Time for Change at Manchester City?
6 Mar
This is a post by Gus Stopes.
Manchester City have enjoyed a period of unprecedented success in the club’s history, with supporters who were beginning to question their faith prior to Sheikh Mansour’s arrival handsomely rewarded for their patience and dedication to the cause.
Football, though, tends to work in cycles and it could be suggested that 2015 will see one come to an end at the Etihad Stadium.
There is still plenty to be excited about. The Blues continue to dominate in Manchester, remain contenders for major honours at home and abroad and have opened the doors to a swanky new academy that should serve them well for many years to come.
It is, however, looking like restructuring at first-team level will be required if City are to push on from this point.
Since the turn of the year, it is fair to say that things have not gone entirely to plan for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Cracks are starting to show that require something a little more substantial than a papering over.
Transfer business last summer raised a few eyebrows, with there a feeling within neutral circles – possibly within City-supporting circles – that further heavy investment had failed to improve the overall standard of the collective ranks.
Unfortunately, it appears as though those fears were spot on, with there little weight to be found behind arguments for Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando enhancing the squad.
In this era of Financial Fair Play, it is no longer possible for mistakes to be written off and attention turned to other top targets, but City should be piecing together plans that will allow them to keep exit and entrance doors spinning over the summer.
The core of a successful side remains – Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero etc – but it could be time to freshen things up and replace a selection of those who have served the club with distinction with a few fresh faces who are hungry to enjoy similar triumphs in the future.
Results in 2015 suggest now is the time to start making such changes, with only five wins taken from 12 games spread across three competitions.
Yes, City have been unfortunate to face the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League, high-flying Middlesbrough in the FA Cup – a side heavily backed in Championship betting markets to be gracing the top tier again next season – and La Liga heavyweights Barcelona in the Champions League.
Pellegrini should, however, have had more than enough at his disposal to negotiate a testing schedule and keep his side in the hunt for multiple prizes.
As it stands, it is looking increasingly likely that City – who were swept aside by Arsenal in the Community Shield at the start of the season – will end the campaign empty-handed.
Having grown accustomed to open-top bus rides and the taste of champagne, serious questions will be asked if no additions are made to the trophy cabinet.
Such discussions should, however, be seen as productive if they are to be held, with it important for forward-thinking outfits to revel in the highs but also respond to the lows.
It is easy to overlook problems when things are going well, brush them aside and bury your head in the sand, but it is when the chips are down that true champions emerge, with decisions taken at the bottom of the aforementioned cycles helping to ensure that forward momentum is maintained back towards the top.
This is a post by Gus Stopes.
Trixy has to be held to account for his buys, but there are signs that the Manglar is coming good, Fernando will never make it and the deputy keeper is just OK. Pelle should see out his 3 contract and not be replaced in panic.
Come summer we need some fresh legs in the team with big engines to press well when we don’t have the ball. We need three mid fielders at least to replace Milner, Nasri and Fernando.
A lot of money spent, a lot of players bought but, none over the last 3 or 4 windows have been an improvement on what we had. The jury still being out on Mangala.
What should have happened after our first Prem title was the purchase of say 2 world class players to replace what we had, instead we’ve had a scatter gun approach which hasn’t worked. Fernando, Fernandinho, Navas, Cabellero, Bony are all decent players but hardly world class and didn’t improve the squad one iota. in fact neither Fernando nor Fernandinho are a patch on de Jong who was allowed to leave on a free I believe.
We need to start targeting the players we want from the best in the world.
As for Pelle, a charming man maybe but, he looks like a rabbit in the headlines at times and has no plan B when 442 isn’t working. I thought the penny had dropped after the last two CL matches we’d played but no, against one of the two teams in the world you don’t want to be overrun in midfield against, what does he do, reverts to 424, suicide.
We need a strong manager, a more friendly, less arrogant Mancini? Who has experience of winning on a regular basis in CL
and who can change things around on the pitch when needed, a more friendly, less arrogant Mancini?
Sorry mate disagree that Fernandinho isn’t an improvement on De Jong, he’s faster a better passer and offers us much more offensively than De Jong ever could although he was the best tackler I have seen in the flesh.
Also Manga will be an awesome defender, wish people wouldn’t be so short sighted he’s still a kid adjusting to a new country, language, manager, team club and league and has still impressed in parts. Give the kid a chance to adjust, we have on classy player here and he will show it. Didn’t he play in our record equaling run of wins?
Please be humble and remember Barca are BETTER THAN US and stop believing the hype, we have a long way to go. Whatever tactics you play they have the potential to beat anyone anytime. We lost by the odd goal so chill out and enjoy the ride. Stop moaning and appreciate what we are doing.
