Leicester v City post match

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Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Right. Deep breath…
First off, nobody bother calling me a happy clapper, because I’m not fucking happy, and I’m not fucking clapping. Definitely not.
Three defeats in about three weeks. That’s abysmal for a team that has any kind of title pretensions, and there’s no two ways about it. But the thing that’s really doing my head in, I’m having real difficulty putting my hand on my heart and saying that we were actually dominated in any of those three matches. Far from it. Of course, the results say we were. But in fact, at Chelsea, we played them off the park right up until the moment they scored. Even in the second half, in fact, I have it even. That’s the match I saw. Against Palace, we’re clearly dominating them, same against Leicester yesterday. That’s why we go a goal up. Our goals didn’t come out of the blue, they were the result of the sort of patient, precise work that we’ve become famous for. But literally as soon as the other side attacks, it’s a stupid fucking goal (o.k, one world-class goal by Palace, one very, very fine strike by Leicester in the mix). Walker was lousy the other day, Delph made a howling, pub side mistake in his positioning yesterday. But you play as a team. More times than people care to recognise, there was at least one player on the pitch having a poor game even last season. But it was not particularly noticed, because we were playing as a team in every sense of the word. You run for your team-mates; you pass for them; and you cover for them when they make a blunder, which they’re going to do. It’s definitional. That’s what a team is. Simply. We’re not cohering properly as a team at present. But in none of the three matches we’ve just thrown away would I allow that we were dominated, in overall play. That is not an excuse, or a justification for what’s just happened.
I’m not convinced by the Fernandinho argument. Yes, he’s a superb player. Yes, he’s very important in the way we play. Last season, we went through a long period in mid-season without David Silva, who is one of the greatest players in the world, and the best player who’s been at this club. We sailed along, winning all the way. Even without him. If anything, winning for him. One player does not make all that difference. Not in a team as good as ours.
One negative advantage of the situation now is that everything is beautifully simple: if we lose the next two matches (and nobody needs telling what the second one represents), then I honestly think it’s gone. Thirteen points? No, really, not possible. Dippers will drop points here and there, sure. But they’d have to fall off a cliff. And we’d have to win virtually every single match till the end of the season. Do we look like a team that’s going to do that, at present?
So we have to win the next two matches, just to tread water.
Oh, and yes, it’s on another thread. But for me, winning a back to back premier league title is definitely more important than winning the CL (not that that’s not important).
Oh, and one other thing. People are playing out of their skins against us. We are a scalp and and a half. It’s flattering, in a pissing-off kind of way. Chelsea play like demons against us, with Luiz running everywhere, then lose at home straight away (to Leicester). Leicester themselves have been up and down. Palace beat us at our place and draw at their own place to Cardiff! You cannot make this stuff up.
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Great post we are the champions and teams are upping there game to beat us
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
Right. Deep breath…
First off, nobody bother calling me a happy clapper, because I’m not fucking happy, and I’m not fucking clapping. Definitely not.
Three defeats in about three weeks. That’s abysmal for a team that has any kind of title pretensions, and there’s no two ways about it. But the thing that’s really doing my head in, I’m having real difficulty putting my hand on my heart and saying that we were actually dominated in any of those three matches. Far from it. Of course, the results say we were. But in fact, at Chelsea, we played them off the park right up until the moment they scored. Even in the second half, in fact, I have it even. That’s the match I saw. Against Palace, we’re clearly dominating them, same against Leicester yesterday. That’s why we go a goal up. Our goals didn’t come out of the blue, they were the result of the sort of patient, precise work that we’ve become famous for. But literally as soon as the other side attacks, it’s a stupid fucking goal (o.k, one world-class goal by Palace, one very, very fine strike by Leicester in the mix). Walker was lousy the other day, Delph made a howling, pub side mistake in his positioning yesterday. But you play as a team. More times than people care to recognise, there was at least one player on the pitch having a poor game even last season. But it was not particularly noticed, because we were playing as a team in every sense of the word. You run for your team-mates; you pass for them; and you cover for them when they make a blunder, which they’re going to do. It’s definitional. That’s what a team is. Simply. We’re not cohering properly as a team at present. But in none of the three matches we’ve just thrown away would I allow that we were dominated, in overall play. That is not an excuse, or a justification for what’s just happened.
I’m not convinced by the Fernandinho argument. Yes, he’s a superb player. Yes, he’s very important in the way we play. Last season, we went through a long period in mid-season without David Silva, who is one of the greatest players in the world, and the best player who’s been at this club. We sailed along, winning all the way. Even without him. If anything, winning for him. One player does not make all that difference. Not in a team as good as ours.
One negative advantage of the situation now is that everything is beautifully simple: if we lose the next two matches (and nobody needs telling what the second one represents), then I honestly think it’s gone. Thirteen points? No, really, not possible. Dippers will drop points here and there, sure. But they’d have to fall off a cliff. And we’d have to win virtually every single match till the end of the season. Do we look like a team that’s going to do that, at present?
So we have to win the next two matches, just to tread water.
Oh, and yes, it’s on another thread. But for me, winning a back to back premier league title is definitely more important than winning the CL (not that that’s not important).
Oh, and one other thing. People are playing out of their skins against us. We are a scalp and and a half. It’s flattering, in a pissing-off kind of way. Chelsea play like demons against us, with Luiz running everywhere, then lose at home straight away (to Leicester). Leicester themselves have been up and down. Palace beat us at our place and draw at their own place to Cardiff! You cannot make this stuff up.
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Looks like good Therapy - hope you feel better now ;-)
 
