Paris Saint-Germain (A) - CL SF | Post-Match Thread

BillyShears said:
I think he needs to get a new schtick.

Anyway fucking unbelievable performance last night. This team have got balls of steel and the defenders won't get the credit this deserve. If you look at the teams who have created almost nothing against us this season that's a testament to their work. Especially considering how high the defensive line is with play with.

Dias was my MOTM but I'd be tempted to give it Zin for that 20 minute cameo.
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still need Fat Sam to sort our defence out though lol
 
Ric said:
I think there have probably been better all-round performances for 90 minutes (e.g. the 2-1 against Liverpool) but given the magnitude of the occasion, last night was right up there.
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Agreed. Both different types of games. I enjoyed us in the first half too we played a really good away European performance in the first half trying to contain them, Yes the goal was obviously disappointing but have to look at the bigger picture, We done a number on them overall.

Buzzing.

Still don't want Tuesday to come top quick don't think my heart is ready for it yet :)
 
I thought Kyle Walker was excellent last night. A few times he burst forward on the overlap which allowed Mahrez to cut inside but defensively was one of his best performances, he stopped Mbappe countering and actually outpaced him. At the start of the year Cancelos performances were keeping him out the team and it looked like his days as 1st choice right back were coming to an end but last night he showed his importance to this team, he put a similar performance in last season in the home leg vs Real Madrid. Need to be just as good in the 2nd leg.
 
mccity said:
As far as 45 minutes go it's just below our absolute best, such as Arsenal away in 17/18 and last season, Chelsea at home in 18/19, or United in the cup away last season for example. But it was damn good nonetheless.
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I still think we took the right approach in the first half, European knockouts are always a case of who blinks first, We basically seen what they had to offer for 45 minutes and I thought we contained them incredibly well.
Second half speaks for itself it was an incredible display.
All those games you've named, Last night is certainly up there with them.
 
BedsBlue68 said:
Exactly What i was thinking - that "not creating chances" method of playing has got us to a league cup win, Possible champions league final and probably premier league win

Sam as i keep hearing about false nine not working - we it bloody has so far this season!
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It’s becoming reminiscent of Pep’s first year when every clueless pundit would chime in about how we can’t play out from the keeper in the PL blah blah. Trust in Pep...
 
Marvin said:
Our side played more or less to its maximum in the 2nd half but we didn't create many opportunities through open play. It was the same against Spurs in the League Cup FInal. The same against Chelsea in the semi-final. This is a trait of City this season. In previous seasons we scored around 100 league goals a season. We're down significantly on that his season. I'd be happier still if this City win didn't owe a little bit to the footballing Gods.
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Such a weird guy.
 
I thought what Pep said after the game was telling. He said that PSG will have learnt about us now with the implication being we need to be on our toes for the second leg as they'll pose different problems that we'll need to deal with. But he implied that the players learnt a lot about themselves and that they need to draw on this for the return leg.

Interesting psychological observations and I think Pep regards the latter as crucial. This could be the tipping point for this team (it certainly feels like it).
 
What a turnaround!

The tie is by no means over, but that is one hell of a result to bring back to the Etihad. They will have to go all out against Lens on Saturday so hopefully, they'll be a bit leggy on Tuesday. Gueye is their best defensive midfielder and will be a huge miss.

I really think City have stepped up a gear this year. Our solidity at the back is unrivalled.
 
Up the blues. Pep masterclass. It was soo fucking good the PSG players lost their heads. We passed and squeezed them into submission. Fantastic performance and huge character test to come back from a very dangerous PSG attack.

Outstanding team performance; special mention to walker,John and Dias.
 
daztrueblue91 said:
De Bruyne, Bernardo, Dias, Rodri, Gundogan and Walker should be nowhere near the Palace game.
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We should be playing Steffen, Laporte, Ake, Mendy, Garcia, Fenandinho, Zinchenko, Sterling, Jesus, Aguero, and Torres. There's enough quality in that side to give a good game, and if we get beat so be it.
 
There’s no doubt Pep has sacrificed all out attack for a more rounded team defensively. We are creating less chances but you can’t argue with the results. Who the fuck wants ties like Monaco every season, you can’t win the CL playing like that.

Interestingly though there is a case for playing with a forward next week. We are likely to have more space and create cleaner chances if they’re forced to come for us.
 
If we score first next week, I think the match is done, PSG looked mentally week when we equalised they crumbled,lost composure started being rash in midfield.
 
Rascal said:
At the highest level, the difference between the teams is wafer thin, so you need a little bit of lady luck on your side. Fine margins win games, fine margins lose games, we know this from our defeats to Spurs and Liverpool. Its good to see fortune favour us in the CL.

Football is not all about threat, our game is about domination. It is an old adage, the opponents cannot score if you have the ball, so the best way to defend against Mbappe and Neymar is to not let them have the ball. Our team is designed to keep the ball and we do it very well. To say nothing comes from possession misses the point, if you are playing with the ball, the ball is moving and the opponents move according to where the ball is. You can stay virtually static and whilst the opponents are constantly moving, readjusting and looking for potential runners. That takes immense concentration and saps energy. You drain the opponents of energy and they make a mistake, hence Laporte scoring from a set piece, because Spurs had been literally passed to death

Concentration, they relaxed, they were no longer looking for runners, readjusting. All the build up play and constant passing increases pressure. That pressure takes its toll, they switch off and concede. Small margins.

You always need fortune on your side in sport. How often do you get unlucky winner's. Another old adage, the more I practice, the luckier I get.

Yet that threat scored once, whilst we dominated the second half. If we played a centre forward would we have dominated midfield. If we don't dominate midfield, a centre forward ends up a peripheral luxury. It becomes 10 v 11

Foden is on the way to scoring 20 goals this season, Gundogan has scored how many? Kev and Mahrez always carry a goal threat. Raz scores plenty.

We have enough threat already to have won a Cup, been in the Semi of another, have a good chance of being in the final of the CL and barring a collapse of epic proportions should be English Champions. How much more threat do we need.

The result indicates otherwise.

Ederson had more touches than Mbappe. Neymar was reduced to petulance.

In 270 minutes of football against Haaland, Mbappe and Neymar, three of the best strikers in the world, how many have they scored? Less than our Phil.
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I can't believe somebody had to say that to a fellow City fan, the mind boggles.
 
Gumzy97 said:
Foden at false 9 not on the left changed it in my opinion as well. Pep moved him more central in the second half and he was brilliant reminded me of a Certain Argentine sometimes.
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It was a great decision by Pep. He abandoned the left wing. The formation we ended with was something like

-------------Stones----Dias-------------
Walker----Rodri--Gundogan-----Zinchenko
------------------------------KDB---------
Mahrez---Silva--Foden---------------

I've never seen anything like it- our paradigm on formations has well and truly shifted.
 
The red card means that rat herrera will probably start next week. Absolutely hate him. Typical rag player. Won a couple of soft freekicks at the end of the game yesterday and expect him to try that all game next week
 
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