That should have said two world class players in each summer window
I think Pellegrini was hampered with the fair play restrictions and quality of player we got was poor.Hopefully Mangala will turn out to be what we was hoping Micah Richards was going to be,fast and strong.If true we’ll be replacing Milner,Fernando and Nasri I for one would like to see names like Ilkay Gundogan,Isco and Arturo Vidal being mentioned.We need quality players not maybe good players eventually.Would like to see Brandon Barker and Jason Denayer given a chance,with Tosin Adarabioyo next for a good loan period to push him on.Next season we need a shake up.
City transfer policy for the past couple of years has been to improve squad depth as opposed to our best first team selection. Save Fernandinho, none of the signing can be considered an upgrade to our best XI. However; if you look at Chelsea, Costa and Fabergas improved their starting XI.
City should also give their Youth more chance. Jason denyar and Rekik are two very promising Youngster that have received great reviews by football pundits. You never get a finished product from Academy, you need to give them opportunity not a game or two. In all fairness, how much of an improvement Mangala has been over Rekik or Deynar considering the price tag (if any).
As you rightfully mentioned above, this summer city needs a few signings for best XI improvement and a few (one or two) youth from their own Rekik, Deynar, Lopez …
As for Pellers, unless we can get someone with the caliber of Guardiola or Ancelotti, they should still deputize Pellers as City coach [I personally see no use of replacing him]
Pellegrini was not responsible for letting De Jong go, but I fully agree that the qualities De Jong brought to the team have been badly missed. Likewise, Carlos Tevez. This was the first big call that the post-Mancini administration made, and they got it wrong. The continuing arguments about 442 or 451 would be redundant had Tevez remained a City player. Jovetic, at more than twice the price, has been a less than adequate replacement.
However, I don’t think we should be in too great a rush to get rid of Pellegrini. The European games have been a disappointment as have some of the home performances, but this has not been City’s luckiest season (especially with regard to injuries) and luck plays its part in football.
What a joke. MP the best man manager and media management guy we had in over 40 years. He won 2 trophies in his first year. You lot like the majority of fair weather fans can’t wait to be rid and get the next lamb to the slaughter. What will you all say if we win it again? Or have you got a crystal ball? The way some fans act you would think it is their money City are spending on players and managers. Short memories. Can’t wait for this micro blip to end but as usual when things turn around ie Roma away, catching Chelsea in December etc the moaners crawl back under a rock until we draw and lose 2 games…or don’t score 5.
Thank you Paul and Mike above. Pellers gave us two trophies in his first season and the best football I can remember in 40 years as a blue. Sure it’s not been great this season but let’s get some perspective and not write off him nor the season nor players who have illuminated the premier league up just yet.
All this complaining and negativity will not help us on the pitch, so chill and atleast wait until the end of the season before getting the daggers out.
Its still early days for Fernando & mangala as we all know it does take some time to settle into a new set up, nothing unusual there. What is unusual is the managers failure to empathize the importance of working without the ball & working as a good team. City fans are frustrated by how easy it is to play through us – good manager that he is surely the “team ethic” is numero uno???? There’s not much point in going through a ” hard-time” if you cannot learn about yourself & the people you have around you. Its not about winning games 5 – nil.
Glenn I agree we are too easy to play through this season and I feel that is down to Fernando, a player who should be at his peak. Hes technically good but takes an age to engage his brain work out where the pass is on and hit the pass. He should know where that ball is going before he receives it. His poor awareness in possession encourages static movement from other players slows our play up and allows our opponents to arrange their compact defence. Sad to say I agree with Glowey I don’t think the guy is ever going to be good enough for us with where we want to be eventually (champions of Europe). I agree though we need to be patient, remember it took noted 7 attempts before they won it and they took several hidings on their way there
City supporters beginning to lose their faith? Do you live in Stretford? I thought you were a Blue….
Thanks for the reality check Wigan Blue, sorely needed
Pellegrini can be the greatest man manager in the world or universe for that matter but, that does nothing for the way the team plays, other than with a smile on their faces because they’ve been so well “man managed”.
Considering the amount of money spent and the players at his disposal, it would have been a disgrace if we hadn’t won the league. However, it should have been by a country mile not a few points after relying on the bin dippers dropping points. As for the transfer policy having been to increase depth, if that’s the case, why have we got the smallest squad in 3 or 4 seasosn, and that was before FFP affected things.
We had plenty of depth after our Prem win under Bobby, from then on, we should have been improving the quality little by little. The comments re Tevez and de Jong are spot on, it was down to Tevez that we first qualified for the CL and he should have stayed.
