Sporting CP (A) | CL | Post Match Thread

bondsman said:
I think performance wise we’ve not been great since losing to the Rags in the FA Cup final. We feel stale, predictable and one paced.
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Disagree. We were absolutely flying after the first three games. The first international break messed up our momentum and we've been dealing with the impact of Rodri's injury ever since. This happens every season where the three international breaks between September and November disrupt our rhythm - it actually happened last year when Rodri got sent off against Forest and we had to deal with his absence (and a load of injuries) and played a patchwork midfield until about Christmas. That night we got hammered by Villa and somehow only lost 1-0 felt similar to tonight - Sporting just got the rub of the green that Villa didn't get - and that midfield was Lewis, Stones, and Alvarez, lol.

I was up in Scotland for Christmas last year and I remember watching us go 1-0 down at Goodison Park on Boxing Day (?), sitting looking out at the Hebrides as the sun went down, thinking "God are we ever going to get a proper XI together?" We won that game 3-1 and didn't really look back from there. A year earlier, things were so bad in 22/23 that Pep ripped up the entire system, slagged the players off in the press and called them a 'happy flowers' team, and started again. He'll have to do the same this season by the looks of things.

This run has just been made worse by us having a weaker squad than in previous seasons, by our injury list very quickly and suddenly expanding to extreme levels, and having four consecutive away games as well. If we'd played Sporting at home tonight, or if we'd played Brugge instead, we'd have probably won uncomfortably with a couple of nervy moments and we'd be looking ahead to Brighton with some cautious optimism. As it is, a tired team went all the way to Portugal, played a team who are flying, and got their arses handed to them. I also think that, with even 3 or 4 more players fit and available, this run wouldn't be happening. But as it is we're relying on Simpson-Pusey, a lad I'd literally never heard of a week ago, to fill in gaps in big European away games. There are problems with the system, no doubt, but they're being exacerbated.
 
RayCTID said:
The old problem of us not taking our chances hasn't gone away. With or without Rodri. I haven't a clue how we do really address that issue even with our current attackers. A new signing wouldn't fix that either.
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And we’ve combined that problem with being so easy to play through shipping goals for fun pretty much at every opportunity our opposition has going forward.
 
Worst thing about tonight was the wankathon for the soon to be ex coach. Now the rags and ragettes are in giddy mode thinking this will be what they will see week in week out.

‘Professional Manc’ Gallagher said something mildly amusing tonight. That it gives them a false hope.
 
this new format CL league table is ridiculous. we are 6th with 7 points but another 10 clubs with 7 points and quite a few more with 6 and 5 points and lots of games tomorrow as well.

there will be lot of teams with 15-16-17 points hope this 4-1 loss does not cost us in GD maybe in level points situation.
for us to get 10 points from the next 4 games is a big ask. we need 9 points minimum now or we dont make the cutoff to go straight into the KO rounds.
those extra two games in February are not needed when we have Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool , Spurs games around February in PL especially if Arse and Liverpool does reach the top8 positions and they sit out the playoff round.
 
nellyonthewing said:
plus an ageing Walker Kev Bernie and Gundo all about 70% off their prime.
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The core of our first team has remained the same for a number of years now. Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Rodri, De Bruyne,Silver, Gundogan, Foden. Gvardiol, Ake, Akanji and Haaland have been decent additions. The jury is out on Doku and Savinho. Nunez has shown flashes recently. Age is sadly catching up with some of our absolute stellar players. Rico is busy and intelligent but he's still learning the game and physically I'm not sure he'll reach the top unless he beefs up. Add to that we go deep into every competition almost every year and all our players get called up for their national sides. I think it's starting to catch up with them both mentally and physically. Not surprising really.

We could yet pull this season around but we desperately need our experienced key players back fully fit and firing. At the end of the season key areas need strengthening with top class proven players to sustain our place at the top. Everything hinges on Peps decision and these fucking charges that have been hanging like a bad smell over us for what feels like forever.
 
Blue2202 said:
And we’ve combined that problem with being so easy to play through shipping goals for fun pretty much at every opportunity our opposition has going forward.
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Injuries have played a huge part in that. We are constantly chopping and changing our defensive set up because of that issue.
 
DisturbedSwan said:
An awful result, could of been a lot different if we’d of taken our chances in the first 30 minutes when we should’ve been at least 3-0 up, they were dreadful.

2nd half begins and we looked like we just got out the pub, gave a silly goal away from the kick off then our heads went.

Their first pen was soft I thought, not sure it would’ve been given in the Prem but that’s the way it goes. In a matter of minutes we go from 1-1 to 3-1, heads went and it could’ve got worse during that period of play.

We got a pen out of nowhere as the dopey ref missed the handball, Haaland misses it which I don’t think he’s ever done for us before (maybe wrong), that could’ve got us back in the game.

Once that was missed our heads went again and we concede another penalty, this one fully deserved.

Not our night, lots of injuries, thin on the ground at the moment but I feel until we get to the other side of the international break it’s not going to get any better. We look so open at the back and concede far too easily without taking our chances at the other end.

That being said, there is some hope in a few players coming back over the next few games and the way we played without conceding for the first 30 minutes.

Blue line under the game, all focus on Brighton away.
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Missed v Bayern in CL and Sheff U in 2023
 
Ted_Bovis said:
Worst thing about tonight was the wankathon for the soon to be ex coach. Now the rags and ragettes are in giddy mode thinking this will be what they will see week in week out.

‘Professional Manc’ Gallagher said something mildly amusing tonight. That it gives them a false hope.
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Leads them into a false sense of security. I am not so sure Amorin could cope with our current situation.
 
RayCTID said:
Leads them into a false sense of security. I am not so sure Amorin could cope with our current situation.
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Like I said earlier on, I don't think Sporting played particularly well we absolutely battered them 1st half and absolutely collapsed 2nd.

Imo it was all our own doing.
 
Ted_Bovis said:
Worst thing about tonight was the wankathon for the soon to be ex coach. Now the rags and ragettes are in giddy mode thinking this will be what they will see week in week out.

‘Professional Manc’ Gallagher said something mildly amusing tonight. That it gives them a false hope.
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So, according to RF, United fans can't wait to see footy like this at the Old Toilet? Really, since when have rag fans been happy to win by having 27 per cent possession at home with less than half the number of shots of the visitors..... Rag fans haven't been happy since AF retired because of the style of football their megazillion pound teams are playing. If Amorim makes the rags a hard to beat side that wins a few games by counter-attacking footy, their fans won't be happy for long. Their fans want a risk taker - not a safety first counter-attacking coach.
 
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