adminLONDON. — For a net expenditure of £500million on transfer fees since 2008, Manchester City might have expected to have done better this season than fourth place in the Premier League and early exits in all three cup competitions.So what has gone wrong at The Etihad and, more importantly, what can be done to put it right?
PROBLEM ONE — Manuel Pellegrini
After the turbulent reign of Roberto Mancini, City made great play of appointing a “holistic” manager in Manuel Pellegrini; calm, experienced, diplomatic and boasting a decent track record in Europe.
Unfortunately, the 61-year-old Chilean is now viewed as dull, uninspiring, tactically rigid and unable to get the club past the last 16 in the Champions League. Patience in Abu Dhabi must be wearing thin.
Pellegrini is undoubtedly a decent man and has shown everyone — players, opponents, the media — respect. But it hasn’t been enough to get results and City need someone a little less holistic and a little more forceful.
Tactically, he has been stubborn too, the insistence on playing with two strikers in big games has rarely worked.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION — Pep Guardiola
He is the man they want but the Bayern boss is unlikely to be available this summer.
Bookies’ favourite Carlo Ancelotti is a bit laissez-faire like Pellegrini — he’s allowed the Ronaldo-Bale rivalry to spiral out of control at Real Madrid. Or how about Brendan Rodgers if he comes in a job lot with Raheem Sterling?
PROBLEM TWO — A squad in decline
Having been penalised for over-spending a few years ago on the likes of Robinho, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, City have been restricted on signings this season as a punishment for breaching FPP regulations and as a result their squad looks older and stale.
Aged 29 or over are: Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Frank Lampard,Yaya Toure, Gael Clichy, Aleksandr Kolarov, James Milner, Edin Dzeko and David Silva.
Vincent Kompany is 28 but the more we see of him the harder it is to believe he will return to the extremely high levels of 2008-14.
The new blood that has been recruited in the last couple of seasons haven’t been good enough. Jesus Navas is quick but little else while Stevan Jovetic’s recurring injury problems have seen the manager lose faith in him.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION
They should test Liverpool’s resolve to keep Sterling by offering a British transfer record for the winger. Sterling could be one of the players they could build a new team around in the next five years and his arrival would help persuade Aguero and Silva to stay. Kevin de Bruyne and Paul Pogba would also be excellent additions.
No wonder City are hoping the FPP punishment is lifted for the next window
If Milner follows Lampard out of the club, City won’t have a single English outfield player worthy of a starting position. It’s not a good position for the club given the quotas of home-grown players needed in the Champions League and Premier League.
PROBLEM THREE — Recruitment Policy
Pellegrini and the Manchester City players are rightly getting a lot of criticism at the moment but in Abu Dhabi, it would be surprising if the work in the transfer market of chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain wasn’t coming under scrutiny.
All the most important players in the City team — Hart, Aguero, Kompany, Toure, Silva — were signed before the Spaniards were brought in to try and replicate the success they had at Barcelona.
Their efforts so far to replenish the squad haven’t been cheap despite FPP restrictions, but the players have done little to suggest they are world-beaters
PROBLEM FOUR — Lack of home-grown talent
Manchester City used to be envied for the amount of players they produced at their academy. Micah Richards, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton won England caps. But the old site at Platt Lane was ripped up and a glossy new Etihad Campus built at the stadium filled with young players captured from around the world.
And yet not a single one since 2008 has so far made any impact at first-team level.
Those that show any promise are loaned abroad while the club continue to splash out on established players for their own first-team.
It seems at this stage that either the wrong players have been selected for the academy or there is a lack of trust in them which is holding them back.
SOLUTION
A change in attitude is needed. You’ve invested millions in finding the best young players and nurturing them. Now you have to give them a chance in the Manchester City first-team and if it takes them a few games to find their feet, stick with them. Did Alex Ferguson drop Beckham, Butt, Neville and Scholes after Alan Hansen said United wouldn’t win anything with kids? No, he kept the faith and City should do the same.
PROBLEM FIVE — Money vs Team Spirit
In many ways, the untold millions of Abu Dhabi creates its own problems. Other European clubs are envious, which is why Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have joined forces to make life as difficult as possible for City.
Another problem is by offering huge wages, you attract players who only go for the money. Jack Rodwell, Adam Johnson and Scott Sinclair did it and grew disillusioned when they realised they weren’t good enough to play. The overseas superstars tend to do their own thing off the pitch rather than buy into a club mentality.
SOLUTION
City have to be tougher with their players. If they sign on for big wages, they must be expected to put the club’s interests first.
So if the club want them to attend a community event, or meet a corporate sponsor, there should be no skivvying or attempt to duck out.
An old-fashioned manager would help with that. Van Gaal at United sees it as part of his job to impress on the players what they can do to help the club, and he can also assess that they’re not doing too much off-field work. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter