Lyon CL QF Post-Match Thread

[Dazzle84]

The way we panicked and kicked everything away in the first 20mins set the tone. Pep set the tone for that panic with the selection.

We'll be nowhere near again next season - the squad is miles off

 

[give it to gordon]

The way we panicked and kicked everything away in the first 20mins set the tone. Pep set the tone for that panic with the selection.

We'll be nowhere near again next season - the squad is miles off

that first 20 minutes was very unCity like as you say just booting it away to no where. We looked so scared of the ball.

 

[Jamiblue]

I just remembered that David was great when he came on. For him to only get 8 minutes in his now last game for us... Criminal decision by Pep.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Tonight has pissed me off so much I am watching Young Frankenstein and its not even raising a smile - for now Pep has cancelled Mel Brooks for me....................

That's where you went wrong. I watched the Priducers instead and the "Springtime for Hitler" dance number always lifts the black dog

 

[purplenose]

Might have seemed rushed to you perhaps but it was pretty obvious to everyone else he was going. The club had plenty of time to prepare and they chose not replace him.

This for me was a sign all might not be well for this season. Not only were we loosing Vinny as a player but his presence was clearly a big part of the success we have enjoyed. Not easy to replace his presence but we should have moved heaven and earth to replace the player. Not doing so was too bigger risk and once Laporte got injured it was exposed badly. Poor management from top too bottom that I am afraid.

 

[SidJames]

Sick of reading how this was our best chance to win the “coveted” CL. In fact it is the hardest attempt ever. We would have had to have beaten the winners of the 3 main European leagues (Spanish - which we did; followed by German & probably French - assuming PSG get through to final) in almost consecutive one-off matches. No second chances in the home leg etc. The draw was not kind - not to mention VAR in the Laporte incident.

Strange set of circumstances after winning the CAS case. Not saying it’s a conspiracy but I’d like to have examined the draw when it was made & ask VAR why foul in build up to goal was ignored.
However, my point is, despite the media bullshit - we’ve had easier routes in the past. This year was definitely not our best chance.

I personally felt last year was our year.

We were robbed by corrupt VAR officials of what should have been ours.

Still it dosent excuse that shit show last night.

What happened to Pep" I will will never change the way i play mentality".The naivety that has cost us so dearly in away Legs of Champions League games at Liverpool,Monaco,in the past.

If ever a game where attack really was our best form of defense. Last night was it.

The only way i saw them winning last night even before the Team sheet was read our.

was by us setting up in one of Pep brain fart Alien formations causing even more calamitous defending than usual for them to benefit from.So we go and do just that.

We dont need any in depth analysis of where it all went wrong.

All we had to do was play to our own attacking strengths.Knowing full well we would likely make a mistake, or two,as we usually do these days.But would have too much for them over 90 minutes..

 

[jimharri]

We needed a bit of that early on last night. Put down a marker early doors. Let them know we were up for the challenge.

 

[alexmcity]

Pep's at a crossroads now.

Is he aging and going down the Mourinho route or rather learning from his mistakes and improving further as a manager?

The pace and physicality of the game are growing with every season and Pep's philosophy might need a substantial upgrade now with giving pace and energy a more central role. The games against Real indicated that Pep understood those needs quite well but the performances against Arsenal and Lyon felt like huge setbacks.

 

[Grassland Blue]

I love analyzing players and tactics, but I can’t blame a single player anymore. This is one hundred percent on Pep.
No Koulibaly, Aké or Torres will help us next year.

Pep need to seriously rethink his tactics. There’s a reason he hasn’t won the Champions League since 2012.

I don’t know what to think. I’m completely speechless.

A week ago, I thought Pep extending until 2025 would be the best signing of the summer. Now, I don’t know what to think anymore. Pep got 300m to get his defence in order and he failed.

Games are won in midfield and we were light in that area due to starting with 5 at the back.
De Bruyne was trying to do 2 jobs it seemed to me.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Yes, Pep's best move now would be to take responsibility for the tactics. This would help him also with the players and the fans. Tactics was bad enough but the changes weren't fast and radical enough. Why keep both Foden and Bernardo on the bench when we don't look particularly energetic on the pitch? Why wait 80 minutes to sub one from Rodri and Gundy? Not only tactics was bad, but subs were bad too. We used too little Foden and Bernardo this season and relied too much on Gundy and Dave. Pep seems to value experience a bit too much, at the expense of energy and pace. A recurrent problem throughout the season.

