West Ham (A) - EFL Cup R4 - Post-Match Thread

Maybe he was lined up to take the 5th penalty for City and never got the chance?

There are some mighty dumb comments on this thread!

And that was my point. Why is he going last? He's wasn't the 5th best penalty taker on the pitch. It was all over by the time the 5th came round. Great deal of good having our best go last
 
One of those games you have in the season. Suffered with the slow tempo. On paper we still should of won but the energy is a lot different without Foden and Bernardo in the lineup.

Only when Foden and Grealish came on did it look like we had a sense of any urgency.
 
You what, mate? Have we travelled back to the 19-20 season?

I appreciate Gundogan's scoring form last season might have been caused by a change of position that enabled a bit of a purple patch for him, but he's been here five years now and still consistently starts in big games. There must be a reason for that. Pep doesn't suffer fools and he clearly trusts Gundogan, so the idea that he's been "rubbish" is really extreme. Pep's had no issue dropping club legends (or selling them), he's had no issue leaving players out for weeks when he deems that they're not doing well enough. I can't recall Gundogan ever going through a phase where he was benched for a long stretch despite being fit and available. He was instrumental in the 18/19 run-in and once again in our title-win last season, while the rest of his City career he's been a decent, professional option to fill in whenever Silva or Fernandinho haven't been available.

I'm actually a bigger fan of Gundogan than most people and have often seen real value in him where others haven't, but even if you were being really critical I think the worst you could accuse him of is not being as effective as David Silva in that #8 role and maybe being a little slow to accelerate. But we know now (given how good they've both been for ages now) that the Rodri-Gundogan double pivot was suffering from more systemic issues in 2019 and had little to do with them both as individuals. Rodri was getting used to his new position while dealing with a makeshift defence behind him (remember that we had to play Fernandinho at CB alongside Otamendi on far too many occasions), while Gundogan was in and out of the side with David Silva on his last legs. It's something Pep needed to sort out by fixing other areas of the team and that's exactly what he did.

As for Gundogan being at the heart of our Champions League exits... Christ, that's a massive stretch. He wasn't even involved in the Monaco games, so scratch those off the list. Liverpool - I don't think it's Gundogan's fault that Pep started him on the right-wing and that our defence shat itself in sight of the Kop, nor the fact that we had two perfectly legitimate goals disallowed for offside over the course of the tie. Spurs - Aguero missed a penalty in the first leg and VAR screwed us over in the second leg. Lyon - I seem to remember it was Raheem who skied it from 4 yards instead of tapping in for 2-2. And I'm pretty sure it was the random inclusion of Sterling in the final last year that disrupted the balance of the team overall, not Gundogan, who had been there all season.
Sure aguero missed a penalty. But had pep not been over cautious and brought gundogun alongside Fernandinho (for the first time that season) we wouldn’t have needed that penalty. We were overly cautious, slow and pedantic in midfield in direct contrast to the previous games. When gundogun plays, the pressing intensity is less, the build up is slow, and our defence don’t get the support in front of them. Look at how Bernardo supported Rodri against Chelsea and Liverpool. There is no way we would have come out with any points if gundogun had started
 
And that was my point. Why is he going last? He's wasn't the 5th best penalty taker on the pitch. It was all over by the time the 5th came round. Great deal of good having our best go last
Is Gundogan really our best penalty taker though? They all seem equally hit and miss these days to the point where it probably came down to a multitude of factors what the order was.

Maybe Gundogan wasn't even the 5th taker.
 
Appreciate the detailed response, bud. I actually think Palmer has the talent to be an elite player for both us and England.

He is sure to get stronger at 19 and with his height, is beautifully balanced. He actually reminds me of Paul Lake.

He's a little intimidated at times with some of our bigger names, but that will get easier.

Palmer, a bit like Phil, we aren't sure what his best position is just yet, as the academy are turning out kids now who can play in a variety of positions across the front six.

He does sometimes want to play his way out of situations in the wrong areas and got caught out doing just that in his most-recent England U21 game.

I suppose that's kids for you, but I'm hopeful this one can be afforded the time by Pep to convince a few more of his quality.
Imagine a team with E(d)erson, Lake and Palmer.
 
