Chelsea (H) | Post-Match Thread

The same team he’d pick if they lose probably, little reason to rest players on Saturday there was.
We could have quite easily have mixed & matched the team on Saturday. There was no need for NINE players to be changed in one hit, especially as those who played on Tuesday had 4 days to rest & recover.

We brought 3 of them on anyway chasing the game, so why not start with them, wrap up the game, & then sub them off for B Team players? That seemed a better way to approach Saturday's game.
 
We could have quite easily have mixed & matched the team on Saturday. There was no need for NINE players to be changed in one hit, especially as those who played on Tuesday had 4 days to rest & recover.

We brought 3 of them on anyway chasing the game, so why not start with them, wrap up the game, & then sub them off for B Team players? That seemed a better way to approach Saturday's game.
That's impossible to know without the sports data infront of you Pep has or what he sees in training.
 
Not really.
We didn't miss out on THE chance to win the Premier League.
We missed out on A chance to win the Premier League.
There's a huge difference and we've got 3 more till the end of the season.
Nothing special about last Saturday.
I'd rather wait if it gives our players more time to recover and prepare for the CL final.
"THE" "A", it's splitting hairs mate. The opportunity was there, & we didn't take it seriously enough to capitalise & all but wrap up our season.

A mix & match of Tuesday's team, alongside players in with a genuine chance of appearing in the final would have probably got us over the line, & would have been more beneficial to us in terms of which players could possibly make a late case for inclusion in the final 11.

So again, if ManUre win their next two matches, which line up dya reckon should be played on Friday?
 
We could have quite easily have mixed & matched the team on Saturday. There was no need for NINE players to be changed in one hit, especially as those who played on Tuesday had 4 days to rest & recover.

We brought 3 of them on anyway chasing the game, so why not start with them, wrap up the game, & then sub them off for B Team players? That seemed a better way to approach Saturday's game.
Why do you think he did ?,you say no need, he saw a need, who’s to say why, maybe he was advised by his medical staff that those that played against wold benefit from 10 days recovery.
Or maybe he just like a laugh.
 
"THE" "A", it's splitting hairs mate. The opportunity was there, & we didn't take it seriously enough to capitalise & all but wrap up our season.

A mix & match of Tuesday's team, alongside players in with a genuine chance of appearing in the final would have probably got us over the line, & would have been more beneficial to us in terms of which players could possibly make a late case for inclusion in the final 11.

So again, if ManUre win their next two matches, which line up dya reckon should be played on Friday?
It's not splitting hairs. We rested our main players in a game we didn't need to win.
What's so difficult to understand about that?
Why did we have to wrap it up on Saturday?
 
Kante or even our own Fernandinho would never dawdle on the ball for ages like rodri did yesterday and then stroll back like he was in a park or lose a man he was marking on a corner like gundogun did when he lost Marquinhos. Even though these are just 2 examples there are lots of examples that show these guys are not good enough for city

Fernandinho has been caught on the ball many times during his career, as has Kante no doubt (and probably every player). You conveniently ignore Gundogan's goals and both his and Rodri's all-round play which is superior to that of Kante IMO.

2 posts and both slagging off the same 2 City players. Well done! You'll fit right in.
 
The downside of being selected in a purely B Team, is invariably the players may not have that added edge to make you shine that little brighter.

I suppose it's similar to Messi playing for Scunthorpe against Bayern. With all respect, the Scunthorpe players won't be good enough to get the very best out of Messi, hence by his Barca comparison he'd look a poorer player.

That's why I wanted to see the very best of the rest, mixed in with the A Team players not in need of a rest. I honestly believe we'd have seen an even better Sterling in particular.

This approach would have answered more pertinent questions about the players in with a realistic chance of appearing in the final.

Another conundrum is Torres. I've heard it said that he may eventually end up being a No 9, as he seems more effective there than out wide. For all the impact he had, he might as well have been on the bench. He looked totally lost & demoralised. Perhaps this is a decision we need to make ASAP.

One thing we know for certain is that Aguero will be leaving us soon. According to Pep, next season we'll have Jesus & Delap as our first team squad strikers. We've also got Torres. Are we REALLY going into a new season with just these three as options?

This season we've managed better without strikers, but at certain points we lacked a serious goal getter to convert meagre chances against ultra defensive sides. Surely we're not allowing Sergio to leave without a 20-30 league goals per season replacement? :-|

I don’t mean there would literally be an “A” and “B” team. But if we played pressing teams like Leeds then Dortmund in a short space of time. We would be able to deal with it by rotating heavily.
The rest of the time we are ticking over. Rotating little but often.
We know we can beat the lower placed teams. It’s teams with energy that cause the problems when the fixture list is congested.

Torres and Ake have a lot to learn. The amount of information they have to process to be able to step into the team must be huge.
They need the game time though. To learn. We then have players that are just as good on any team sheet.

I think without the striker we can move positions freely. Against a tight defence this changes the angle of ur attacks. They have to concentrate for the full ninety plus added. That’s tough no matter how much you love defending.
Mahrez looks brilliant as a striker. Foden, Torres and Jesus make three more that can play there.

It sounds daft but I think we would lose 20 or 30 goals if we go with a striker.
 
Fernandinho has been caught on the ball many times during his career, as has Kante no doubt (and probably every player). You conveniently ignore Gundogan's goals and both his and Rodri's all-round play which is superior to that of Kante IMO.

