Your team v Nottingham Forest

[Nineteenx]

Early doors for this so we can hear everyone’s ideas and opinions

Stay with 433 to get back to what best suits the majority of our players best and better pressing and counter pressing automation variation and chain reaction movement offensively and defensively and gives us a variety of tactics we can use at any point in any game

Mamardashvili

Bradley Konate Van Dijk Robertson

Szoboslai Gravenberch Mac Allister

Salah Ekitike/Isak Wirtz/Ekitike/Gakpo

We have the option of Ekitike at 9 Wirtz or Gakpo LFWD Mo or Chiesa RFWD

And to a bit lopsided with Isak at 9 Ekitike at LWFD Mo at RFWD with Ekitike being a little inside at times closer to Isak and Robbo pushed up with Bradley sitting more

Need to get the press and counter press sorted, the positioning of it, the intensity of it, cut out this too many players looking to be in space while crowding each other out ahead of the ball.

Pick up, direct each other to pick up and get tighter, stay with you man positioning yourself to be able to quickly join the attack if it opens up to it Dori g past thrn to win any second balls, they’re the very basics that started to go tiys up with Slots want to overplay or play a way Guardiola eventually failed with 6 seasons ago

Play with intensity tempo variation great pressing and counter pressing making us tough as fuck to best, better passing movement and ability to attack in different ways and not crowding ourselves out so being able to pick out the player in to finish more easily

Just do that and it will all one together very quickly through muscle memory

Get the win NO excuses

[justme]

I would go in with something like this personally.. Try Ekitke in the number 10 role.. Play more attacking and push up further up the pitch


_______________Alisson(hopefully)_____________
Bradley_______Konate____Virgil_______Roberson
______________Grav________Macca______
___________________Ekitike_________

Dom_____________Isak__________Gakpo


Just get the ball in from wide areas into the box for Isak,..

[Nineteenx]

Personally I think ditching the 433 fucked everything up so it would be

433 4312 4321 but we need that midfield 3 they’re the best in the business and protect the defence

Plus all our youngsters were always great under Jurgen because they’d all been playing 433 in the pressing and counter pressing game with the switches, medium to long diagonals and backing them up to win second balls and runs in behind for 10 years

It matters to me it breeds continuity familiarity automation and understanding

[Ravo19]

------------------------------Alisson
---------- Bradley konate vvd robertson
------------------Dom gravenberch mac
--------------------------------Wirtz
---------------------Salah--------------isak

[redgold]

Marma
Bradley Konate (no option) Virgil Robertson
Szoboslai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister
Mo, Hugo, Chiesa

Rio to come on early in the second half if things aren't looking good.

I'd consider Gomez for Konate if he was definitely fit enough, because why not at this stage...

Whatever happens that midfield in 433 should be the first thing written down on every team sheet for the remainder of the season, injuries not withstanding. It's a title winning midfield, even this season and fucking around with it is the main reason why we are where we are.

[sydenham red]

That 3 in midfield needs at least 2 equivalent quality players to support it. Even without yellow cards and injuries they'll be run into the ground soon (if not already). Jones has never took the next step so to speak to consistently play well,bajcetic is a sick note and endo is a utility player. Bradley woukd be an option if it weren't for another sicknote Frimpong.

[Steveo]

Correct - and would have cost any chance of a title last season but for huge fortune playing all 3 in almost every game.. Did the highly paid data ANAL’sts spot it? Were they watching? Thinking? or did they believe the bullshit hype..? same twats who thought it best to bank the diaz cash…!

[Kev0909]

Imagine if we lose at home to Forest Lolz.

[Steveo]

Oh please.. don't. We have to beat them. even if it's just a hard fought 1:0.. Must win game against a Dyche side FFS.

[redgold]

Not worth starting a new thread over it, and feel free to shoot me down, but a thought came to me. Mo seems to have lost his pace, but he still has the trickery and passing ability. Remember when that happened to John Barnes and he moved inside? I wonder if he yet has a central midfield role to play or if he even could??

[jozza800]

Not worth starting a new thread over it, and feel free to shoot me down, but a thought came to me. Mo seems to have lost his pace, but he still has the trickery and passing ability. Remember when that happened to John Barnes and he moved inside? I wonder if he yet has a central midfield role to play or if he even could??

When he did that interview last season saying that he and Slot had talked about his role for the folowing season I did think it meant he'd be playing more centrally, maybe off the main striker.

Not wider and higher!

I wonder if the conversations Slot has had with both Mo and Wirtz about his grand vision for this season has been lost in translation somewhat!!!

The players we have really lend themselves to something far narrower than what we have at the moment with maybe the fullbacks providing the width?

Allison

Frimpong - Konate - VVD - Kerkez
Szobo - Grav - Mac
Wirtz
Salah - Ekitike / Isak

[jozza800]

Personally i'd try and get Wirtz in the 10 going.

But (and I'm starting to sound like a broken record here!) he needs to sort the two midfielders behind him for it to work.

They need to play as 6s/4s rather than both of them playing as 8s.

[Red October]

Not worth starting a new thread over it, and feel free to shoot me down, but a thought came to me. Mo seems to have lost his pace, but he still has the trickery and passing ability. Remember when that happened to John Barnes and he moved inside? I wonder if he yet has a central midfield role to play or if he even could??

Yes. I've thought about that too. Mo still has the touch but his pace and tracking back are atrocious for the most part. He still has the nous. Would be good to use that where he needs to run less, like in a 10 type position. But then that negates the chance to use Wirtz there....which means he's back on the wing where he's not looking all that effective either...

Alisson (badly needed)
Bradley Gomez VVD Robbo
Szobo Grav Mac
Frimpong Chiesa
Ekitike

[CCTV]

At full time yesterday, I'd have dropped VVD, MacA & Salah. Think a lot of our issues yesterday can be put down to their performances. I'm surprised everyone is starting MacA coming back from internationals.

On the whoscored ratings, algorithm generated, Bradley was our motm.
6.9/10

MacA our lowest rated player including all substitutes.
5.4/10.

VVD our 2nd worst including all substitutes, and admittedly had his goal stood he'd probably be higher up.

https://www.whoscored.com/matches/1903222/live/england-premier-league-2025-2026-manchester-city-liverpool

[Kev0909]

Problem is, bradley just get's ganged up on by any decent team, not sure why real was so poor tbh

but city's tactics was spot on salah doesn't drop back and help as he's been told he can stay forward, it's ok if we're against a average team like Forest, because Grav can come across and help from midfield or whoever, but against a team with good midfielders.. grav comes across Foden etc would have a field day.

Can't believe i'm saying this but it's time for a new RW next season and salah to drop to the bench.

Frimpong will never work at RB because of salah sadly, he's too attacking, we need a RW who drops back, then it would work, we need another rebuild already a LW,RW 2 Cb's and Baleba or whoever in midfield... not sure where the money will come from or how we can after how much we spent this summer, Unless we sell Wirtz early.. (hopefully not and comes good) and get a huge bid for salah which I doubt now.

only 5 players needed for the first team!

What a shocking window.

Also the case for Wirtz, how can we play with a AMC when we don't have salah dropping back and already leaving gaps on the pitch, no wonder it's not working, it's not rocket science.