Arsenal (H) - Sun 31st Mar, 16:30 | PL | Pre-Match Thread

[bluemoon32]

Wouldn't be surprised if Pep played Doku centrally like vs Newcastle. Arsenal's midfield might be a bit stretched with Odegaard pressing high and Jorginho lacking in pace and physicality. Rice is a top athlete but his acceleration over 5 yards is nowhere near Doku's. Pep might play both Doku and Foden centrally to exploit that space between Rice/Jorginho and the CBs.

So, it's possible that Pep starts with a team and structure similar to the one in the last FA Cup game, with Ederson and Ake replacing Ortega and Walker in the line-up.

Of course, much depends on whether KDB is fit enough to play with high intensity 70 minutes or more. Pep might be tempted to use him from the bench as a talisman.

Not having a pop at him but i sincerely hope Doku doesnt start

 

[bluemc1]

or there’ll be pitchforks and torches out for them :D kova’s not hated at the moment, but gvardiol. people are literally having meltdowns because he’ll probably play. even why couldn’t gvardiol get injured instead of stones. what’s the deal with wishing injuries for your own players?

anyway, many people think we’ll see gvardiol cb and ake lb because saka.
would pep do that in one of the most important games of the season when he only had him play cb in dead games previously?

on the other hand, if he plays lb and ends up in problems with saka, it’s pitchfork time for him, especially if pep won’t have akanji invert but play gvardiol lw again.

many arsenal fans are predicting an easy game and a comfortable win for them. arrogant assholes.

Tbf mate Kova has never been hated, Fans want who is in form playing that’s about it
His first couple of games he looked really good and we all said how happy we were, then he dipped a bit and we said….well he’s dipped a bit.

He started looking really confident and sharp again and many wanted him to start at Anfield due to that form

Not read all pages but the general consensus i see on Gvardiol is he’s going to be a cracking player for us, he’s brilliant on the ball for a defender, he’s a bit wild when asked to supply the final ball currently but he’s very young and not being played in what is he most natural position

 

[how soon is now]

Tbf mate Kova has never been hated, Fans want who is in form playing that’s about it
His first couple of games he looked really good and we all said how happy we were, then he dipped a bit and we said….well he’s dipped a bit.

He started looking really confident and sharp again and many wanted him to start at Anfield due to that form

Not read all pages but the general consensus i see on Gvardiol is he’s going to be a cracking player for us, he’s brilliant on the ball for a defender, he’s a bit wild when asked to supply the final ball currently but he’s very young and not being played in what is he most natural position

Bang on post that

 

[alexmcity]

Not having a pop at him but i sincerely hope Doku doesnt start

Doku was our best player vs Liverpool at the Etihad in what was probably our most controlled performance vs a top team this season. I'd say he was our best player in the first half in the last game vs Newcastle too. His more central role surprised them.

Grealish won't probably be ready after having barely played since early January and after two first-half injuries in the last two starts for him. And Kevin might not be in top condition either. He was poorish in the big games (Chelsea, United, Liverpool). Might be better to use him from the bench. Guess he's more likely to start than not, though.

 

[shevtheblue]

or there’ll be pitchforks and torches out for them :D kova’s not hated at the moment, but gvardiol. people are literally having meltdowns because he’ll probably play. even why couldn’t gvardiol get injured instead of stones. what’s the deal with wishing injuries for your own players?

anyway, many people think we’ll see gvardiol cb and ake lb because saka.
would pep do that in one of the most important games of the season when he only had him play cb in dead games previously?

on the other hand, if he plays lb and ends up in problems with saka, it’s pitchfork time for him, especially if pep won’t have akanji invert but play gvardiol lw again.

many arsenal fans are predicting an easy game and a comfortable win for them. arrogant assholes.

Anyone with a brain can see the potential of Gvardiol, but it's undeniable he has had a topsy-turvy season. At times he is too chilled, will play an amazing line breaking pass and then next fail to be able to get to the guy stood next to him. He's an absolute athlete but will get pushed off the ball or lose out in a sprint to some nobody. Clearly needs time, but the "pitch forks" are nothing to do with him personally, it's just where City are as a club and i'm sure its the same for any big club that is used to success - expectation.

I know you're suggesting Pep is also to blame for this, i agree to an extent, but the reason he's out on the left is to slowly integrate him in and also because Pep has seen something from him. If you see how he passes inside through the lines to forward players, from full back positions, i don't think we have anyone else that's ever been able to do that. If we can get the timing of that right, Gvardiol could put Haaland through on goal for an assist like TAA does at Liverpool - but we haven't managed to figure it out yet.

 

[Asa's left peg]

I agree, apparently Branthwaite is the next coming, so why not see if he can do it for England, in a friendly!!
How will he know now if Branthwaite or Palmer could be the answer in the Euros, if you don't try them in these meaningless games!

