Champions League Final | Post-Match Thread

Elbow beards said:
Fuck it, the sun is shining, can of beer in hand, no better time to be a blue. chins up lads and lasses.
Click to expand...
My gloom is slightly better today and improving. In the garden with tunes on, Prosecco with the wife and kids having water fights on the field behind our garden. Needed an afternoon like this.
 
StillBluessinceHydeRoad said:
This is a theory and a belief but it's being stated as though it's stone cold, incontrovertible fact. That you put our strongest eleven on the field, there's only one way they play and, of course, we win. There are numerous weaknesses in the theory, the most notable of which is that Pep shares everybody's view on what the best 11 is and there's some disturbing evidence that he doesn't. What everybody ignores is that this strongest eleven hasn't played together very often at all, and even in the CL QF and SF he seemed uncertain as to whether Cancelao or Zinchenko suited best or if Rodri should play in place of Ferna. Then there was the question of whether we should play a false 9 or not. His experiment with Torres as number 9 worked well at Newcastle but the final trial at Brighton was ruined by the worst referee in England. Then there was the problem of Chelsea's well organised lines of 4/5/6/7 and where Vity really needed the numbers. So selection was by no means as simple and straightforward as many think and the idea that there is one "strongest line up" for all occasions and that Pep overthinks borders on nonsense. The second weakness in the argument is that City played badly because they were playing in a formation they didn't understand and weren't familiar with. I reject this because what City did badly were the basics of control and passing. I think the evidence is clear that the occasion overwhelmed City, not the system. It is not the Pep way to throw players in without preparation, unable to say how they were to deal with something as obvious as a through ball. Our back four simply never played and this chaos was reflected up front where the final ball "didn't come", more often than not because there was no-one to receive it. No number 9 in the team and passing too cumbersome to get a false 9 in there with any support. Ferna came om eventually and made little or no difference and your assertion that had he started City would have been more relaxed and allowed the others to play really does require a leap of faith to believe. We conceded one goal and never looked like scoring one ourselves. We were beaten, we were well beaten and on Saturday night it was hard to see what would have changed that. But if you want to believe it was all because "Pep fucked up again" you cling to your illusions.
Click to expand...
It’s not an illusion and as for Pep to throw in without preparation he was experimenting with all sorts look at the one man midfield with Rodri been over run against Chelsea, the various changes in the latter matches he was preparing them for a final and not once did anyone see that team selection it was not even hinted at, because we had a DM in every single game. The players underperforming was probably due to lack of confidence in the what was been asked just like Lyon last year, we ripped Madrid a new one and then what he changed it and the players were all over the shop! The team would’ve been more relaxed and with that breeds confidence, Gundogan Foden KDB didn’t seem to know where to be at times. 60 games you play a system and everyone is used to it then the 61st after 5 days prep! Pep fucked up and by all accounts was nervy before the game this obviously translated to the players, why was he nervy he has the best team on the planet he was nervy because he wasn’t confident why wasn’t he confident because he over thought it again. He’s a flawed genius we have to accept that but what if he does it again and again? He is not beyond critiscm no one is.
 
