POLL: Tactics - namely the attacking type

[john68]

For the record, I voted yes. I think that mancini is a clever coach who knows what he is doing, where he is going and how he wants to get there...(positive enough for you Beefy mate?).
I think he viewed the squad he inherited as being too small, not tactically streetwise and some players not good enough for his ambition.
phase 1 was to shore up a dodgy defence by teaching them how he wanted them to line up and increasing their awareness. He has brought in 2 full backs who he thinks can play the way he wants. Bridge on the way out? Richards, I think he sees as an athletic unit who he can improve, so he has kept him in his plans...(maybe as work in progress. Defensively. our record this season has been excellent with only a couple of lapses.
In midfield, he has brought in knowledge and experience with Yaya and Vieira. Both maybe past their best but both have vast knowledge and experience to pass on. I think he will use both until he thinks they have served their purpose.
In Silva, he has added creativity, again a very clever player, who when he fully gets up to speed, will lead our team around the field and call the tactical shots.
I don't think it was ever his plan to stick with 1 up front but I think he has done so because of what he percieves as a lack of choice. I'm sure he doesn't fancy Ade, RSC or Jo and we are aware that Ballotelli is one for the future. Mancini has consistantly been attached to stories about another top striker to partner Tevez and Torres, Rooney and Dzeko have all been targetted.

You can sort of start making sense of things when you view what he has done and consider where it seems he's going and if I am only partly right, it can be seen that having sorted out the defence, given the availability of a top striker, move his thoughts to a more balanced squad, leading to a more attacking option in the future.

If we add to this that whilst developing all this, he cannot afford too many mistakes as he is charged with getting us CL qualification this season or he's sacked. As frustrated as I feel tonight, I think we will see gradual changes for the better.

[petrov]

Mancini is a shithouse.
We will never be entertaining under him. Frightened of his own shadow.
His "tactics" ensured the best we could hope for was 0-0 tonight.
Bobby you have to score to win you negative fuck.
We even look Italian.
Bobby Out Now!

Best we could hope for was 0-0? If Zabs buried the chance that fell to him we'd have won so thats just wrong mate. As for wanting to sack the manager that has us clear in 4th and after getting a draw against United well... sometimes I wonder, I really do.

Back on topice, Personally I think we won't change much from what we are now. This is us for better or worse with one or two tweaks. We are on course for our highest ever premier league position, we are on course for the next round of the UEFA. Our only home defeat came with 10 men for 86 minutes against Arsenal, whose style would kill anyone with 10 men, not just us.

Negative football? yes it is. Do I care as long as we get silverware? No, no I don't. Ask AC Milan, or Juve if they want to give back all the trophies they won with negative football just so they could play like Brazil 1970 and they'll probably laugh.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

we will win fuck all with those tactics.
we set up for a nil nil with a hope we might get lucky and score.
The filth were rubbish but at least looked like they wanted to win.
We didn't and it's pathetic

[DoomMerchant]

to be fair to Boateng he looked impressive bombing down the flank for Germany this summer.

Then again Kevin Prince Boateng looked like a world-class midfielder i guess.

Related, what's in the water at Casa Boateng?

WRT Mancini -- i think this is what we'll get. Precision above all else, and you have to bury your chances. It's portrayed as a bit of a chess match but today seemed more realistically like Tic Tac Toe. CAT.

cheers

[kinkylola]

this board has gone downhill at an alarming rate.

seems most people have become totally stuck up and arrogant.

Didn't everyone used to make fun of chelsea fans for hating mourinho while he gave them championships. There is something fundamentally wrong with the thought process of many of the posters here. It's petulant and disgusting.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

But we aren't going to win Championships playing like that.

[kinkylola]

playing to a nil nil draw with united?

with mancini and the players we have, we are in the best position we have ever been in for winning titles. And to be perfectly honest, I think it's the players who have let down mancini more than mancini (and his tactics) have let down the players. They are adapting to a new system however, and I think some of them may not be a good fit for what mancini wants to do.

anyone saying "mancini out!" right now, is a real reactionary. That would be the absolute worst thing possible for our club. Before you forget, we haven't won anything in a long time, and we have no divine right to beat anyone or win anything. This feeling of entitlement that is growing around here needs to be stamped out quick because it is ugly and totally counter-productive to everything we want to achieve. It's getting to the point of ridiculousness here too. Someone earlier in the thread says they'd rather lose 2-3 but play attacking? I'm sorry but what a fucking load of shit. That is such a shit attitude that it almost defies belief.

Everyone needs to get a grip... we just drew 0-0 with United. You may not be happy with 'just' a point (i'm not happy with a draw ever, no matter who it's against) but the reactions here truly are staggering.

