Chelsea (H) | Post-Match Thread

[Bill]

The only manager to have ever won a domestic treble and score 100 points in a single season doesn't "get" English football because we've lost a couple of derbies and lost a couple of semi finals. Some of our fans... what can you even say.

lose a semi, lose a Derby ,god knows i've seen a fair few Derby defeats ,but don't throw them for goodness sake.

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

Bill wants us to play 442 and start the same players every week.
The English way.

Any excuse to relive this gem from Pep's first season.

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

lose a semi, lose a Derby ,god knows i've seen a fair few Derby defeats ,but don't throw them for goodness sake.

Serious question - do you think Derbies are more important than titles?

 

[Dribble]

I’d imagine that many of the players were knackered and it’s not worth risking any muscle injuries at this point in the season with a CL final secured and the league close to being finished. It’s been a long season with barely any breaks. Pep would also have wanted to keep moral high amongst the squad with those who will have been disappointed not to play a part or a big part on Tuesday.

Like I say, it’ll mean absolutely nothing if we win the final and you’ll wonder what you were so bothered about. It’s a waste of energy being this wound up about it when the bigger picture is nothing but pure glory and the greatest you will ever see.

Did Pep tell you all of this? The crazy thing is many fans (me included) feared Pep would do what he did on Saturday. He'a pissed off that we didn't win, & so am I.

We play 3 matches a week. Those who played on Saturday had four days to rest & recuperate from Tuesday. All I'm saying is we should have done our best to secure the title, then we could have rested & rotated all we liked.

Chelsea had a day less to prepare, & only made four changes & kept to the same system. We had a day extra, made NINE CHANGES & played a frankly weird formation. They won, we lost. I'm sorry, but imo Pep got it wrong on Saturday.

 

[Bill]

Serious question - do you think Derbies are more important than titles?

anything wrong with wanting both. ?

 

[Dribble]

I agree with you, we should have played some of the guys from the PSG game and wrapped up the league. But Pep always says he trusts his players, looks like some of them are failing him as that that was good enough to beat the players Chelsea put out.

There was clearly some work done tactically to combat what Chelsea bring to the table, Aguero scores his Pen and the games over IMO.

Very true. However, Chelsea had a day less to prepare, & made 4 changes to the team which faced Real. I'm still flumoxed as to why we made NINE CHANGES, & came with a frankly weird formation.

Up to a point, it almost worked but I personally don't think it was a chance worth taking as turned out to be the case.

 

[Dribble]

Right, because those of us with businesses never look at the bigger picture and plan the foundation of business. However, we in business can rarely afford to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Looking long term & at the bigger picture is the foundation of business. However, so is not looking a gift horse in the mouth. When chances come along, we tend to grab them.

In my humble opinion, we took an unnecessary risk on Saturday, & got what I thought we'd get when I saw the line ups & formations.

 

[PragueBlue]

Very true. However, Chelsea had a day less to prepare, & made 4 changes to the team which faced Real. I'm still flumoxed as to why we made NINE CHANGES, & came with a frankly weird formation.

Up to a point, it almost worked but I personally don't think it was a chance worth taking as turned out to be the case.

And what if we'd gone with our first 11 and still lost?

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

anything wrong with wanting both. ?

No, but there is something wrong with throwing your toys out of the pram and saying our greatest ever manager doesn't understand English football, just because we rotate and lose sometimes.

 

[blueparrot]

Looking long term & at the bigger picture is the foundation of business. However, so is not looking a gift horse in the mouth. When chances come along, we tend to grab them.

In my humble opinion, we took an unnecessary risk on Saturday, & got what I thought we'd get when I saw the line ups & formations.

There was no risk, we’ll still win the league. We don’t have the sports science information Pep has, we don’t know how much it would have been a risk to those players to play 4 days after PSG.
We will win the league this week those players will have a good 10 days to recover and stay fresh for the final thats the perfect scenario. The bigger risk was a hamstring pinging and 1 or more player missing the final a risk there was no need to take so we didn’t.

 

[chedinho]

This is why I suggested a mix & match, similar to what Chelsea did. I don't subscribe to this 'keeping our cards close to our chest' narrative. I think we all know to within 2 players who will be in the CL final starting 11.

The only positions I see up for debate are Rodri/Fernandinho & Zinchenko/Cancelo. Barring injury, or a seriously dramatic rise or fall in form, the rest pick themselves.

Personally, I would have erred on the side of caution on Saturday, & ticked off another mission as complete. I understand Pep's motives for doing what he did, & to be fair we almost pulled it off, because imo, we handed Chelsea that match, rather than them grasping it & trotting out the valiant victors.

As for the players selected on Saturday, the probable CL Final line up has formed itself after a long, hard, gruelling season. Only 11 can start, so those on the bench can't really complain if someone who has out-performed them over a season, is selected ahead of them for the final.

We're close to the end of the season, & our players minds will soon be turning to the Euros. They'll have the summer to digest this weirdest of seasons, & how to approach season 2021-2022. If anyone decides to spit their dummy out, Manchester City Football Club, isn't the place for them. Pep's words, & my sentiments too.

I was hoping for mix and match. A team that could control the game and win.

There was a lot going on in that game. “The cards close to our chest” narrative could be a factor.
Of course, they can and they will watch our games and dissect them. But it is another to have experience so close to the final itself. And have video of that game.
One thing I hate btw. As at the very least it spoils one of the games as a spectacle.

