FC Basel V Manchester City - Post-Match Thread

prestonibbo_mcfc said:
He said he couldn't understand it. How Utd had lost to them, yet we were ripping them to pieces.
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For once I think it's a fair point, they didn't strike me as the sort of team capable of holding their shape and being hard to break down. I could see how they'd nick a goal on the counter, but they were a bag of nerves at the back and the set piece defending for the first goal was pretty awful. I know they sold their best and their other best CB was injured, but even still they didn't look like a side really set out to nick a 1-0
 
BigOscar said:
For once I think it's a fair point, they didn't strike me as the sort of team capable of holding their shape and being hard to break down. I could see how they'd nick a goal on the counter, but they were a bag of nerves at the back and the set piece defending for the first goal was pretty awful. I know they sold their best and their other best CB was injured, but even still they didn't look like a side really set out to nick a 1-0
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I think they took up the more recent school of thought that the best way to play us is to attack us from within a defensive shape (in this case a 5-2-2-1 at the start), rather than parking the bus.

There were infrequent instances where it worked, of course, but for the most part it just allowed us to bypass their midfield and run the inside-out channels of their out-of-position wingbacks, leaving them open to quite a few counters (several that we wasted but several we put away in fine fashion).

They were damned if they did, damned if they didn’t, really. And, as you said, losing their best defencive pairing didn’t help.
 
Where would be be without a dose of unadulterated negativity?! Even our two wins against Napoli were not allowed to be triumphs - Napoli would have got a draw at the Etihad had they not missed a penalty! And they could have had the game won in the first twenty minutes (?!) in Naples. Last night, we were "sloppy at the back" and "could easily have been one or even two down" in the first 15 minutes! We'll "be found out" against a better team. This is the pessimistic and negative nonsense to which City alone are treated: Spurs played very well last night but no one has tried to burst their balloon by arguing that "on another night" a better penalty from Higuain would have left them 3-1 down at the break and dead and buried. Had Juve taken some of the great chances they created... But for City everything must go wrong while everything must go right for our opponents!

In fact, we scored three times in the first 21 minutes and did not concede. We strolled through the rest of the game for obvious reasons. Had Basle scored or been awarded a penalty I suspect we would have shown much greater urgency - as would have been the case against a "better" opponent. Basel actually escaped lightly with 4-0. Last night the obvious was the case - we beat the opponent we played, and convincingly. Against a "better" opponent I suspect we would not have fielded a back four of which one was playing for the first time in a month and another who has played relatively little in two and a half years! I doubt Leroy or David (who has also played little recently) would have been eased back in. You cannot change a few key moments/decisions etc in a game and expect everything else to stay the same.
 
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FFS
People seem to have overlooked that it was the biggest away win by ANY British team in Europe in CL history.

I for one fucking well enjoyed it.

Any critics can piss off!!
 
Nothing wrong with saying the quality of the opposition will be significantly better in the QF - assuming Manure get knocked out. Personally, I like the idea of us being dangerous underdogs - underdogs with the best midfield trio in Europe. If we end up playing PSG, Madrid, Barca, Bayern, it'll bring the best out of us, as we won't have monstrous possession. It'll force us to be more disciplined. Sergio has a colossal Ch League record. No-one will want to play us.
 
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