Postman Pep
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- 10 Aug 2018
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thanks for your analysis but disagree on a few points firstly on Danilo. His mistake was misjudging the flight of the ball not failing to mark the full back. On David Silva he's not been the same since coming off against Chelsea feeling his hamstring and is still very much a 90 minute player but with the injuries he had to play. Either that or he needs a haircut ! Finally I watched the game again last night and I don't get how you described Liverpool as 'excellent ' and 'fearless ' apart from the move you highlighted and the one in the second half which caused Pep to lose it (2 fouls in the build up) the only problems they caused us were long diagonal s into the box.[/QUOTE]Danilo - I have never really been a fan of the player but reconciled his acquisition had sporting sense due to his versatility in multiple positions and speed/size. But he deputied well at RB. Provided sharp passing and width, even cutting in centrally for attacks. Still remains a defensive liability as evidenced by leaving Robertson completely unmarked on the goal although I thought it was a solid performance considering he is not 1st choice. Also goes to show that a proper RB like Walker could've provided more overlapping runs into the box which is a fundamental aspect of Pep's offense
Kompany - Excellent match from him, probably the standout player in defense for me - just edging out Laporte & Stones. Red card discussion will go on a longtime but my take is that it was a good defensive interception and just catches Salah's boot on the end. Red? 10 different referees, pretty sure some would give it a red but on balance it was clean for me and yellow seemed reasonable. Little spoken about Stones terrible square ball to him under no pressure that led to the turnover & booking though.
Stones - That early clearance from Liverpool's most impressive passage of play was really something else. That's what you hope for in matches like this against elite sides, elite performances and in this case it was elite from both Liverpool and City - millimeters!! I loved it. Apart from the error to Kompany, he was great at reading the game
Laporte - Very impressive at LB, showed he can do this with ease and looked the part. Of course, a healthy Mendy would've provided far more from that fullback position and looking across the pitch that is exactly what Arnold was doing at both ends. Still, Laporte has proven to be every bit the excellent acquisition most believed he would be
B. Silva - Would share MOTM with Fernandinho, for me. He was everywhere and was key to providing both defensive cover by dropping in deep with Fernandinho ahead of the back 4 and providing passing options going forward. Instrumental in the first goal with lovely bit of skill. I pegged him to have a breakout season this year but still looks like he has quite a bit more he can offer this team as it is clear David Silva's influence is waning. From start to finish, he exerted influence on the match and even late his great movement led to a 1v1 that regrettably was directed straight into Allison's chest
D. Silva - Played well and was unlucky not to score but it's increasingly clear he is not a 90 minute player anymore which is not a bad thing - he can be the impact sub. Iniesta had the same thing happen as 33 years of age saw mother nature take over. But it was clear that this was an area that needed substituting at HT and perhaps Pep waited a bit too long (Right after Liverpool's goal) to bring on Gundogan. There was a lack of attacking presence in that final third to provide a goal threat and passing out let to the wide players - David excels at this normally but you could see he struggled to maintain any influence due to the tempo. Would've been curious to see a healthy KDB sitting deeper where Bernardo was and having Silva play higher to support the attack. Of course, you can see there is improvement coming soon in midfield whether it is De Jong or Ndombele as that box to box midfielder is also critical to Pep's way of playing
Fernandinho - Haven't seen much football lately from City so can't comment on the recent City skid that saw them drop points but the Brasilian was MOTM for me. He had a tremendous influence on the match whether it was reading, anticipating and intercepting passing lanes but also driving forward when needed. Not sure he lost one challenge on the night. Haven't seen that sort of performance from him in awhile but this is exactly the sort of performance you hope to see in a match of this stature. He seems unable to provide this every match but he showed up big against an elite opponent and this is what I look for in matches like these. I struggle to recall him making even one mistake on the night
Leroy - The late goal was great of course but generally speaking he was tremendous throughout - especially when you consider Arnold was keeping him busy at the other end of the pitch too. When a wide player is aggressive & relentless like this, it bodes well for Pep's City. He can provide even more but I thought he was outstanding
Sterling - He's the superstar in this team IMHO, the one player who on form is virtually impossible to keep quiet 1v1 - Liverpool had to double up often but credit to Robertson on at least one of those challenges on him in the box. I never saw a good replay of the penalty shout but I'm inclined to say it would've been soft - if Sterling had kept his balance better before the contact, would be a clear penalty shout but he appeared to already be going down. Never an easy call there but just goes to show, get Sterling the ball as much as possible and encourage him to go for goal. Apart from Kun, he can always get into position to score although I wish he hadn't dawdled on that late opportunity to score and allowed the defense to recover
Kun - He looks every bit the player now I'd hope he'd become under Pep. Looks in great shape and is working extremely hard at both ends of the pitch, the goal was from an impossible angle yet he fired it in anyway. Loved the emotion as well. He didn't have many opportunities on goal but he was tireless nevertheless. Wonder if the idea was to sub Gabriel Jesus earlier but in the end it appeared Kompany called to come off. Perhaps a bit too conservative from Pep there but Kun looked gassed
Ederson - Couple of times he did not anticipate well on speculative crosses into the box that could've cost City but otherwise he was stellar as usual. Easily the best keeper in the Premiership. His passing & touch is so outstanding, plays like an outfield player
One of the best encounters in the Premiership in some time, for me. Liverpool were excellent and you could see how organized they are in their pressing and dropping back into defense, cutting off passing lanes. I thought City did not capitalize enough in that regard but the pace of the match & pressing makes it a tough thing to do making the absence of a line breaker like KDB or possible FDJ/NDombele the logical upgrade. My favorite passage of play was actually Liverpool's that led to Stones clearing it off the line since there were no real errors from City - all starting with the great stop & turn from Salah to allow runners to create space in transition.
And many probably recall Pep commenting that he lives for these sort of matches and he prepares his teams to rise to the occasion but at the end of the day, the players play and it is them that must raise their games. I thought Fernandinho & B.Silva did this most or at least better than others. Klopp had Liverpool fearless and you couldn't really fault them for the goals or any passage of plays underscoring the need for all XI for City to rise to the challenge and assert their influence over the match. City did this in segments of the match but were not clinical enough to capitalize and put the match out of reach sooner. Overall though, it was a great win in a great match - loved the quality and considering City can play much better, encouraging for City fans.
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