Looking at our run to the new year, every one of those games is winnable, and I am confident that we will be in an excellent position come our jan 5th tie with arsenal. In the mean time, we all need to stop acting like spoiled children

[brite blu sky]

this board has gone downhill at an alarming rate.

seems most people have become totally stuck up and arrogant.

Didn't everyone used to make fun of chelsea fans for hating mourinho while he gave them championships. There is something fundamentally wrong with the thought process of many of the posters here. It's petulant and disgusting.

Reactions to games is always ott it seems. I do think that a lot of people perhaps get lost in the one off game rather than see the longer term.. the aftermath of a loss, win or draw takes over and wild generalisations come thick and fast.. tbh it is pretty normal and expected. It is the lack of perspective carried through after everything has calmed down that worries me.. sometimes it seems that almost everyone has forgotten that we are building a Title winning and CL squad and so far we are only about 12 weeks into that since the summer changes.

[john68]

But we aren't going to win Championships playing like that.

But winning the league isn't his instructions this year...qualifying for the CL is...and at present we look like doing that.
Next season with a better strikeforce...now that is a different ball game.

[simon12]

Going off how we looked against WBA as that was more or less his side I voted yes. However I`ve requested 11 players finish the game.

[Ted Hughes]

this board has gone downhill at an alarming rate.

seems most people have become totally stuck up and arrogant.

Didn't everyone used to make fun of chelsea fans for hating mourinho while he gave them championships. There is something fundamentally wrong with the thought process of many of the posters here. It's petulant and disgusting.

Reactions to games is always ott it seems. I do think that a lot of people perhaps get lost in the one off game rather than see the longer term.. the aftermath of a loss, win or draw takes over and wild generalisations come thick and fast.. tbh it is pretty normal and expected. It is the lack of perspective carried through after everything has calmed down that worries me.. sometimes it seems that almost everyone has forgotten that we are building a Title winning and CL squad and so far we are only about 12 weeks into that since the summer changes.

That's where it's misleading though. The title building started with Hughes & the takeover. The idea was that Mancini is speeding that up not starting again. We are more than 2 years in, not 12 weeks. We have to get better in all aspects, including attacking, not better in some & worse in others. Mancini has to get that side of things right sooner or later or he won't stay in the job. For £300M you don't just want a winning team, you want one that wins with style especially if you bought the club partially to promote your country as a tourist destination. What slogan would you have "Play it safe & visit Abu Dhabi ?" . Imagine if it was your money, you'd expect entertainment not just points. That's Mancini's task, whether he knows it or not. He can get away with it for the time being but that time is limited. You don't pay out for a custom built Ferrari & then put diesel in it.

[getdressedmctavish]

To my mind it boils down to this. To score you need to go round the outside of defences, get crosses in and options in the box. But when you do that you are vulnerable if you lose the ball.So you need to make a decision. And mostly Mancini makes the decision to sacrifice penetration so we wont be caught on the counter. However for that to produce a win you need a striker to make something out of nothing or for the oppos to get forwards and get caught on the break. Last night Tevez wasn't fit and Silva was out of touch so we were unlikely to conjure something out of nothing. And the rags took no risks so we never caught them on the break.Its pragmatism designed to get us top four. But it can come unstuck because away from hometeams get lucky. And positively managed teams like Blackpool are more fun to watch.Its ever been so since Mancini came and I can't see it changing. I just think he'll eventually get the striker who conjures the win out of nothing. Interesting to see Mourinio at Real now producing flowing football. But he has inherited better attacking options.

[circumspect]

this board has gone downhill at an alarming rate.

seems most people have become totally stuck up and arrogant.

Didn't everyone used to make fun of chelsea fans for hating mourinho while he gave them championships. There is something fundamentally wrong with the thought process of many of the posters here. It's petulant and disgusting.

Not just here.
I've come across many Blues on other Foums and in my workplace who have gotten very carried away and not only want to win now but want to do it with cavalier football.
Ain't gonna happen against all teams.
Horses for courses.

[brite blu sky]

this board has gone downhill at an alarming rate.

seems most people have become totally stuck up and arrogant.

Didn't everyone used to make fun of chelsea fans for hating mourinho while he gave them championships. There is something fundamentally wrong with the thought process of many of the posters here. It's petulant and disgusting.

Reactions to games is always ott it seems. I do think that a lot of people perhaps get lost in the one off game rather than see the longer term.. the aftermath of a loss, win or draw takes over and wild generalisations come thick and fast.. tbh it is pretty normal and expected. It is the lack of perspective carried through after everything has calmed down that worries me.. sometimes it seems that almost everyone has forgotten that we are building a Title winning and CL squad and so far we are only about 12 weeks into that since the summer changes.

