a second one come spring so the management better sort it out now.

[sheblue]

Didn't see the game today. But I am reading we were shit yet again. That is really worrying, I hope our season just doesn't fizzle out.
What is the manager at? I am worried for him.

[Cocacolajojo1]

How is it that we need 3 center miss when 2 was enough for decades? How do teams lineup against us with 2 CMs and win? This "we need 3 players on the middle" is nonsense. We just need our players to show up.

Strange comment IMO. Teams used to play with two players at the back and the rest attacked for decades but if you put that lineup out now you get slaughtered. Pellegrini is one of the last managers to stick to a variant of 442. Even Wenger, an avid 442:er, has given that formation up nowadays. I mean we used it with great success during the 13-14 season but you have to make the forwards run at the oppo midfield or centre backs for it to work, otherwise the midfield gets easily overrun (which showed when Negredo's form dropped). Bony's not really that type of striker and it doesn't seem De Bruyne or Sterling are up for that job either. And still, the tempo of the game is so rapid nowadays so even if your forwards are working the oppo defence and midfield, a three man vs two man midfield will still be able to pass themselves through by being superior in numbers. And on top of that, with the tempo of today's football, you need agile beasts to run that two man midfield.

I agree that we need players to show a stronger mentality and had we had someone else in defence than MDM, the game could have gone the other way, but it's no coindicence we are looking lightweight in midfield and the defense exposed. Pellegrini has his system and it has brought him this far, fair enough, but right now a tweak or two might be in order. Going back to Mancini's 3 man midfield might be one solution. Giving Sterling/De Bruyne/Navas more defensive responsibility might be another. Something's gotta give though. IMO.

[PrezIke]

Didn't see the game today. But I am reading we were shit yet again. That is really worrying, I hope our season just doesn't fizzle out.
What is the manager at? I am worried for him.

We were worse than against Liverpool. I can't believe I'd write that again in the same season. That's how poor we were.

It could have been 5-0 easily, and we threatened maybe once from a Kola strike.

I have been a Pellegrini supporter, but I think this is the last bit of evidence I need to suggest we need a new manager by next season at the latest (which many expect anyway).

We need someone with a bit more fire at this point. That being said the Mancini lickers can piss off, because he is far too much into the "fire" category. Klopp would have been perfect. I really hope we get Pep because Ancelotti does not strike me as having what we are missing, although he is probably a better tactician.

[blues2win]

The moment I saw the team sheet I thought we looked short in central midfield given we were playing Stoke away. We surely would have looked more solid with Delph on for Sterling. The trouble is our technical players like Silva de Bruyne and Sterling don't consistently put in a shift when we haven't got the ball. I don't like the manager making excuses about tired players even if it's true because it gives them an excuse. Stoke played midweek as well by the way although you'd never have known it. We won't beat Borussia playing like that for sure.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

How is it that we need 3 center miss when 2 was enough for decades? How do teams lineup against us with 2 CMs and win? This "we need 3 players on the middle" is nonsense. We just need our players to show up.

Strange comment IMO. Teams used to play with two players at the back and the rest attacked for decades but if you put that lineup out now you get slaughtered. Pellegrini is one of the last managers to stick to a variant of 442. Even Wenger, an avid 442:er, has given that formation up nowadays. I mean we used it with great success during the 13-14 season but you have to make the forwards run at the oppo midfield or centre backs for it to work, otherwise the midfield gets easily overrun (which showed when Negredo's form dropped). Bony's not really that type of striker and it doesn't seem De Bruyne or Sterling are up for that job either. And still, the tempo of the game is so rapid nowadays so even if your forwards are working the oppo defence and midfield, a three man vs two man midfield will still be able to pass themselves through by being superior in numbers. And on top of that, with the tempo of today's football, you need agile beasts to run that two man midfield.

I agree that we need players to show a stronger mentality and had we had someone else in defence than MDM, the game could have gone the other way, but it's no coindicence we are looking lightweight in midfield and the defense exposed. Pellegrini has his system and it has brought him this far, fair enough, but right now a tweak or two might be in order. Going back to Mancini's 3 man midfield might be one solution. Giving Sterling/De Bruyne/Navas more defensive responsibility might be another. Something's gotta give though. IMO.

We lined up more or less the same way Stoke did today and we line up the same as Arsenal do too, the difference is their player that's playing in the advanced central position in midfield gets back and gets stuck in when out of possession which makes them a three, ours, be it Silva, Yaya or De Bruyne don't do this which leaves us outnumbered.

It's more a problem with work rate than tactics. ( oh and Demichelis having a shocker )

[PrezIke]

The moment I saw the team sheet I thought we looked short in central midfield given we were playing Stoke away. We surely would have looked more solid with Delph on for Sterling.

I am struggling with this notion. So, we were going to put Delph out on the wing? I know he played some minutes there but that's not his position, and we were short Yaya, like that or not, so to risk more injuries is not wise, given Delph's injury record of late and just coming back into the team.

The team sheet is overstated IMHO as the problem today. I get it in the Liverpool match, but I didn't get so worried when I saw who was on the bench. Also, Pellegrini may overstated this as well, but we had quite a few injuries already coming in, so he may be worried about overplaying Delph so soon, and Sterling performed well in the last game from what I understand.

Why did Raheem need to be dropped? You expected him to perform poorly? How come I didn't hear a word of that concern from anyone. If you wanted Fernando to not start, then this goes against the issue of overplaying some, and he played well not that long ago. This sounds like as we say in the States, "Monday morning quarterbacking" aka easier to say after the fact.

[Hazy2]

The highlights kill us thanks BBC, however it did happen, what I noticed even more was dare I say it the who gives a toss attitude, only Delph shows passion. The rest downed tools.

[Nigels Tackle]

you can hardly blame the players / management. they spend 80% of their time working on video content for the official site. don't know about you but the next instalment in the advent calender series is what gets me out of bed every morning....

[Spurge]

SPINELESS, CLUELESS,DIRECTIONLESS,GUTLESS,UTTER 5H1TE today.
One of our worst displays under Pellegrini.
2-0 was VERY kind to us ; it could have been six.
He has to go. He hasn't got clucking few.
If G isn't coming, then who ?
Anyone ?
Hughes ?
Moyes ?
Somebody ?

Why don't you do it.

[blues2win]

No we shouldn't have played Delph on the wing we should have played him as part of a three in central midfield. At least start that way. We had to match Stoke physically and we didn't. Pellegrini said everyone was tired then why leave out a young keen player who's full of running?

[South Stand Balti]

No we shouldn't have played Delph on the wing we should have played him as part of a three in central midfield. At least start that way. We had to match Stoke physically and we didn't. Pellegrini said everyone was tired then why leave out a young keen player who's full of running?

Spot on.