#14 | Aymeric Laporte - 2020/21 Performances

[Saddleworth2]

Out of interest can you name just 1 City player that is at even 80% of his best form?

Sorry mate, all I did was answer your question which was talking about the here and now.
If you want to rephrase it I'll have another go :-)

 

[EdersonsSmiley]

Which would be fine if 1- other, less performing players over a longer period of time were given the same treatment.

2- Pep hadn’t made his statement at the time when he made Laporte out to be the example when he’s pussy footed around others for so long.

3- He hadn’t dropped Laporte from the 18 v Burnley and then played Garcia ahead of him in Europe.

The problem with Guardiola’s new found toughness is that it breaks down at the slightest bit of scrutiny. If I was Laporte and I’d sat and watched the likes of Mahrez and Sterling performing the way they have been and then I get dropped in this way whilst they play every week and be sticking the middle finger up at him.

I think the difference is Stones has come in and played better than Laporte has been since his injury.

With Mahrez and Sterling, their competition is two twenty year olds in Foden and Torres who have been, as expected, up and down in their form.

If it was Garcia playing ahead of Laporte repeatedly he could have a moan but as it is he just needs to get back to where he was pre-injury if we wants to start.

 

[jay_mcfc]

I think the difference is Stones has come in and played better than Laporte has been since his injury.

With Mahrez and Sterling, their competition is two twenty year olds in Foden and Torres who have been, as expected, up and down in their form.

If it was Garcia playing ahead of Laporte repeatedly he could have a moan but as it is he just needs to get back to where he was pre-injury if we wants to start.

Huge difference in level of opponents.

Garcia has made two appearances since Laporte has played.

Until these last two games Ferran and Foden have been better than Mahrez and Sterling this year. We have options if Pep truly wants to set an example of the whole squad.

 

[Delphacito]

Dias I'm not counting because we don't know about previous form. He is brilliant though.

Walker and Cancelo - yes!

Gundogan maybe.

That leaves a lot of players that could have had the Laporte/Foden treatment.

Yes and if Stones were out of form, guaranteed Laporte never would’ve gotten the treatment. He got the treatment because there’s options in his position.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Yes and if Stones were out of form, guaranteed Laporte never would’ve gotten the treatment. He got the treatment because there’s options in his position.

Garcia has appeared in two of the 4 games since, Laporte 0.

Mahrez has started 5 of the last 6. Foden 0.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Which would be fine if 1- other, less performing players over a longer period of time were given the same treatment.

2- Pep hadn’t made his statement at the time when he made Laporte out to be the example when he’s pussy footed around others for so long.

3- He hadn’t dropped Laporte from the 18 v Burnley and then played Garcia ahead of him in Europe.

The problem with Guardiola’s new found toughness is that it breaks down at the slightest bit of scrutiny. If I was Laporte and I’d sat and watched the likes of Mahrez and Sterling performing the way they have been and then I get dropped in this way whilst they play every week and be sticking the middle finger up at him.

Many on here judge on one or two performances and largely forget everything that has gone before.

Two weeks ago, Mahrez was the most hated City player of all time and was so bad that he simply went by the moniker FFS. A hat-trick against Burnley and a good performance yesterday now makes him the best winger in the league.

Rodri had barely had a good game for 12 months but is now better than Fern ever was.

Sterling has been terrible all season but a goal against Fulham means HE IS BACK!

I am all for Pep getting tough, I would argue it should have been done 12 months ago but it has to be the same for all players. If it has been implemented across the board, Mahrez wouldn’t have been in the side to score a hat-trick.

 

[domalino]

Rodri had barely had a good game for 12 months

This is not true.

I don't think Rodri has actually changed his level of performance much at all over 2020. All that's happened is we sorted out the defence and Pep's changed the system around him a bit. Results have gotten better so he's stopped being scapegoated, as has Gundogan.

