City v Everton post match

[Thaksinssoldier]

I think it was his 5th game back, may be wrong, however, he was integral to how silva and KDB played on Saturday: people who are asking where silvas form goes need look at how he plays without Kev, he isn't half the player when he's missing... I'd feel comfortable in that Gun is probably about 80% at the moment, as is sane and unbelievably KDB, and if it looks disjointed on Saturdays performance, fuck me we'll have some side when it does click!!

Yeah I know he's finding his fitness and his feet at the moment, but we definitely had better movement before we started playing him. Once he's up to speed and fitness he should be absolute quality, but right now it's hurting us while he beds in.

Sane on the other hand looked very good in that system.

We're nowhere near the finished article, it's going to be frightening. Can't wait to see it in action vs Southampton, first trip over in 4 bloody years.

 

[OB1]

Yeah I know he's finding his fitness and his feet at the moment, but we definitely had better movement before we started playing him. Once he's up to speed and fitness he should be absolute quality, but right now it's hurting us while he beds in.

Sane on the other hand looked very good in that system.

We're nowhere near the finished article, it's going to be frightening. Can't wait to see it in action vs Southampton, first trip over in 4 bloody years.

Gundogan was asked to play in a double pivot role with Dinho and I thought he did it very well.

 

[OB1]

Exactly, it's irrelevant how quick you move the ball if the opposition doesn't move, they'll still be where they were.

I don't think they do stats for it, but I would bet if you looked at each EFC player's heat map, they'd be pretty narrow. Everton seemed to have 6 players all of very high quality with no freedom at all. They stayed in position, to their credit they had a very defensive game plan.

If like Everton you have a very good squad and a very good manager and they set up like yesterday it's very hard to beat.
You need to take your chances.
You certainly can't miss chances like we did.

The fans shouting for it to be quicker, or take men on were ignoring the oppostion.
As you say, doesn't matter how quick you move the ball if they are set in position.
If the pass cannot break the lines I find it hard to believe a long distant shot would fair any better.

It's like the fans shouting shoooot all game. Ignoring the 10 professional footballers and international goalkeeper being paid £70k + a week to stop them.

I thought we were sensational in parts yesterday.
Our front three could all have played for the EDS. Which is very exciting.

Another day, De Bruyne buries that pen, Everton game plan is out of the window and we win well.

You can see the average positions for each starting 11 on Whoscored and you would win your bet: Everton are deep and narrow. Mind you, you have to be careful: City's front five look very narrow because Sane and Sterling swapped wings.

There were times when we should have moved the ball more quickly but it was not a major issue because Everton were unfortunately very disciplined. However, moving the ball more quickly, more often has to be an objective for City because it will generally make life more difficult for our opponents. One thing I still have a complaint about is not getting crosses in more quickly. Crossing is an area of the game that I imagine Pep will be working on with the players. We need to improve accuracy but we also need to get more venom into more crosses. Pep alluded to it in his post match comments, that he is just as interested in the second ball resulting from a cross as the first. He knows defenders are going to get bodies in the way of crosses but the harder you hit them, the less chance the defender has to control the ball and the more chance of creating disorganization in the defence...

 

[nellyonthewing]

Schfc6 does talk a lot of sense and saves me thinking too hard.

 

[OB1]

We need them to.

However the reality is Spuds, the Gooners, and all will beat them easily at home.

This happened to us last season when managed a 0-0 draw away at the mighty Villa. Everyone else went there and smashed them.

Two points dropped I'm afraid, but we are still top of the League and hopefully Pep will have gained more experience of the Premier League.

Why should that be a given? Everton currently have the second best defensive record in the division and a manager who has proved he can organise a defence and get his team working hard.

This performance was nothing like Villa away and comparing this year's Everton to last season's Villa is not what I'd call a convincing basis for an argument.

Yes, we dropped points where we shouldn't have but every team does that; the best teams do it less often and City must avoid making a habit of it.

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

Against 11 men behind the ball, to create chances like we did, in the way that we did, was excellent... It showed that we will cope quite easily with the tactic in the future, as there won't be many teams as good as Koemans at defending there six yard box. Also, we won't have may days where the keeper makes world class save after save......

The poles in opinion stem from those able to see the whole pitch as they were there, the movement was excellent as we were invariably in positions 9/10 times to cause a threat (against a parked bus), to suggest otherwise is shortsighted, not because the minority are 'clueless' but the camera doesn't tell the whole story!!

100% this.

 

[PatK]

Bad stream!;) ...difficult to even make out where the ball was half the time!;)

Think I was watching the same shite stream as well unfortunately

 

[Jamoid]

Just seen Dermot Gallacher on sly sports news say Coleman should have been sent off for the challenge on Sterling. Will the FA give him a retrospective ban ? I won't hold my breath.

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

Wonderful performance. Magnificent football. Just one of those games which 19 times out of 20 would be a comfortable win.

Sane looks a magnifcent player, ten times better than Navas. We will win this league easily and I wouldn't be that surprised to beat Barca at least once.

All these final balls are going to start coming off, and we are going to issue some serious drubbings to some teams.

