What Is lacking?

Pam said:
The false 9 scenario is absolutely unsustainable. It was an incredible achievement to win the league without a recognised striker but it isn't a credible option to take into next season. Teams will work out how to stop us if we persevere with that for much longer. We need a 30/40 goals a year man for the team to prosper and he has to be world class. Beyond that, there is very little wrong, in the general scheme of things.
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Simple answer is yes. We need a new midfield grafter also imo. Teams cut through us with ease if we are not on it.
 
burning blue soul said:
What is Lacking?

I think some City fans on here need to take a step back from their keyboards, for a while. Disappointment can cloud judgement.

City have been on a dominating run domestically for a decade. City have played football unknown before on these shores, literally breaking records on a weekly basis.

We lost a game of football to another decent side. In a competition we have been regularly playing in for a decade, and been making progress in.

We are in that competition again next year, and will be one of the favourites. Probably be the favourite again.

We played against a team that defended well and took their chance.
In football, it's easier to defend than attack. As in life, its easier to spoil than create. City wanted to create chances, Chelsea were happy to not concede.
The best team didn't win the cup, but the best team has no right to.

Fans jumping on the false nine situation need to realise this tactic is a development against defensive anti football that we play against every week. It has got us where we are this year. Just "getting a top class cf" is not so clear cut when the spaces are so tight, the box is so congested and chances are so few.

We don't struggle scoring goals, generally, we struggle conceding goals on the break.
We have seen it so often that it is now a trope. This is the area that needs work.

The error yesterday was not playing the same lineup that won the semi-final. Players become used to the flow of a game, to know where other (regular) players will be. Removing that puts doubt in the players minds. Doubt causes hesitation and uncertainty. That lineup also has a positive mental experience of playing and winning in a tense game. But it's all easy to say in hindsight, at the time I believed it was a courageous and bold attacking statement.

Pep will tinker and innovate, because that is how he has changed football all over the world. Long may he keep pushing the boundaries (but not too much in a chumps final, ok?)
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Some good points but overlooking the fact that apart from the goal, Werner could have easily bagged a couple before half time and Pulisic should have scored for them when clean through in the second. It could have been a much heavier defeat based on clear chances created.
 
stan bowles said:
Some good points but overlooking the fact that apart from the goal, Werner could have easily bagged a couple before half time and Pulisic should have scored for them when clean through in the second. It could have been a much heavier defeat based on clear chances created.
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Correct, and we created next to nothing all night.
 
City10. said:
A false 9 can only take you so far. We need to break the bank for Kane. I'll be devastated if we don't bring in a world class striker.
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I agree generally. A false 9 can go far but you need goalscorers around him for it to have maximum effect, which we don't have - eg. Firmino + Salah/Mane/Jota. Naturally, a false 9 is built on the pitch to not score as much goals. IMO, there's only 1 goalscoring false 9, and it's a certain Argentinian at Barcelona, but he's the exception rather than the norm for F9s.

So yeah, we have an embarrassment of riches in the creative department. We need goalscorers. Kane/Haaland would be ideal.
 
It was interesting to see the formation Chelsea were falling back into when defending.
Every player behind the ball in a 5-2-3 formation with about 25 yards between the furthest player forwards and the back line. There was no space to pass through and even if a player managed to get past Kante (probably the best holding mid in the world) or Jorginho in that midfield 2 they had to still get past that back 5. The only option was a ball over the top which to get on the end of you need players who can turn and accelerate quickly. Phil can do this in our team but that's about it.
The only chances we really had were the long ball from Eddie which Sterling latched on to a couple of times, but couldn't beat James and a counter attack where Phil had his shot blocked.
The goal that Havertz scored was not just due to having no holding mid but also not having enough pace at left back to cover when players are out of position. Zinny as much as I love the guy isn't the quickest in a 1 on 1.
So personally I think we need a mobile holding mid to break down attacks, a quicker LB (dream scenario would be a LB version of Kyle, don't know who) and of course a winger or striker who can turn and accelerate quickly. But I don't think that's very different to what we have been saying all season in the transfer forum.
The only problem is it isn't football manager and players like that are not easy to find.
 
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ysmsa said:
The goal was fucking bizarre.

The rock solid Stones and Dias were nowhere to be seen.