You keep saying he's improved massively but I think you're just trying to rewrite history after being forced to see what a lot of people could see 6 months ago - that he was never the problem.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Many on here judge on one or two performances and largely forget everything that has gone before.

Two weeks ago, Mahrez was the most hated City player of all time and was so bad that he simply went by the moniker FFS. A hat-trick against Burnley and a good performance yesterday now makes him the best winger in the league.

Rodri had barely had a good game for 12 months but is now better than Fern ever was.

Sterling has been terrible all season but a goal against Fulham means HE IS BACK!

I am all for Pep getting tough, I would argue it should have been done 12 months ago but it has to be the same for all players. If it has been implemented across the board, Mahrez wouldn’t have been in the side to score a hat-trick.

Mahrez has basically been allowed to play play play his way through a terrible run of form until the point where Mahrez could do what he always does - be a flat track bully against shit teams. The whole crime / punishment / personnel doesn’t stack up.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

This is not true.

I don't think Rodri has actually changed his level of performance much at all over 2020. All that's happened is we sorted out the defence and Pep's changed the system around him a bit. Results have gotten better so he's stopped being scapegoated, as has Gundogan.

You keep saying he's improved massively but I think you're just trying to rewrite history after being forced to see what a lot of people could see 6 months ago - that he was never the problem.

Seeing what exactly? Your post is written like we have won 10 out of 10 and sit 8 points clear at the summit. We are 5th, having failed win 50% of games. I get that the overall feel-good factor for the side has sky-rocketed with wins against Burnley and Fulham but points per game, we are actually significantly worse off than we were last season, therefore there is zero rewriting of history going on.

Do I think Rodri has improved this season? Yes. Do I think he has improved to a level which means we can just write off the previous 12 months and can say that he hasn’t been part of the overall problem? Not even close. He has a long way to go yet, as do the side as a whole.

 

[Delphacito]

Garcia has appeared in two of the 4 games since, Laporte 0.

Mahrez has started 5 of the last 6. Foden 0.

Mahrez, like Laporte was also ‘dropped’ by Pep. The only difference is it was only one game. Had Stones shit the bed Laporte’s treatment wouldn’t last as long I bet. As far Foden, I’m not sure why Pep’s not playing him more but he has been starting cup games consistently, while Laporte was just dropped for multiple games in a row. Now I’m predicting Laporte will play against Marseille.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Mahrez, like Laporte was also ‘dropped’ by Pep. The only difference is it was only one game. Had Stones shit the bed Laporte’s treatment wouldn’t last as long I bet. As far Foden, I’m not sure why Pep’s not playing him more but he has been starting cup games consistently, while Laporte was just dropped for multiple games in a row. Now I’m predicting Laporte will play against Marseille.

Mahrez was dropped for one game after a poor run of form lasting months. He comes straight back into the first team without any public statement and just carries on being Mahrez. During which time one of our best attacking players has sat on his arse for 6 consecutive games.

Meanwhile Stones came in for a ridiculously one sided game v Olympiacos and then from there retains his place in the next two league games plus Garcia makes two appearances. Meanwhile our best defender and league’s second best defender sits on his arse for four games.

There are obviously many on here that don’t see or don’t care about Pep’s double standards but I’ve seen all this before and it didn’t end well.

 

[Phil1]

Mahrez was dropped for one game after a poor run of form lasting months. He comes straight back into the first team without any public statement and just carries on being Mahrez. During which time one of our best attacking players has sat on his arse for 6 consecutive games.

Meanwhile Stones came in for a ridiculously one sided game v Olympiacos and then from there retains his place in the next two league games plus Garcia makes two appearances. Meanwhile our best defender and league’s second best defender sits on his arse for four games.

There are obviously many on here that don’t see or don’t care about Pep’s double standards but I’ve seen all this before and it didn’t end well.