But the clueless waistcoat one, is more concerned about his own stats over what's best for England or for a players health and the fact that Stones was picked for that second game show this.

Stones' injury is down to that clueless, clown of a manager, no one else.

Absolutely. I think even us city supporters know by now that a second game in a week for John risks and abductor strain. There should be conditions that come with players going on international duty. Branthwaite should have played alongside John in the first game, and Dunk/Konsa alongside Maguire (god help us) in the Belgium game.

For christ sake, Brazil didn't even have a centre forward on the pitch! I hope he gets the rags job so we can make him look even more stupid. Right now, I'm supressing a conspiracy theory re giving the gooners an edge.

 

[mancboy]

Tbf mate Kova has never been hated, Fans want who is in form playing that’s about it
His first couple of games he looked really good and we all said how happy we were, then he dipped a bit and we said….well he’s dipped a bit.

He started looking really confident and sharp again and many wanted him to start at Anfield due to that form

Not read all pages but the general consensus i see on Gvardiol is he’s going to be a cracking player for us, he’s brilliant on the ball for a defender, he’s a bit wild when asked to supply the final ball currently but he’s very young and not being played in what is he most natural position

we looked massively more composed and dangerous at klanfield as soon as he come on

 

[vanchi]

Tbf mate Kova has never been hated, Fans want who is in form playing that’s about it
His first couple of games he looked really good and we all said how happy we were, then he dipped a bit and we said….well he’s dipped a bit.

He started looking really confident and sharp again and many wanted him to start at Anfield due to that form

Not read all pages but the general consensus i see on Gvardiol is he’s going to be a cracking player for us, he’s brilliant on the ball for a defender, he’s a bit wild when asked to supply the final ball currently but he’s very young and not being played in what is he most natural position

he was after that awful performance at the emirates, and when he was accused of celebrating chelsea’s goal or whatever it was. and gvardiol, well, i’m sorry, i don’t have time to show you some of the stuff. and if people want to dislike him or hate him i don’t care, but if they’re saying his passing is shit when he had the best pass accuracy on the pitch, i’m not staying quiet.

but context matters, super important game tomorrow, everyone wants ake at lb, everyone. if pep plays gvardiol at lb and he doesn’t deal with saka as good as ake did, pitchforks. why is that so controversial?
even i want to see ake at lb tomorrow, a must win game, he’s good at handling saka etc.

 

[vanchi]

Anyone with a brain can see the potential of Gvardiol, but it's undeniable he has had a topsy-turvy season. At times he is too chilled, will play an amazing line breaking pass and then next fail to be able to get to the guy stood next to him. He's an absolute athlete but will get pushed off the ball or lose out in a sprint to some nobody. Clearly needs time, but the "pitch forks" are nothing to do with him personally, it's just where City are as a club and i'm sure its the same for any big club that is used to success - expectation.

I know you're suggesting Pep is also to blame for this, i agree to an extent, but the reason he's out on the left is to slowly integrate him in and also because Pep has seen something from him. If you see how he passes inside through the lines to forward players, from full back positions, i don't think we have anyone else that's ever been able to do that. If we can get the timing of that right, Gvardiol could put Haaland through on goal for an assist like TAA does at Liverpool - but we haven't managed to figure it out yet.

Anyone with a brain can see the potential of Gvardiol, but it's undeniable he has had a topsy-turvy season. At times he is too chilled, will play an amazing line breaking pass and then next fail to be able to get to the guy stood next to him. He's an absolute athlete but will get pushed off the ball or lose out in a sprint to some nobody. Clearly needs time, but the "pitch forks" are nothing to do with him personally, it's just where City are as a club and i'm sure its the same for any big club that is used to success - expectation.

I know you're suggesting Pep is also to blame for this, i agree to an extent, but the reason he's out on the left is to slowly integrate him in and also because Pep has seen something from him. If you see how he passes inside through the lines to forward players, from full back positions, i don't think we have anyone else that's ever been able to do that. If we can get the timing of that right, Gvardiol could put Haaland through on goal for an assist like TAA does at Liverpool - but we haven't managed to figure it out yet.

if pep plays gvardiol at lb tomorrow instead of ake and gvardiol doesn’t have an ake against saka performance, what do you think the reactions will be?

in my opinion there’s not a single person that wants to see gvardiol at lb tomorrow, everyone would prefer ake. and no it’s not my alleged croatian nationalistic victim
complex, i think it’s just a fact.

 

[B\connellblue]

THIRTY Points to play for & 23% of the season left.

A win will be good but its not a decisive game.

Create hell tomorrow, it's our duty !!

I'd argue anything less than a win leaves us in a precarious position. Our goal difference is inferior to the other twos so that's akin to an extra point. Now I'm hearing constantly about all these points the dippers are going to drop. Not much evidence of it this far. The Gooners may well crack again .
Going to have win all 10 to retain our title in my opinion.

