Roberto! This is the Premier League, not Serie A!
August 15th, 2010Master tactician Mancini got it all wrong yet again yesterday, just as he did against Spurs at the end of last season. The man doesn't seem to learn. He still thinks he is managing in Serie A.
His obsession with defensive midfielders is going to be our undoing if he doesn't wake up fast. Playing three of them and leaving little Tevez alone up front was just plain stupid. We posed no attacking threat whatsoever and therefore invited Spurs to come at us from the off. And they did. They battered us. If it wasn't for Hart it would have been embarrassing.
I would have been happy with a draw at Spurs two or three years ago, but, after spending the money we have, we should now be looking to win games like this.
Roberto, you aren't managing Stoke or Wolves. You've had the resources available, we should now be competing with the best and taking games to them. Trust me, Chelsea and United will not go to White hart Lane this season looking to contain and get a draw.
The reality is that we will never get into the top four or challenge for the title until we start to pose a threat to the opposition in games like this.
I thought we were utterly dreadful in the first half and not much better in the second. Hart was magnificent in the first half and without him we would have been dead and buried. Our central defence tightened up and played well in the second half, but what was totally unacceptable throughout the game was that their goalkeeper could have cleaned his boots and done a crossword.
I know it's early doors, but I see the same old problems and I fear that a lot of people are going to be let down.
We are a million miles off the title and won't even get top four unless we make some radical changes in our philosophy.
SPIKE

