Lack of pace on the wings

[Gumzy97]

Leicester certainly need the cash these days?

He has more end product in the small spaces than Jack and even Bernie.

Don't know his attitude, just that he is a very underrated player, albeit, injury prone of late.

We could get him cheaper due to his contract just checked and he's got a year left on his deal come the summer

 

[pavelsrnicek]

No harm in discussing the shortcomings of the squad though.

Of course, that’s what forums are for. I just think some of the reaction to the draw with Everton is a little OTT.

 

[Dazzle84]

This. Don't get why people think Rice will ever be an elite level player. He's miles off. He's a really good footballer, but nowhere near City's level technically. Doesn't have that 360 vision at all and would get caught on the ball loads as a 6 for City. Europa league player, the best for a side like West Ham, but never a PL winning midfielder.

If someone decent gets hold of him in the next year or so there's probably a very good centre half in there

 

[Dr Jacoby]

Maddison and Rice would cost a fortune and aren’t amongst the best in their respective positions. It would be Grealish and Phillips all over again. Squad fillers at exorbitant prices.

Hope we’re in for Bellingham, a left back (Davies would be a dream signing) and a speed merchant like Diaby or Leao.

 

[oldius]

Maddison and Rice would cost a fortune and aren’t amongst the best in their respective positions. It would be Grealish and Phillips all over again. Squad fillers at exorbitant prices.

Hope we’re in for Bellingham, a left back (Davies would be a dream signing) and a speed merchant like Diaby or Leao.

Clearly, Grealish is not a squad filler. Judging Phillips already is premature. We know little about Bellingham - I personally felt that his performance in the World Cup were good, but did not strike me as extraordinary and he would be expected to be an immediate world-beater should we pay the fee for him. Davies is a fantastic player and an absolute athlete. Speed merchants need more - we don't play on the counter and there is no space in behind a wall of ten.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

This. Don't get why people think Rice will ever be an elite level player. He's miles off. He's a really good footballer, but nowhere near City's level technically. Doesn't have that 360 vision at all and would get caught on the ball loads as a 6 for City. Europa league player, the best for a side like West Ham, but never a PL winning midfielder.

rice is the most overrated english player. 50 mil max, would be a rotational player in place of kalvin philips.

 

[stan bowles]

Agreed that's how it looks, but paying £100m for a player who receives the ball on the touch line, shields it a little and rolls it back to a full back.... bit strange all round - i never thought he had that much more in him. At Villa he ran a bit with it, but he hardly scored..or assisted, hey hardly scored..came in at an age when a £100m player should be a world beater - he isn't and wasn't..hardly got an international cao..£100m seems a really really strange buy...great agent though

Agreed. Do you think he has that fire in his belly that all the great ones have ? Seems very content to play in a comfort zone (possibly the one Pep has created for him). If his finishing was anything like then he wouldn't have spurned those 2 golden chances at the Bernabeu before RM scored their 2 goals in added on time. I posted after the Everton game that I've given up on him in terms of him being a game changer we need in the final third. Hope I'm proved wrong and he delivers in terms of goals and assists but not expecting it to happen.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Pep is a big fan and Estiarte has also spoken to him about him.

pep says that about half the english players. he calls some of the players in relegation side as world beaters. that is is why we have a transfer team independent of pep. do you remember pep wanted kane but the club refused to go all out for him? instead we got haaland. not always best to defer to pep

 

[blueju]

That's never been Pep's mantra at City, it was an anecdote from his first few weeks coaching in 2008 from Henry.

Really? I stand corrected then. We played like it until a couple of seasons ago.

 

[CatMan]

considering he's out of contract in the summer, do brighton accept 25m for trossard right now? Not too bad a shout.

If that's true then it's a no brainer.

 

[Tolmie scores]

Agreed. Do you think he has that fire in his belly that all the great ones have ? Seems very content to play in a comfort zone (possibly the one Pep has created for him). If his finishing was anything like then he wouldn't have spurned those 2 golden chances at the Bernabeu before RM scored their 2 goals in added on time. I posted after the Everton game that I've given up on him in terms of him being a game changer we need in the final third. Hope I'm proved wrong and he delivers in terms of goals and assists but not expecting it to happen.

