Our Kev was so good that I even noticed stoke fans applauding him when he went off.
3-2 flattered them, but I didn't once think these are terrible. We just played great quick passing football and pressed them when we lost it. I was like watching barcelona at their best when they were at their most dangerous when they lose the ball upfield. Opposition try an break, we press, get the ball back upfield and their defenders are out of position and we kill them. I can't say Stoke stood off and did not compete. There were some pretty heavy challenges, and that farcical pull back on Sane where he nearly lost his shortsTbf, Stoke were absolute garbage. The amount of time on the ball and space they allowed us was criminal. But we were awesome and 7-2 was extremely flattering for them
+1Something that I think needs saying, in all the understandable excitement. Yes, people are getting hugely excited about Kev, and that’s only right (by the way, if he keeps up this level till the Christmas period, is he a possible for the Ballon d’Or? Doubtful, I think — you have to have won trophies, virtually always, and preferably the CL — but there’s an outside chance, and if it’s not this year, it’ll come, I believe…)
David Silva is going under the radar, but I see him playing with a joy and freedom that I haven’t seen since the 2013-14 season. I think what happened was approximately this. I’ve said before, our midfield was unreal that year. Yaya, Nasri and Merlin had this triangular thing going in midfield. They would just keep the ball between them, moving it up the field As they went,and then one or other of them would release that killer pass to Sergio, or Edin — or they would take a pop themselves, on seeing the whites of the keeper’s eyes – and that would be that.
What some of us didn’t realise at the time (I certainly didn’t) was that that was Yaya’s swansong. He had a final fireworks party that year, capped by a goal against Villa that I will remember to the end of my days, or the onset of Alzheimer’s, but although he may do useful things for us, he’s not going to get back up to that level, or near it, again. Also, Nasri, who is a greatly gifted footballer, just started to adopt a I couldn’t give much of a fuck attitude that, in the end, has done his career in. For the following two seasons, David was carrying much of the creative weight in midfield on his own. It was just too much.
With the guys he’s got round him now, he can just play his game, with carrying that crushing responsibity. And he is a player who truly loves to play with others. If there’s anything wrong with him, it is that he doesn’t have enough of an ego. But he just loves to seek out that player who’s in a better position than him (and sometimes, a player who is in fact in a worse one). Look at the joy he’s expressing in playing with Leroy. Ther’s something like man love going on there. And Kev takes the weight and responsibility beside him, and they know exactly how to share it out. Truly, it is something like a second wind for him, and I’m loving watching it. Just wanted to say that.
3-2 flattered them, but I didn't once think these are terrible. We just played great quick passing football and pressed them when we lost it. I was like watching barcelona at their best when they were at their most dangerous when they lose the ball upfield. Opposition try an break, we press, get the ball back upfield and their defenders are out of position and we kill them. I can't say Stoke stood off and did not compete. There were some pretty heavy challenges, and that farcical pull back on Sane where he nearly lost his shorts
When you can throw on subs like Gudonghan, Bernardo and Yaya and Aguero didn't even have to unzip his jacket it shows what power we have got. That must be demoralising for the opposition and it's going to get even worse if Sanchez rocks up in January.
But it's the relative size and importance of the game that makes the most impact. As well as how close it is at the end
Something that I think needs saying, in all the understandable excitement. Yes, people are getting hugely excited about Kev, and that’s only right (by the way, if he keeps up this level till the Christmas period, is he a possible for the Ballon d’Or? Doubtful, I think — you have to have won trophies, virtually always, and preferably the CL — but there’s an outside chance, and if it’s not this year, it’ll come, I believe…)
David Silva is going under the radar, but I see him playing with a joy and freedom that I haven’t seen since the 2013-14 season. I think what happened was approximately this. I’ve said before, our midfield was unreal that year. Yaya, Nasri and Merlin had this triangular thing going in midfield. They would just keep the ball between them, moving it up the field As they went,and then one or other of them would release that killer pass to Sergio, or Edin — or they would take a pop themselves, on seeing the whites of the keeper’s eyes – and that would be that.
What some of us didn’t realise at the time (I certainly didn’t) was that that was Yaya’s swansong. He had a final fireworks party that year, capped by a goal against Villa that I will remember to the end of my days, or the onset of Alzheimer’s, but although he may do useful things for us, he’s not going to get back up to that level, or near it, again. Also, Nasri, who is a greatly gifted footballer, just started to adopt a I couldn’t give much of a fuck attitude that, in the end, has done his career in. For the following two seasons, David was carrying much of the creative weight in midfield on his own. It was just too much.
With the guys he’s got round him now, he can just play his game, with carrying that crushing responsibity. And he is a player who truly loves to play with others. If there’s anything wrong with him, it is that he doesn’t have enough of an ego. But he just loves to seek out that player who’s in a better position than him (and sometimes, a player who is in fact in a worse one). Look at the joy he’s expressing in playing with Leroy. Ther’s something like man love going on there. And Kev takes the weight and responsibility beside him, and they know exactly how to share it out. Truly, it is something like a second wind for him, and I’m loving watching it. Just wanted to say that.