chesterbells said:
We’ve been breaching massive (and massed) defences ok, the problem seems to be a) we can’t hold on to the lead, and b) we crumble and the other team grow proportionally when we do concede, and don’t have the fortitude to bounce back - although of course we would’ve at least got a point v Palace if it wasn’t for Walkers rashness
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Against Palace and Leicester, when they sat down deep and tight I saw a lack of long shots, except KDB attempts.
 
B\connellblue said:
Ah the old teams up their game against us argument. Do they really? Palace didnt nor did leicester. That's not why we lost. How about poor team selection and poor player performances.
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The goals Leicester and Palace scored were fantastic goals. And they defended well. However I agree about team selection and City performances
 
B\connellblue said:
Ah the old teams up their game against us argument. Do they really? Palace didnt nor did leicester. That's not why we lost. How about poor team selection and poor player performances.
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I think below par player performance is the more likely reason. Looking at the the team we put out I'd struggle to suggest the defeat against Leicester was down to poor team selection. Claude Puel would probably rip your hand off to be putting those names on his team sheet.
 
Roachy said:
Cheers mate. I think you're as completely pissed off as me at the last 2 results. The CP one was diabolical for a team like ours.
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For sure I am pissed off, but I don't expect to win every game, so we dust ourselves off and see what we can do. We are a great club with fantastic owners and a great squad - we have far more to be happy at than most other PL clubs.

I think many are expecting the team pushing on again after a glorious season last year and need to lash out when it doesn't happen. If life were that simple
 
tolmie's hairdoo said:
Ah right, was at cross purposes!

They are still half chances at best for me. Not glaring misses (Jesus against Palace late on being the exception)

We have absolutely zero penetration in the box and both Leroy and Raheem are being caught more on the ball because they have zero space to run in to behind the lines, all because the build up to the 18-yard box is just so careful and measured.

Perhaps another indication we are fearful of losing the ball in transition judging by the goals we are conceding.
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Sane is virtually always caught on the ball because he has his back to goal way too often, his positioning would make all the difference, even lay a little deeper to allow a through ball and just leave defenders in his wake. He's way too predictable, very rarely if ever does Sane position himself for a through ball.
 
tolmie's hairdoo said:
I would like to see that as I do feel we are being purposely bullied by teams without Fern.

Problem is, Lyon won't be selling anyone in January.

The outlay would be worth it for Ndombele and a left-back.
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We needed a replacement for Fern in the summer and nothing has changed. I thought Mendy and Delph would be enough at LB but Mendy's injuries and erratic defending allied with a fall off in Delph's form in that role mean that getting another fit for purpose LB in should be a priority. Unfortunately, I think City will sit on their hands again. I'm a huge admirer of what the club has achieved and how, in may ways it is run, but we are just not ruthless enough (on the pitch and in the transfer market).
 
Barry Conlons wig said:
Sane is virtually always caught on the ball because he has his back to goal way too often, his positioning would make all the difference, even lay a little deeper to allow a through ball and just leave defenders in his wake. He's way too predictable, very rarely if ever does Sane position himself for a through ball.
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Interesting point. Leroy needs to get faced up to the opposition to be really dangerous and, too often, he isn't.
 
