The reality though is Ric that in both cases we started off as always with a really slow tempo, and in the case of Watford they had a huge chance to make it one all at about 80 mins, and hull we never looked like scoring til the pen. It would be nice to set about Burnley with a high tempo from the first minute, and to stop fucking about at the back. In neither case did it feel comfortable for the majority of the matchI think Burnley will be a stiffer test, but it's a bit disingenuous to say we "really struggled" against Hull and Watford. They weren't vintage performances, but both ended up as comfortable wins.
I'd go back to the team/formation that we started the season with. Fernandinho sitting with Sterling KDB SIlva Nolito and Kun ahead. Would play Sane ahead of Nolito when available.
The tempo needs lifted. We make it easy to play against us. To score a goal at the minute we have to work so so hard compared to other sides against. They seem to score without doing very much.
I know we don't defend well but the attackers have to take more of the criticism in my opinion. By not creating much/not being clinical when we do create chances, the defence then becomes under more pressure. With the attacking options we have we should be blowing teams away.
Please take this the right way but could you not come back! ;0)Well I am out of the country and most of the time that is a good omen, 6-1 v rags, 5-0 v wolves, 5-1 v charlton, 3-0 v dippers
Ah well. May as well give the three points to Burnley, eh? Even if Bob Lord came back from the dead and was reffing the game, we ought to be able to beat Burnley (1 away point so far this season) at our place. Not disrespecting Burnley, but let's be realistic about the game. Yes, they'll have two buses parked up, but we ought to have enough about us to get the win.Lee Mason ..... say no more.
Not disrespecting Burnley, but let's be realistic about the game. Yes, they'll have two buses parked up, but we ought to have enough about us to get the win.
Ah well. May as well give the three points to Burnley, eh? Even if Bob Lord came back from the dead and was reffing the game, we ought to be able to beat Burnley (1 away point so far this season) at our place. Not disrespecting Burnley, but let's be realistic about the game. Yes, they'll have two buses parked up, but we ought to have enough about us to get the win.
Let's see what the line up is first,and secondly we usually know within the first ten minutes how things will go if it's high tempo or slow methodical build up..Got a feeling this will be a frustrating afternoon, but hopefully we'll do enough to get the win. Not expecting a vintage City performance though, with it being our second game in three days, and confidence low after the Liverpool defeat. I'm sure Mason will do us no favours either.
352 might be the way forward eventually, but when of those 3 is one of our full backs, its not the answer for me.
want to see this line-up against Burnley:
Bravo
Stones - Otemendi - Kolarov
Sterling - Garcia - KdB - Dinho - Silva
Nacho - Aguero
With Pep:s last word before the game "Impress me with your skills, show me your potential, and fight for being a part of this team !!! "
I just want 2 strikers and SPEED, but I´ll trust Pep to do an even smarter selection
Wasn't having a go at you. Agree with you about the standard of refereeing in the PL. We've seen some shockers in our games. And in other games as well. I was just suggesting that if we bring our 'A' game to the table today, the referee should be insignificant in the wider picture. Bloody hope so, anyway?Yeah, quite agree Jim - it just seems that virtually every referee name fills you with apprehension knowing they'll take every opportunity to stitch us up one way or another - be it pens, bad line calls or simply bookings. The standard of officiating in the PL, supposedly the richest league in the world, is abysmal compared to what we see in Europe.
Anyways - 3-1 City. ( even allowing for Bob Lord's return!)
Let's see what the line up is first,and secondly we usually know within the first ten minutes how things will go if it's high tempo or slow methodical build up..
Had to google that JMHO bit!Maybe if we tried a few shots from outside the box, it couldn't hurt, after all I'd sooner we had a go than kept up the walking it into the goal strategy! I can forgive a lot if I see that they've tried for it. :-) JMHO
I've never understood why we shifted away from this just to accommodate Gundogan, who, to be fair to him, is a good player, but hasn't shone in the league. That formation solved the Silva-KDB problem by having them both in the middle, protected by Dinho, and able to thread passes to Aguero or a true winger on either side. And this formation actually worked even better with Sterling on the left and Navas on the right.
Silva is terrible on either wing, and putting KDB there takes him out of the game. I'm hoping Pep realizes this again.
The record of conceding more in first 15 mins doest surprise me at all, that's the period we seem to kack about the most needlessly passing the ball back and forth across the defensive line and back to bravo instead of getting into the faces of teams more like for some reason were able to do post 45 minsThese two statements are just about correct. I prefer to say that Spurs thoroughly outplayed us. Let's have it right: no-one else has. That's no consolation, of course. My feeling for the season is that we've been throwing away points in all sorts of games. Whether it's down to a new system that players are not comfortable with (or are simply not capable of implementing) remains to be seen. The record of conceding more goals in the first fifteen minutes of matches - more than Hull, ffs! - is simply mind-boggling, in a team of this quality. But is probably related to the learning curve, and the fact that Pep has made far more changes to his team than any of the other top five. Back to Burnley, since that's what this thread's supposed to be about. Let's hope they're angry about Anfield. If they are, I can see four-nil. If well, basically, they think it was ok, this could be another home draw and two more points chucked away à la Southampton, Everton, Middlebrough.
HahahaSpoiler alert - it will be slow methodical build up.
;)
Hahaha,thought methodical seemed better suited than half arsed ;-)Spoiler alert - it will be slow methodical build up.
;)