ClaretandHugh Facebook follower Matt COYI Briard is probably talking for many in his first CandH blog. Four games in and four shockingly lifeless defeats is enough. Here he opens his heart on what he sees as the problems within the Pellegrini squad.
By Matt COYI Briard
No desire..only to collect pay packet.
After watching another poor performance yesterday at home to an average team at best, I felt compelled to write about our latest problems.
When the fixtures were announced the first seven games were difficult with the exception of the Bournemouth and Wolves home games.
I didn’t expect anything from Anfield or the Emirates but the two home games a minimum of four points, hopefully six and here we are with zero points, one goal which was a penalty and more worryingly outplayed in both games by the opposition.
Forget the top six, these games are our bread and butter and will decide where we finish between 7th and 20th. Most teams in this group will target each other and there is not much difference between any of these sides.
Pellegrini – accused of still not knowing his best X1
So what is the problem?? We have a far better squad than last season, a manager with a much higher pedigree yet the performances so far have been worse than last season.
Would Moyes – had he stayed – be sitting on zero points now?
For me there is no desire in this team, no leadership on the pitch, it seems the players only desire is to pick up their weekly pay packets ranging from £70k to £115k a week for players like Snodgrass/Antonio (who at best are Championship players) to Hernandez who looks a shadow of the player he does for Mexico and gives every appearance of not wanting to be here.
Basic things of making a five yard pass were poor, not tracking runners, giving possession away cheaply in dangerous areas, leaving the full backs in a two on one situation – the list goes on.
Pellegrini was meant to be about high press, I have seen nothing of the sort in our home games, no sustained attacking football, three shots on goal yesterday and four against Bournemouth.
That’s hardly attacking intent and with the exception of the ‘Wolves keeper’s ‘face save’ yesterday I think I could have saved the shots faced!
The team is changing every game, yet including pre-season games we have played 10 matches and still Pellegrini doesn’t know his best 11.
Was our pre-season too easy?, I heard another PL player talking about their hard pre-season taking on top teams, OK they had a mixed bag of results but they sit 6th in the PL with 7 points..
Our display yesterday lacked any leadership on the pitch, Arnie who was captain spent most of the game raising his arms up in the air but not leading the team just moaning at others.
For me we missed Nobes who, despite his faults is a leader, has desire to drag this team on and 100% commitment for the cause.
He needs legs around him as he struggles to cover the ground but he does get players going and at the moment they need a big rocket up their backsides!!
Give us the basics of running for 90 minutes, tracking your player, being mindful and responsible for your position and play together as a team with passion and desire to win because without this it doesn’t matter how much ability you have you won’t succeed.
YOU HAVE GOT TO WANT IT.
COYI
Pretty much spot on Matt. IMO we definitely missed Nobes leadership and work rate yesterday . Hurry back Lanzini !
COYI
I agree no desire , passion , no closing down , you don’t just turn up and play like your on holiday. This was a game where the team played as individuals . I am sure this is not what Pellegrini is coaching. I’m not not going to have players start blaming the managers tactics , the players need to listen to him and put it all out on the pitch with some belief and passion. Buck up lads before we are in trouble believe in each other , the manager etc your the ones on the pitch . I don’t want to hear we have quality I want the players to show it now.
Surely its time to give Rice and Oxford a proper run in the team.Holland and Silva too come to think of it.
Hard to disagree with the assessment but personally I think with the exception of Hernandez who does appear to want out or is just bone idol the team mostly need to sprint back into defence and press in three’s defensively as for offence the same rule applies attack in three’s when one drops off another joins the three, Pellegrini will get it right it’s easy to look at the results and have heads down but we may still be pointless after the next four so calm heads are required and a focus on improving each game 👍
Yep. Klopp would have been incandescent with rage on the touchline and shouting instructions. Arnie’s a poor choice for leader – he has no interpersonal skills that I can see. Bring on Zaba if Nobes is injured. Even Fabianski would do a better job.
Agree with that Spotted about Zaba, think many of us believed he should have been made captain before, I know a lot of the posts below are negative but imho we need to be patient the team are strangers from overseas mostly it may not be great they haven’t gelled immediately but it is fairly normal, Pellegrini is old school he doesn’t air his dirty laundry, personally anyone willing to charge down gunmen then eat a meal with their family I will back not to put up with the holiday camp mentality. I am sure things will change for the better under him hopefully sooner rather than later it might take another couple of buys in January this premier league is full of average teams we are one on current form, Huddersfield and Cardiff will go down probably Newcastle also so there is plenty of breathing room.
ANTONIO was crap, no desire I could out sprint him and I am 69
SNODGRASS is a Championship player
CRESSWELL not got a clue
Need Zabaleta as Captain as Nobes can’t cope in todays high tempo games , he will put a rocket up em when needed, saw him at it last season even though Noble was playing, give him the responsibility and watch us go
As for the three above drop em and play Yarmalenko, Masuaku & give Holland a run out
COYI
There’s more than a passing resemblence to Count Dracular to Mr P; not only is he sucking the blood out of this club, with our expensive summer outlay, but the team’s playing more like Zombies than living, communicating beings! Keep this up, and it won’t be long before we are dead and buried, and championship bound!!
It is quite simple, I keep saying it as long as Wilshere plays we will not win, totally inept at this level. How long will he continue to get selected despite repeated poor performances. How long more does Pelle need to see Fredericks to realise he is not good enough. How long more does he need to realise that the system he wants to deploy is not the system that suits this team. We have a tough run of games coming up where we need to pick up points. If he believes that things will improve in this system then I believe he will get the sack and deservedly so. We should deploy a 3-5-2 system as this is the system that suits us best but also is a system that will ground out results over the next 6 games. I believe if he stubbornly refuses to do this he should be removed from his position and I would look to make that decision about 12 games in. The 3-5-2 team I would pick is as follows Fab, Balbuena, Ogbanna/Rice, Diop, Zaba and Masuaka wing backs, Sanchex and Obiang in midfield, Anderson as 10 and Arne and Antonio up top. I watched the game yesterday and how anyone gave Wilshere or Fredericks a higher score than Antonio is beyond me.
Agree with johnham
I just don’t know anymore. But I just watched the Watford game and the work rate and desire of that team is what it should be like they fight for each other and the togetherness is unbelievable..I can see this in most of the other mid table teams but as said above we are a team of selfish individuals with no heart at all and that is the most worrying thing ….also as I’ve said from day one his tactics are suicide and he will not change them so I am very very worried 😟 I can’t see we ‘re even 1 point is coming….them players do not care enough about each other only themselves