The team today

[Blueboylewis]

Shay

Richards...Kolo...Lescott...Bridge

.........De Jong...Barry

... SWP...Tevez ...Robinho

.............Ade

Subs-
Taylor
Petrov
Johnson
Santa Cruz
Zabaleta
Kompany
Nedum

I reckon todays team had the right balance, Agression and everything else. Today the team just gelled and came together as a unit! Everyone was pressing for the ball and doing there best for the team. Even Robinho was tracking back.

I think that this could be the right kind of formation for our team from now on! This formation worked perfectly today. We had De jong and barry as the two holding midfielders and they just held up the play and looked to get it out of their feet as quickly as possible and look for the pass. The two flankers SWP and Robinho did there best to run at the defenders and try to cut inside and both were successful in doing so quite a few times! Tevez played behind Ade and did a fantastic job in supporting him. Tevez will always do his best for us and he did today. A fantastic player and he is starting to show it!
Now the defense were brilliant again today too. They worked as a unit and made no stupid decisions and probebly the only bad marking was on the corner that led to the goal.(Should have never been a corner anyway) Kolo and lescott have great vision and awareness and they are really starting to show that and bridge and Richards also put in a good shift. Bridge is not going forward as much now and so that means that the left side is not getting exposed as much as it use too!

By keeping with the same formation but not necessarily the same players all the time then the team can adapt to the formation and eventually use the formation as an extra man in some way. We all want Bellers and ireland in the team yes and they can come into the team when some players are not performing. Bellers will probebly come straight into the team anyway and Ireland might soon follow. The bench might need a bit of strengthening. For example weiss will come in and so on...

But Overall what a great performance by the boys and we are all delighted. Onwards and upwards from now on!

Any comments?

[Wonderwall]

it has proved perfect for this game, however, I would not like to see this every time. Robbie was stifled and SWP was looking to be more offensive then defensive to ensure the threat of ashley cole was minimised.

I think we got it spot on today, and Shay paid tribute to the gaffer saying that he called the lampard penalty via the research. We need to take it 1 game at a time and prepare for each one on its own merits.

no 1 system for me, at least 2 or 3 systems that we can use effectively and change to in a live game game to give us a different option.

[BlueMoonAwoken]

i agree but not sure about bellamy coming in straight away. but then again robbie seems to come unstuck against physical sides , but every team in the league is physical. But the diffrence with bellamy and robbie is robbie will take 2 players to close him down. They dont show the same respect to bellamy. I think the key is switching these 2 in diffrent games whether robbie will be happy with that im not sure. But its about the team not about robbie wanting to become the worlds best player.

[Im_Spartacus]

Shay

Richards...Kolo...Lescott...Bridge

.........De Jong...Barry

... SWP...Tevez ...Robinho

.............Ade

Subs-
Taylor
Petrov
Johnson
Santa Cruz
Zabaleta
Kompany
Nedum

I reckon todays team had the right balance, Agression and everything else. Today the team just gelled and came together as a unit! Everyone was pressing for the ball and doing there best for the team. Even Robinho was tracking back.

I think that this could be the right kind of formation for our team from now on! This formation worked perfectly today. We had De jong and barry as the two holding midfielders and they just held up the play and looked to get it out of their feet as quickly as possible and look for the pass. The two flankers SWP and Robinho did there best to run at the defenders and try to cut inside and both were successful in doing so quite a few times! Tevez played behind Ade and did a fantastic job in supporting him. Tevez will always do his best for us and he did today. A fantastic player and he is starting to show it!
Now the defense were brilliant again today too. They worked as a unit and made no stupid decisions and probebly the only bad marking was on the corner that led to the goal.(Should have never been a corner anyway) Kolo and lescott have great vision and awareness and they are really starting to show that and bridge and Richards also put in a good shift. Bridge is not going forward as much now and so that means that the left side is not getting exposed as much as it use too!

By keeping with the same formation but not necessarily the same players all the time then the team can adapt to the formation and eventually use the formation as an extra man in some way. We all want Bellers and ireland in the team yes and they can come into the team when some players are not performing. Bellers will probebly come straight into the team anyway and Ireland might soon follow. The bench might need a bit of strengthening. For example weiss will come in and so on...