The strange goings on in front of them from the 6 selected was affecting the back line.
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They unsettled our defence with lay-offs on both flanks and we just could not deal with it after losing our focus. And as the game was approaching the end of the first half our possession was steadily going down to 50:50 and we were positionally all over the place. We did not know whether to press or to defend deep, so we were caught in between. I just don't understand Pep did not react whatsoever, the third game in the last two months the made us look so stupid!!!! They've been doing the same thing to us over and over again and we didn't react. This defensive lack of discipline definitely crept in at the end of the season, but their goal was just disgusting.

Mendy dinks to Chilwell, Riyad in mid of nowhere and look at Kyle and Stones where they are.

ChelseaGoal3.jpg
Lay off Chilwell to Mount, Kyle relies on his speed and takes himself out of game, Gundo presses the ref and Stones is completely oblivious what is going to happen - he forgot he gained his place after the same thing happened to Laporte against Spurs.

ChelseaGoal1.jpg

Stones defending Walker who's running back covering nobody, Gundo not covering a single passing line and ZInch who plays his Chelsea player in offside position is suddenly asked to cover the whole of MF after Ruben goes after Werner keeping Chelsea onside.

ChelseaGoal2.jpg
 
What is lacking? Considering we’ve probably had the best season of any team in Europe. Very little. IMO a top level striker that frightens defenders and that’s about it. As, seemingly going off the rumours the club and manager are aware of that and will try and add one.
 
burning blue soul said:
To be fair, he changed 1 player... just the 1!
Bizarre is not the correct word.
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That one change changed everything though, Gundo not played defensive mid for two seasons weakened us going forward and at the back. Foden should have played on the left as he has done all season in the Champs league and has been really fantastic there. Raz simply isn’t as good there. Pep is a brilliant coach but he does have mental block in this competition with this club. He would never have fucked about with that Barca team in a final Like he has done with City, probably shows that he doesn’t really trust us. He is great but he is flawed as well.
 
Taylor said:
I agree but not with some of the players we have. Zinchenko is a makeshift LB who is simply playing because Mendy isn't good enough.
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Zinchenko is more than good enough to play left back in a Champions League final. Most CL winners don’t have an 11 full of the world’s best but they minimise their weaknesses. Our team is more than capable of winning the thing
 
blueparrot said:
What is lacking? Considering we’ve probably had the best season of any team in Europe. Very little. IMO a top level striker that frightens defenders and that’s about it. As, seemingly going off the rumours the club and manager are aware of that and will try and add one.
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This, a top quality striker with presence and a top quality LB.
 
Either Kane or Haaland would have made a difference last night, I think, or at least given them something to think about. But honestly once you're in the final it's a game you might lose, I don't think we are "missing" anything obvious.
 
For next season we need a LB , CDM or a LCM/LCAM and a ST.

Ideally , Nuno Mendes , Luiz or Grealish , Kane or Haaland.

Ideal Squad For Next Season

GK: Ederson Steffen
LB: Mendes Zinchenko
CB: Dias Laporte Stones Ake
RB: Walker Cancelo
CDM: Fernandinho or Luiz Rodri
LCM/LCAM: Grealish or Luiz Gündogan
RCM/RCAM: De Bruyne Bernardo
LW: Foden Torres
ST: Kane or Haaland Delap
RW: Mahrez Sterling or Cole Palmer

Do you agree? I'd love to here others views.
 
Damien10 said:
I’m going to be slaughtered for saying this but, we lack two world class centre midfielders. One being a DM. Rodri is far to slow and isn’t suited to the Prem. I always said the replacement to Fern needed to be mobile.

Gundo has had a decent season however he replaced David Silva, for me it’s another downgrade so that’s two downgrades in the midfield area.

I think this was why Pep liked playing with a false 9.
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To be honest mate it's hard to replace David Silva, but I get what your saying about Rodri I'm not really a fan.
 
Luke The Blue said:
That 1 change completely changed the way we play.

Don't know if you've noticed but Gundogan isn't an holding midfielder and Foden was out of position.
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Did it work ,no, but it made sense he knew Chelsea would play a back 5 and 2 holding, even the front 3 dropping deep,he knew they would play on the break , so playing Sterling and Mahrez high and wide to try and stretch their block and create space in the middle for Foden, Bernardo, KDB to operate in with Gundogan feeding made complete sense. Playing no conventional dm when he knew they would play long balls in the channels by passsing c.m also made sense. Did the changes work obviously they didn’t but let not pretend there wasn’t a plan to it that made some sense.
 
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