StillBluessinceHydeRoad said:
This is a theory and a belief but it's being stated as though it's stone cold, incontrovertible fact. That you put our strongest eleven on the field, there's only one way they play and, of course, we win. There are numerous weaknesses in the theory, the most notable of which is that Pep shares everybody's view on what the best 11 is and there's some disturbing evidence that he doesn't. What everybody ignores is that this strongest eleven hasn't played together very often at all, and even in the CL QF and SF he seemed uncertain as to whether Cancelao or Zinchenko suited best or if Rodri should play in place of Ferna. Then there was the question of whether we should play a false 9 or not. His experiment with Torres as number 9 worked well at Newcastle but the final trial at Brighton was ruined by the worst referee in England. Then there was the problem of Chelsea's well organised lines of 4/5/6/7 and where Vity really needed the numbers. So selection was by no means as simple and straightforward as many think and the idea that there is one "strongest line up" for all occasions and that Pep overthinks borders on nonsense. The second weakness in the argument is that City played badly because they were playing in a formation they didn't understand and weren't familiar with. I reject this because what City did badly were the basics of control and passing. I think the evidence is clear that the occasion overwhelmed City, not the system. It is not the Pep way to throw players in without preparation, unable to say how they were to deal with something as obvious as a through ball. Our back four simply never played and this chaos was reflected up front where the final ball "didn't come", more often than not because there was no-one to receive it. No number 9 in the team and passing too cumbersome to get a false 9 in there with any support. Ferna came om eventually and made little or no difference and your assertion that had he started City would have been more relaxed and allowed the others to play really does require a leap of faith to believe. We conceded one goal and never looked like scoring one ourselves. We were beaten, we were well beaten and on Saturday night it was hard to see what would have changed that. But if you want to believe it was all because "Pep fucked up again" you cling to your illusions.
Click to expand...

This is a rather fine post, actually. A necessary counterweight to the “it's all on Pep” school. Pep made an incomprehensible decision in picking Sterling. It probably weakened the team, tactically. To say that it accounted for sub-par performances all over the pitch is a stretch. And there were — sub-par performances, that is.
 
Last edited:
NewMoonRising said:
agree to every word of this post, loss to those two hurt much more;
the only thing that annoys me a little is even Liverpool won the league but we are yet to win the CL..
none of our guys were switched on for the biggest game of their lives which is surprising;
i dont want the league cup anymore but badly want at least another CL final in next 3 years for us to give a shot
Click to expand...
So when De Bruyne came off injured he wasn't watching the game intently, every pass etc. from his seat?
Aguero wishing to get out there and play his part? Frustrated.
Even Sterling was trying but too easily disposessed.
The reason why we didn't play our best was this.
Some of our players were shuffled around to accomodate an out of form Sterling. When players play in their usual positions they will know each others movements in the game. Passes will be made to feet without thinking etc. This was the main reason why we weren't so effective.
Plus I want us to win EVERY trophy we can. Success breeds success.
 
Well, whoever's right and whoever's wrong. I think one thing is incontrovertible.
The fact that this post-match thread has run to more than four hundred pages — something which I don't remember seeing before — would seem to indicate that people are in need of some sort of therapy. Which would seem to indicate that some sort of trauma has happened.
In a competition that doesn't count.
 
JOGAMIGMOG said:
Not watched a single second of coverage from the final. Not one interview, nothing. It’s still too painful. Anybody else?
Click to expand...
It was getting worse with every passing hour just thinking of that big bottle of piss Pep and the lads gifted us, so I missed everything. This morning I forced myself to read the two very decent articles analysing the game in todays The Guardian (by Jonathan Wilson and David Hytner). And before anger started raising again, I decided to quit football for a month at least. I don't give a shit about Euros, transfers, etc, just everything fuck off. To quote Bill Burr 'For a point eight second I cried like a little boy, before I put the lid back on the jar, fastened it back and just added it on the shelf of anger that sits in every man's chest.' Off to the garden to enjoy afternoon sun, drink some cold beer and read Waitrose Food magazine.
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
This is a rather fine post, actually. A necessary counterweight to the “it's all on Pep” school. Pep made an incomprehensible decision in picking Sterling. It probably weakened the team, tactically. To say that it accounted for sub-par performances all over the pitch is a stretch. And there were — sub-par performances, that is.
Click to expand...
I think people need to understand that players aren’t robots, they will have been looking forward to this game in the expectation that we’d play a certain way, and would have expected to play with a similar line up to the one that had been successful in previous rounds. Then Pep throws in a curve ball and suddenly you’re not playing where you were expecting to play and the balance of the team is not what you were expecting to see. This is sufficient to affect the performance levels of players even if they’re not directly affected by the changes, anyone who’s played the game can tell you that even the smallest of tweaks can have unintended consequences. To pull this in a one off knock out winner takes all game of this importance smacks of self indulgence on the part of the manager. Ok, this keeps happening so maybe this is just a part of the package that comes with a manager like Pep, and I certainly wouldn’t swap him for anyone else, I love the guy, but I’d like to think a period of self reflection by Pep might be in order because nobody is perfect.
 