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Not having a pop at him but i sincerely hope Doku doesnt start

Why? Best player v the it means more wankers.

 

[vanchi]

Oh the fucking irony of someone posting only about two players of one nationality getting riled by someone else pointing out the fact that no one else is remotely bothered by any players nationality. It’s not remotely xenophobic to point out the fact the rest of us aren’t interested in player’s nationalities. We care only about the club we support.

We’ve seen dozens of your like come and go through the years pal as their countrymen are signed and leave, not a single one was missed but you’re right on one thing, I’ll be using the ignore function with your future posts.

hahahhahah a croatian person is interested in croatian players. how unusual. not the sharpest tool in the old proverbial box eh?

once more for the hard of thinking, i read the rules, put dinamo zagreb and croatian national team in the box as instructed. i don’t shit on the club, pep or other players and throw tantrums when my guys are benched and so on. which rules of this forum am i breaking?

swp’s back’s dislike of foreigners is his problem. i never said anyone would miss me if i leave, i, unlike that poster, don’t suffer from delusions of grandeur.
but well, i guess the raging xenophobia can make a person miss all the facts in the posts made by a persona non grata.
bless his brexit loving heart, i don’t plan to come to england and steal his job and parking spot and whatever else those pesky forriners do. :D

 

[staffsblue]

Heads up to anyone who walks to and from the stadium. The "City Link" footpath between Holt Town and the stadium is currently blocked off for it's pre Co-op Live makeover.
Went up there on the tram yesterday to go for a swim at East Manchester Leisure Centre, and there was not much going on apart from some fake graffiti mural type thingy being installed under one of the over-bridges.

 

[alexmcity]

Ederson and the 4 fit defenders aside, 4 players are guaranteed to start: Rodri, Bernardo, Haaland and Foden.

There are 2 spots for 5 players: Kovacic (he's likely to start), KDB, Grealish, Alvarez and Doku. Nunes and Bobb are unlikely to make the starting XI. Alvarez, too. The game is too big and comes probably too soon for Grealish, who is unlikely to be risked.

So, it's between Kovacic, KDB and Doku for 2 spots, with the first 2 the most likely starters.

 

[Haaland94]

Sunday compared to last year they will have

Raya vs Ramsey
Rice vs Jorginho
Saliba vs Holding
Havertz vs Jesus

They have improved massively.

City have unfortunately got weaker as we're integrating new young players in Nunes and Doku compared to having Gundogan and Mahrez available last year, and Grealish in the form of his life. Kovacic looks to be getting it but he'll need to have a great game.

Unfortunately due to Gareth the Dim I think Arsenal are favourites for this game.

There isn't a team in world-football that would be favourites against us at the Etihad. Sure as hell not Arsenal.

 

[shevtheblue]

if pep plays gvardiol at lb tomorrow instead of ake and gvardiol doesn’t have an ake against saka performance, what do you think the reactions will be?

in my opinion there’s not a single person that wants to see gvardiol at lb tomorrow, everyone would prefer ake. and no it’s not my alleged croatian nationalistic victim
complex, i think it’s just a fact.

There was the same reactions to Ake in his first 1.5 seasons at City when he played LB. Same for Grealish playing LW. Same for Akanji at RB. Eventually Pep is proven right, or the player doesn't develop enough and is side-lined or moved somewhere he is better. In the words of Pep 'it is what it is'.

 

[Crooked_rain]

I will be astonished if Grealish plays.

He has played 16 minutes in the league since December and has spent the majority of 2024 ravaged with injury. I think Pep bides his time.

I think it will be Foden on the left and Bernardo on the right with a midfield 3 of Kovacic, Rodri and De Bruyne.

I think we will go full Control FC.

Yeah, I think we will ease Grealish back in. I think Pep would like him right for the Real Madrid game, we know Pep likes him in those kind of games.

Although tomorrow is a big game, I don't see us gambling with Jack and risk losing him for big games down the line.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Yeah, I think we will ease Grealish back in. I think Pep would like him right for the Real Madrid game, we know Pep likes him in those kind of games.

Although tomorrow is a big game, I don't see us gambling with Jack and risk losing him for big games down the line.

Tomorrow is a "big" game.
Need Grealish. The alternative........

 

[Blue Smarties]

Never watched it before but put on that shite Saturday Social show which has replaced Soccer AM. Interview with Gabriel and Saliba, both of whom said Doku was the most skillfull player in the league and is unpredictable to play against. Wonder if there's a soft underbelly to get at there mentally.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Never watched it before but put on that shite Saturday Social show which has replaced Soccer AM. Interview with Gabriel and Saliba, both of whom said Doku was the most skillfull player in the league and is unpredictable to play against. Wonder if there's a soft underbelly to get at there mentally.

What are they basing that upon? The 0 - 1?