Al Hilal (N) | CWC | Post Match Thread

The Black Shed said:
For all the years of that defensive high-line, the often ponderous midfield, susceptible to the counter attack and that inching forward of the attaching horseshoe system, if we put away our chances then we wouldn't be having this conversation as regularly as we are. That's our weak point.
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We need a sweeper.
 
Is the team back in Manchester? I would think they would be eager to get back home and get some days off.
 
Matt Diablo said:
Look Pep was moaning about it this week " going to destroy our season"

Akanji moaning before tournament that players don't want to do it etc

Well we are out now. 2 more weeks holiday. Stop fukin moaning then say how gutted we are when we get knocked out early. Its what you all fukin wanted so get on with it. "Yank" your heads out of your asses and give a better account of yourself next season or simply fuk off . . .
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Unbelievable that you're talking about the players moaning... on the post match thread of all places. The hypocracy is staggering. At what point are the morons on here going to get it into their heads that no team can play 2 matches a week for the best part of 52 weeks of the year and expect to finish with a shed load of silverware? I'm amazed we've won as much as we have given the gruelling schedule over the past few years.
 
oldius said:
It's a bit weird that these pages are filled with 'insight' from people who didn't watch the game.

We were beaten by a good side with some excellent players. They had a plan, stuck to it, were highly efficient, and chose the well-worn path of defending in numbers and relying on a break. People describing them as non-league are wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, we dominated possession, created a multitude of chances, had some strong individual performances, but conceded a goal with every chance we gave.

This is a bizarre tournament in many ways, and though I want us to win every game, it is pre-season for us, with a host of new players bedding into the side and several who will not be with us when the season begins. Everyone can argue about who should be picked to play, and a loss intensifies those feelings about who should not, but our side was strong enough to win that match.

It seems that Akanji and Dias are now targets for negativity. Savinho another. There was one spell when people here were condemning Dias for a particular incident when replays and commentary showed that he had made a perfectly timed challenge to prevent a chance.

We will not get everything right but the important thing is that this squad is ready for the beginning of the season. That is all that really matters. That may mean some players who are not staying will be chosen to play ahead of those who will need to be ready for the season opener. That might include players who have been with us for a good while who seem now to be described as 'Pep's mates' which is disrespectful to them and to our manager.

As it transpires, I said before the game that I wanted to see Reis and Gvardiol in central defence. Would it have made a difference? I have no idea. I would also have brought on Khusanov to deal with their pace on the counter, but remember that we were winning 1-0 and creating a host of chances before we conceded two right at the start of the second-half.

Shit does happen, and it is damn frustrating, but what can we learn?
Ait-Nouri is a massive talent, and will be devastating with Doku on the left, but it will leave gaps for the fast counter behind them - we will need some 'Walker type' physicality to deal with that, or a midfielder who shifts over.
Cherki will create a multitude of chances, like KDB did, but he will also give away possession when his through-balls don't come off, just as Kev did. He will need to be backed up to win the ball back quickly when it turns over in this way.

In short, we are vulnerable to a rapid counter just as we have been for a while. It is the Achille's heel to all high-line teams. Most of the time it will not be an issue, but insurance policies against it are always a good thing, and that means some pace at the back but also real pressing at the front so that the switch is shut out before it begins. People talking about pedestrian passing didn't watch this game, in my opinion. We created a boatload of chances and were, generally, quicker in the attacking phases.
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When Nunes was subbed would it have been a better option to have used Khusanov. From recollection he is very good at recovery and MAY have been able to disrupt the quick counter attacks. Just a thought.
 
coolcity said:
Yes, let's run them into the ground again in readiness for another 60+ match season. Sounds like a great plan.

Don't forget we have more matches in the new CL format now too.
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They’ll need something. Back to playing Stockport and Oldham etc
 
Watching the highlights, the defending was a horror show. We won’t return to winning trophies until we get two top quality central defenders and at least one class winger. We’ll never get anywhere with Doku and Savio playing on the same team. I’m surprised Pep hasn’t seen that.
 
Cobwebcat said:
Should have won. Didn’t. Inzaghi revenge.

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Manchester City vs Al Hilal - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats

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Maybe a couple of characters with points to prove, inzhagi, cancelo, and koulibaly. Maybe some subplots in there.
They call them the real Madrid of Saudia Arabia, and I would agree. The feigning injuries to waste time (although not at the same level). That celebration with the Leonardo fella should have gotten hime sent off. A yellow for the shirt, and another for time wasting. It felt like a 3 minute celebration, before he fell to the ground for a second time and then subbed. He literally wasted a third of that extra period on his own.
 
ysmsa said:
Very disappointing, just watched the rerun.