I do think giving a big game to the squad players has its benefits. Giving them meaningless game time screams mistrust.

My overall thoughts. There are a lot of reasons for the changes.
And I would have done what you would have done and gone mix and match.

 

[trotsky]

Where were you in the late 70's and all the 80's and the last couple of years , i was there , health has got in the way inbetween

Ouch! Yeah, I’m a bit of a part timer. Born in Groton but my Dad only got my first season ticket in the Platt Lane in 74/75 - hardly went in the 9 years before that. Since then been to most homes and many aways , had to miss a few due to 17 years in the RAF, but made sure when i left that me and my lad carried on a long family tradition of going together. So a rough guess would be just over 1,000 games if it was to be added to my profile.
My previous comment was not aimed at anyone in particular, but a general point on how good it would be to know the background of supporter’s point of view. You do seem very touchy; I obviously hit a nerve - so I apologise for any distress caused but my comments will always be general and never personal.

 

[applecentral]

Hey look it's a rag ****!

With over 2,900 messages I doubt he is a Rag!

 

[kaz7]

Ouch! Yeah, I’m a bit of a part timer. Born in Groton but my Dad only got my first season ticket in the Platt Lane in 74/75 - hardly went in the 9 years before that. Since then been to most homes and many aways , had to miss a few due to 17 years in the RAF, but made sure when i left that me and my lad carried on a long family tradition of going together. So a rough guess would be just over 1,000 games if it was to be added to my profile.
My previous comment was not aimed at anyone in particular, but a general point on how good it would be to know the background of supporter’s point of view. You do seem very touchy; I obviously hit a nerve - so I apologise for any distress caused but my comments will always be general and never personal.

Seems i read you wrong , sorry for that

 

[applecentral]

Serious question - do you think Derbies are more important than titles?

At my age I often lose a semi!

 

[Decepticon]

With over 2,900 messages I doubt he is a Rag!

My apologies then, I'm going to start calling those twats from Trafford "the reds"..

 

[Dribble]

The sense is:

1) The league, as Pep and I and many other supporter understand it, is won. This was not an important game in the context of a one off match in the rest of the league season.

2) That our key players needed a break after an incredible, exhausting performance in very weird weather conditions at the end of a very long and weird month and season.

3) Many, including Kev, were carrying bumps, and would be grateful for the recovery time.

4) That the rest of the squad, disappointed at not starting in the semi, needed to be told they were still valuable to avoid needless arguments in the coming weeks.

5) That he could keep the first eleven, which we all expect to be different in the CL, motivated by not having them win the game and then take the final for granted.

6) That he didn't want to give the Chelsea side any match experience playing against our top players or formation.

7) That we could experiment against their formation, testing to see what gaps and weaknesses they have in their team.

8) That Pep trusts our players, more than our fans apparently, and that he believed he put out a team that could get a result. On the chance they didn't, it will be much, much easier explaining to them why they are on the bench come the final.

Whether you agree with all those points is neither here nor there, that's the logic.

And as most people predicted & feared, we'd try hard, & fail miserably.

1. If the league is won, where's the trophy?

2. Our squad plays 3 games per week. When it was obvious we had little more to give, the very same players who 'needed a break', had their break interrupted to try & turn the game around.

3. Fine, if Kev was carrying a bump, we have other midfielders to step in. Who were in this 'many' carrying bumps?

4. The rest of the squad had the same opportunities to impress throughout the season. Are you seriously suggesting Pep should select players to save their feelings?

5. Why would our expected first eleven become complacent because they won the match which secured the double? It's not like it's the only title we've won in decades....

6. Fine, he didn't want to give heads up to Chelsea how we play. To find this out, all Chelsea have to do is watch reruns of MoTD, or our matches against Dortmund or PSG.

7. Fine. Secure the game first, & then experiment. This was a potential title decider, not a pre-season friendly.

8. Our players have had a season to justify their places in our biggest matches. Now is the business end of the season whereby the players who contributed the most to get us this far, should be trusted to finish the job. Pre-season the reset button is pressed, & they all start again from zero.

 

[Dribble]

And what if we'd gone with our first 11 and still lost?

We'll never know will we. At least we'll have know we did all we could to wrap up the league. If we'd lost doing that, I'd be gutted bur happy we did all we could to secure the win.

As it is, 2 days & 239 pages later, us fans are still squabbling over what we should have done, from what we shouldn't have done. The fact is we could have had this settled.

 

[Gary James]

the panenka ,
well well well, it is thought the panenka to have been introduce to the world by antonin panenka, hence the name , but according to wiki, it is believed to have been pioneered by none other than billy meredith 70 years earlier , now i havent got a clue, but i think i know a man who might have more information @Gary James , do you know anything about this gary ?

edit, apologies ,to mr james but he has written about this before on twitter, also it is believed that meredith was also involved in a two man penalty as well according to dr alexander jackson.

Yes - here’s a piece I helped Stuart Brennan with https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ews/man-city-penalty-methods-panenka-19025208

 

[Bill]

Very true. However, Chelsea had a day less to prepare, & made 4 changes to the team which faced Real. I'm still flumoxed as to why we made NINE CHANGES, & came with a frankly weird formation.

Up to a point, it almost worked but I personally don't think it was a chance worth taking as turned out to be the case.

this is me. rotate course , but 9 is a piss take. especially in the prem, against Chelsea and to wrap up the title . i'm still shaking my head. had we won he'd have 3 weeks to prepare for the final. they wouldn't ,they need to secure top 4.