Bodo/Glimt (A) | CL | Post Match Thread

[threespires]

It is what it is and the sun isn't falling out of the sky as far as I'm concerned but probably the single biggest disappointment for me last night was the lack of leadership shown by some of the senior players. Donna tried to support Alleyne a couple of times I think but the rest of the more experienced players went inside themselves. I know they have problems with their own form/being played out of position etc but there were a couple of youngsters out there that really needed their support and if they weren't thrown under the bus as such then they were left to drown.

 

[Marvin.]

How do you get width from a left footed right back who continually comes inside?

With difficulty. We had a go. That was what we had in the squad. Alternatives might have been to use Marmoush but I have never seen him play well out wide.

I think the idea was for O'Reilly and RAN to supply some width because we had no wingers. Doku was on the bench but in the post-match press conference, Pep said we really missed the fast wingers so I am assuming he was not 100%.

I know we played a terrible game but we had a lot of players out. We did look in defensive disarray when they counter-attacked. Wolves fans will have looked on and smiled because RAN is known as an attacking full back who is frequently caught out of position. I think it was a mistake to use him like that but we were really struggling to put together a strategy for beating them with a lot of missing players.

 

[Palerider]

Haaland is a striker who cannot create his own chances, who seldom scores from outside the box and is not the hardest working. That is not having a go at him it is just a fact. If we do play him then we simply have to get the ball into the box often, quickly, at all angles and heights.

 

[Boris Yeltsin]

Haaland is a striker who cannot create his own chances, who seldom scores from outside the box and is not the hardest working. That is not having a go at him it is just a fact. If we do play him then we simply have to get the ball into the box often, quickly, at all angles and heights.

He should be given a rest. This time last year he got injured and we went on a winning run with marmoush leading the attack.

 

[Marvin.]

It is what it is and the sun isn't falling out of the sky as far as I'm concerned but probably the single biggest disappointment for me last night was the lack of leadership shown by some of the senior players. Donna tried to support Alleyne a couple of times I think but the rest of the more experienced players went inside themselves. I know they have problems with their own form/being played out of position etc but there were a couple of youngsters out there that really needed their support and if they weren't thrown under the bus as such then they were left to drown.

Rodri tried. I don't think we ever gave up and we did create some opportunities but Haaland and Reijnders missed them.

I feel sorry for Alleyne. For me we were too ambitious frequently trying to play possession football and our high defensive line getting caught out. However, Pep is a really attack-minded coach.

 

[BlueMonkey79]

Haaland is a striker who cannot create his own chances, who seldom scores from outside the box and is not the hardest working. That is not having a go at him it is just a fact. If we do play him then we simply have to get the ball into the box often, quickly, at all angles and heights.

By the time Haaland gets the ball he's got 18 yards to run in to. Totally not his game.

We have rapid wingers, but they receive the ball when they are static! Then they have to face a defender or 2 who are already set.

Get them moving and get the ball in behind the space between fullback and Centre half.

We need to start playing a bit more riskier football.

At the moment we are low risk, no reward.

 

[BillyShears]

It is what it is and the sun isn't falling out of the sky as far as I'm concerned but probably the single biggest disappointment for me last night was the lack of leadership shown by some of the senior players. Donna tried to support Alleyne a couple of times I think but the rest of the more experienced players went inside themselves. I know they have problems with their own form/being played out of position etc but there were a couple of youngsters out there that really needed their support and if they weren't thrown under the bus as such then they were left to drown.

Bang on. Same against United.

We miss Ruben a lot.

 

[Palerider]

It is what it is and the sun isn't falling out of the sky as far as I'm concerned but probably the single biggest disappointment for me last night was the lack of leadership shown by some of the senior players. Donna tried to support Alleyne a couple of times I think but the rest of the more experienced players went inside themselves. I know they have problems with their own form/being played out of position etc but there were a couple of youngsters out there that really needed their support and if they weren't thrown under the bus as such then they were left to drown.

I thought NOR showed leadership and drive. He needs to be in midfield (as possibly does the much improved Nunes).

 

[Marvin.]

He should be given a rest. This time last year he got injured and we went on a winning run with marmoush leading the attack.

I can see us resting Haaland at home to Wolves, or playing him 45 minutes. It's a difficult decision as Pep might want to play him with the hope that he gets a goal and that that will be more beneficial than a rest.

Marmoush has barely played for City and was coming off an international tournament where he played on Saturday evening and then would have had long travel. He will be an option on Saturday, and that won't be an easy game as Wolves are now playing with confidence and a lot of commitment.

 

[bluegaz13]

I think there is an over reaction to the two last results (even though the performances were in my opinion gutless) especially when put in the context of the season and the fact that we are still competing in all four competitions.

The worrying part for me is that it was obvious early on that the high back line was hurting us in both matches but Pep failed to change this and in both matches we got away with close offside goals plus the woodwork…..we were not unlucky !

We have been unfortunate with injuries but Pep chose to work with the smaller squads and continue with both Stones and Ake who have always been injury prone…….he might have a case when moaning publicly about the amount of games and tiredness however I feel this gives the players an excuse.

We have made two good signings in the last two weeks and Guehi will certainly help the defensive issues, however if we continue with the slow sideways passing, we will not get the best out of Semenyo.

We can only afford to pick one of Cherki, Foden, Lewis and Reeinders and for me that has to be Cherki because at least he is creative…..they all are physically weak and leave us exposed.

Rodri is only just into his comeback….he has been out for the best part of 18 months and it’s far too early to write him off but he needs help in the middle….if Gonzales isn’t available we have to get o’Reilly in there.
Pep has left him exposed with the set up in the last two matches.

