22 Feb 2018 17:52:49
For those that think we have a good sqiad.
Have you ever seen fellaini lukaku blind darmian smalling young shaw valencia rojo jones rashford or martial play any better so far in their carreers than they have played this season.
These guys are playing at their highest level. None have done any worse than what they have produced so far in their careers.
You have seen them play at the level they are playing at now ever since they signed for us from anything between 8 and 3 seasons Ago.

Are any of tbose players doing a whole lot worse than they have ever done. In fact in most cases this will be their best ever league csmpaign.
Jose doing a great job to keep them 2nd and in cups they are just not good enough to do any better.
Sure jones and smalling have an epl medal but were only bit part platers that year both started less than 20 games that season.

Bunch of average joes producing average resilts no matter who coaches them.
Lukaku rash and martial and maybe shaw deserve another seadon the rest should be sold.

1.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:03:51
Yer I have.
 fellaini lukaku blind darmian smalling young shaw valencia rojo jones rashford or martial have all played better.
Fellaini was better last year
Lukaku prob done better at Everton
Blind has gone backwards since his first season .
Smalling was better under lvg.
Young never let's u down always seems to be at a similar level
Rojo hasn't really played and is coming back from a ACL
Rasford has had a dip was better last year
Martial was better under lvg
Shaw was far better for Southampton.

Up until this season I hadn't seen sterling sane feridinho delph stones and otemndi play this well tho .
In fact I had never seen city play anywhere near as good.

2.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:14:22
Not far from the truth there, but you and all the other fed up fans must realise that it's not practical or sane to sell 3/ 4 of your first team squad in one season. Squads need to evolve. Even when City started sp@nkig all their money, it took them years to build a settled team that was capable of a sustained challenge for silverware. And getting the right blend of experience and youth is key - something we are only just STARTING to see his season in our squad.

3.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:26:32
Arnie. How many did city shed last summer. Think it was 12. 9 or 10 of tbose played 15 or more games the previous season so it can be done successfully in one go mate.

4.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:32:43
So jred all the players were playing better but getting a lot worse results. how can that be? comedy gold. 😂😂😂 i thik you just like arguing. But like our players you are consistently inconsistent. Southamton lol so your going back 5 years lol who was it you scolded for that a couple of threads down? Yet your comparing to 10 years on the thread below that. Go and have a lie down think you have lost the plot a bit today.

5.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:45:09
Fair point Ken, part of me can understand your argument especially after the disappointment of the last few results and poor, disjointed performances, however I don't think it's quite as bad as you fear.

Surely a team featuring De Gea, Bailly, Pogba, Matic and Sanchez should be able to play some decent stuff though pal. In that list we have the best goal keeper in the world, I haven't seen many CB's better than Bailly, Pogba was considered one of the best midfielders in the world when we signed him and Sanchez has consistently been one of the best attackers in the EPL for a good few years. There aren't many better holding midfielders than Matic. He's been an important player in two title winning teams at Chelsea under two different managers. Even Lukaku has been consistently one of the best goal scorers in the league for some time now.

In addition to that we have Martial, Rashford, Mata, Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Herrera even Lingard. I personally also rate Blind and think he's a very good footballer. We have a pretty decent squad. Not every player can be a superstar and surely it's about getting the right balance and getting the most out of some very good players we undoubtedly have.

In my humble opinion he needs to re assess the formation and play a system that gets the most out of Pogba, Sanchez, Lukaku and Martial. The only ways I can see this happening is to play 3 at the back in which we still get some natural width from the wing backs or playing a thee man midfield with Sanchez at 10, Martial and Lukaku up front in a 4-3-1-2. Let's be honest our so called wide players be it Sanchez, Martial, Rashford, Mata and Lingard all like to play inside anyway.

We we're terrible at Spurs but Liverpool, Arsenal, Dortmund and even Madrid have been well beaten there this year. The Newcastle game was a big disappointment but on another day we created enough chances to win that game comfortably. Ok last night was poor but Sevilla are formidable at home and I remember lots of similar European away performances under Fergi.

I agree with Slate we might have to wait until the end of the season to really evaluate where we're at.

It was a similar story last season as well. If we didn't win against Ajax then it wasn't good enough. We did and it ended up being a relatively successful first season considering Pep won nothing.

