Match Thread | Manchester City vs. B.Leverkusen (25/11/25)

That’s was lost on the team sheet obvs. Why go whole hog? Why not rest half tonight. The other half Saturday. It would have had the same result for the players but might have had better result on the pitch. I’m not one who goes OTT but that was just a ridiculous decision against a very useful German team and now puts us in the back foot in the CL like we were last year. Plus it felt very disrespectful and that can often galvanize the oppo. Ludicrous tonight from team sheet onwards.
 
No excuses with the line up. A few of our fringe players won't be getting any more chances going off that performance. Still in a better position than last season in terms of the Champions League even with Real Madrid looming.
 
domalino said:
If the forum got to decide when Pep was fired, he'd have gone 17 trophies ago.

Every single time we've had a rough patch, he's come back and won more and more and more.

So yeah, we'll probably put our faith in the club's greatest ever manager over noseve and friends.
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There was no need for 10 changes which lost any fluency the team had. Pep has won us trophies that I never thought I’d see. But fuck me he throws games away sometimes.
 
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domalino said:
Yeah but he's not decided to make 10 changes for a laugh, the starters, which we're overreliant on need a rest, they've played every game and internationals. He got this one wrong but it's obvious this was seen as a game he could risk losing, and the PL is a must win on saturday.
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The game he could risk losing was the next one in this competition, which we would likely lose with our full strength team. This tonight was not the game to risk, it was one to win.
 
Micky Blue said:
Tbf i never stopped slagging Mahrez off, how id love to have peak Mahrez now.
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And realistically, Mahrez wasn't some generational talent. He was simply a very good player capable of playing for a team that can win things. Plenty of players of that level are out there to be found and that's what we need.

Yet somehow we've ended up with the likes of Savinho, who I don't even think would shine in the Championship.

We're not asking for the second coming of Messi, just players not completely out of their depth the top level.

Worryingly, a lot of our signings in the past few years seem to be.

Even more worrying is the rags downfall coincided with players being brought in that were just nowhere near the level required to stay near the top.

I've been saying while now that rags should be a warning when it comes to poor recruitment because that's where we are heading if we don't start getting it right.
 
r.soleofsalford said:
There was no need for 10 changes which lost any fluency the team had. Pep has won us trophies that I never thought I’d see. But fuck me he throws games away sometimes.
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I don't totally think that's fair - Pep's definitely got a preferred lineup now, and we know if 2 months down the line 4 or 5 of them are out injured we'd all be saying he should have rested some of them here and there. You are right though, it didn't have to be quite so many changes and/or it perhaps didn't need to be this game. Maybe his medical staff told him that the rests were required. Possibly.

Problem now is that a lot of the backups let him down, so he'll be even less inclined to rest the first choice players now anyway.
 
r.soleofsalford said:
There was no need for 10 changes which lost any fluency the team had. Pep has won us trophies that I never thought I’d see. But fuck me he throws games away sometimes.
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Probably did Leverkusen's team talk by putting that team out

Putting out a full second string like you would in a cup game v Blackpool but doing it against a champions league team is basically telling them they're no hopers.

I love Pep but that was pure arrogance doing that and he got the result he deserved.

But all it does is drive home the point our squad quality isn't what it was and we simply can't rest large amounts of our best players anymore without being quite easily the inferior team. Hopefully Pep knows it because his selection last night makes it look like he doesn't
 
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blue_danube said:
And realistically, Mahrez wasn't some generational talent. He was simply a very good player capable of playing for a team that can win things. Plenty of players of that level are out there to be found and that's what we need.

Yet somehow we've ended up with the likes of Savinho, who I don't even think would shine in the Championship.

We're not asking for the second coming of Messi, just players not completely out of their depth the top level.

Worryingly, a lot of our signings in the past few years seem to be.

Even more worrying is the rags downfall coincided with players being brought in that were just nowhere near the level required to stay near the top.

I've been saying while now that rags should be a warning when it comes to poor recruitment because that's where we are heading if we don't start getting it right.
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Definitely 100%
 
heslops barnet said:
How about after a loss?
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Good spot, just keeping you on your toes (I am not going senile) :)

Nowadays I assume we are going to lose mate so as not to be disappointed when it inevitably happens.

I can't get behind a bunch of players and a manager who look like they are just going through the motions, it's pretty sad but it's just the way it is now.
 
mexico1970 said:
Good spot, just keeping you on your toes (I am not going senile) :)

Nowadays I assume we are going to lose mate so as not to be disappointed when it inevitably happens.

I can't get behind a bunch of players and a manager who look like they are just going through the motions, it's pretty sad but it's just the way it is now.
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Definitely feel the same, after over 60 years of supporting City, was there in the bad days when a loss was expected and accepted but at least most of the players tried.
Had some wonderful times in the Kippax which I’ll always remember.

The last 10/12 years have been absolutely fantastic and I’m glad I witnessed probably the best football ever to be played in this country.

It’s not just city’s recent demise but the implementation of VAR, footballers feigning injury, time outs, cheating and our club’s treatment of match day fans I’m just about done with the game.

F.O.C. rant over
 
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