I just watched it agian in the cold light of day with no commentary and not behind the sofa. Stones and Zin had a horrendous first 15 minutes. There were misplaced passes all over the pitch especially early on. If you've still a recording have a look at exactly 40 mins and the goal less than 2 minutes later. We get away with it the first time, and it's almost identical to how we conceded the 2nd to the scum and not that different to Chelsea's goal in the semi.

The fact is not enough were at their usual standard and I'm not convinced neither Ferny or Rodri playing was really the cause.
 
Bantamgaz said:
If you had watched Brazil up to the Germany game then you would have known that once they faced a decent team they would be in serious bother ........ City on the other hand showed no signs of this happening until Pep sadly did what he did ........ honestly he’s an amazing manager a genius but football sometimes is an easy game ....., send your best XI out your best formation and if that fails then you don’t have to make excuses ....... what happenedSaturday was just baffling ........., will he learn from it ???? If he doesn’t then sadly he never will :(
Click to expand...
Blue Maverick said:
It’s not an illusion and as for Pep to throw in without preparation he was experimenting with all sorts look at the one man midfield with Rodri been over run against Chelsea, the various changes in the latter matches he was preparing them for a final and not once did anyone see that team selection it was not even hinted at, because we had a DM in every single game. The players underperforming was probably due to lack of confidence in the what was been asked just like Lyon last year, we ripped Madrid a new one and then what he changed it and the players were all over the shop! The team would’ve been more relaxed and with that breeds confidence, Gundogan Foden KDB didn’t seem to know where to be at times. 60 games you play a system and everyone is used to it then the 61st after 5 days prep! Pep fucked up and by all accounts was nervy before the game this obviously translated to the players, why was he nervy he has the best team on the planet he was nervy because he wasn’t confident why wasn’t he confident because he over thought it again. He’s a flawed genius we have to accept that but what if he does it again and again? He is not beyond critiscm no one is.
Click to expand...
For various reasons, I’ll always have a greater respect and appreciation for Mancini.
 
player's form is usually somewhat erratic, more in-form than not. AFAK, it is not contagious. When it affects half the team at the same time,,,,time to worry, maybe? Or fear the worst? Or just look at the league table and smile? Fuck knows, cos i dont.. The red faction in the msm will have a field day no doubt, even some of own will have their own take on it, those who still bear a grudge since RM got the tin tack have not gone away. " It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".....
 
Chelsea were more hungry from the start and we looked mentally shocked that we couldn’t get going in our usual style of play,Sterling’s first touch for the chance eluded him otherwise it could have been 1-0 up.We needed to play our game and the occasion seemed to freeze the players and manager more so.Wonder if Khaldoon will have the final say on team selection in a future final or spends the evening before chatting to Pep on reasons for his selections..guess not but the selection seemed to drain the confidence from the team and we lost our shape regularly.
The experience of playing in a final will be good going forward,it does take time to familiarise players to become accustomed to playing their best game and Pep may well need to try a different approach if and when we get there again.
 
Just started watching Premier League review of the season (had to turn it off as the narration is in rhyming cuplets for some reason) but literally the first goal of the season was a Liverpool penalty against Leeds where the ball hit a defender's thigh then bounced up onto his arm, have the rules changed since that, if not what's the difference between that and our penalty claim on Saturday?
 
GAZZA said:
Just started watching Premier League review of the season (had to turn it off as the narration is in rhyming cuplets for some reason) but literally the first goal of the season was a Liverpool penalty against Leeds where the ball hit a defender's thigh then bounced up onto his arm, have the rules changed since that, if not what's the difference between that and our penalty claim on Saturday?
Click to expand...
It’s Liverpool at Anfield.. that’s all you need to know
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top