Played some nice stuff and looked more of the same but didn't get the second goal and vulnerable to the counter, that is a huge concern.

Savinho stayed on too long for someone not having a good game.

Tournament is wide open and I've enjoyed it. The games are not friendlies and are decent and competitive.
Wasted opportunity and there are no positives in going out like that.

The referee was brilliant, if that was a PL game there would have been red cards, penalties and dissalowed goals. The PL version of VAR has ruined football.
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To me that's part of the frustration. Having to understand VAR for the PL, UEFA, and now FIFA. three different sets or rule interpretations
Hate the lack of consistency
 
Bluekiwi said:
When Nunes was subbed would it have been a better option to have used Khusanov. From recollection he is very good at recovery and MAY have been able to disrupt the quick counter attacks. Just a thought.
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I would have preferred that.
 
oldius said:
It's a bit weird that these pages are filled with 'insight' from people who didn't watch the game.

We were beaten by a good side with some excellent players. They had a plan, stuck to it, were highly efficient, and chose the well-worn path of defending in numbers and relying on a break. People describing them as non-league are wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, we dominated possession, created a multitude of chances, had some strong individual performances, but conceded a goal with every chance we gave.

This is a bizarre tournament in many ways, and though I want us to win every game, it is pre-season for us, with a host of new players bedding into the side and several who will not be with us when the season begins. Everyone can argue about who should be picked to play, and a loss intensifies those feelings about who should not, but our side was strong enough to win that match.

It seems that Akanji and Dias are now targets for negativity. Savinho another. There was one spell when people here were condemning Dias for a particular incident when replays and commentary showed that he had made a perfectly timed challenge to prevent a chance.

We will not get everything right but the important thing is that this squad is ready for the beginning of the season. That is all that really matters. That may mean some players who are not staying will be chosen to play ahead of those who will need to be ready for the season opener. That might include players who have been with us for a good while who seem now to be described as 'Pep's mates' which is disrespectful to them and to our manager.

As it transpires, I said before the game that I wanted to see Reis and Gvardiol in central defence. Would it have made a difference? I have no idea. I would also have brought on Khusanov to deal with their pace on the counter, but remember that we were winning 1-0 and creating a host of chances before we conceded two right at the start of the second-half.

Shit does happen, and it is damn frustrating, but what can we learn?
Ait-Nouri is a massive talent, and will be devastating with Doku on the left, but it will leave gaps for the fast counter behind them - we will need some 'Walker type' physicality to deal with that, or a midfielder who shifts over.
Cherki will create a multitude of chances, like KDB did, but he will also give away possession when his through-balls don't come off, just as Kev did. He will need to be backed up to win the ball back quickly when it turns over in this way.

In short, we are vulnerable to a rapid counter just as we have been for a while. It is the Achille's heel to all high-line teams. Most of the time it will not be an issue, but insurance policies against it are always a good thing, and that means some pace at the back but also real pressing at the front so that the switch is shut out before it begins. People talking about pedestrian passing didn't watch this game, in my opinion. We created a boatload of chances and were, generally, quicker in the attacking phases.
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Agree with pretty much all of that.
 
oldius said:
It's a bit weird that these pages are filled with 'insight' from people who didn't watch the game.

We were beaten by a good side with some excellent players. They had a plan, stuck to it, were highly efficient, and chose the well-worn path of defending in numbers and relying on a break. People describing them as non-league are wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, we dominated possession, created a multitude of chances, had some strong individual performances, but conceded a goal with every chance we gave.

This is a bizarre tournament in many ways, and though I want us to win every game, it is pre-season for us, with a host of new players bedding into the side and several who will not be with us when the season begins. Everyone can argue about who should be picked to play, and a loss intensifies those feelings about who should not, but our side was strong enough to win that match.

It seems that Akanji and Dias are now targets for negativity. Savinho another. There was one spell when people here were condemning Dias for a particular incident when replays and commentary showed that he had made a perfectly timed challenge to prevent a chance.

We will not get everything right but the important thing is that this squad is ready for the beginning of the season. That is all that really matters. That may mean some players who are not staying will be chosen to play ahead of those who will need to be ready for the season opener. That might include players who have been with us for a good while who seem now to be described as 'Pep's mates' which is disrespectful to them and to our manager.