But Overall what a great performance by the boys and we are all delighted. Onwards and upwards from now on!

Any comments?

yes, the shape was spot on for todays game, but barry still managed to be dreadful

[Wonderwall]

Shay

Richards...Kolo...Lescott...Bridge

.........De Jong...Barry

... SWP...Tevez ...Robinho

.............Ade

Subs-
Taylor
Petrov
Johnson
Santa Cruz
Zabaleta
Kompany
Nedum

I reckon todays team had the right balance, Agression and everything else. Today the team just gelled and came together as a unit! Everyone was pressing for the ball and doing there best for the team. Even Robinho was tracking back.

I think that this could be the right kind of formation for our team from now on! This formation worked perfectly today. We had De jong and barry as the two holding midfielders and they just held up the play and looked to get it out of their feet as quickly as possible and look for the pass. The two flankers SWP and Robinho did there best to run at the defenders and try to cut inside and both were successful in doing so quite a few times! Tevez played behind Ade and did a fantastic job in supporting him. Tevez will always do his best for us and he did today. A fantastic player and he is starting to show it!
Now the defense were brilliant again today too. They worked as a unit and made no stupid decisions and probebly the only bad marking was on the corner that led to the goal.(Should have never been a corner anyway) Kolo and lescott have great vision and awareness and they are really starting to show that and bridge and Richards also put in a good shift. Bridge is not going forward as much now and so that means that the left side is not getting exposed as much as it use too!

By keeping with the same formation but not necessarily the same players all the time then the team can adapt to the formation and eventually use the formation as an extra man in some way. We all want Bellers and ireland in the team yes and they can come into the team when some players are not performing. Bellers will probebly come straight into the team anyway and Ireland might soon follow. The bench might need a bit of strengthening. For example weiss will come in and so on...

But Overall what a great performance by the boys and we are all delighted. Onwards and upwards from now on!

Any comments?

yes, the shape was spot on for todays game, but barry still managed to be dreadful

omg i am off to bed, barry was awesome

[Blueboylewis]

Shay

Richards...Kolo...Lescott...Bridge

.........De Jong...Barry

... SWP...Tevez ...Robinho

.............Ade

Subs-
Taylor
Petrov
Johnson
Santa Cruz
Zabaleta
Kompany
Nedum

I reckon todays team had the right balance, Agression and everything else. Today the team just gelled and came together as a unit! Everyone was pressing for the ball and doing there best for the team. Even Robinho was tracking back.

I think that this could be the right kind of formation for our team from now on! This formation worked perfectly today. We had De jong and barry as the two holding midfielders and they just held up the play and looked to get it out of their feet as quickly as possible and look for the pass. The two flankers SWP and Robinho did there best to run at the defenders and try to cut inside and both were successful in doing so quite a few times! Tevez played behind Ade and did a fantastic job in supporting him. Tevez will always do his best for us and he did today. A fantastic player and he is starting to show it!
Now the defense were brilliant again today too. They worked as a unit and made no stupid decisions and probebly the only bad marking was on the corner that led to the goal.(Should have never been a corner anyway) Kolo and lescott have great vision and awareness and they are really starting to show that and bridge and Richards also put in a good shift. Bridge is not going forward as much now and so that means that the left side is not getting exposed as much as it use too!

By keeping with the same formation but not necessarily the same players all the time then the team can adapt to the formation and eventually use the formation as an extra man in some way. We all want Bellers and ireland in the team yes and they can come into the team when some players are not performing. Bellers will probebly come straight into the team anyway and Ireland might soon follow. The bench might need a bit of strengthening. For example weiss will come in and so on...

But Overall what a great performance by the boys and we are all delighted. Onwards and upwards from now on!

Any comments?

yes, the shape was spot on for todays game, but barry still managed to be dreadful

Was you meant to say great then mate :)

He was great to watch today! Yes it took him a few minutes to get into the game but his job was to hold up play and pass the ball and support our attacks and that is what he did.

He looked great on tv to me. A joy to watch. Just like all of the players today.