It's fine margins at the moment and if we end up with nothing then the arduous performances become hard to bare. A top 4 finish, FA Cup win and decent run in the Champions League and Jose can rightly point to progression and more success. Only time will tell.

6.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:49:46
Ken
You asked a question I answerd it .
Don't forget that the players you mentioned above are not all our players and some of them like lukaku where not even at the club last season?
He might have something to do with us doing better than last season as well as some of the other players you have failed to mention .

You asked when Shaw had played better he played better at Southampton. That not comparing.

Again my post about 10 year ago was about Ronaldo and co when we won the CL nothing to do with this squad.
You do know what compare means? Clutching at straws pal.

7.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 18:53:51
Danny i hear you i'd prefer 3 at the back based on the squad. For starters we don't have any good full backs to play 4.
It would not surprise me to win something but for me its all about the league campaign.
Would you be shocked if brighton and seville beat us? I wouldn't.
We you be shocked if we beat them? I wouldn't. That's the essence of a cup team. That's what we are and have been for 5 years.
Jose knows how to win. He will do it by any means.
He can win with excitment too. Chelsea and madrid in particular were very good to watch a lot of the time. But they had better players than us we are more like his inter team. Some high quality surrounded by averageness or even belie average.

8.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 19:09:16
Which ones are not our players?

9.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 19:23:59
They are not all our players we also have as Danny pointed out pogba matic Sanchez and co .
Just question after question.

10.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 20:02:44
Ken, I disagree I think we have a better squad now than when Jose took over. I also think we have the basis of a very good squad.

For me the issue is simple, Mourinho's tactics/ style is good at elevating poor/ average performers to a good level as seen with players like Young, Smalling, Lingard ect while stifling the best performers such as Martial, Mata, Pogba, Lukaku and Sanchez.

Some people have said that Matic has got worst over the season because he has tired. Yet he never tired last season under Conte. Although now I mention it he did the previous season at Chelsea under Mourinho.
It begs the question does Matic's performances under Jose happen because he doesn't rest him or does Jose's coaching style wear down his ability to perform?

I think we have some wonderful offensive players, but it is so often said forwards are confidence players, I think Jose's style has sucked the confidence out of them.

Your not telling me if given the platform to perform that players such as Pogba, Mata, Martial, Rashford, Lukaku and Sanchez couldn't play better than they currently are?

11.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 20:05:35
Didn’t José win the treble with Inter?!

12.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 20:23:10
Danny i agree with you i think we have some very good players and with the exception of ddg all of them could be playing better. But we have 7 or 8 players that imo will never do any better. This is their level and we have too many of tbose in our squad.
I don't want nor have i ever suggested that we need a team of superstars. The blend is not right.
Id be happy to promote tuanzebe perriera tfm to pad out the squad in place of fellaini darmian rojo. Then repplace carrick blind and smalling and young with a rb lb cb and cm. Being greedy a rw if periera stays in spain . So 7 players or just over quarter of the squad.

13.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 20:49:47
Fellaini rojo blind darmian not really played this year . hard to blame them
Not sure tuanzebe perriera tfm would get much action either to be honest .

Jose very vocal he would like fellaini for next season .

14.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 22:08:43
Im not blaming them for anything. i'm just saying they should be sold they don't contribute very much at all and i don't see them doing so In the future. They are tying up big wages and fresh blood is needed. They are all doing their best and always have done.

15.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 22:40:57
When did blind even play last?
What's he got to do with last night.
Good squad this most can see it.

16.) 22 Feb 2018
22 Feb 2018 23:44:36
I havnt even mentioned last night. I think we got a good result last night. I didn't enjoy the way we went about it i got a little less than i elected in terms of intent. But that's jose in europe away or big 6 away most of the time.

17.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 00:33:38
I agree with your list Ken except for Rojo. Left footed centreback, before this latest injury set back he was playing well. I also think he is a good shout for left CB in a three if we go with that formation change.

I think this squad is desperate for a Toni Kroos type midfielder and a right winger who can make something happen. I still think Alexis is that guy and let Martial and Rashford duke it out for the left Wing/ Lukaku cover roles.

Our fullbacks are also a weakness. TFM or Tuanzebe for rb, need a leftback to compete with Shaw.

18.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 06:26:41
Ken just because you have one example of it working doesn't mean it's a good recipe for team building.