Definitely a player to come on to strangle games when were a couple up. Great asset to have on the bench / squad but too ineffective to be one of the 11 who have to make a real difference. Lots of English players like this. Great technically, get very well looked after from end og academy years upwards. Not a great recipe if you want Carloz Tevez or Di Canio type desire..we create nice but soft lads really..academy system right gravy train for some

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

pep says that about half the english players. he calls some of the players in relegation side as world beaters. that is is why we have a transfer team independent of pep. do you remember pep wanted kane but the club refused to go all out for him? instead we got haaland. not always best to defer to pep

Doesn't make it any less true that Pep is a big fan of the player, irrespective of what others may think of Rice.

You think Pep didn't want Haaland...

 

[Shah9320]

considering he's out of contract in the summer, do brighton accept 25m for trossard right now? Not too bad a shout.

Brighton has triggered further year on trossards contract.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Doesn't make it any less true that Pep is a big fan of the player, irrespective of what others may think of Rice.

You think Pep didn't want Haaland...

I didn't say pep never wanted Haaland. I think pep wanted Kane more than Haaland but the club thought the opposite and convinced him for the good of the club.

 

[Lavinda Past]

He's a very good player.

I think much the same about Ward-Prowse at Southampton. Hard working, reads a game well, and has a great free kick. Either he or Maddison would fit nicely into a 'Pep system' imo.

As long as we don't go for Mason Mount by mistake...

 

[SomeMightSay]

The only reason we gave Mahrez an extension was due to letting both Raz and Jesus leave in the same window, we should have had the balls to let all 3 go, but we shit out and handed him a contract he didn’t deserve.

Was that the season he was our leading goal scorer?

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I didn't say pep never wanted Haaland. I think pep wanted Kane more than Haaland but the club thought the opposite and convinced him for the good of the club.

Think it was more Levy who convinced City it wasn't worth doing business.

All the stars aligned because of Haaland's clause becoming active in the January.

In terms of Rice, I know he is a player he likes, but he also likes Mahrez and Ake, who should never be near a starting line up when everybody is fit.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Of course, that’s what forums are for. I just think some of the reaction to the draw with Everton is a little OTT.

We were absolutely dreadful. The team and (mainly) Pep deserve every bit of the criticism.

Everton came to us as a very poor side. They were very poor on the day, and they still are very poor. No excuses... we should have taken them apart but Pep's tactics played straight into their hands.

Chelsea are bang average. They're in a mess and should be easy meat on Thursday, unless Pep f*cks up again.

 

[theres only one carlito]

We were absolutely dreadful. The team and (mainly) Pep deserve every bit of the criticism.

Everton came to us as a very poor side. They were very poor on the day, and they still are very poor. No excuses... we should have taken them apart but Pep's tactics played straight into their hands.

Chelsea are bang average. They're in a mess and should be easy meat on Thursday, unless Pep f*cks up again.

Exactly and Makes Peps Post match comments even weirder.

I don’t want sarcasm at the press conference (if indeed that’s what it was). I want an honest professional opinion of what the manger thinks and why. And if his comments the other day about it being one of our best performances were just that, then that’s even more bizarre.

I don’t like the last few weeks, the way we play, comments about players weight and body language, unusual amount of leaks of team line ups pre match and a manager talking absolute nonsense.

 

[JewelZee]

Exactly and Makes Peps Post match comments even weirder.

I don’t want sarcasm at the press conference (if indeed that’s what it was). I want an honest professional opinion of what the manger thinks and why. And if his comments the other day about it being one of our best performances were just that, then that’s even more bizarre.

I don’t like the last few weeks, the way we play, comments about players weight and body language, unusual amount of leaks of team line ups pre match and a manager talking absolute nonsense.

Some weird goings on. Why did Pep say if things don't go the way he wants he may not see out his new deal? It made zero sense at the time he said it. Then coming down very hard on Phillips publicly. Walker, Foden, Cancelo, and Bernardo have all been fit and yet have been marginalized since after the WC. Maybe he's going through some personal stuff, who knows? He just seemed off to me from his usual self in the last post game. If City don't come back in Prem or win the CL I wouldn't be surprised if Pep called it an end to his time at City...