United (A) Post Match Thread

[Grassland Blue]

Might watch if its still raining. Otherwise l will take a naughty bitch into the Delamere Forest.

You know the rules...

 

[OB1]

The season is bizarre and there's everything to play for. Too many people on this forum in particular seem to view City in a vacuum. Liverpool are as inconsistent right now as we are and their injuries are decimating them. Nobody across Europe is really playing with any huge amounts of consistency.

Exactly.

If our defence is really as good now as recent figures imply, we could end the season with multiple trophies again.

Guardiola has gone back to basics in way that many might not have expected. He's changed the team shape, which now infuriates people because it makes it harder for the Golden Boy (not a dig at the player) to play as much as he might otherwise have done, and has placed a lot of emphasis on being solid.

Pep can't win with some supporters, that's clear enough, but maybe he will win enough games and points to make the whinging irrelevant.

 

[wolviedinho]

Yes good points but frustratingly I'm bored of watching us at the moment.
I thought the Pep new deal may have buoyed a lot of players up, it seems to have had the opposite effect.

Totally understandable. The team is not playing exciting football. Pep can only work with what he has. We are missing a key ingredient and it is not working. No player in the squad can currently play like Dave. Maybe foden but that is a lot to ask of him and unfair. We looked better with gundo recently. He can help fill the silva void. We need to be patient. Let’s be honest we all have watched so much worse over the years.

 

[Citizen in Pakistan]

The season is bizarre and there's everything to play for. Too many people on this forum in particular seem to view City in a vacuum. Liverpool are as inconsistent right now as we are and their injuries are decimating them. Nobody across Europe is really playing with any huge amounts of consistency.

For Liverpool to be at level with spurs after the amount of injury they had is somewhat an achievement. I certainly expected them to be 5 points of top by now but feck em, we have to focus on ourselves.

I genuinely feel we can win it this season, a good run of 4 to 5 games could put us back on track. Pep and city should stick to their natural game play, playing conservative football, wont get us any where

 

[Grassland Blue]

I think the problem we have got is we conjest the middle of the pitch
Mahrez cutting in sterling cutting in no room for the likes of kdb and foden to operate to the best of there abilities
We know sterling can play that right side when he was in tandem with sane but mahrez cannot play on the left side as a left footer, don't know why
Silva wide left and sterling wide right for me and stretch the other side more room then for kdb or foden
And I think them crosses from somewhere near the byline either side will benefit Jesus instead of them in swinging crosses that just drift out

Kyle adds to the crowding in midfield sometimes too.

 

[Grassland Blue]

Last week on talk shite, they were talking about stiling winning the Balon" Dor ( excuse the spelling ) I kidd you not, I think they meant , a "A NEW FRONT DOOR " He is the most over rated player I have seen at city in 65 years of watching , the only real asset he has is his speed, once that has gone, he"s finished, he needs at least 6 or 7 chances to score, its no wonder that none of the big teams , have had a go at trying to buy him

You definitely misheard.
However it was "Barn door", not "ballon d'or"!

 

[Grassland Blue]

This conversation wouldn’t be happening if we converted a higher proportion of our chances, and for that our current front 3 are to blame. We must squander more one on one opportunities that any other team in the league

We do squander a fair few chances, certainly, but Sergio has been guilty of that too.
My issue is with Gabby. He has had, I think, 3 goals chalked off this season, which must have affected him somewhat.
Q. How have these disallowed 'goals' affected our team scoring stats and league position?

 

[Grassland Blue]

He totally has deserved it and I was delighted he got a new contract, but yesterday was so disappointing.

Not the result but how we completely abandoned our philosophy of play to control a match against a side with a terrible home record. Yes, it’s true they are good on the counter attack but that never seemed to bother a club of modest resources like Leipzig in midweek, yet for all our investment we are having to modify our method of play.

It is not City or Pep and just highlights there must be some serious structural failings in the side if Pep feels it necessary to play that way. Anyway no doubt we will be back to front foot football against West Brom and Sterling and Mahrez will display there talents, when the gulf in class is overwhelming.

Much of what you say I agree with.
However, we were up against the rags, in the nest of vipers, who have every trick in the book and more, to use against any opposition.
Coupled with perceived favouritism from match officials and higher than that, was it so bad that Pep excercised caution?
We could be 4 points behind them (an inferior team) today if we had gone gung ho.
As an aside, if their cry baby penalty had been allowed, I believe that we would have smashed them as there was plenty of time left in the game and our adrenalin would have been pumping at the injustice.

 

[Blu1]

If we had a serious striker playing we would of won against the rags & most other teams this season. We are missing big chances game after game. Aguero will be injured again at some point this season so we need a striker in January even if on loan.

 

[Grassland Blue]

to be fair even back in the day we had players who didnt give a shit
eddie mcgoldrick for example

TBF, some of them were just not very good...

 

[Grassland Blue]

Is it just me, but all the pundits on sky, bt. MOTD, and the vast majority of written media, all to a man, slaughtered us, wrote us off for the title, but said United's performance was excusable!

Much as i hate to say this, they were above us in the league, by one point (god knows how), and they were the home team, although i acknowledge that is toned down by lack of fans. So how is a point away at a team above us, unacceptable, whereas their's was ok?

Notwithstanding, we had far the better chances, and certainly could, if not should have won.

A couple of iffy pens has helped the rags to their false position.
WBA springs to mind.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Exactly.

If our defence is really as good now as recent figures imply, we could end the season with multiple trophies again.

