TINKERING PEP DROPS TWO VALUABLE POINTS AGAINST EVERTON
I see what Pep is trying to do at Manchester City, but I’m afraid against the top sides, he would struggle to achieve what he truly wants i.e dominate, attack, score, but defend with attackers.
One could argue that he did it at Barca and Bayern playing superb football, dominating games and winning titles.
No disrespect to the Bundesliga and the Spanish league – even though the top 3 European teams in the last five seasons have come from both leagues – but the quality across both leagues do not compare with the premiership. At Barca he had the world class strikers with superb skills who could change a game in the twinkle of an eye and if course he had Lionel Messi.
Barcelona at the top of their game were a class and a league above everybody else.
At Bayern, the gulf in class between Bayern and the others was just too much – and with players like Lewadowski, Muller, Robben, Ribery, Neuer and others, he could do whatever he liked and conjure up results the Pep way.
At most in Spain, he had six difficult games each year and at Bayern he had at best four difficult games, with the top two teams (in Spain) and Bayern having a budget most clubs in those leagues can never come near.
In England, it’s a different kettle of fish, and every game is a war, plus the gulf is class is being bridged yearly with Premier league money available for all other clubs to spend as well.
I don’t think 3-5-2 is the best formation suited to his current crop of stars
– Sane is not a wing back and neither is Raheem Sterling one, Pep plays these two strikers as wing backs, perhaps to make up for the frailties in his central defence but it’s not working – even though he bought Walker and yes he bought Danilo and Mendy, he needs to find a way to play a three man attack with four at the back.
With the potency he has upfront – Sterling, Aguero, Sane, DeBruyne, Silva, Bernardo, Jesus and co, he has to utilise them properly by playing a back four with his wing backs attacking from the sides.
I have repeatedly said that you cannot solve a problem by creating another problem and I still stand by that – the problem is in central defence – he has to go out and buy a central defender of world class quality in order to solve the never ending problem.
If he is to win the league, it will not be about goals as he has the team that can score, as we saw against Everton again today, he will only win the league if he can keep them back door closed. You can argue the possession statistics once again, but I’m not convinced that Man City looked like truly scoring with all their possession and onslaught, save for one or two occasions and when Koeman reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Whether Pep can win the title or not, we would only know as the season progresses, but if the back door remains open as it did against Everton, I’m afraid Pep would need a miracle to achieve his ultimate desire.
KOEMAN’S TACTICAL CHANGE BACKFIRES
Ronald Koeman’s team were compact with five at the back and three man workmanlike midfield – Shneiderlin, Gueye and Davies – releasing Wayne to drop deep and link up play with Calvert-Lewin.
As soon as he brought on Sigurdsson and Klaesen – to try to force City back and attack on purpose – the game changed and he lost momentum completely.
Maybe Everton is not yet ready to play the type of football Koeman wants to showcase, so he may be better off sticking to the personnel with the work ethics – at least against the top teams – until he can figure out a way to play his type of football.
With one man down tonight, you’d be forgiven if you thought City were the ones with a man more as they dominated an Everton team that lost grip of the game after Koeman’s substitutions
Yes the pressure was a lot on his team, but I think as soon as Koeman changed from his starting 5-3-2 formation to 4-2-3-1 (with introduction of Sigurdsson and Klaesen) he lost all initiative to City and handed the game on a platter of gold.
One thing is certain, Everton would be there to spoil the party this year and I’m sure other teams have taken note of this.
ROONEY JOINS THE ELITE CLUB AT 200
Finally congratulations to Wayne Rooney for joining Alan Shearer in the premier league 200 club. Wow! What an achievement.
Finally rid of the pressure of playing and delivering week in week out for a big club like Manchester United, Wayne I believe will settle down and concentrate on turning up every week without the pressure of delivering titles or that of captaining the Reds. I am sure there are still many goals coming from the boots and the head of Wayne Rooney, congratulations Wayne, well done!