In a rush to replace Pelle? No, it has to be the right man and, if that means waiting another season for Pep or whoever it may be, then Pelle will be fine, just don’t have too many expectations of progress beyond the league stage of the CL.
We should have? You have been affected by the hype, we have no divine right to win everything every season. Other clubs have invested heavily too if you failed to notice. By your logic United should be 40 points ahead of anyone already this season lol
Fact is there is nobody out there currently we could get to replace Pelle, only Simone or Guardiola are managers I’d want to take over. He has made Nasri into a £25m player again, improved Silva on top of what he was as well as improvements to Hart, Kolarov etc.
His signings havent done enough, YET, but Mangala has been solid when paired with Demi for a few games, it seems Kompany has sadly just had a poor season and I’d like to see him put into CDM for a few games just so he can get on the ball a bit and calm it all back down. Demi/Mangala is out best CB pairing at the moment and I really feel for Mango as the media have jumped on him when really he hasnt done much wrong since his first few games. Next season I think Kompany/Mangala will get the chance to absolutley boss like they did with Chelsea at home and the media will move onto the next big money youngster to criticise and try to destabalise.
Next season I want to see:
- Give Lopes/Pozo/Denayer/Rekik/Evans the chance to break into the team, let them play in the Carling cup and see how they do!
- YOUNG RB instead of Sagna
- The promotion of Angelino into LB sell one of Kolarov/Clichy
- A CDM like Allan (Udinese) or Kanté (Caen)
- Sale of any or all of Fernando/Fernandhino/Yaya going towards Pogba
- As well as a possible Sale of Jovetic/Dzeko to help fund the above
- Buy an well a out -and-out left winger who can take corners (£20-£25m) -number 1 priority!!
- Give Milner whatever he wants to stay
At a guess we would be OK with FFP with Pogba (£60m) Winger (£25m) CDM (£10-20m) Young RB (£5-15m) – [£120m] offset by the sales of Fernando (£10m) Fernandhino (£15m) Yaya (£25m) Jovetic/Dzeko (£20m) Kolarov/Clichy (£8-10m) Sagna (£2-5m?) [£85m]
Whatever happens a shake-up is needed to inject some youth and move on older players before they become free-agents or lose all value!
Fernandinho 15m, put the crack pipe down lad
Javi Garcia was sold for £13m… Fernandinho was one of our best players last season and has suffered along with the defense and being rotated this season. He would be the one of the three I’d most like us to keep to be honest, think he gives a hell of alot to the team
Unnecessary that Mike, not a bad estimation in my opinion
Mike, don’t pick what suits you out of my comment and ignore the rest, that’s just poor.
If you care to look properly what I said was, “Considering the amount of money spent and THE PLAYERS AT HIS DISPOSAL”, somewhat different than what you quoted.
We have probably a squad equal to, if not better than, anyone in the Prem, both quality and depth but, they’re not good enough for the Prem or CL if we play the wrong tactics which, we consistently have against the best teams. Only one person to blame for that.
As I’ve said, our transfer policy has been poor and needs to be sorted if we’re to progress in Europe.
Based on what I’ve read, Mike is right
Based on what I’ve read, Mike is right
This season so far has to tell our gods {SHEIKH MANSOUR} that if he wants our club to fight on all fronts and win them there has to be changes made.1st,mr pellergrini has to go,yes he was successful in his first season,but this season just hasn’t worked,for me he has lacked ideas when we needed to change the formation during a match, 442 does not work, silver,nasri,aguero,milner,dzeko, who ever is playing in that formation they don’t seem to be able to read each other and when you can see its not working you have to re organise,change the system,move the players around.far too often this season he hasn’t done that,sorry but time for change. 2nd,kompany, Vinnie cant play with mangala,he is getting dragged out of position left wright and centre,mangala spends most of the time playing near the half way line so Vinnie has to cover for him.he needs a solid centre half like him self along side him,ie hummels from Dortmund {he woulde come given there position}or Sergio ramos.we woulde all so have karim rekik back of loan,{hes had brilliant reviews since hes been at psv}.3rd,toure,can we realy afford to let him go,{im not talking money}we have seen how we play when hes not in the side,points on the board show that,or lack of them. paul pogba,great talent yes I woulde go and get him but for me toure knows what were about,we have to keep him that’s if he wants to stay.4th,milner,he wants a 3yr deal,i woulde give 4,hes 29 that woulde take him to 33,he deserves it,it woulde be a big mistake and loss if he left city.5th,clichy,kolarov,sagna,not good enough for this big famous club of ours. sheikh Mansour do the right thing and appoint the right man, PEP GUARDIOLA.