That's where it's misleading though. The title building started with Hughes & the takeover. The idea was that Mancini is speeding that up not starting again. We are more than 2 years in, not 12 weeks. We have to get better in all aspects, including attacking, not better in some & worse in others. Mancini has to get that side of things right sooner or later or he won't stay in the job. For £300M you don't just want a winning team, you want one that wins with style especially if you bought the club partially to promote your country as a tourist destination. What slogan would you have "Play it safe & visit Abu Dhabi ?" . Imagine if it was your money, you'd expect entertainment not just points. That's Mancini's task, whether he knows it or not. He can get away with it for the time being but that time is limited. You don't pay out for a custom built Ferrari & then put diesel in it.

Well i dont agree with that assessment. I dont think the team under Hughes was assembled with the Title in mind, at least initially and then sacking him mid season put any concept of that on hold. People can have their own views on that, but i have been arguing all through the second half of last season that we cannot judge Mancini on what he inherited and what the situation was, ie. to solidify the team and get results.
I am only judging Mancini on what he is doing from the start of this season and i am taking things into consideration like the initial injuries and Adebayor being off the boil, if we and Bob had known Ade was not going to have his head in the right place i think we and Mancini would have been pushing for a further striker.
Given the circumstances i think a lot of people are expecting too much too soon and no ups and downs. I have already said that if he is playing cautious and boring football all the time next season then i will be disappointed, until then i will just be patient and let him try and build what he wants while maintaining getting results.

[Beefymcfc]

The thing for me regarding the tactics is that Mancio has come in and dictated his way of thinking onto the minds of some very good footballers, forcing them to play in a manner that is totally alien to them. Now, I do believe that this is the right way to go about things when you have been in the hole for a while and you have the majority of players who trust and buy into your scheme, but to go and try to change things without taking the parts into consideration seems a bit....what's the word...arrogant(?). What would we do in our own workplaces, especially if we had our own thoughts on how it should be done.

When he took over from Hughes, and especially after the 1st few games, I was expecting a steady evolution of football on the pitch, using the players individual talents to enhance our game-play and bring us on as a team, changing the tactics and formations gradually as players grew into the roles and formations. Sadly, this hasn't happened in my eyes and I just hope the players can produce enough of themselves to keep taking those vital points because it is critical that the likes of Carlos keep producing something out of nothing to keep our points tally going forward.

[brite blu sky]

The thing for me regarding the tactics is that Mancio has come in and dictated his way of thinking onto the minds of some very good footballers, forcing them to play in a manner that is totally alien to them. Now, I do believe that this is the right way to go about things when you have been in the hole for a while and you have the majority of players who trust and buy into your scheme, but to go and try to change things without taking the parts into consideration seems a bit....what's the word...arrogant(?). What would we do in our own workplaces, especially if we had our own thoughts on how it should be done.

When he took over from Hughes, and especially after the 1st few games, I was expecting a steady evolution of football on the pitch, using the players individual talents to enhance our game-play and bring us on as a team, changing the tactics and formations gradually as players grew into the roles and formations. Sadly, this hasn't happened in my eyes and I just hope the players can produce enough of themselves to keep taking those vital points because it is critical that the likes of Carlos keep producing something out of nothing to keep our points tally going forward.

imo the developing the existing talent and traits of the players would result in a Spurs. ie. never win the Prem and probably hardly ever get into 4th.
i take your point about the workplace but football is a bit different to the average workplace. With lots of young people organised by inspiring done it all older guys. It has to be arrogant if you like. But actually i think Mancini does look to bring players on but perhaps is very adamant and clear about what is required on the players side.
The wider point is that Mancini is trying to build a Title winning squad and will have notions and clear ideas of what is required for that in each position and player. I would say that Kolo, Kompany, Richards, deJong have all improved under him so far. Take AJ for example.. while everyone is wowwing about him skinning players and banging in the odd goal, Mancini knows that it far off what is required of a player in his position in the long term and if AJ doesn't develop his all round game and decision making he will not keep up and we will let him go, it is as simple as that. So being demanding and tough on AJ when he thinks he has made it is good management to make him realise that is only a base level and the work starts now. Adebayor is another who will disappear unless he can be more effective for the team. There is no compromise here as the goal is to produce a team that is second to none and the players and the way they play for each other in modern football is the key. ( the bar being set by Barca, Spain blah blah.. )

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

For me there's not as much wrong about the actual football. Maybe I can see what Mancini is trying to do? It's more about wrong sort of/lack of talent in couple of key positions. I'm getting tired of repeating this but we lack positive player in central midfield. Also we need top notch goal scorer to take the load of Tevez. Of course Mancini is to blame for that he didn't go and get improvement on those areas. But if we get better players in those areas I feel this brand of football will be good to watch. At least for me.

Then again, I can value sensible approach as well and don't expect us to win every game 7-3. That's simply not something I myself am looking for.