It's not just the final balls though. Imagine if their keeper didn't have the game of his life.
2 missed pens. 2 World class saves, Aguero & de Brunye. The latter was probably save of the season so far. And nolito goal.


That's 5 goals with supposedly "poor" final 3rd play.

 

[jonmcity]

Just seen Dermot Gallacher on sly sports news say Coleman should have been sent off for the challenge on Sterling. Will the FA give him a retrospective ban ? I won't hold my breath.

You no the score, retrospective ban's are only for City players these days.

 

[OB1]

Just seen Dermot Gallacher on sly sports news say Coleman should have been sent off for the challenge on Sterling. Will the FA give him a retrospective ban ? I won't hold my breath.

It's a challenge that the media have largely ignored but I had a good view of it at game and thought it was a bad one and subsequent viewings have done nothing to make me think a red would have been unjustified; it was at least a yellow and one way or another Coleman should have had a red in the game. FWIW, Robbie Savage on 606 thought it was a red card offence.

Not seen much made of the Sane penalty claim early in the game but seeing replays makes me think that should also have been a pen for us and maybe KDB would have put that away...

 

[waspish]

Just seen Dermot Gallacher on sly sports news say Coleman should have been sent off for the challenge on Sterling. Will the FA give him a retrospective ban ? I won't hold my breath.

Not arsed now why should someone else benefit from him missing games.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Ive not seen the Coleman challenge,is there any footage doing the rounds?

As for the Sane penalty claim.....never.....it was a blatant dive and he was out of order for doing such.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

First draw in many a year that I've enjoyed that much. Champagne football against a well organised physical team that defened very well indeed considering the onslaught and skill they were up against. Mere milimeters prevented visionary final balls reaching their targets - they'll start coming of soon.
Impressed by Sane for the first time and looking forward to yet another developing partnership with him and KDB.
Fabulous reaction after the Spurs debacle.

 

[schfc6]

You can see the average positions for each starting 11 on Whoscored and you would win your bet: Everton are deep and narrow. Mind you, you have to be careful: City's front five look very narrow because Sane and Sterling swapped wings.

There were times when we should have moved the ball more quickly but it was not a major issue because Everton were unfortunately very disciplined. However, moving the ball more quickly, more often has to be an objective for City because it will generally make life more difficult for our opponents. One thing I still have a complaint about is not getting crosses in more quickly. Crossing is an area of the game that I imagine Pep will be working on with the players. We need to improve accuracy but we also need to get more venom into more crosses. Pep alluded to it in his post match comments, that he is just as interested in the second ball resulting from a cross as the first. He knows defenders are going to get bodies in the way of crosses but the harder you hit them, the less chance the defender has to control the ball and the more chance of creating disorganization in the defence...

I think the issue with our crossing stems from our fullbacks or lack of.
Sterling and Sane offered width but that only leaves Sergio or Iheanacho in the box.
In Pep's most successful Barcelona team, the front 3 were all in the box for a full backs cross.
We for whatever reason under Guardiola and Pellegrini don't get enough bodies in the box.

I think Sterling and arguably Sane are too young to have that natural instinct. Silva doesn't seem to have it, it's not Fernandinho's natural game and we'll see on Gundogan but history doesn't seem to support him as a goal scorer.
Nolito seems to offer more of a goal threat than all but Sergio and Iheanacho.

Navas was obviously roundly slated for his crossing, but there was often 1 vs 8 in the box.

If we can end up with natural full backs whom can defend and attack, like Zabaleta used to, that should allow the other attacking players to load the box. Excuse the old fashioned term.

But crossing will largely be nullified by teams who park the bus, we simply don't have an arial threat, so crosses need to be low. That makes it easier for keepers to pick off and centre backs to simply defend at the front post.

De Bruyne wide offers excellent crossing, great balls in behind even the deepest defence, but he's too good centrally for that.

Sometimes, as like you and many other posters have said, if a very organised team come and park the bus and defend deep with 6 very good players it won't be easy.
De Bruyne scores that pen, game is totally different.

Saturday was arguably our most dominant performance we restricted a very good Everton side to practically nothing. Bournemouth and Swansea both offered more offensively.
For me Saturday was close to the rags game for superiority.

Play like that all season, we'll walk the league. For me anyway.

 

[Rolee]

Ive not seen the Coleman challenge,is there any footage doing the rounds?

As for the Sane penalty claim.....never.....it was a blatant dive and he was out of order for doing such.

Oviedo stood on his foot.

 

[Marvin]

I think the issue with our crossing stems from our fullbacks or lack of.
Sterling and Sane offered width but that only leaves Sergio or Iheanacho in the box.
In Pep's most successful Barcelona team, the front 3 were all in the box for a full backs cross.
We for whatever reason under Guardiola and Pellegrini don't get enough bodies in the box.

I think Sterling and arguably Sane are too young to have that natural instinct. Silva doesn't seem to have it, it's not Fernandinho's natural game and we'll see on Gundogan but history doesn't seem to support him as a goal scorer.
Nolito seems to offer more of a goal threat than all but Sergio and Iheanacho.

