Al Hilal (N) | CWC | Post Match Thread

[theholysmurf]

Why won't he play Gonzalez? He was one of the best young CDMs in Europe when we signed him. He's looked decent every game he's played for us. I just don't understand playing Gundo who's on his last legs instead of him. This favouritism from Pep to certain players needs to stop its hurting the team.

Because Pep has his favourites and it has been our downfall.

 

[bluemonkey71]

Only way to stop Pep from playing them is for Hugo to sell them quick

 

[manimanc]

Didn’t miss a single game in “division 3” home or away. I’m currently in Orlando. Where are you posting your drivel from?

Of course you didn’t.
I always seems to engage with our superfans on here who want to tell all the world just how massive a fan they are.
By my reckoning it's 3am in Orlando, surely you should be fast asleep instead of arguing with an old twat from Stockport?

Odd.

 

[blueparrot]

They’ve got a point though, had a soft as shite run to the final, like a free £60m thrown in the bin.

Don't really care we aren't hard up. Had a decent few games bedded in the new signings, got Rodri some decent minutes. Got an extra weeks break before the serious stuff starts. Not bothered about the rest of it.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Just watched the highlights, check out Gundo for their first goal, ambling back instead of getting to the player who eventually forces the rebound for the header. Second goal how the fuck are we allowing that? Third is Koulibaly beating Ake and Dias in the air & fourth we leave guys unmarked in the box and lose headers again.

Seems to me like it’s the usual problems.

Got up early to watch the full game before work. Carbon copy of every duff City result you can think of in the last two years. Should have been 4-0 up inside 30 minutes, but missed chance after chance, and thereafter it wasn’t just the shit goals we conceded, it was that they utterly shredded us on the counter from the edge of their own box, again and again and again. Defensively we were an embarrassment. Only plus is that we now get a decent break

 

[kippaxwarrior]

Of course you didn’t.
I always seems to engage with our superfans on here who want to tell all the world just how massive a fan they are.
By my reckoning it's 3am in Orlando, surely you should be fast asleep instead of arguing with an old twat from Stockport?

Odd.

.

 

[CΛL]

Woke up to see that we’ve lost, but then I saw that we started Gundogan and Bernardo in midfield and now I completely understand.

Feel so sorry for Nico Gonzales.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

What was they expecting, prime 1970 Brazil?
Don't these fans realise we're still in rebuild mode with new players trying to fit in and new staff trying to find their feet in a team that underperformed big time last season or are these fans thinking it'll be like playing FIFA on Xbox where a couple of clicks and job done.

We have fans now, new fans, who have only known success so all this getting beat isn't in their DNA.

The worry comes from a rebuild where very few of the new players can get in the side. Fans will show patience where a change in strategy is shown. Fans will not show patience when the club spends £300m on that new strategy and Pep sticks them on the bench and wheels out his old favourites. The new season starts in 6 weeks, is it realistic to think that over that time, Pep suddenly rips it all up and goes with the youth? Unlikely, I would think. It concerns me that our manager and our new DOF are seemingly not aligned. They probably should have had a discussion before spending £300m.

 

[Earlyriser]

When people say we need another full-back I scratch my head. We still have the same situation where both players supposedly playing give the opposition wide players so much room instead of ever getting tight to them. I know it's one game but Ait was shite last night as he was consistently found out of position and of more concern was his lack of pace in getting back. Last night he looked like Mendy.. potential attacking threat but clueless as a defender.

 

[Gumzy97]

Dias has been quality for us but he looks a yard slower maybe the injuries have caught up with him. All our centre backs apart from Gvardiol have had injuries or niggles consistently. Maybe it's caught up to them.

 

[Nellies left peg]

Beaten by a side that every premier league team will play like against us next season, defending deep and playing on the break. Well impressed for never learn and find defending against it impossible with the players we have.it’s pretty basic really, Dias is not the colossus he’s made out to be and like Laporte should go or sort himself out

 

[mattyads]

But we've spent £100m on them.

And we aren't good enough with the old guard. Either way it falls on Peps toes.we cant keep spending fortunes for players to be sat on the bench whilst our older players destroy the season because they can keep the pace and intensity.

Make it make sense.

I agree. See my posts.
There is too much to address in one window, but I'm frustrated that we are signing the same type of players, then people moan we get the same type of performance.

The team needs more physicality throughout. We desperately need a RB, CM and wide option who all possess strong physical attributes.

 

[marpleman]

If we had Kyle Walker in his prime we win that game comfortably.

What relevance does that comment have?

If we had Gazza in his prime, we might have got a draw……

 

[CΛL]

Realistically, Hugo needs to go above Pep and sell 5 players

 

[Gumzy97]

I agree. See my posts.
There is too much to address in one window, but I'm frustrated that we are signing the same type of players, then people moan we get the same type of performance.

The team needs more physicality throughout. We desperately need a RB, CM and wide option who all possess strong physical attributes.

That's Gibbs White.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Only a couple of seasons ago we were singing.

Ederson and Aki, Walker and Akanji, Ruben Dias, Johnny Stones, best defense in Europe were Manchester City on our way to Istanbul.

How many of the above are still worth a starting place in the team taking into account form, fitness and reliability ?

Think we all know the answer to that one, unfortunately….

None.

 

[manimanc]

The worry comes from a rebuild where very few of the new players can get in the side. Fans will show patience where a change in strategy is shown. Fans will not show patience when the club spends £300m on that new strategy and Pep sticks them on the bench and wheels out his old favourites. The new season starts in 6 weeks, is it realistic to think that over that time, Pep suddenly rips it all up and goes with the youth? Unlikely, I would think. It concerns me that our manager and our new DOF are seemingly not aligned. They probably should have had a discussion before spending £300m.

Have you not thought that Pep has to rotate the team and the players because of burn out and fatigue and the fact that we've come off a full season, players have played international games then travelled to America and then played more games.
He played gundog and Bernardo in midfield purely for rotational purposes, you can't go with the same 11 it's impossible.
Pep is just saving legs in my opinion.

 

[uwerosler28]

You’re entitled to your opinion. I’m here in the USA for 1 month following the club around because I don’t share your opinion and I view this tournament as a major opportunity which has just slipped through our fingers.

Don't know why you feel the need to drop in every response that you have decided to travel to the USA to watch the tournament like that somehow up lifts its importance?, it's not much more than a friendly competition which likely ranks no more than a 5th priority for us in terms of what we want to win this year, you being there doesn't change that.

 

[mattyads]

Savinho might be the least impactful player we’ve had in the Pep era - at least the one who plays a decent number of games.

Our wide options are terrible.

Zero consistency from any of them, and others prefer not to play there.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Dias has been quality for us but he looks a yard slower maybe the injuries have caught up with him. All our centre backs apart from Gvardiol have had injuries or niggles consistently. Maybe it's caught up to them.

Dias hasn’t been quality for 2 years now.