Manchester City (Home) Wednesday 17th February

[chicagoblue]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

The substitutions have had no impact what so ever King is worse than Tosun as an impact sub and Davies shouldn’t have gone off. 

Better pace and physicality, but touch has been terrible so far. 

[dunlopp9987]

Just now, Palfy said:

The substitutions have had no impact what so ever King is worse than Tosun as an impact sub and Davies shouldn’t have gone off. 

That is one bold statement

[pete0]

4 minutes ago, Palfy said:

The substitutions have had no impact what so ever King is worse than Tosun as an impact sub and Davies shouldn’t have gone off. 

Taking Davies off had a negative impact. 

Really got to question the manager putting Sigurdsson in midfield. We've been pegged back since and couldn't get out of our half last week with him against Fulham.

[Palfy]

2 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

That is one bold statement

And one I standby

[markjazzbassist]

2 minutes ago, pete0 said:

Taking Davies off had a negative impact. 

Really got to question the manager putting Sigurdsson in midfield. We've been pegged back since and couldn't get out of our half last week with him against Fulham.

you are naive if you think losing to the best team in the league is due to 1 player on our side.  we need many more players in the starting XI adn bench to begin to compete with them on a regular basis.  

[dunlopp9987]

City are, at the moment, one of the top 2 or 3 teams in Europe. The fact that it was 1-1 past the 60th minute was impressive for me. 

Hope we see Allan and DCL back for the weekend

[milesey05]

I won’t lose any sleep over this game. 
Expected to lose but we played better than I anticipated.

Effort was better than Sunday but effort alone can’t beat the class of Man City.

 

[pete0]

3 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

you are naive if you think losing to the best team in the league is due to 1 player on our side.  we need many more players in the starting XI adn bench to begin to compete with them on a regular basis.  

Until the subs we were competing. The sub led to Sigurdsson moving back. Sigurdsson then left his man completely. Without that sub they don't score that goal. 

Before the sub we looked more dangerous. Barely got in their half since.

[c1982]

1 minute ago, milesey05 said:

Effort was better than Sunday but effort alone can’t beat the class of Man City.

This is what winds me up! Even on a good day, there’s every chance we lose to City... get the job done professionally against Fulham then worry about City and Liverpool - I just think we got it so so wrong in so many ways at the weekend!

[dunlopp9987]

1 minute ago, pete0 said:

Until the subs we were competing. The sub led to Sigurdsson moving back. Sigurdsson then left his man completely. Without that sub they don't score that goal. 

Before the sub we looked more dangerous. Barely got in their half since.

Sure, without that sub they *might* not score that goal, but they would've scored eventually. We were just beat by a far better team, with individual players who are just far more talented than ours

[Gwlad]

We are not Top 4.

[milesey05]

2 minutes ago, c1982 said:

This is what winds me up! Even on a good day, there’s every chance we lose to City... get the job done professionally against Fulham then worry about City and Liverpool - I just think we got it so so wrong in so many ways at the weekend!

That performance tonight would have beat Fulham- winds me up too

[dunlopp9987]

6 minutes ago, c1982 said:

This is what winds me up! Even on a good day, there’s every chance we lose to City... get the job done professionally against Fulham then worry about City and Liverpool - I just think we got it so so wrong in so many ways at the weekend!

 

1 hour ago, dunlopp9987 said:

If this game isn't clear as day proof that we play up or down to the level of competition we're facing, I don't know what is. We look like utter dross against relegation scrap and are giving the best team in the league a real go. 

It all comes down to mentality.

 

[RuffRob]

4 minutes ago, pete0 said:

Until the subs we were competing. The sub led to Sigurdsson moving back. Sigurdsson then left his man completely. Without that sub they don't score that goal. 

Before the sub we looked more dangerous. Barely got in their half since.

City where turning the screw all second half. I don't have any problem bringing a creative player and a striker on when we are 2:1 down and just 20min to go. It either works or it doesn't.

City just have strong player in every position across the pitch and then some. As someone said, one of Europes elite.

 

[pete0]

2 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

City where turning the screw all second half. I don't have any problem bringing a creative player and a striker on when we are 2:1 down and just 20min to go. It either works or it doesn't.

City just have strong player in every position across the pitch and then some. As someone said, one of Europes elite.

