You watched a different game to me. I thought our tempo was the problem. We weren't anywhere near as cutting or decisive as we've been this season.Well, I guess this is going to be a theme for the next few days. I feel like I watched a different match to the one being talked about in this thread. I thought For the majority of the match we were much the better side. We played with a decent tempo, we moved the ball crisply, and were overall excellent right up until the final shot/pass. Our attacking players all four of them were very poor, but behind them everyone was excellent to my mind. Toure, Dinho, Sagna, Kompany, Manga, really showed that they are top CL players. Kolarov struggled but that probably had a lot to do with Sterling really struggling in front of him.
Nothing lost though and not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. I still expect us to win the group. Juve won't get six points off Sevilla and we won't lose in Turin.
How on earth we sold Dzeko to keep Bony beats me the guy can't hit a ball
Sterling also is just a joke they should all be put in forced target practice
Morata hit it first time that's how to score
You watched a different game to me. I thought our tempo was the problem. We weren't anywhere near as cutting or decisive as we've been this season.
I thought there were many parallels with how we played last year in that respect.
Toure was ok for the first 60 then seemed to drift out of the game. I agree that Sagna, Fernandinho, and Kompany were excellent.
We can still win the group of course, we've just made it a whole lot more difficult for ourselves.
Im sure when the dust settles and if you watch the game again you'll see just how good we were. Tempo wasn't the problem last night. Our attacking players were. It happens.
But it's our attacking players who give us the tempo we need so when they collectively play poorly then it's no surprise that it suffers.Im sure when the dust settles and if you watch the game again you'll see just how good we were. Tempo wasn't the problem last night. Our attacking players were. It happens.
There is an argument for that. Definitely agree with your point about Silva.Silva was not crap last night as many have alluded too, Juve kept their midfield very very tight and thus nullified any space in front of their (extremely well marshalled) back 4.
The buck stops with the manager here im afraid, I and many others predicted how tight and compact they would be last night and to start Nasri over Navas (or KDB) was an utterly baffling decision that I believe cost us on the night, all playing Samir on the right did was add another body to the centre of the park where they wanted us to try to play.
But our attacking players should be part of a higher tempo and weren't allowing us to play at a higher tempo. So it was the tempo because of the attacking players. Fernandinho Yaya and Sagna were involved in possession an awful lot but had no outlets enough of the time so it was just sideways and backwards passing very often and when it went forward it was obvious and slow paced too often. Juve were content to let us play the ball around fairly slowly in the middle third of the pitch. They were extremely well drilled and seemed to enjoy playing that defensive style and did it quite well. We fell into a trap of thinking we were bossing the game when all we were doing was bossing possession. We only really cut out two or three proper chances and that was when we moved the ball quicker, injected some pace and then we only took one of them. Then we were punished for two moments of lapses in concentration.Im sure when the dust settles and if you watch the game again you'll see just how good we were. Tempo wasn't the problem last night. Our attacking players were. It happens.
There were people in the pre-match thread claiming that they wouldn't be surprised with a 3 or 4-0 City victory , and I warned them not to underestimate Juve. Juve may be in poor form but they're still a very, very good team with some top quality players, and that quality emerged yesterday.
The only time Juve ever were in danger was in the immediate aftermath of the City goal (which shouldn't have stood in the first place), and off a couple of ridiculous individual errors (Sturaro giving the ball away in the first minute, Lichtsteiner on another occasion). On those occasions, Juve were lucky to have the best goalkeeper in the world between the sticks to bail them out. Otherwise everything was played in front of them and City struggled to create much of note.
I don't think it's all doom and gloom for City - they can definitely recover to pass (or even top) the group, but they need to play at a far quicker tempo than they did yesterday.
I thought City played the better football, and Juventus were somewhat fortunate to win that. It was a very tight game, Juventus shut it down very well but Juventus offered very little going forwardThere were people in the pre-match thread claiming that they wouldn't be surprised with a 3 or 4-0 City victory , and I warned them not to underestimate Juve. Juve may be in poor form but they're still a very, very good team with some top quality players, and that quality emerged yesterday.
The only time Juve ever were in danger was in the immediate aftermath of the City goal (which shouldn't have stood in the first place), and off a couple of ridiculous individual errors (Sturaro giving the ball away in the first minute, Lichtsteiner on another occasion). On those occasions, Juve were lucky to have the best goalkeeper in the world between the sticks to bail them out. Otherwise everything was played in front of them and City struggled to create much of note.
I don't think it's all doom and gloom for City - they can definitely recover to pass (or even top) the group, but they need to play at a far quicker tempo than they did yesterday.
Disagree. The intensity of the game was the highest we have seen this season. There was just no space because that's how Juventus designed their game. They were on top of us in midfield.But our attacking players should be part of a higher tempo and weren't allowing us to play at a higher tempo. So it was the tempo because of the attacking players. Fernandinho Yaya and Sagna were involved in possession an awful lot but had no outlets enough of the time so it was just sideways and backwards passing very often and when it went forward it was obvious and slow paced too often. Juve were content to let us play the ball around fairly slowly in the middle third of the pitch. They were extremely well drilled and seemed to enjoy playing that defensive style and did it quite well. We fell into a trap of thinking we were bossing the game when all we were doing was bossing possession. We only really cut out two or three proper chances and that was when we moved the ball quicker, injected some pace and then we only took one of them. Then we were punished for two moments of lapses in concentration.
That game reminded me of Swansea v United a few weeks ago, or a number of our own games last season.
I think the whole club needs to adopt a more relaxed attitude to this competition. We will fair much better if and when we do. But at least it's early and the group is still winnable.- Pellers let his emotions get the better of himself last night - from the off he looked a frustrated figure, ranting and raving at his players. I personally think that transmitted itself onto the pitch.
I think neither side played particularly brilliant football, but Juve defended better, they were more clinical and they administered the match in a more intelligent way than City did. People may call it luck, but in recent years Juve have played this exact type of game against many other opponents (Real Madrid, Celtic, Dortmund etc.) - you can win a one-off match playing like that thanks to luck, but when you do it so often it's good tactical preparation, good intensity and clever game management, not luck.I thought City played the better football, and Juventus were somewhat fortunate to win that. It was a very tight game, Juventus shut it down very well but Juventus offered very little going forward