[MARKMAKAVELI]

WW, what did you mean by research? Did Hughes study previous penalties and noticed a pattern?

[Im_Spartacus]

Shay

Richards...Kolo...Lescott...Bridge

.........De Jong...Barry

... SWP...Tevez ...Robinho

.............Ade

Subs-
Taylor
Petrov
Johnson
Santa Cruz
Zabaleta
Kompany
Nedum

I reckon todays team had the right balance, Agression and everything else. Today the team just gelled and came together as a unit! Everyone was pressing for the ball and doing there best for the team. Even Robinho was tracking back.

I think that this could be the right kind of formation for our team from now on! This formation worked perfectly today. We had De jong and barry as the two holding midfielders and they just held up the play and looked to get it out of their feet as quickly as possible and look for the pass. The two flankers SWP and Robinho did there best to run at the defenders and try to cut inside and both were successful in doing so quite a few times! Tevez played behind Ade and did a fantastic job in supporting him. Tevez will always do his best for us and he did today. A fantastic player and he is starting to show it!
Now the defense were brilliant again today too. They worked as a unit and made no stupid decisions and probebly the only bad marking was on the corner that led to the goal.(Should have never been a corner anyway) Kolo and lescott have great vision and awareness and they are really starting to show that and bridge and Richards also put in a good shift. Bridge is not going forward as much now and so that means that the left side is not getting exposed as much as it use too!

By keeping with the same formation but not necessarily the same players all the time then the team can adapt to the formation and eventually use the formation as an extra man in some way. We all want Bellers and ireland in the team yes and they can come into the team when some players are not performing. Bellers will probebly come straight into the team anyway and Ireland might soon follow. The bench might need a bit of strengthening. For example weiss will come in and so on...

But Overall what a great performance by the boys and we are all delighted. Onwards and upwards from now on!

Any comments?

yes, the shape was spot on for todays game, but barry still managed to be dreadful

omg i am off to bed, barry was awesome

You genuinely have to be having a laugh yeah? Awesome at what? I'm not getting on his back because I still believe Barry to be one of our best players, but he has yet to show it - and as I said during the game, I think De Jong is filling the role that Barry naturally would, so he ends up being a bit of a spare part.

Had Micah Richards / Bridge been done like that for the cross which lead to their goal he would have been hung drawn and quartered on here.

[Redna]

After last weeks missmarazing I called for Hughes to consider leaving, now I'm not so sure.
I think he composed to team in a very professional mode. Eventhough Robbie had a day off , still annoyed the Darn Sarfers.
Well done to all at our beloved club. Supporters arise. I heard a splendid support( on telly).
As I read in some other thread January looks the month to come over, would love it.
CTID!!!!

[Green & Blue]

I was very impressed with hughes team selection today.he set up the side to attack but had the excellent de jong and barry holding the midfield to great effect.de jong was again fantastic he is the type of defensive midfield player we have been crying out for for years.i dont think he is being given the credit he deserves for the performances he has been putting in for us.lesscotts settling in period seems to be over after another rock solid performance today.he has been great the last few games.overall the team was fantastic today although i still feel we look like we are their to be taken when bridge breaks forward and ya loose possesion.special mention to tevez what a player he gives it his all and i really feel he deserved his goals this week.he does not half enjoy scoring for city either.delighted to see the team starting show their potential at last.some of the draws have been frustrating but i think myself and many other fans have been reluctant to accept medioracy but a team

[Beefymcfc]

it has proved perfect for this game, however, I would not like to see this every time. Robbie was stifled and SWP was looking to be more offensive then defensive to ensure the threat of ashley cole was minimised.

I think we got it spot on today, and Shay paid tribute to the gaffer saying that he called the lampard penalty via the research. We need to take it 1 game at a time and prepare for each one on its own merits.

no 1 system for me, at least 2 or 3 systems that we can use effectively and change to in a live game game to give us a different option.

A perfect example of someone with their finger on the pulse. Every game is different and that's why we shouldn't just sit with the 'Perfect' eleven!