Stones was in desperate need to get some minutes and to have a few games error free to get his dwindling confidence up.
He’s achieved that now whilst showing us all what a player he can be, albeit against poorer opposition.
We now have 4 great options available for a position we’ve been lucky to have 2 of in the recent past.
There’s a bit too much overthinking going on here I reckon. Laporte is still one of the very best about and a patch of iffy form doesn’t change that,
As well as Stones has done, the chances are it’ll be Laporte and Dias who play together most often this season.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Stones was in desperate need to get some minutes and to have a few games error free to get his dwindling confidence up.
He’s achieved that now whilst showing us all what a player he can be, albeit against poorer opposition.
We now have 4 great options available for a position we’ve been lucky to have 2 of in the recent past.
There’s a bit too much overthinking going on here I reckon. Laporte is still one of the very best about and a patch of iffy form doesn’t change that,
As well as Stones has done, the chances are it’ll be Laporte and Dias who play together most often this season.

That's what we were all saying about Sane at the start of 18/19.

Meanwhile we're wasting time when potentially the best premier league centre back pairing of the last decade could be getting vital minutes together.

 

[mccity]

I still disagree with any idea that Laporte's form has dipped, as outlined by my post on page 12.

 

[MeatHunterrr]

Guardiola indeed has to be careful. Sane should be good lesson for that. Players of this ilk don't take being benched very well. Its just the way it is + once player makes his mind up about going there is no going back.

Everyone knows, that he would have queue of clubs waiting to pick him up.

Players have the power, no getting away from that.

Also I thought it was extremely poor of Pep to play his favourite Catalan in Garcia who can't wait to get out of here ahead of Laporte against Porto.

 

[jay_mcfc]

Guardiola indeed has to be careful. Sane should be good lesson for that. Players of this ilk don't take being benched very well. Its just the way it is + once player makes his mind up about going there is no going back.

Everyone knows, that he would have queue of clubs waiting to pick him up.

Players have the power, no getting away from that.

Also I thought it was extremely poor of Pep to play his favourite Catalan in Garcia who can't wait to get out of here ahead of Laporte against Porto.

All those thinking Laporte will just be happy to sit back and play the odd cup game with Barcelona and Madrid whispering in his ears are deluded.

 

[Cityinmud]

All those thinking Laporte will just be happy to sit back and play the odd cup game with Barcelona and Madrid whispering in his ears are deluded.

Calm down . Will ya.. laporte will get his chance soon. Plenty of games left

 

[oldius]

Reading the last few posts on this thread brings to life why the forum is so divided.
Because Laporte has been dropped, for unclear reasons, Pep is being criticised because he has continued to play players who were previously judged as rubbish by a few posters: Gundogan, Rodri and Mahrez, of course, being the main scapegoats. We chose Pep because he is the best. He has won eight trophies, two PL wins and broken records that were deemed unreachable before he arrived; if he cannot pick who he wants and drop who he wants, who can?

It is a fact that the three aforementioned players are exceptional players, among the best in the PL, and we are blessed to have them. That Laporte is already undroppable (in the eyes of some) emphasises why half of the team is supported and the other half criticised, even when they perform well. There are others too and they may have earnt our loyalty but they are not beyond criticism and nor are they beyond being dropped: we do not see training or hear what goes on behind closed doors.

 

[mccity]

we do not see training or hear what goes on behind closed doors.

I wish more people thought about this.

 

[ninjamonkey]

The tendency on here to declare a player on the verge of wanting to leave because he’s sat out a couple of weeks worth of games whilst his teammate is in top form is ridiculous.

Every single player is fully aware before signing for us it’s a squad game here. if you perform when asked you get plenty of minutes during the season. Laporte will get an opportunity to stake his claim for first choice again, likely in then next game and it should upto him to step upto the challenge. Listen to stones’ interview to see how the players push each other and how much they value that.

Would the same people suggesting Laporte will have a major problem with being left out consider quitting their job if they don’t get the shift they want two weeks in a row or they don’t get the overtime ? Because that’s a similarly absurd situation. There’s no issue here.