Navas was obviously roundly slated for his crossing, but there was often 1 vs 8 in the box.

If we can end up with natural full backs whom can defend and attack, like Zabaleta used to, that should allow the other attacking players to load the box. Excuse the old fashioned term.

But crossing will largely be nullified by teams who park the bus, we simply don't have an arial threat, so crosses need to be low. That makes it easier for keepers to pick off and centre backs to simply defend at the front post.

De Bruyne wide offers excellent crossing, great balls in behind even the deepest defence, but he's too good centrally for that.

Sometimes, as like you and many other posters have said, if a very organised team come and park the bus and defend deep with 6 very good players it won't be easy.
De Bruyne scores that pen, game is totally different.

Saturday was arguably our most dominant performance we restricted a very good Everton side to practically nothing. Bournemouth and Swansea both offered more offensively.
For me Saturday was close to the rags game for superiority.

Play like that all season, we'll walk the league. For me anyway.

Largely agree. Some of our dominance was down to the way EFC played though. They deliberately ceded the battle for possession and flooded back to defend the box. And largely it worked. We had a handful of clear chances.

 

[Cityfan]

But crossing will largely be nullified by teams who park the bus, we simply don't have an arial threat, so crosses need to be low. That makes it easier for keepers to pick off and centre backs to simply defend at the front post.

I think it depends a little on how they can organise their defences as to our potential aerial threat, we ain't going to win lots of very high balls but Nolito scored with his head against Everton and Aguero has scored plenty with his head down the years.
Don't know if Sane can head the ball but he isn't short like our other wingers.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

It's a challenge that the media have largely ignored but I had a good view of it at game and thought it was a bad one and subsequent viewings have done nothing to make me think a red would have been unjustified; it was at least a yellow and one way or another Coleman should have had a red in the game. FWIW, Robbie Savage on 606 thought it was a red card offence.

Not seen much made of the Sane penalty claim early in the game but seeing replays makes me think that should also have been a pen for us and maybe KDB would have put that away...

Couldn't believe that Coleman got away without any card , and I thought it was a red as he went right through Sterling .

Piss poor refereeing imo.

 

[OB1]

I think the issue with our crossing stems from our fullbacks or lack of.
Sterling and Sane offered width but that only leaves Sergio or Iheanacho in the box.
In Pep's most successful Barcelona team, the front 3 were all in the box for a full backs cross.
We for whatever reason under Guardiola and Pellegrini don't get enough bodies in the box.

I think Sterling and arguably Sane are too young to have that natural instinct. Silva doesn't seem to have it, it's not Fernandinho's natural game and we'll see on Gundogan but history doesn't seem to support him as a goal scorer.
Nolito seems to offer more of a goal threat than all but Sergio and Iheanacho.

Navas was obviously roundly slated for his crossing, but there was often 1 vs 8 in the box.

If we can end up with natural full backs whom can defend and attack, like Zabaleta used to, that should allow the other attacking players to load the box. Excuse the old fashioned term.

But crossing will largely be nullified by teams who park the bus, we simply don't have an arial threat, so crosses need to be low. That makes it easier for keepers to pick off and centre backs to simply defend at the front post.

De Bruyne wide offers excellent crossing, great balls in behind even the deepest defence, but he's too good centrally for that.

Sometimes, as like you and many other posters have said, if a very organised team come and park the bus and defend deep with 6 very good players it won't be easy.
De Bruyne scores that pen, game is totally different.

Saturday was arguably our most dominant performance we restricted a very good Everton side to practically nothing. Bournemouth and Swansea both offered more offensively.
For me Saturday was close to the rags game for superiority.

Play like that all season, we'll walk the league. For me anyway.

Whilst you make some good points (and I don't mean that facetiously) and I, like thousands of others, am aware of our need for new full backs, I stick by my point that I expect Pep to work on crossing as a key area. I repeat that he specifically referred to winning second balls on crosses after the Everton game and it was something he focused on at Bayern so you can talk about Barca and their full backs but Bayern was where he used wingers and we have wingers.

I also think Nolito, Sterling, Sane and Jesus (G), when he arrives, will be expected to contribute goals and come into the box from their wing when the ball is likely to be crossed from the other side. Never mind, natural instinct, the coach is there to develop players and get them to do things regardless of whether or not it is their natural inclination. Whether it natural or learned, Nolito obviously has the knack. And you can see how hard Sterling is working on his positional play in terms of which channel to be in so I am sure he will continue to do likewise on getting into the box.

The lack of an obvious aerial threat upfront should not preclude us crossing the ball, even if it means hard low crosses; although Aguero is actually a danger with his head and I reckon that Nolito chap could nod one in;-) Just for good measure, I'll reiterate that Pep works on his teams snapping up the second ball in the box. That does mean getting more bodies in the box with greater regularity and that is something the coach will have to work on with the players. There's no good reason why Silva and KDB should not get in the box looking for those second (or first balls). I'm sure one of the things Pep is looking for is to get his whole team higher up the pitch for more of the game.