United (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

Ajm1985 said:
Nah, he took off Alleyne who was playing better than Aké and at least has pace. We had RAN & O'Reilly on the bench, both have pace at least. Could even have gone to 3 at the back with wingbacks when he took Foden off.
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Whether Pep dealt with the defensive problems optimally is a good question but it was FUBAR. This game was lost before it even started and unwinnable.
 
Blue and true said:
Ruined my entire weekend.

Pep's weakness for Lewis is shameful at this point. Lovely lad, but not the required standard. If our manager sees otherwise, it's massively concerning. We had an international level full back on the bench, play him.

Phil is pissing his career away. One step forward, two steps back. It's been this way for a while. He won't be anywhere near that England starting 11 in the summer.

Haaland, what in the name of fuck has happened to him? He just looks uninterested.

Khusa and Alleyne looked good enough, there's a colossus in Khusa but he needs more experience and better players around him.

Rodri was pulling strings but had a bigger burden than Atlas, completely alone. Still not 100%.

Semenyo and Doku were poor. Both opposition fullbacks were cautioned from the tenth minute; use your fucking heads, lads.

Cherki was poor but he's our future. Wouldn't kill to see him start a game.

Donna. Immense. Best keeper in the league and he's owed ten drinks.

We're still a good distance from challenging, in my opinion. Pep isn't going to change his ways, he strives for perfection but so many variables need to fall in place for that to work; we won't see a Centurions level team again. So the question to ask is does he have the energy or time to build another league winning team, nevermind a dynasty? I don't think he does, not anymore.
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1 Lewis should never play FB for us again, if we have to keep him it's as a squad midfilder for lesser games
2 Foden is showing worrying signs that point to distraction/ lack of focus. Currently he is only a squad player and this is baffling considering his skill levels
3 Haaland having a bad patch, will score again.
4 Rordi not fully fit and needs a good 8 with him
5 Doku would be second behind Semenyo starting on the left

We have recruitment to do but things will get better with players retuning from injury
 
Pep is so scared of losing control in a game that he overcompensates and tells the side to play it too safe.

But for some reason he fails to see the irony in the fact that plays into the opposition’s hands because he plays a high line to condense the pitch but we’re not good enough to break down a packed defence.

So the end result is always that we lose possession and one pass gets the whole team turned over and running back to their own goal.

Recipe for disaster. Has been for years. Yet he persists with the same turgid, suicidal tactics.

Won the treble by being solid defensively and brilliant in moments going forward. Then flipped that on its head. Baffling.
 
Bernardo's take.

2-0 Man City


Manchester City

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva, speaking to Sky Sports: "They deserved to win today.

"They had more energy and intention. It always felt like they were close to score and we were never there.

"We gave them what they want. They took the game to where they are good and we are not so good.

"Since I arrived here in England we have always been a very controlled team. There was a lot of things missing from us. Definitely a bad day for us.

On should Diogo Dalot be sent off: "After a day like today, I don't think we have any excuses. It was a really bad performance from us.

"I saw the challenge, it is what it is. This season the 50-50 decisions all go against us. They all go for our rivals. At the end of the day this was not the reason. I watched the clip it is a red card."

On gap between Man City and Arsenal: "It is a big gap, we won't lie and say it isn't a big gap it is. We will fight until the end."
 
Semper aggressus said:
Why are we so often so shit against them, when the likes of Brighton and Fulham beat them these days?

Is it because Pep doesn’t treat it as a derby, just another game? He has to understand the passion with which we fucking despise those cunts.
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Our performances against them seem to range from the sublime, to the ridiculous.
I think more questions should be asked of their performances rather than ours though. I mean, how can they lift their performances so often in the big matches, not just us but against Liverpool aswell, then lose three on the bounce against relegation foder.
They just seem to be able to lift their game more than us for these matches which is so frustrating.
 
Marvin. said:
We lost because of the back 4. It was difficult enough starting with Khusanov and Alleyne and is became Mission Impossible when Rico and Ake started at full back.
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It was the whole team, subs included, bar Donnarumma I'm afraid. Huffed and puffed with zero quality and not much passion. Very poor.
 
ancoats said:
For me, the title is over and has been for weeks

But if Arsenal slip up
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That makes no sense

Teams ebb and flow through the season. We see it every season and no one ever learns anything. Arsenal have a huge advantage. We may not even finish 2nd but we may also recover particularly when its obvious that our problems are injury/illness related.
 
Mr HJ said:
Weneed to forget this and quickly.

Pep 2/10 for his starting selection that gifted them the game. You could see it straight away.
Donna 9/10 if not for him it would have been a clusterfuck
Lewis 3/10 summed up with every throw in he took leading to them creating chances and positionally all over the shop whilst adding nothing going forward.
Ake 2/10 In the team for his experience but he was by far the biggest issue defensively,
Khush & Max 5/10 did ok with zero defensive support from the fullbacks

Rodders 6/10 tried his best but was left alone in the midfield battle
Bernie 4/10 didn't see him on the pitch really
Foden 3/10 this was the big moment for him to say I should be the starting number 10 and he was awful

Doku 4/10 they doubled up on him but sadly the space that created was not used as we reverted to back and sideways.
Erling - 3/10 lost every duel and looked like Corradi or Santa Cruz in their worst moments. What has happened to him dominating a back four.
Semenyo 4/10 starved of the ball in the first half and then was rushing his passes and having no impact

Subs - a collective 5/10 the game was already gone as we allowed them to dominate tackles, possession and get the crowd on their side.

Overall the woeful start cost us in my opinion. We have the players but the set up and system today was all wrong and can you imagine if we had gone for it from the off and they went behind - how their crowd would have been given what has happened to them in recent weeks...SO in summary a bad day at the office for Pep - he is so stubborn with his selections and today that stubbornness came home to roost.

Onwards without ever seeing Ake or Rico in the back four again and Phil to the bench until he regains some form!
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Lol - didn't see Bernardo on the pitch??? Watch the game again, motm along with Donna
 
dadnlad said:
we never gave doku ball in second half so how can he influence the game
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He had about 5 or 6 occasions in the 1st half to go at Dalot but slowed it all down and passed back to Ake.
The once occasion he had the chance to shoot he delayed and got closed down by Casimero
 
Not that I advocate taking it unnecessarily, but Busiprone Hydrochloride has done wonders to my mood after the game haha!
 
Feel for Rico he was hung out to dry by Pep
We dont see him all season, not even minutes off the bench, then suddenly he appears and he plays him in his weakest position, everyone knew before the game what would happen apart from the greatest manager ever and his side kicks
To expect him to come out of the cold and play in a makeshift defence with two other kids and an old man was totally unrealistic and baffles the life out of me that they could make such an elementary mistake

Pep could have played Khus at RB Max and Ake and RAN I know its two left footers but he plays 2 right footers on occasion

Lets stop the Rico bashing it was down to Pep
 
Anyone still deluding themselves that we are in a title race, don't do it to yourselves. We will lose 5 or 6 more games before the season ends.
 
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