Premiership 2015/2016

[sussexpob]

I think Man City have some tactical calls to make about their team, as at the moment their midfield isnt doing enough through games to either stop teams playing, or create chances themselves. Apart from the Navas run into the box where he missed a pass, and a brilliant goal form Yaya, and De Bruyne firing wide across the goal, I cant really remember chances that City created that they could have realistically scored from, despite the stats saying they had 25 odd shots.

I watched the Man City v Palace game earlier in the season, and was left thinking that De Bruyne was placed in an isolated position to the point that he drifted back so far, when he got the ball it was never in dangerous areas. This is now becoming a consistent problem for me. They have to get De Bruyne in areas of the pitch that he can affect the game, especially in games like yesterday where the likelihood is the opposition arent going to charge at you and give you space to exploit.

Silva looks poor so far since coming back from injury. Id personally play De Bruyne in the advanced role in the centre and drop Silva, I think Man City havent won a game since Silva has played after injury. Been very vacant.

Man City are weak in the centre of the park too. Fernando and Fernandinho is a very poor combination to throw in, but then take one away and add in Yaya Toure, and you are going to get moments of genius around lots of nothingness. Toure doesnt seem to have the consistent energy to make those driving runs from the centre of the park all game now. Is Delph a Man City player?

City need a versatile CM to slot in alongside a DM in the centre of the park for me. They need to play the ball up the field quicker and get teams on the back foot more. The ponderous stuff we seen against Arsenal is not going to break down teams.

[budgetmeansbudget]

I know the price tag and stats say De Bruyne is a good player.

It's just whenever I've watched him play for Chelsea and Man C I haven't rated him at all. Keeps losing the ball, often misplaces passes (and i dont mean just giving the ball away) and doesn't look like scoring.

I must be missing all his good games!

[dan08]

I know the price tag and stats say De Bruyne is a good player.

It's just whenever I've watched him play for Chelsea and Man C I haven't rated him at all. Keeps losing the ball, often misplaces passes (and i dont mean just giving the ball away) and doesn't look like scoring.

I must be missing all his good games!

He hasn't done it in the big games yet. Done well against the smaller teams. Probably too early to say if he's just a small team bully.

[sussexpob]

I know the price tag and stats say De Bruyne is a good player.

It's just whenever I've watched him play for Chelsea and Man C I haven't rated him at all. Keeps losing the ball, often misplaces passes (and i dont mean just giving the ball away) and doesn't look like scoring.

I must be missing all his good games!

He hasn't done it in the big games yet. Done well against the smaller teams. Probably too early to say if he's just a small team bully.

The boy is absolute class, but when the system fails around him, you cant blame him. Fernando doesnt do anything with the ball, and when Yaya cant be bothered to move of his spot then De Bruyne is forced to drift to get the ball. At the moment he does that, but rather then be in a position to attack the goal, he has to distribute simple balls back. Silva looks unfit as well, so he isnt working the space as well as he can. You end up with teams essentially double stacking his channel and forcing him tocross from deep or beat two men in front, which Arsenal did yesterday very well. The one time he got space on the right due to some neat and quick interchange in the middle, they worked the ball into a goal scoring chance with him.

The bottom line is, if other City players were as hungry for the ball and keen to work as hard, they wouldnt have any problems. Its easy to defend against a Silva who isnt getting into the hole in front of defence, or against a CM duo that hardly move or work. Teams are wary of De Bruyne so the centre midfielder can drift to his side to double up, as they know Man City's CM's arent going to be burning into the space left.

Yaya really is the biggest culprit. When he woke up after his goal yesterday, suddenly City looked a different side. If he had played with that energy all game, City would nto have lost.

[sussexpob]

We've got pretty easy Xmas fixtures.

Home to Palace whose away form is better than their home.
Away to the 2nd placed team.
Away to the leaders.

Nine points guaranteed!

Personally, I think the best time to play Leicester is in early January. They only have a very condensed team, and by January they would have been flogged to death.

[budgetmeansbudget]

We've got pretty easy Xmas fixtures.

Home to Palace whose away form is better than their home.
Away to the 2nd placed team.
Away to the leaders.

Nine points guaranteed!

Personally, I think the best time to play Leicester is in early January. They only have a very condensed team, and by January they would have been flogged to death.

I'm hoping we might start their expected poor run which sees them ending up sixth.

Actually that's not true I'd like to see them go all the way with just a tiny blip against us although all logical thought would suggest they will have a poor run at some time.

[mikesiva]

Wow!

Maybe, just maybe, Arsenal can win this....

Maybe, just maybe, Leicester will finish in the top four, and play Champions League next season....

[sussexpob]

Maybe, just maybe, Leicester will finish in the top four, and play Champions League next season....

Leicester wont make the Champions League. The squad quality is paper thin, and Christmas and the New Year will sort out the men from the boys when they are increasingly having to dip into that depth.

See Southampton last year......

[dan08]

Maybe, just maybe, Leicester will finish in the top four, and play Champions League next season....

Leicester wont make the Champions League. The squad quality is paper thin, and Christmas and the New Year will sort out the men from the boys when they are increasingly having to dip into that depth.

See Southampton last year......

Southampton were 5th at Christmas last year.

[sussexpob]

Southampton were 5th at Christmas last year.

Southampton were second up till about late November or December by memory, they flew out of the blocks. Then around Christmas they lost 4 or 5 on the bounce, before turning it round later in January when they beat a few top clubs and drew away to Chelsea. By the end of an unbeaten January I believe they were quite a distance away from Tottenham and Arsenal (both looked incredibly patchy) and people were already talking about the Champions League like they had made it. Probably about 6 to 8 points ahead of Arsenal, and would have been 3rd at the time.

Then they lost more matches then they won or drew to the end of the season, and slipped down to 6th.

It will happen to Leicester.

[sussexpob]

I mean for a start, something like 30 of their 37 goals comes from two players, if either of them lose form, get injured or are sold in january, then where are their goals coming from?

[yuppie]

70 points got a champions league place last year. Leicester are 32 points away from that with 21 games to go.

Basically 10 more wins, which is a big ask. But they wont have to be playing every Thursday in the Europa league like those teams chasing them. Next three games are Liverpool away, City at home and Bournemouth at home. 1 form team, 1 team struggling and 1 team looking for a new manager

This is the year for teams like Liverpool, Spurs and Everton to have grabbed a champions league place, but it seems only Spurs are in contention out of the usual teams fighting for 5th. Might never get an easier chance again

[dan08]

Strong rumours that LVG could be sacked tonight.

[dan08]

Strong rumours that LVG could be sacked tonight.

Looks like a false alarm.

[dan08]

https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/679337435214426112