50m Cancelo as a back up?Defo shows we can’t afford to lose Laporte at all. If we do and have to rely on Ake for any large part we are fucked.
Mendy is just a disgrace, he isn’t a footballer. Cancelo is an ok backup
Was atrocious!Brother went to the game yesterday and besides some poor player performances, he said our away support was ‘pathetic’ in his words. Let’s hope it’s better on Saturday. We need to get behind the lads even more so after yesterday.
Was atrocious!
Thought it was good until the goal.I think that is harsh. It's such a hard place to get an atmosphere going with no walls or a roof for the noise to bounce off and the fact you are surrounded by a wall of noise from the home fans. They have put away fans in the best place for them there where an atmosphere is hard to generate.
We could take notes on that for the Etihad!
Don't disagree with much of what you've said but I'd replace Pep not being infallible rather than the system.
The most frustrating thing for me is you can almost predict by the rhythm of play how the game is going to end. Once they overcame our early onslaught we played at walking pace for the rest of the game.
I take your point, but we were defensively very poor yesterday. I realise that side was picked with varying levels of fitness in mind but we had two full back that can’t defend and a centre half who’s City career hasn’t got going yet and as a result looks nervy, particularly playing next to Mendy. Whatever we think of Spurs they hit us on the break time and again, every time we play them in fact. Mendy did his best to help them in that endeavour yesterday. For me, he’s had more chances than he deserves and he never plays for us again. All in all, we played like an under prepared side, which is exactly what we are currently. But that defensive show was utterly predictable from those involved, apart maybe from the fact it was only one goal.It's not the defence, it's the finishing that's the problem. Conceding a single goal against Spurs in an away fixture is not a defensive disaster-class. Missing 3 big chances and failing to score a single goal is.
View attachment 23792
Brother went to the game yesterday and besides some poor player performances, he said our away support was ‘pathetic’ in his words. Let’s hope it’s better on Saturday. We need to get behind the lads even more so after yesterday.
This season continues the form you detail.Don't think many realise how bad our form is and how big the problem we face
Our win against Everton was last game of season and special send off for Aguero
5 losses in our last 7 games
12:30 HLeeds United 20:15 AAston Villa 12:30 ACrystal Palace 17:30 HChelsea FC 20:00 ANewcastle United 19:00 ABrighton & Hove Albion 16:00 HEverton 5:0
17:30 NChelsea FC
20:00 NChelsea FC Spurs 0:1
Prepare to see that every game this season in the name of a 'lighter touch' to refereeing. They bullied us all over the field yesterday so we better toughen up.Once a team scores against us we seem to lose all heart. I guess that's a case of battering teams normally before they score. I liken it to a boxer hammering an opponent who has a dangerous punch but they can't knock him out. They think, "Bloody hell he's taken all that punishment but is still standing, I've given it everything." Fear and doubt then creep in and he gets caught with the sucker punch. We're the football equivalent at times.
We do follow a predictable pattern too in a lot of games. Some of these after the first ten minutes you just know, it's a feeling we're not on it. Yesterday we were so much on top but I knew if we didn't score in that period we'd fade and so it proved. I saw that lineup pre game, particularly the defence and knew we'd concede.
We need a few more nasty bastards in the side sometimes. Aside from Fern we haven't got any. Even David Silva used to leave his mark. Spurs bullied us yesterday and that was down to Taylor not doing his job. How that full back wasn't booked would be a mystery if we didn't know we're reffed differently.
My biggest fear is that the fans may start to get on his back vocally and whilst I’ll always support any player in the sky blue Mendy needs to be moved on before this happens.There has always been one issue with Mendy (other than the obvious injuries, but they're part of football): he loses all his personal battles. You simply cannot trust him to win any one vs ones, it's cost us numerous times and especially vs Nuno's teams. I'm pretty confident that he would have sent his time out and told them to target that side, and it worked out that was as well and i think that's the reason Pep played Sterling. Like Angelino, he'll do well at that kind of a team that has enough players back to cover him, but we are a high risk team and we need players who are switched on and front foot aggressive. Unfortunately it's not gonna work out for him here, expensive mistake.
Prepare to see that every game this season in the name of a 'lighter touch' to refereeing. They bullied us all over the field yesterday so we better toughen up.
Spoke to a Spurs fan on train on way back last night who asked why we hadnt sold all our tickets? Explained we had but he said there were a few rows clubbed together that were empty. Didnt see them myself but wondering is this the players and family tickets going to waste again?
It was. I was on the opposite side of the ground and there were no gaps at all in our end.Looked completely full on TV.