I'm as critical as anyone about us this season, but sometimes I just have to think and acknowledge that these players have put so much in season after season that they are now probably totally drained physically. The international games fuck things up for me when our lads get chosen to play two or three games in these breaks, no wonder they look gassed at this stage of the season. Still plenty to play for and what will be will beFOCs like me who followed City everywhere in the 80s and 90s remember the days when we’d have given anything just to win an FA Cup. Some of our fans are ridiculously entitled!
Absolutely correct! I remember the cup visits to Blackpool, Port Vale etc where we’d have given our right arm to win an FA Cup.
It’s a different world now.
You are critical every season.I'm as critical as anyone about us this season, but sometimes I just have to think and acknowledge that these players have put so much in season after season that they are now probably totally drained physically. The international games fuck things up for me when our lads get chosen to play two or three games in these breaks, no wonder they look gassed at this stage of the season. Still plenty to play for and what will be will be
Because the dippers play a far more open expansive game than we do. We are 100% predictable regarding how we will set up and constantly play a possession game. If the opposition can’t get the ball they have no choice but to pack the defence. If we occasionally changed things, say, play balls up to Haaland immediately for a period of 15 minutes or so, then things would change. They would have to. But we don’t do it. Ever. So teams set up accordingly. The dippers allow teams to have the ball intentionally. We don’t. As I said previously our system is successful, but for a lot of the time it doesn’t get you off your seat.The dippers are allowed to play this way, they don’t get low blocked every single game like we do.. Even the bottom teams have a go at them and give them space in behind.
I agree. If this game had come earlier in the season, then yes, a draw would have been a good result for Arsenal. However, with 10 games to go and looking to win the league, surely they had to try to win it? We tried.I don’t understand the mentality of Arsenal or their fans in thinking they put in a huge performance. My Tarquin friends are claiming it was a better result for us then them? Am I missing something?
Perhaps for top 4 but they could have gone top but instead they settle for a ‘huge’ performance becuxe they parked the bus and took 26% possession. I don’t get it.
Problem we have is that other than Foden and Alvarez, the others don’t score enough. The goals return from Grealish and Doku for example is woeful.I've said all along ..''please not a trad Centre Forward'' those days have gone - we are so much better false 9 and rotating midfield players in advanced positions - hard to pick up - no risk of VAR offsides as the goals we used to score came from pull backs - and deep lying midfielders attacking te boss late. So much better to watch. To me Haaland was a commercial deal - as we could get him for £50m always a good chance of a £100m sell on. Big players like him and Nunes look dated tbf in the modern game
I know its disappointing but put yourself in Artetas shoes. He knows our home record. I'm sure he was gutted they didnt transition better but we were on our game and our press was brilliant. How do you get past that many players in such tight space ? Eventually everyone gets mentally tired and thats what it looked like at the end. Arsenals approach was less than brave but it would've been a bad loss for them if they had come out more. In the end this result may have lost us both the title. One of us needed the win.I will never give praise to a team who are supposed title contenders who fixed themselves to 10 yards outside of their own penalty area. I do expect shithouse tactics like this though when we play Shef utd and the rags. Please don't say this was great defending. This was shear cowardice. One team went out to win the other team had their nappies changed at half time.
I’m a new fan and I can’t believe how dire it is - it’s even worse today! So to all the grumps, here is your annoying ray of sunshine… (can you tell I’m a mother…)I think people need a reality check. Nobody knows whether we will get the treble or nothing, but last season we got the lot, apart from the Carabao Cup, but we are still up there and competing, despite injury setbacks. Just keep the faith, if we end up without a trophy, so be it, imagine how Tottenham fans feel, and get real. I spent a huge portion of my life supporting City in the dark years, but I still kept the faith.
Rodri was camped on your 18 yard line for most of the game, along with your eleven.If we'd gambled City were far more likely to win. I think also that's why City didn't gamble as they know Arsenal are a threat on the break so needed to keep Rodri back to shut that threat down.