Guardiola has gone back to basics in way that many might not have expected. He's changed the team shape, which now infuriates people because it makes it harder for the Golden Boy (not a dig at the player) to play as much as he might otherwise have done, and has placed a lot of emphasis on being solid.

Pep can't win with some supporters, that's clear enough, but maybe he will win enough games and points to make the whinging irrelevant.

It’s a high risk strategy. Dull football and trophies tends to be ok with most. Dull football and no trophies and it doesn’t.

 

[LucahArchie10]

We have but the side that's playing now is stronger than the side that started the season. Remember we started the season with 1 week in pre-season.

Momentum is with CIty.

Only if we start scoring in the big games

The longer Aguero is out the less chance of winning the League

Gabby, Sterling, Mahrez & Torres aint prolific enough to get us to the top

I hope father Christmas brings us goals & early

 

[Bluesince1979]

Is it just me, but all the pundits on sky, bt. MOTD, and the vast majority of written media, all to a man, slaughtered us, wrote us off for the title, but said United's performance was excusable!

Much as i hate to say this, they were above us in the league, by one point (god knows how), and they were the home team, although i acknowledge that is toned down by lack of fans. So how is a point away at a team above us, unacceptable, whereas their's was ok?

Notwithstanding, we had far the better chances, and certainly could, if not should have won.

They are correct. It was down to us to take the game to them. They are wank.
We never looked like losing. They never looked like winning. We should have gone for them.
But ... i fear the personel isnt there for us

 

[Bluesince1979]

Only if we start scoring in the big games

The longer Aguero is out the less chance of winning the League

Gabby, Sterling, Mahrez & Torres aint prolific enough to get us to the top

I hope father Christmas brings us goals & early

We need to forget Serg. Weve lost the player of 2/3 years ago. Hes not going anywhere yet but if anyone thinks hes going to bag us 20 goals this season... i doubt that. Here hoping

 

[pirate]

TBF, some of them were just not very good...

I didn t mind the ones who were not very good, as long as they put a shift in.

McGoldrick was both crap and lazy

 

[@BluePhil8]

We need to forget Serg. Weve lost the player of 2/3 years ago. Hes not going anywhere yet but if anyone thinks hes going to bag us 20 goals this season... i doubt that. Here hoping

I’ll see you in May

 

[ChicagoBlue]

But this isn't a normal season is it?

You''re conveniently taking the context and background away from these results and also ignoring what's happened to rival sides. Collectively we had zero preparation for those opening weeks and hence some ctazy results and we weren't alone. We're not in scintillating form but we're looking better than the side that started the season and our defence looks very strong. Cancelo looks a top class full-back, Stones has recovered and Dias has brought authority to the defence. We still have some outstanding creative players too.

The team is human playing in extraordinary times and the trend is one of improvement.

If you call the game we played against United “one of improvement,” then there is nothing more I can say. Indeed, “improvement” is a word that can be used when we were wallowing in 13th place a week or two ago, but then other teams who played deep into the last season seem to be defending, scoring and winning.

Take off the blue-tinted specs and see that even bit part players, who couldn’t possibly be fatigued from on field exploits, are looking ordinary and lost in a system that has become plodding for long stretches of games.

We are brilliant at controlling the ball around the half way line, and I’ll even grant you will dominate most teams back to their own 30 yard line. From there, we lack creativity, ingenuity, and nous. We seem to require the perfect pass, on a plate, in stride, on the preferred foot of a player to even get a shot off!

I don’t have the stat, but we must be mikes ahead in the “ball possession in the opposing penalty area without a shot on goal or actual goal” stakes.

Today, I’d take the old “1-0 to the Arsenal” moan at City, because we seem to be stuck in a rut and dropping 2 points with all these draws is killing us! Id even take the “Boring, boring” for a few games IF it meant getting some 3 pointers under our belt!

Peseems devoid of any original ideas and seems intent on merely drilling “the system” into the new players while expecting the seasoned ones to simply execute it better.

When we are on our game, we are unbeatable. Those days seem much fewer and further in between at present, and it needs to change over the holiday fixtures.

We can probably have a better run than a handful of teams above us, but the more teams above you, the harder it gets! Having a better run than SIX of them would still only put us 4th!

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Imagine that Liverpool fans were told before the season that they were going to lose 7:2 from fucking Villa. It's a strange season. I'd accept to be 3 pts off the top come March even if that would mean being 5th in the table. Personally, I expect several teams to be within 3-5 pts in March and one of the top 3 teams, maybe even the leaders, to miss out on a CL spot (maybe Liverpool!). Crazy season with crazy results and probably a crazy finish where the 4th or 5th team in March wins the title in May.

I hope you have money on that prognostication!

Yes, there will always be surprise results (2-5 Leicester!), but they’re called surprises because they’re so clearly an aberration.

How deep into the season do you go before an aberration becomes a “shit season” or “playing badly” or “lacking invention”???

If we are 5th in March, City fans will be shutting a brick, no matter we might only be 3-5 points from being Champions!

Statistics simply do not work well with every additional result you need to go your way and against an additional opponent.

 

[ZanteWeatherman]

We do squander a fair few chances, certainly, but Sergio has been guilty of that too.
My issue is with Gabby. He has had, I think, 3 goals chalked off this season, which must have affected him somewhat.
Q. How have these disallowed 'goals' affected our team scoring stats and league position?

Not saying that Gabby is offside much, although his hammock between the posts tends to give the game away