[Colin the King]

I was really hoping we'd see a tight, disciplined 4-2-3-1 formation today and Hughes delivered. de Jong and Barry nullified their attacking threat outstandingly well, the back four were excellent and as a result of that solidity our attackers were free to carve out opportunities and always looked dangerous. We had the lion's share of possession against one of the best teams in the world- regardless of the fact we were the home side that's a great stat. We frustrated them and made a lot of their usually excellent players look distinctly average.

For Bolton I'd stick with that formation and team, with Bellamy coming in for Robinho if he's fit. If we play with that level of commitment and passion next week, we'll absolutely murder them.

[Nick]

I was really hoping we'd see a tight, disciplined 4-2-3-1 formation today and Hughes delivered. de Jong and Barry nullified their attacking threat outstandingly well, the back four were excellent and as a result of that solidity our attackers were free to carve out opportunities and always looked dangerous. We had the lion's share of possession against one of the best teams in the world- regardless of the fact we were the home side that's a great stat. We frustrated them and made a lot of their usually excellent players look distinctly average.

For Bolton I'd stick with that formation and team, with Bellamy coming in for Robinho if he's fit. If we play with that level of commitment and passion next week, we'll absolutely murder them.

you just know we bloody wont though ;-)

To quote a rag: ''City remind of Liverpool last season. Always up for the big games, but cant be arsed against the shitty teams''

[Goaters 103]

I was really hoping we'd see a tight, disciplined 4-2-3-1 formation today and Hughes delivered. de Jong and Barry nullified their attacking threat outstandingly well, the back four were excellent and as a result of that solidity our attackers were free to carve out opportunities and always looked dangerous. We had the lion's share of possession against one of the best teams in the world- regardless of the fact we were the home side that's a great stat. We frustrated them and made a lot of their usually excellent players look distinctly average.

For Bolton I'd stick with that formation and team, with Bellamy coming in for Robinho if he's fit. If we play with that level of commitment and passion next week, we'll absolutely murder them.

That in a nutshell is the eternal City conundrum CTK. If they do apply themselves against the shite of the division then we will do fine, but Bolton away next week presents a different type of test for them.

The formation and application was spot on today, with De Jong and Tevez particularly shoing up for their sheer commitment to the fight.

[CityFanFromRome]

To quote a rag: ''City remind of Liverpool last season. Always up for the big games, but cant be arsed against the shitty teams''

That's what we have to work on, a team aiming for the title can't lose points with the shitty teams and even if we are not aiming for the title just yet, we might be in the mix next season if we keep progressing and so from now on we should work on developing that "killer instinct" that really big teams have and not lose too many points in "easy" games.

[Wonderwall]

WW, what did you mean by research? Did Hughes study previous penalties and noticed a pattern?

thats exactly how it seemed from the comment made by shay.

[MARKMAKAVELI]

Ahh that's pretty awesome. Sounds like Hughes had all bases covered, good stuff!

[Spurge]

I agree about different formations, tactics, players for different games, but equally not straying too far from the type of football you want to play.

Teams like Chelsea and Arsenal will always come to eastlands and play open football which will suit us more often than not, allowing the quality we have going forwards to find it easier to exploit the space in which to play.

Teams like Hull will set out their stall from the off, get players behind the ball and maintain a defesnsive shape for the majority of the 90 mins looking to pinch something on the break. City will have less space in which to work, and this seems to cause us more problems at the moment in maintaining a quick tempo and being able to unlock the door.

We have a talented squad which should be big enough to cope with these situations from a tactical perspective, perhaps complacency has been the biggest issue.

Its about finding balance between knowing how you want to play your own style of footaball and sticking to it wherever possible but also understanding when is the right time to adjust accordingly.

So yes to different formations for different occasions but never stray too far from the style of football you want to play.

[CityFanFromRome]

I think a way to cope with teams coming to Eastlands and parking the bus is to try and be more patient with our passing game. We have the quality to keep possession of the ball, moving it from left to right, back and forth, inviting them out of their box to chase the ball and then exploit the gap that will eventually open in their defence. Being patient when in possess of the ball is, I think, the only way apart from scoring from a set piece to break down these sides.