The three games we have lost this season , even taking off the blue tinted specs are games we deserved to win , we outplayed Spursy,PSG and West Ham, even the Dipper game should have been over by half time , the only team that barely deserved a point were Southampton.
Our first 13 games W8 D2 L3 and that includes a tough run of league away fixtures and the "superstars" of PSG , our only failing has been not punishing sides like West Ham when we have them at our mercy , which then reverts to that old chestnut "we need a striker/ Aguero replacement" , which probably has some merit.
If we had a Haaland or Lewandowski up front i think we win every game , but we are not doing to shabbily , two points off the top and probably one more victory from qualifying for the tenth year on the trot for the Champions league knock out stages.
OK we have given up the League Cup , but not with a whimper ,we went out to one of the form sides with a weakened team in yet another game we should have won.
Typical City , its in our DNA and i wouldnt change a thing and its exactly why our fan base are so grounded , unike the braggards of the 'istree clubs.
 
So is gundo. He’s usually sleepwalking games and is a passenger most of the time. Sometimes he sleepwalks past defenders for a tap in from 3 yards, but for me he’s a bigger liability than sterling
WHAT ! You cant be serious. Hes a regular goal scorer from midfield. He creates. His goals last season was a major part of us winning the PL.
 
So is gundo. He’s usually sleepwalking games and is a passenger most of the time. Sometimes he sleepwalks past defenders for a tap in from 3 yards, but for me he’s a bigger liability than sterling
Give it a f*cking rest , Gundogan was brilliant last season and has only started five games this season , scoring goals in the six yard box is a skill and something we still lack , if it wasnt for Gundogan scoring from 3 yards, who would ?
If your going to critcise a player then state a solid and factual opinion together , instead of the tripe you have posted.
 
Sure aguero missed a penalty. But had pep not been over cautious and brought gundogun alongside Fernandinho (for the first time that season) we wouldn’t have needed that penalty. We were overly cautious, slow and pedantic in midfield in direct contrast to the previous games. When gundogun plays, the pressing intensity is less, the build up is slow, and our defence don’t get the support in front of them. Look at how Bernardo supported Rodri against Chelsea and Liverpool. There is no way we would have come out with any points if gundogun had started
Bollocks
 
100% this

Any line up that contains the two fannies makes my heart sink and instantly damages our prospects.

Get rid of both and bring a bit of substance into the team,hopefully from the EDS.
Mahrez had 3 goals in 2 games prior to last night despite not having a consistent run in the team.

To compare his form with Sterling’s is ludicrous. Mahrez contributes far more to the team.
 
Early night that, we got back to Cheadle Hulme at 4. Given your previous comment about the Lost Boys (great film) reckon we were on the same coach. Think the latest score at one time was Lost 2 - Clink 1.

Quite a long walk but not exactly difficult - exit ground, turn right, hit main road, turn left
After travelling to Birmingham City in a Tuesday night game on one of Donald Francis coach trips they did a roll call on the way back which amounted to:
Missing - 3
Arrested - 5
Hospital - 2
Injured - A few
And yes daft Donald did ask me if I could lend him 20p :)
It when 20p was worth what 50p is now for the young uns.
 
After travelling to Birmingham City in a Tuesday night game on one of Donald Francis coach trips they did a roll call on the way back which amounted to:
Missing - 3
Arrested - 5
Hospital - 2
Injured - A few
And yes daft Donald did ask me if I could lend him 20p :)
It when 20p was worth what 50p is now for the young uns.
'Oi fingy can you borrow me 10p' was his usual question. He obviously wanted some fags or booze if he asked for 20p
 
Kdb poor again....we are better without him at present.
Sterling looking to make things happen and definitely better than previous.
Cancello does not play as well coming off the bench
Mahrez poor
Grealish made little difference when he came on
 
IMO City fans should stop bashing Sterling. Why do you do this? He's playing far below potential but your job is to lift him.

When you go to a game, you get behind the team, and every player in it.

However, after the game, are you not allowed to analyze the team performance and that of individuals? Isn’t that the very definition of “happy clapper”?

And, from what I’ve seen, most of the discussion surrounding Sterling has been factual, not “bashing.”

He has glaring weaknesses that have been overlooked in the past because he had gotten himself into scoring positions and got the ball over the line (by hook or by crook!). Now that he is not scoring, those weaknesses don’t come with a positive caveat that overshadows them. That’s not good for him, and is the reason he can’t get a game at the moment.

That’s not “bashing,” that’s observing the reality of his situation atm. I hope he comes good, but he is the LEAST technically gifted on the team…and I include the defenders and ever GK in that!
 
IMO City fans should stop bashing Sterling. Why do you do this? He's playing far below potential but your job is to lift him.
You're one to bloody talk!

Shall we have a look back through your post history about Grealish?
 
Kdb poor again....we are better without him at present.
Sterling looking to make things happen and definitely better than previous.
Cancello does not play as well coming off the bench
Mahrez poor
Grealish made little difference when he came on
I think its time to get rid of all of them in January
 

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