 

[Marvin.]

Haaland is a striker who cannot create his own chances, who seldom scores from outside the box and is not the hardest working. That is not having a go at him it is just a fact. If we do play him then we simply have to get the ball into the box often, quickly, at all angles and heights.

With quality balls. We couldn't go through the middle last night. We didn't have the players out wide. There were some moments but we missed our chances.

I think Pep knows how to play Haaland.

 

[Palerider]

By the time Haaland gets the ball he's got 18 yards to run in to. Totally not his game.

We have rapid wingers, but they receive the ball when they are static! Then they have to face a defender or 2 who are already set.

Get them moving and get the ball in behind the space between fullback and Centre half.

We need to start playing a bit more riskier football.

At the moment we are low risk, no reward.

I think I'd agree with that. We are playing like a miser, fondly looking after our riches (the ball) but missing the whole point of living (playing exciting football).

 

[Tomblue]

All this chat about having to beat Galatasaray to finish in the top 8. Let’s be realistic there is more chance of Sydney Sweeney texting me now asking for a 24 hour wrestling session than there is of us winning the competition. We likely have 3 more games left in us for this season in the champs league, may aswell get them out the way early!

 

[Marvin.]

I think there is an over reaction to the two last results (even though the performances were in my opinion gutless) especially when put in the context of the season and the fact that we are still competing in all four competitions.

The worrying part for me is that it was obvious early on that the high back line was hurting us in both matches but Pep failed to change this and in both matches we got away with close offside goals plus the woodwork…..we were not unlucky !

We have been unfortunate with injuries but Pep chose to work with the smaller squads and continue with both Stones and Ake who have always been injury prone…….he might have a case when moaning publicly about the amount of games and tiredness however I feel this gives the players an excuse.

We have made two good signings in the last two weeks and Guehi will certainly help the defensive issues, however if we continue with the slow sideways passing, we will not get the best out of Semenyo.

We can only afford to pick one of Cherki, Foden, Lewis and Reeinders and for me that has to be Cherki because at least he is creative…..they all are physically weak and leave us exposed.

Rodri is only just into his comeback….he has been out for the best part of 18 months and it’s far too early to write him off but he needs help in the middle….if Gonzales isn’t available we have to get o’Reilly in there.
Pep has left him exposed with the set up in the last two matches.

Playing with a high line is a fundamental part of how Pep teams play. In hindsight perhaps we should have been much less ambitious as a side but would we have won the games playing that way? Who knows. We are not well practised in it.

Rodri was exposed. O'Reilly played well in the end-game when Rodri went off but the game was gone by then. We had so many players out that if you say, I will play Rodri and O'Reilly together you might create other problems.

 

[threespires]

Rodri tried. I don't think we ever gave up and we did create some opportunities but Haaland and Reijnders missed them.

I feel sorry for Alleyne. For me we were too ambitious frequently trying to play possession football and our high defensive line getting caught out. However, Pep is a really attack-minded coach.

I do think some of it was on Pep because last night he simply didn't have the players at his disposal to play the way he seemingly sent us out to; but nonetheless I would just liked to have seen a couple more players looking outwards towards their teammates instead of shrinking a bit. You need 3 - 4 leaders (of different types) across the pitch but unfortunately we didn't have that.

I thought NOR showed leadership and drive. He needs to be in midfield (as possibly does the much improved Nunes).

I think that's fair comment and I'm sure mid term a new generation of leaders will emerge along with getting at least one back from injury; we're just a bit light at the moment which when you're a team battling on multiple fronts for honours is far from ideal.

 

[Palerider]

With quality balls. We couldn't go through the middle last night. We didn't have the players out wide. There were some moments but we missed our chances.

I think Pep knows how to play Haaland.

Quality would help but many, many goals are scored from deflections or mistakes. If we want to only score perfect goals then we are leaving an awful lot of 'fortunate' goals on the table. Early balls in with 3 or 4 players running into the area rather than being static would be my preferred tactic to break down packed defences. Take risks.

 

[Marvin.]

All this chat about having to beat Galatasaray to finish in the top 8. Let’s be realistic there is more chance of Sydney Sweeney texting me now asking for a 24 hour wrestling session than there is of us winning the competition. We likely have 3 more games left in us for this season in the champs league, may aswell get them out the way early!

PSG came from nowhere last season. We have a very strong side when the players are fit. Gvardiol is the only long term injury with Kovacic due back in March I believe.

Had Guehi or Dias been available, and Semenyo, or Savinho been available, that game would have been different.

 

[Marvin.]

Quality would help but many, many goals are scored from deflections or mistakes. If we want to only score perfect goals then we are leaving an awful lot of 'fortunate' goals on the table. Early balls in with 3 or 4 players running into the area rather than being static would be my preferred tactic to break down packed defences. Take risks.

We were being hit on the transition or what we used to say counter-attack and getting hurt. Loading it into the box would not have worked.

 

[ArniArason]

Quality would help but many, many goals are scored from deflections or mistakes. If we want to only score perfect goals then we are leaving an awful lot of 'fortunate' goals on the table. Early balls in with 3 or 4 players running into the area rather than being static would be my preferred tactic to break down packed defences. Take risks.

Agreed. Basically what Bodo did. Think about it, if they can beat a team so superior on paper with those tactics, imagine what we could do, even using them occasionally when needed. Like when you are 3-0 down away in the Champions League

 

[Jimmieblue]

On the positive side, I think this is when Pep produces his best. We have problems no doubt. Pep is a genius where football is concerned and he will come up with a solution. Keep the faith.