United (H) - Sun 15th Dec, 16:30 | PL | Pre-Match Thread

[Rammy Blue]

My prediction is a loss if Walker starts.

Unfortunately he will have to start, we are down to bare bones.

 

[Rammy Blue]

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Most definitely attributable to Pep’s mindset at the moment.

 

[Chak19]

I just hope Kova can start because I'm sick of seeing Gundo, Silva and Lewis together.

 

[Lavinda Past]

You can’t manage injuries.

If you think the current situation is down to injuries, you're kidding yourself.

The idea of having a squad is to be able to rotate players and fill injury gaps. Our current squad is too small, too inexperienced, and lacks depth of genuine quality.

 

[Pelegrinni]

Unfortunately he will have to start, we are down to bare bones.

Pursey is an option at RB.

 

[paulchapo]

The first derby in a long time I'm actually dreading. We are so easy to play against at the moment I'd back any side to score at least once against us. Palace two, Feyenoord three, Spurs four, Juventus two. All pretty average sides in my opinion yet three of them beat us and if Palace had taken their chances so would they. On the other side of the coin we are struggling for goals ourselves.
Now the rags are a bang average side but Fernandez is better than anyone in our midfield atm given current form. Their pace on the counter attack will get behind us time after time. As for us every single player is underperforming and some are unrecognisable as the players that won everything. Walker, Gvardiol, Ederson, Gundogan have been atrocious. Bernardo is a shadow of his former self and Kev too. Foden is always ill with something or other, he's like a fucking deprived malnourished kid from Victorian England, he'll pick up rickets next.
If there's one game that could galvanise the whole club it's this one. Sadly I fear we'll all be moaning about the same old failings and licking our wounds again at the end.

 

[Lavinda Past]

I don’t agree.

Credit in the bank counts for everything. Any team can have a bad season. We can continue this bad run for as long again as it’s already lasted and end up finishing the season down in the bottom half and win nothing, and I’d be more than happy with Pep to continue on next season.

The eventual comedown after two league titles in a row was fairly big, but after four in a row it’s huge. I completely understand why it’s happening, no team can continue to keep winning league titles like we have, there’s a reason it’s never been done before, the intensity required to do it is gigantic.

This is an off-season, a season to take stock of what’s required to build again for the future. Enjoy what we’ve won, appreciate Pep because he and City will bounce back.

Most successful clubs in Europe tend to change coaches on a regular basis to avoid teams / tactics getting stale.

Although we've been unbelievably successful over Pep's tenure, it's been obvious to me that our squad and tactics have been getting stale over the past two years.

In my opinion, last season's title win was one of the greatest team achievements in the modern era.

 

[hcblue95]

I'd go
Ortega
Akanji Simpson-Pusey Dias Gvardiol
Gundogan kev Grealish
Foden Haaland Doku

That's assuming Akanji and Foden are able to play. And kdb and gundogan aren't too shagged, them being old men. Kovacic in somewhere if he's fit too.

 

[paulchapo]

Most successful clubs in Europe tend to change coaches on a regular basis to avoid teams / tactics getting stale.

Although we've been unbelievably successful over Pep's tenure, it's been obvious to me that our squad and tactics have been getting stale over the past two years.

In my opinion, last season's title win was one of the greatest team achievements in the modern era.

It's certainly a conundrum. There is no doubt Pep is a genius but even aside from the injuries we should be doing better with the players he does have available to him. He can't account for world class players playing like Sunday league pub players though I guess, but he is paid 20 million a year or something to find a solution. He can't just say, "I've won everything playing this way I'm not going to change now." Every game we are seeing the eleven out there failing playing this way. He has to tighten it up.

 

[Bluemart]

I don't think we should be replacing Pep at all just yet. He has earned the right to rebuild the squad. I think everyone accepts that a rebuild needs to take place as there isn't a manager on the planet who could get this squad to win things in its present state. Why would you not entrust the greatest manager the game has ever seen to oversee that rebuild? The manager who is the biggest magnet for top talent?