 

The players he brought on weren't the problem. It was the ones he took off. 

Sigurdsson is never a centre mid and moving him there cost us that third goal and put the game to bed.

Swap Sigurdsson for any of their midfielders and we win that game.

[dunlopp9987]

2 minutes ago, pete0 said:

The players he brought on weren't the problem. It was the ones he took off. 

Sigurdsson is never a centre mid and moving him there cost us that third goal and put the game to bed.

Swap Sigurdsson for any of their midfielders and we win that game.

Pete...

[pete0]

5 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

Pete...

Rewatch the third goal. He's a disgrace. Got to blame the manager for playing him though too.

[milesey05]

1 minute ago, pete0 said:

Rewatch the third goal. He's a disgrace. Got to blame the manager for playing him though too.

So nothing to do with Keane letting player skip by him?

Or Pickford with a Girlie wrist?

Gylfi had a part in the goal but it wasn’t solely his fault.

[pete0]

4 minutes ago, milesey05 said:

So nothing to do with Keane letting player skip by him?

Or Pickford with a Girlie wrist?

Gylfi had a part in the goal but it wasn’t solely his fault.

100% his fault. 

Keane is caught out because he's Sigurdsson's man. 

Girlie wrist? Like to see how yours copes with a ball coming at at 60 miles an hour.

[dunlopp9987]

3 minutes ago, milesey05 said:

So nothing to do with Keane letting player skip by him?

Or Pickford with a Girlie wrist?

Gylfi had a part in the goal but it wasn’t solely his fault.

No need for the gender bashing, but yes, to put the blame solely on Gylfi is ridiculous. We lost for a multitude of reasons today, namely because they are just a much, much better squad. It didn't come down to one player and one goal, @pete0

[Bailey]

That was a hard watch. I get that we are playing Man City but surely we have to play with more intent than that? We play a left back and left mid, then switch to have a right back at right mid and not to mention the two centre backs at the full back position. Then in a surprising twist you move an attacking midfielder into the holding midfield role, after watching him chase shadows for 60 minutes when he had very little left in his legs before the game started. I also don't really get bringing on King and playing him wide left in a 442. What is he going to do from there when we spend no time with the ball?

There are times when I wonder what the point of bringing such a world class manager in when he sets the team up like he is Steve Bruce or Fat Sam. Could you imagine Klopp or Pep playing that way with this side?

In terms of player performances, there wasn't a lot of good ones but my thoughts are:

Pickford - Looked back to his best for most of the game. Having got his hand on the final goal he would have expected to do better but it would have been a world class save if he had made it from first watch.

Godfrey - Beyond dreadful. Constantly showed Mahrez inside on his strong foot, never got tight, regularly off balance and no better through the middle either, gifting a huge chance to Jesus. I don't think he is actually a very good defender and a bit like Kyle Walker, his size gets him out of a lot of trouble. He has a tendency to get caught far too deep as well.

Keane - was easily the best of the back four. Certainly not faultless but he was the most on it (bar Mina). I still wouldn't say he had more than an average game though.

Holgate - I thought he was alright at centre half. Dog shite at right back, a cone would have been better.

Digne - Terrible at left mid. He didn't know what to do or where to go. A highlight for me was moving back into the left back spot when Godfrey broke forward. I know what you will all say to that but how do we attack City when a centre  back is left to attack one of the best defensive sides in the league on his own? In the end Godfrey knocked it back to Digne and it may have even ended up back at the keeper after that. I thought he was much better at left back, where he should have been from the start. Mahrez did very little after that change.

Coleman did OK in parts. Sterling mostly had his number and it was an example of the amount of pace he has lost. I thought he pressed really well when playing right wing but that is about all that can be said.

Davies produced one of the most ineffective defensive midfield performances I have seen (that is until Siggy went there). He had no impact on the game from a defensive point of view. I thought he did alright on the ball,  but even then he still got turned over. He isn't a defensive midfielder, he can't lay a glove on anyone that runs near him BUT his use of the ball in that role is better than Siggy, and is on par with Gomes. IMO him and Gomes have the same flaws.

Doucoure - Probably my motm. Don't get me wrong, not a lot really went right for him but he was always trying to do the right things. He would be the one closing down, getting tight, breaking forward and getting into the box. I applaud a guy like that who keeps going and going and going even when the result of that good work is wasted.