As it transpires, I said before the game that I wanted to see Reis and Gvardiol in central defence. Would it have made a difference? I have no idea. I would also have brought on Khusanov to deal with their pace on the counter, but remember that we were winning 1-0 and creating a host of chances before we conceded two right at the start of the second-half.

Shit does happen, and it is damn frustrating, but what can we learn?
Ait-Nouri is a massive talent, and will be devastating with Doku on the left, but it will leave gaps for the fast counter behind them - we will need some 'Walker type' physicality to deal with that, or a midfielder who shifts over.
Cherki will create a multitude of chances, like KDB did, but he will also give away possession when his through-balls don't come off, just as Kev did. He will need to be backed up to win the ball back quickly when it turns over in this way.

In short, we are vulnerable to a rapid counter just as we have been for a while. It is the Achille's heel to all high-line teams. Most of the time it will not be an issue, but insurance policies against it are always a good thing, and that means some pace at the back but also real pressing at the front so that the switch is shut out before it begins. People talking about pedestrian passing didn't watch this game, in my opinion. We created a boatload of chances and were, generally, quicker in the attacking phases.
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Great post.

End of the day we all hate losing and i can see people who have flown out there snf that must especially hurt with the money spent. Understandable emotions were high yesterday. But you have to play the long game. Every single player was fucked by May. Would have been great to win the trophy and we’d have gone into the season on a high. But the lack of rest both mentally and physically would have taken its toll. I don’t care how many videos we see of them playing on a beach or smiling in training, they need time off and away to reset and rest. They’ve got it now so let’s hope they use it well.
 
citymad said:
Watching the highlights, the defending was a horror show. We won’t return to winning trophies until we get two top quality central defenders and at least one class winger. We’ll never get anywhere with Doku and Savio playing on the same team. I’m surprised Pep hasn’t seen that.
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I thought Doku actually played some of his best football in the first three games, Savio on the other hand seems to have very little. I'd start Doku against Wolves, Savio will be lucky to make the bench if we can't get the squad numbers down
 
manimanc said:
(Just making a note to oneself for next season.)

Avoid the post match thread always.
The fannies in this thread cryarsing and pulling the team to bits over glorified friendlies and not realising the team has a hangover from last season will be absolutely unbearable.

What am I actually reading?

What.
The.
Actual.
Fuck.
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You sir are an ostrich
 
manimanc said:
(Just making a note to oneself for next season.)

Avoid the post match thread always.
The fannies in this thread cryarsing and pulling the team to bits over glorified friendlies and not realising the team has a hangover from last season will be absolutely unbearable.

What am I actually reading?

What.
The.
Actual.
Fuck.
Click to expand...

There are stupid people or flawed characters who are unbearable when the team loses and goes through difficult periods (e.g., December 2018 - 3 losses in 4 league games, or December 2020 when we weren't even in the top 5 after the home draw vs WBA; btw, in both cases we won the title...).

They can't wait to scapegoat players (Gundogan, Rodri, Dias, Akanji, Savinho...) and shit on the manager, pretending to know better what the problems are (high line, slow midfielders, dated tactics, etc.).

Reading their posts and replying to them is a waste of time.
 
We’ve played high line for years now. It’s not speed with defence it’s positioning in a high line.

Our Centre backs positioning last season and this tournament is all over the place. Instead of watching the man our centre backs are ball watching. Even against Juve Akanji ball watching for their goal.

Dias positioning all over the place in this high line, Stones is our best defender for a high line but he’s injury prone. Ake id say is our second best defender head always on it and knows where his man is but he’s injury prone. It’s a difficult situation
 
alexmcity said:
There are stupid people or flawed characters who are unbearable when the team loses and goes through difficult periods (e.g., December 2018 - 3 losses in 4 league games, or December 2020 when we weren't even in the top 5 after the home draw vs WBA; btw, in both cases we won the title...).

They can't wait to scapegoat players (Gundogan, Rodri, Dias, Akanji, Savinho...) and shit on the manager, pretending to know better what the problems are (high line, slow midfielders, dated tactics, etc.).

Reading their posts and replying to them is a waste of time.
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You are right it's a waste of time but I can't help myself.

I did ban myself from the post match threads last season as I got a bit obsessed with outing the bedwetters and the rags and dippers who descend whenever we lose but that the other night for nothing more than glorified friendlies really irked me.

I won't be going into them this season and I'm hoping there won't be many opportunities for the cryarsing entitled fans to moan as I feel the new signings, new coaches and a good rest will revive the team for next season.

Can't wait.
 
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