I know a lot of folks on here sometimes talk like City have suddenly metamorphosed into Burnley but we know City are the best team in the league and a point at the Etihad is huge for us - we've had our pants pulled down there so many times. If you've won some money at the casino, sure you can go on the roulette wheel to try and make even more but more times than not you'll lose the lot!
Also I'm not sure about some of the comments that with City drawing Liverpool will run away with the title because they'll win all their matches. Even if City had won today, you'd still need Liverpool to drop points so it's not a huge difference- you just need to give a side a good hiding to get that goal difference back and City are more than capable of that.
I'll make a prediction that City will finish above Liverpool. Everyone thinks the Dippers fixtures are easy but they really aren't and also Liverpool don't look all that polished either. I can easily see them coming unstuck at the Rags or at Villa Park and also they'll play some relegation threatened teams (including Everton!) who will give them a tough match.
Likewise we are highly likely to enter the gates of hell when we visit Spurs - they'd rather see ISIS win the league than Arsenal!
Nearly a quarter of the season left. No medals handed out today!
But Kev thrives on momentum. We all know he needs games to get going. Besides he won't be happy with that. He has enough credit in the bank to be allowed to get back to form. I agree though Phil needs to be playing in the middle, he's not a winger.the elephant in the room is KDB, for me he needs to be coming off the bench, he has lost the ability to get away from players, mobility is everything at this level and against the very best for me KDB is off the pace, be it his injuries, his age or form, we need Phil as the main man in the middle, build everything around Foden
World class teams who came to play. Not a team who came to just defend.For me we are playing with far too slow a tempo in games. Think back to the performances at the business end of last season, we were blowing world class teams away with our intensity.
It’s a re run of when pep ran Aguero into the ground irrespective of his injury and age . Pep is a re incarnation of Captain Quint from Jaws.the elephant in the room is KDB, for me he needs to be coming off the bench, he has lost the ability to get away from players, mobility is everything at this level and against the very best for me KDB is off the pace, be it his injuries, his age or form, we need Phil as the main man in the middle, build everything around Foden
Good points.Curious what Pep wants for next season.
Buy real fullbacks and continue this 4231 with them overlapping?
He seems to do this to get the most out of Kovacic and Rodri partnership currently. I also think the wingers probably like coming into the half spaces as well for more freedom.
Or go back to last seasons success of Stones into midfield?
With us hardly ever doing this bc Stones is made of Glass.
But Gvardiol is probably our most competent on the ball defender that if he can train to live in a 360 vision environment, he would be class like Stones.
Personally, I dont think im a fan of the fullbacks high and wide approach as they are just their to hold the width, and dont actually offer a threat.
Atleast when we have wingers do it they can still link with the midfielder to form attacking patterns.
The 4231 also only offers 4 true attacking players.
And if Stones isnt fit, I dont see why right now Rodri cant start there and push up next to Kovacic in the interim.
Thats my thoughts on the 2 options, we have control with 4231 but the width is kind of "fake", teams dont fear the CBs in those spots, less attacking players, and its not hard to go back to last seasons approach even if Stones is injured.
We do that when eddie is playing between the sticks . Any city fan should know pros and cons of our two goalies .Im sure pep and his team know a thing or two about mixing stuffs , you know like cabinet full of hardwares . Also pep team should have a hard drive full of haalands strengths and weaknesses .There were times yesterday, particularly in the first half, where the Arsenal back four were pushed up as high as the half way line with Haaland for company.
In this situation I don’t understand why, occasionally, we don’t look to fire one over the top for Erling to chase. I’m not suggesting we change our philosophy to route one but, given that Erling built his reputation at Dortmund on these types of goals, it would give the opposition something extra to think about. Who knows, given his pace, strength and physicality, Erling may bang a few in as well. I just think that our tactic of playing out from the back is easier for the opposition to deal with if we don’t mix it up.