Iwobi was having a sneakily decent game and I was surprised he was subbed. He was in good positions, he didn't always use the ball that well, but at times he did, such as the ball to Coleman for the goal. There was some link up play between Richie, Gylfi and him that brought us higher up the pitch and when he went off that stopped. It was about the only link up play we had at times.

Siggy was a bit of nothing in the advanced role and the decision to move him deeper dumbfounded me. I wouldn't say he was playing badly further forward but he could have been better. I wasn't kicking the cat whenever the ball came near him, which I usually do in games like this. Carlo must not like cats though and that is the only reason I can think that moving into the deeper role was deemed to be a good idea.

Richarlison was my only other candidate for motm. I thought he did some really good stuff battling away on his own. It took 20 or so minutes for him to realise he was playing a game of football but after that he won lots of fouls, drew out the City defenders and got a lucky goal in complete Dom style. I was impressed with the runs he made because they scared the City defenders and once he warmed up I thought he did well enough with the balls that came up to him. Once the subs were made he wasn't really as useful.

King was a waste of a sub. If that is his role in this side you might as well release him now.

James was also a poor sub. He didn't bring anything to the game apart from to make us weaker through the middle. I think we might actually be a better "team" without him in the 11, strange as that is to think when he lit up in the league in the first few weeks.

We have three tough games to follow now as well, Liverpool, Soton and Chelsea. I hope we try and play with a bit more intent in those game because this not worth wasting my time over at the moment.

 

 

[pete0]

3 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

No need for the gender bashing, but yes, to put the blame solely on Gylfi is ridiculous. We lost for a multitude of reasons today, namely because they are just a much, much better squad. It didn't come down to one player and one goal, @pete0

Didn't say it did.

The third goal killed the game, and that was solely on Sigurdsson leaving his man free. 

[milesey05]

Just now, pete0 said:

100% his fault. 

Keane is caught out because he's Sigurdsson's man. 

Girlie wrist? Like to see how yours copes with a ball coming at at 60 miles an hour.

Doesn’t matter who’s man it is. He still went past Keane too easily.

Pickford?  I bet he’s disappointed looking back he didn’t keep it out. 

[dunlopp9987]

2 minutes ago, pete0 said:

Didn't say it did.

The third goal killed the game, and that was solely on Sigurdsson leaving his man free. 

 

20 minutes ago, pete0 said:

The players he brought on weren't the problem. It was the ones he took off. 

Sigurdsson is never a centre mid and moving him there cost us that third goal and put the game to bed.

Swap Sigurdsson for any of their midfielders and we win that game.

What's funny is that, in fact, you said exactly that

[pete0]

3 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

 

What's funny is that, in fact, you said exactly that

On what planet is that exactly the same. Swapping him for a city player does not equal it being all down to Sigurdsson.

[dunlopp9987]

1 minute ago, pete0 said:

On what planet is that exactly the same. Swapping him for a city player does not equal it being all down to Sigurdsson.

I can't keep arguing with you on this. It's exhausting

[pete0]

2 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

I can't keep arguing with you on this. It's exhausting

Could just say you were mistaken rather than cop out.

[Romey 1878]

Well, I'm going to forget this as quickly as possible so I can concentrate on Saturday, which will be a much easier game for us...

All I'll say is that it wasn't as bad as I feared it was going to be even though it was, indeed, bad.

[dunlopp9987]

7 minutes ago, pete0 said:

Could just say you were mistaken rather than cop out.

Pete, I'm not going to continue clogging up the thread with it. You said that had Gylfi been swapped for any of their mids, we would've won. That is essentially saying that Gylfi is the reason we lost. If you can't see the clear through-line there, I can't help you.

[Palfy]

33 minutes ago, RuffRob said:

City where turning the screw all second half. I don't have any problem bringing a creative player and a striker on when we are 2:1 down and just 20min to go. It either works or it doesn't.

City just have strong player in every position across the pitch and then some. As someone said, one of Europes elite.

 

We definitely needed to bring fresh legs on, but to take Davies off and drop Gylfi had a negative effect on the team, also King was a strange one for me because he went into a more wide position on the left and not a higher central position, surely Bernard would have been a better option for that position.