2 posts and both slagging off the same 2 City players. Well done! You'll fit right in.
It's not slagging off - is stating the truth. The truth is these guys are not fast enough, fit enough or clever enough on the ball to play For a world class City side. Gundogun has got goals this season which I do appreciate - many more than he has compared to all the seasons before. Only because, I believe, cancelo and Bernardo did the dirty work behind him in central midfield which was gundogs primary responsibility. No matter, he got the goals this season which is great. But I really believe that he's been a one season wonder. Look at his assists - he's created 3, just 3. And many people thoughthe was meant to replace David Silva. I honestly believe there are better midfielders than gundogun and rodri right here in the premier League
 
It's not slagging off - is stating the truth. The truth is these guys are not fast enough, fit enough or clever enough on the ball to play For a world class City side. Gundogun has got goals this season which I do appreciate - many more than he has compared to all the seasons before. Only because, I believe, cancelo and Bernardo did the dirty work behind him in central midfield which was gundogs primary responsibility. No matter, he got the goals this season which is great. But I really believe that he's been a one season wonder. Look at his assists - he's created 3, just 3. And many people thoughthe was meant to replace David Silva. I honestly believe there are better midfielders than gundogun and rodri right here in the premier League
Unfortunately pep likes midfielders far too much, so that's the way it's going to be
 
Unfortunately pep likes midfielders far too much, so that's the way it's going to be

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It's not slagging off - is stating the truth. The truth is these guys are not fast enough, fit enough or clever enough on the ball to play For a world class City side. Gundogun has got goals this season which I do appreciate - many more than he has compared to all the seasons before. Only because, I believe, cancelo and Bernardo did the dirty work behind him in central midfield which was gundogs primary responsibility. No matter, he got the goals this season which is great. But I really believe that he's been a one season wonder. Look at his assists - he's created 3, just 3. And many people thoughthe was meant to replace David Silva. I honestly believe there are better midfielders than gundogun and rodri right here in the premier League
It's not stating the truth, it's stating your opinion. Just as I am doing.

Rodri and Gundogan have been two of the best midfield players in the league this season and are a large part of the reason that we are in the position that we are in now. It's also clear that the best manager in the world rates our two very highly. I wouldn't swap either of them for Kante personally, as good a player as he is.
 
It's not stating the truth, it's stating your opinion. Just as I am doing.

Rodri and Gundogan have been two of the best midfield players in the league this season and are a large part of the reason that we are in the position that we are in now. It's also clear that the best manager in the world rates our two very highly. I wouldn't swap either of them for Kante personally, as good a player as he is.
That's perfectly fine, that's why we love football isn't it. Two people can look at the same game and come up with 2 different opinions. Unlike say cricket, where you don't need to look past the highest run scorer or wicket taker. But for me Im always disappointed when these 2 start. And I'm always fearful that these guys are going to cost us a big game one of these days
 
Unfortunately pep likes midfielders far too much, so that's the way it's going to be
Why unfortunately.
He's hardly a failure, is he.
While a lot of us look purely at the individual abilities of a player, Pep likes to look at how an individual player fits into the team. A brilliant player that isn't a team player is never going to be part of a Pep team. He will always go for a player that is a prepared to be a cog in his machine.
That's the reason his team's are always greater than the sum of their parts.

If you read the link below, it'll give you great idea of how he thinks and operates.

Edit: I couldn't post the link so I've copied and pasted the article:

Pep Guardiola Says Ronaldinho, Deco, and Eto'o Are Free to Go
SALAAR SHAMSI
JUNE 17, 2008
New Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has revealed that Ronaldinho, Deco, and Samuel Eto'o are not part of his plans for next season, while stating that the club would not pursue Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Guardiola, a former Barcelona captain, was officially unveiled today as the Catalan club's first-team coach.

And he admitted the big name trio—all of whom have been linked with moves to the Premier League—are surplus to requirements.

"All of the players in the first-team squad last season are of a very high level," he said. "But with the technical secretary we are forming a squad and Deco, Ronaldinho, and Eto'o are not in our minds."


However, Guardiola admitted he would be happy to keep Ronaldinho if the Brazilian could recapture his best form.

"If I felt that he wanted to be the player he was again, he would be here," he added. "But the situation has deteriorated and the solution is to build a strong dressing-room."

The imminent departure of the Brazilian and the recent exit of Giovani Dos Santos to Tottenham means Guardiola will be short of options on the left flank.

However, the 37-year-old ruled out a summer swoop for Manchester United winger Ronaldo.

"I wouldn't make a space for him in the team, even though I think he is a very good player," he said.

Guardiola said the club's top priority is to sign a striker. "We will look at the possibility of bringing in a winger, but if we don't then that's fine; the priority is a number nine," he said.

He joked, "We are looking for a number nine who scores 60 goals for us."

However, the coach claimed Thierry Henry remains very much a part of his plans, despite an indifferent first season at the Nou Camp.

He said, "I am looking for a number nine, we need one to complement Henry and Bojan (Krkic). "I want the three to feel like first-team starters."

Now it's quite possible that Chelsea may be the likely destination for Ronaldinho and Deco, while Samuel Eto'o will find himself in the middle of a tug of war between AC Milan and Inter Milan
 
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That's perfectly fine, that's why we love football isn't it. Two people can look at the same game and come up with 2 different opinions. Unlike say cricket, where you don't need to look past the highest run scorer or wicket taker. But for me Im always disappointed when these 2 start. And I'm always fearful that these guys are going to cost us a big game one of these days

Yes, we have opposite opinions on this one but nothing wrong with that. I am always happiest when I see a midfield 3 of Rodri, Gundogan and Bernardo. I just think they complement each other superbly.
 
48 hours have passed since the final whistle blew on Saturday. Sunday night I got bugger all sleep as I was still fuming. Last night a good 7 hours so calmness has returned in my (and my wife's) life.
 
48 hours have passed since the final whistle blew on Saturday. Sunday night I got bugger all sleep as I was still fuming. Last night a good 7 hours so calmness has returned in my (and my wife's) life.
I'm still fuming!
Absolutely spoilt the weekend
 

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