I totally get what Pep has done and don’t think we will see anything like this again not just at our club but in the PL.
What I don’t get is why we still play with a high line and still an inverted full back. Every team knows how we play and just wait there time to hit us on the break. Not sure what Pep means that he will work it out cos he never changes the system or gives some of the younger lads a chance. I know we have injuries more than most but I’d like to think that Pep is reinventing the team. Sadly not seeing that at the moment.
Having said all this, united are shit and are 7 points behind us, even when we have been poor recently.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

The first derby in a long time I'm actually dreading. We are so easy to play against at the moment I'd back any side to score at least once against us. Palace two, Feyenoord three, Spurs four, Juventus two. All pretty average sides in my opinion yet three of them beat us and if Palace had taken their chances so would they. On the other side of the coin we are struggling for goals ourselves.
Now the rags are a bang average side but Fernandez is better than anyone in our midfield atm given current form. Their pace on the counter attack will get behind us time after time. As for us every single player is underperforming and some are unrecognisable as the players that won everything. Walker, Gvardiol, Ederson, Gundogan have been atrocious. Bernardo is a shadow of his former self and Kev too. Foden is always ill with something or other, he's like a fucking deprived malnourished kid from Victorian England, he'll pick up rickets next.
If there's one game that could galvanise the whole club it's this one. Sadly I fear we'll all be moaning about the same old failings and licking our wounds again at the end.

The other side of the coin is that Sunday is a great opportunity to take all our frustration out on United. Our fans and players will be fully galvanised. United are also playing very poorly at present.

 

[DTKOAG]

What a thoroughly depressing thread to read FFS

 

[Father Paul]

I don’t agree.

Credit in the bank counts for everything. Any team can have a bad season. We can continue this bad run for as long again as it’s already lasted and end up finishing the season down in the bottom half and win nothing, and I’d be more than happy with Pep to continue on next season.

The eventual comedown after two league titles in a row was fairly big, but after four in a row it’s huge. I completely understand why it’s happening, no team can continue to keep winning league titles like we have, there’s a reason it’s never been done before, the intensity required to do it is gigantic.

This is an off-season, a season to take stock of what’s required to build again for the future. Enjoy what we’ve won, appreciate Pep because he and City will bounce back.

Most successful clubs in Europe tend to change coaches on a regular basis to avoid teams / tactics getting stale.

Although we've been unbelievably successful over Pep's tenure, it's been obvious to me that our squad and tactics have been getting stale over the past two years.

In my opinion, last season's title win was one of the greatest team achievements in the modern era.

Fully agree and to think we should have won the Cup and also perhaps the CL means it was a classic overachievement.
The fall from grace has been sudden and severe hopefully we can regather our composure and get something out of the season.

 

[Roachy]

If you think the current situation is down to injuries, you're kidding yourself.

The idea of having a squad is to be able to rotate players and fill injury gaps. Our current squad is too small, too inexperienced, and lacks depth of genuine quality.

This run demonstrates how poor in quality our squad has become. I really think some of those players should be doing a lot better. Time for a total rebuild with sentiment going straight out of the twatting window.

 

[Damanino]

with the way Pep tactically sets us up is easy for opponents to create high xG chances and hard for us to create the same.

understand he wont want to change our style and give the defence bit more help by not being pushed up and order midfielders-wingers to track back, and attacking players to press better, but in return we press nothing, we dont track back ,and still use high line which is asking for trouble as as above said Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, Sporting, Spurs, Feyenoord, dippers, Juventus all knew what to do. because its not rocket science, and Amorim and Emery also not bad coaches to understand it certainly not worse than Glasner, Motta, Postecoglou etc

we need to stop with the Lewis experiment, he aint helping us. the extra man in midfield is not an advantage in attacks but a disadvantage at the back. no purpose.we cannot have Gundo as the number 6 he cannot run, certainly not without the ball defending quick runners in midfield.

 

[willipp]

The other side of the coin is that Sunday is a great opportunity to take all our frustration out on United. Our fans and players will be fully galvanised. United are also playing very poorly at present.

This is absolutely the reaction i'm hoping for from players and fans. We're all proper pissed off, what better time to take that out on them fuckers.

 

[Blueeye]

Think it will be a high scoring game both defences are crap so 4.3

 

[chaddblue]

The other side of the coin is that Sunday is a great opportunity to take all our frustration out on United. Our fans and players will be fully galvanised. United are also playing very poorly at present.

Been saying this for the last 9 games !!!

 

[BLUEisville]

Before this last 6 weeks our major achilles heel was playing against teams that play 3/5 at the back so not sure if Pep will do this (he definitely wont) we could match them up as we all know what their formation will be, something like this

Ederson

Walker Dias Gvardiol

Doku/Savinho (wing back) Bernardo (wing back)

Kovacic Gundogan

KDB Grealish

Haaland

Complete waste of my time thinking and typing that but its better than doing any work

I think you're on to something here.

I'd consider Nunes at the wing and push Bernardo in for Gundo's spot.. or for Kova since he isn't likely fit.

Play a deep line, stay solid and hard to beat, and build from that.

 

[Kamikaze Blue]

Beat these rag twats on Sunday city and all is forgiven

Feck all to forgive. Win lose or draw I love this team. Keep the faith.