Manuel Pellegrini’s faltering Manchester City suffered yet another blow to their all but failed title challenge of Chelsea. Pellegrini’s men fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Monday night leaving their chances of catching Chelsea looking most improbable. With the Citizens falling to their fourth successive away defeat, they now trail Chelsea by 9 points and have played a game more, whilst falling to fourth in the table after successes for Manchester United and Arsenal over the weekend. It is fair to say that the boys in Blue are in trouble and it is now be imperative to maintain a Champions League place to save their blushes.
Since the start of the season City have struggled with inconsistency and have never hit the form of champions, looking shadows of them former selves. With 7 games left, it is time for self reflection as to how City have been the masters of their own downfall. It’s an question asked by many during times of trouble in football clubs, but what is the cause of City’s demise. Is the manager not right for the job or is it the efforts of the players?
After his first season at the club, Pellegrini had been revered as ‘this charming man’ whilst leading City to a Premier League and Capital One Cup double. The Chilean had made impactful first signings who all played a large part in City’s success last season. With a club returning to winning ways and playing a style of attacking football that saw City score 6 past both Arsenal and Tottenham, Pellegrini gave optimism to City fans about the future under his ‘holistic’ approach.
Straight from the beginning of this season City’s big stars looked sluggish and lethargic after a summer at the World Cup. City first looked in trouble when losing at home to Stoke, and then continued to take a downward turn when faced with Champions League fixtures. A damaging defeat to CSKA Moscow at home and a draw away left City ruing a missed opportunity to cement their European status.
It was not until City came into deep trouble in January as performances became weaker and more points were being dropped that Pellegrini became scrutinized properly for the first time. An over reliance and reluctance to deviate from his favored 4-4-2 formation led to poor performances from the City players. Fans of the beautiful game from the world over could see the use of 4-4-2 with the players that the club has does not work. However, Pellegrini, to this day still, stuck with this formation. City fans every week marvel in disbelief as the team is announced to discover 4-4-2 has been used again despite its ineffectiveness with the current squad.
This stubbornness reached its peak when Pellegrini decided to use this formation in a knockout Champions League tie against Barcelona. Some believe it was naivety whilst others think it was pure stupidity. To play his unsuccessful formation in such a big game against a team of Barcelona’s standards is completely bewildering. Teams of that quality thrive with time and space on the ball which exactly what this formation offered to them and City felt the full force eventually crashing out of the competition 3-1 on aggregate.
With pressure to change his formation, coming under scrutiny heavily from the media may have deter some managers, forcing them to make changes. However, Pellegrini still insists on sticking with it even to this day. Furthermore, a struggle over the Christmas period saw the club spend £28 million on Swansea goal scorer Wilfired Bony only to see the new acquisition be used minimal amounts and to be left out of the squad on Monday after scoring on his first full start last time out.
Pellegrini is struggling, regardless of what others think, the Chilean manager is under pressure after some unusual tactics this season and has a lot to answer for when the season comes to a close in May. However, like all managerial witch hunts, the players are not scrutinised as much as they should be.
After a busy summer at the World Cup, the core players to Manchester City’s squad have looked a frail image of their previous selves in title winning seasons. Captain Vincent Kompany has struggled for form and consistency after battling injuries and looks the weakest link in a City defence. Pablo Zabaleta, a City hero and club legend, has looked slow and sluggish all season. Yaya Toure has yet to reach the barriers he set for himself last season and looks half the man he used to be. Whilst Sergio Aguero was on exhilarating form in the first half of the season, he has now failed to score in 511 minutes. City’s squad has barely changed since the days of Roberto Mancini and with the squad now aging, the summer is set to be a big one for the Blues. A squad full of aging stalwarts is due a shake up to give some exciting new energy to the club.
Whilst players are not reaching their best performances, there seems to be a weak mentality at the club. A buzz and excitement around the team and the club as a whole has well and truly fizzled out and City are becoming less exciting to watch each week with boring, lacklustre performances. There is a certain spark that teams posses when they are in a rich vein of form that City are severely lacking. The players and manager are in a mental and physical rut. No matter what happens the team just do not seem to be performing to the best of their abilities. Thus leaving City fighting for their lives in a tough scrap with United and Arsenal.
With players that don’t fit the formation, a manager who is reluctant to change and a team stuck in a dire patch of form. City are battling it out with two in-form teams to attempt to regain some pride to the blue half of Manchester. With 7 games to go, there is a no better way to kick start a strong end to the season then with a truly vital victory in the derby at Old Trafford this Sunday.