Considering the amount of possession we normally have, and the wealth of attacking players, do we created that many clear cut chances?

We dominate teams, but to me, we try and walk the ball in the back of the net or try and score the perfect goal.
 
steviemc said:
I think below par player performance is the more likely reason. Looking at the the team we put out I'd struggle to suggest the defeat against Leicester was down to poor team selection. Claude Puel would probably rip your hand off to be putting those names on his team sheet.
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Theres one player in particular I cringe when I see him starting (at this stage Id say everyone knows who). The intensity seems missing too, thats the worrying part.
 
Rammy Blue said:
We can easily still do the title, that isn’t an issue. The main problem imo is that we need to beat the dippers next Thursday and as it stands that is not going to be easy!
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So much like palace and Leicester do we assume the Southampton match is a formality
 
Rammy Blue said:
We can easily still do the title, that isn’t an issue. The main problem imo is that we need to beat the dippers next Thursday and as it stands that is not going to be easy!
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Southampton will be a far harder game, new manager, a team on a high and us with our confidence in pieces.

IF we get 3 points against Southampton, I would really fancy us doing the scousers.
 
Last season City absolutely tore into teams and I cannot forget the game at the Etihad against Spurs - according to one paper "the only team in the PL hich can out football Manchester City" - and we didn't give them a kick in the first half (apart from one each from Delle Ali and Kane on KdB). This was typical of games last season; teams were under real pressure from first minute to last and they conceded early and crumbled later. City were irresistible, pinging the ball about when in possession, David and KdB working angles and finding gaps in the inside forward channels and the team pressing in swarms when we didn't have the ball.

Since at least the start of the month we have been nothing like last season. What is even more amazing is that our CBs in the Spurs games of Dec '17 were Otamendi and Mangala! David Silva didn't even play for personal reasons of which we knew nothing then. Fabien Delph was our very effective replacement for the injured Mendy. Gundo replaced David and Bernado only came on with 5 minutes left. But the personnel seemed scarcely to matter the pressure applied was unremitting and though Spurs had 47% possession they could do nothing with it. Since the start of December we have been without KdB, David Silva and Ferna, Bernado has been off form, Sergio has been injured and Gabby low on confidence. Kyle Walker has been way off form and Fabien has had a couple of really bed matches. The result is that our press has been almost non existent and rather than pinging the ball about we have rolled it around. It all looks jaded and slow and rather leisurely. Leicester were not under pressure after we scored as we rolled the ball around midfield and in front of their back four and the result was that at the breakdown our midfield was high and long balls to the wings caught us out of defensive shape. We never won the ball back quickly like last season. The intensity had gone out of our game and for their equaliser Stones was sucked out wide, Laporte was trying to cover the middle and Delph never had his man in his sights. Leicester's winner was a great shot - but no one got out to him to put him under any pressure.

I don't know if this stems from fitness problems or fatigue, but it doesn't seem to be a problem restricted to one or two individuals but rather a malaise afflicting much of the squad. But I hope it doesn't last any longer.
 
jimmygrimblesboots said:
You must have been watching a different game from me , Aguero worked his socks off , dropped deep and tackled back , you cant fault his effort only his application i.e. taking his chances , accusing Kun of not giving a shit is nothing short of ridiculous.
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Your prolly right, I got carried away mate.
 
Barry Conlons wig said:
Sane is virtually always caught on the ball because he has his back to goal way too often, his positioning would make all the difference, even lay a little deeper to allow a through ball and just leave defenders in his wake. He's way too predictable, very rarely if ever does Sane position himself for a through ball.
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Think you may have that wrong, it depends which side Pep decides to target, usually the give away is Spanish Dave will drop left with Bernard pulling to the right to overload one side or the other.
When Gundogan plays, the ball out of defence is far slower and the opp defence compressed into their half making it easier for Sane to be picked up, without Spanish running along side he has nowhere to go but back to Delph or try and turn, (Gundogan rarely plays a ball in front of him to run onto), my answer would be play Foden in the SD role and Vinny as the DM (Thats what we bought him as).
 
Gif of that jump tackle on Danilo that led to the Leicester equaliser?
 
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