The road ahead for Manchester City

Huffing and puffing, Manchester City at the end did it their way-the hard way.They qualified for the knock-out round of the Champions League by beating Roma in their backyard, but not without drama.They had to patiently wait for the moment till the last minute and seize it when it came.Typical City.

For the past few seasons, City’s knack of throwing themselves into a precarious situation and then rescuing itself at the very end is well-known.

When City for the first time progressed into the knockout stage last year, it was thought to be a step forward.A small step which would lead to a giant leap.A leap which would finally lay their hands in the holy grail- the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

However, forget about the trophy, even cruising into the next round has been a onerous assignment for the Champions of England. When this year was thought to be a different one, the group of death draw made it look the same old story and it proved to be so.

A fortnight ago when they were at the brink of exit again, City’s usual saviour Aguero delivered a terrific performance & provided a thin line of hope.Yesterday when that hope appeared to be obliterated, another protagonist Nasri stepped in and rescued the team.For City, again time and again these individual brilliances has done the trick.

Well in the knockout stage that would not be enough.The road ahead would be much bumpier and strenuous.The prospect of facing Barcelona or Real Madrid or P.S.G is a daunting one. These one-man shows would just be a bright spark in otherwise sure to be failed effort.

Pellegrini from here on needs to marshal his resources astutely and put in a jointed raid if they want to stand any chance for surpassing the knock-out stage.

Shrewd business is required in the January transfer window-

First thing first, Pellegrini needs to do shrewd business in the January transfer window.Lampard needs to be retained to keep their midfield depth intact.The veteran’s sublime performances has been a great help for City’s cause and losing him at this juncture would be a telling blow.A top-class addition to the centre area would be a added bonus.

Upfront the blue’s dependence on Aguero and niggling injuries to Dzeko and Jovetic cries out for the need of a world-class forward, but for now it seems improbable looking at the paucity of a premium striker in the transfer market.

At the backline, Mangala’s poor performances has been a headache.Pellegrini’s lack of faith in the young Nastasic is more or less questionable.Demichellis, although has displayed some commendable performances but his ability against the big teams is still undependable.City definitely needs reinforcements at the back and they need to hunt for the very best.

More flexible with the formations

Everyone is well aware of the Chilean’s penchant for an all out attacking game.In the further stages of Champions League that would be hara-kiri looking at the quality of the future opponents.Pellegrini needs to digest the fact that he can’t go offensive everytime and requires to change the formation of the team according to the circumstances.

His blunder of playing two strikers against Roma in the initial phase of the Champions league would have come to haunt them later.Luckily it did not happen so.Nevertheless, such luck from now on will be far and few between.

The blues have to put in a coordinated effort if they want to tread further.If the opponent is better, they need to reshape and readjust their strategy to come out on top.

Pellegrini can take a cue from the master tactician Jose Mourinho himself. Mourinho’s art of getting the best out of his team against the so called big teams is a formula worth replicating.Critics may have panned him for his defensive tactics but the veteran delivers results and at the end it is that all matters.

Conclusion

City can consider them fortunate that they are in the knockout stage of the Champions League,however this luck could soon run out against the big teams of Spain and Germany.A practical approach conjoining with tactical nous can boost Manchester City’s chances in the next round.

For the past few seasons, City’s knack of throwing themselves into a precarious situation and then rescuing itself at the very end is well-known.

When City for the first time progressed into the knockout stage last year, it was thought to be a step forward.A small step which would lead to a giant leap.A leap which would finally lay their hands in the holy grail- the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

However, forget about the trophy, even cruising into the next round has been a onerous assignment for the Champions of England. When this year was thought to be a different one, the group of death draw made it look the same old story and it proved to be so.

A fortnight ago when they were at the brink of exit again, City’s usual saviour Aguero delivered a terrific performance & provided a thin line of hope.Yesterday when that hope appeared to be obliterated, another protagonist Nasri stepped in and rescued the team.For City, again time and again these individual brilliances has done the trick.

Well in the knockout stage that would not be enough.The road ahead would be much bumpier and strenuous.The prospect of facing Barcelona or Real Madrid or P.S.G is a daunting one. These one-man shows would just be a bright spark in otherwise sure to be failed effort.

Pellegrini from here on needs to marshal his resources astutely and put in a jointed raid if they want to stand any chance for surpassing the knock-out stage.

Shrewd business is required in the January transfer window-

First thing first, Pellegrini needs to do shrewd business in the January transfer window.Lampard needs to be retained to keep their midfield depth intact.The veteran’s sublime performances has been a great help for City’s cause and losing him at this juncture would be a telling blow.A top-class addition to the centre area would be a added bonus.

Upfront the blue’s dependence on Aguero and niggling injuries to Dzeko and Jovetic cries out for the need of a world-class forward, but for now it seems improbable looking at the paucity of a premium striker in the transfer market.

At the backline, Mangala’s poor performances has been a headache.Pellegrini’s lack of faith in the young Nastasic is more or less questionable.Demichellis, although has displayed some commendable performances but his ability against the big teams is still undependable.City definitely needs reinforcements at the back and they need to hunt for the very best.

More flexible with the formations

Everyone is well aware of the Chilean’s penchant for an all out attacking game.In the further stages of Champions League that would be hara-kiri looking at the quality of the future opponents.Pellegrini needs to digest the fact that he can’t go offensive everytime and requires to change the formation of the team according to the circumstances.

His blunder of playing two strikers against Roma in the initial phase of the Champions league would have come to haunt them later.Luckily it did not happen so.Nevertheless, such luck from now on will be far and few between.

The blues have to put in a coordinated effort if they want to tread further.If the opponent is better, they need to reshape and readjust their strategy to come out on top.

Pellegrini can take a cue from the master tactician Jose Mourinho himself. Mourinho’s art of getting the best out of his team against the so called big teams is a formula worth replicating.Critics may have panned him for his defensive tactics but the veteran delivers results and at the end it is that all matters.

Conclusion

City can consider them fortunate that they are in the knockout stage of the Champions League,however this luck could soon run out against the big teams of Spain and Germany.A practical approach conjoining with tactical nous can boost Manchester City’s chances in the next round.