Subs are NEVER Pep's strong suite. I laugh at any City supporter who claims they are and file them under "delusional".

 

[hampshireblue]

Whatever we think about team selection, at 1-1 VAR had a major impact on the game. How an "offside" player allowing the ball to go through his legs and then subsequently score is totally beyond me. UEFA only needed one opportunity to make sure we didn't progress and they got it. I'm not denying we weren't good but there's plenty on here who should look at themselves and their comments.

 

[simon23]

The goals we concede are comical. No other teams concede as many easy goals as us. I bet we are near the top of goals conceded from chances created table. The amount of possession we have we shouldn’t be conceding many goals, yet we ship comical schoolboy goals game after game. One ball over the top, Goal.

Unfortunately its part of the way Pep plays and its always going to be that way...its a sacrifice and a weakness of the system.

He needs defenders who are all great in one vs one, quick, good tacklers - but also requires them to bevery good on the ball as well -these are extremely hard to find.

 

[give it to gordon]

Foden possibly our best player since restart on the bench
Bernie was born down the road would have wanted to show his friends and family a good game on the bench
Silva on the bench
Marhez on the bench

i bet Lyon thought it was christmas when they saw that bench !

 

[bondsman]

We needed a bit of that early on last night. Put down a marker early doors. Let them know we were up for the challenge.

We don’t have that in this squad. No bite

 

[BlueAnorak]

Looking back on the game - Pep probably used the right formation but the wrong players and match tactics.
Ferm/Rodri shoukd hace been in the centre.
Walker should have been the RCH with Bernardo in front. But worst of all was playing Gundogan instead of Foden.
As to tactics - that formation only works if you regularly slot the ball diwn the channels (as per Lyon). We haven't done so for one and a half seasons so it was doomed from the start.

 

[simon23]

Fair points but I think it's mainly Pep coming in for all the flak with some suggesting his time is up. Can't go along with that.

No absolutely I agree - Pep deserves some flak but so do certain players. SOme players have a little more leeway as far as Im concerned as they have "money in the bank with generally very good performances 99% of the time (Sterling being one). But the likes of Gundogan (for me at least) is one of the real issues in our team in these bigger games. Walker Im perplexed about - 100% he gives no less every game and will run through walls for you but has brain farts all the time and cant hold a simple line. Laporte for me hasnt been where he should be since the restart either.

 

[CC1]

I personally felt last year was our year.

We were robbed by corrupt VAR officials of what should have been ours.

Still it dosent excuse that shit show last night.

What happened to Pep" I will will never change the way i play mentality".The naivety that has cost us so dearly in away Legs of Champions League games at Liverpool,Monaco,in the past.

If ever a game where attack really was our best form of defense. Last night was it.

The only way i saw them winning last night even before the Team sheet was read our.

was by us setting up in one of Pep brain fart Alien formations causing even more calamitous defending than usual for them to benefit from.So we go and do just that.

We dont need any in depth analysis of where it all went wrong.

All we had to do was play to our own attacking strengths.Knowing full well we would likely make a mistake, or two,as we usually do these days.But would have too much for them over 90 minutes..

Spot on. It was a mistake to not play our usual game. However, it didn’t work against lesser teams in the league this year when opposition has played a very defensive game & hit us on the break. We’d never beaten Lyon - who play that way. Probably Pep was hoping to cut out the breakaway goal. It didn’t work.

not happy with the team selection but if he had gone full out attack & we'd had been caught out on the break as we had many times in the league this year - Pep would have been pilloried anyway for not adapting his team!!

We should have scored 2 & one of theirs should have been ruled out.

However we did not use our squad effectively

 

[Blu3m00n91]

We have too many players who drop their arse in a big game. De Bruyne/Kun only two who don’t for me. Laporte again last night. Had a nightmare and it’s cost us yet again in the CL

 

[lionheart]

If he knows his central defenders are slow, which he has admitted, then why not play Walker there alongside Laporte with Cancelo at right back and Mendy at left back? That simple switch should have been made once Fernandinho got booked and was subsequently walking on egg shells. Foden and Bernardo should have been brought on too. Such a woeful use of the five substitutes rule. Pep was using the game as a rehearsal for the Bayern tie, which would probably have been a hammering anyway. Come on Seville and Jesus Navas, one of my favourite City players and now their captain.

 

[Gray]

Sterling also needs his arse kicking for that miss.

Never been a natural finisher and often thinks too much about what to do. We need somebody to replace Aguero who just instinctively knows what to do - Harry Kane would be my choice.