Al Hilal (N) | CWC | Post Match Thread

[Gabriel]

Wasteful finishing and rank defending.
Not a good Combination

Lisbon, Feyenoord, Juventus, Paris, Palace...

 

[kippaxwarrior]

Watched the game and it was unsurprisingly very reminiscent of last season.

Ederson - just would love him to save us a few times with stopping shots you wouldn’t expect. His distribution is great but with our outfield players I would sacrifice a bit of distribution for a shot stopper.

RB - Nunes actually I thought did well, his energy, ability on the ball and runs made a difference in a first half we should have scored 3/4. Akanji came on and it completely made the team lopsided and back to slow plodding football, you can’t have all the creative players on the team and use Akanji like that.
We need 2 rbs who have similar traits so you don’t lose all semblance of style and structure when a change is made.

DM - we were cut open so many times with seemingly one of two balls through our press - ala last season. It does seem crazy you could have more structure and sit Nico next to Rodri or Reijnders and then let the others attack so we aren’t completely open in the middle. Last season showed Gundo and Bernie plus 1 in midfield doesn’t have the legs, so shock horror this was proven again.

Wingers - Doku and Savinho fall into thr flatter to deceive category. Doku was threatening but when he has the square root of fuck all end product it negates that threat. I can’t believe if you put cherki in the positions Doku was in then we wouldn’t have won comfortably. Savinho needs a bit step up, god knows how Oscar Bobb hasn’t had made game time.

Transitions - this could be the real issue. Silva talked about at the end controlling transitions better, I worry if we see more games like this then Pep will revert back to the ultra cautious approach of last year.

Positives, we did for the first half look good, add in a few more killers aka Marmoush, Foden or Cherki and that would have been goodnight Vienna.

We need to really focus on our core players now and keep more of a structure, not so much chopping and changing. Not in big games going for the safe option of the more uncs the better.

The first few games showed what we could do, the lads can have a rest, streamline the squad and hopefully today was a reminder we still need changes.

Whoa, whoa there a minute.

This post is far too sensible to be put on this thread

 

[manimanc]

It’s 3.10am right now in Orlando. I haven’t been to sleep yet as I’m gutted about the game. Why should I go to sleep, I’m on holiday? I’m only referrring to my credentials as a City fan because you questioned them. I’m 56, I’ve been around the block with this club as I’m sure you have. And I’m sure you wouldn’t be busy on here right now if you weren’t every bit as pissed off as I am.

I stopped going on the post match threads ages ago as I got into arguments like the one me and you are having and it bores the shit out of me but I just thought I'd dip my toe in as I thought the bedwetters and kneejerkers would be out in force and I was right.

One poster said this competition is more important than the champions league. Another said we'd just played a championship team. Listen I know half the posters on the post match thread aren't city fans, probably your mardarse red cartel wankers but a lot of city fans lose their shit if we don't win and it baffles me.
By the looks of it you and me have both been on the city treadmill for decades and are used to typical city, yes it is completely different if you've spent money to go and watch us but did you really think we'd win the competition after the shite we'd just produced all season?
We wasn't suddenly going to dazzle in 4 weeks when we'd stank tge place out all season.

Just my opinion.

 

[Cobra]

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

But what incentive do the likes of Akanji and Gundogan have to leave when they know they’ll be getting regular gametime this season?

 

[bondsman]

I'm gutted. Wanted to go all the way. It is what it is. Plenty for Pep and his new coaches to work on before the season starts.

I’m worried despite our new acquisitions we may be in for a repeat of last year. We desperately need CBs who are pacy and can stay fit and a proper RB.

 

[Regular Joe]

"I'm on holiday in America for the next two weeks and now I've got to find something to do."

First world problems eh?

If it's that bad, save the money you'd spend entertaining yourself for the next two weeks and fly home early, like City have.

Definitely first world problems. Won’t be flying home early, this annual leave was very hard to come by. I have plenty of ideas what to do, just wasn’t what I was hoping for and doesn’t stop me being disappointed.

 

[LongsightM13]

Whatever we think about the value of this tournament , I reckon our owner will be furious to go out to a Saudi side . Some explaining to do I think .

Tens of millions pissed up the wall as well, especially how our side of the draw had fallen. We should have been finalists at least. Unforgivable
Many of the old guard look finished not only physically but mentally as well. Make no mistake, that was an embarrassing surrender

 

[Gundoggin]

So after all that we are still shit !

 

[Dogtanian]

Guess

Ederson, Just reading stats he faced 6 shots and 4 went in, or looking at the line up a double pivot of gundo and bernardo screams of a jogging midfield ?

 

[Stelea]

No excuses about moaning about tiredness when the season starts now. Plenty of time for rest and the training pitch now.

 

[ballbag]

Ultimately, not even the slightest bit bothered about crashing out of this. But not a great performance at all.

 

[Semper aggressus]

At least we now have time in the summer to get rid of some players and sign a right back. And get Rodri fully fit.

Savinho offers nothing productive. He looks like he should be great, but the closer he gets to goal the less he offers.

Gundogan is just too old. If Pep loves him so much just make him a coach.

Akanji and Dias haven’t been good for a season now, maybe ok as back ups but ideally sell them.

I’d like to see Marmoush, Cherki, Haaland all starting a game. Doku and Savinho back ups at best.

 

[M12Blue]

It’s 3.10am right now in Orlando. I haven’t been to sleep yet as I’m gutted about the game. Why should I go to sleep, I’m on holiday? I’m only referrring to my credentials as a City fan because you questioned them. I’m 56, I’ve been around the block with this club as I’m sure you have. And I’m sure you wouldn’t be busy on here right now if you weren’t every bit as pissed off as I am.

Be honest Joe, you cant get back to sleep after having a pee ;)

 

[Bluekiwi]

Think it was because they were both on yellows and unable to defend aggressively enough due to it

Thanks for confirming my thoughts

 

[The Norfolk Blue]

So after all that we are still shit !

Defensively yes we are.

 

[noseve]

Cant understand how Gonzalez,Kushnov and Reiss cant get any game time.Dias and Akanji time is up.

Gonzo is something and nothing, in my opinion. A panic buy;

Haven't seen enough of Reis to judge, but all reports when I read about him said he had an amazingly calm head and could really read the game. You'd think that's exactly what we need.

Khusanov is the real mystery - right up until he was dropped, he was in every predicted lineup. Clearly naive and a lot to learn, but surely this environment would have been perfect to give him game-time and make him feel part of the team?

We hear about the pressures on strikers who can't cement a regular place, but it must be just as bad for defenders, who are given a chance and have to play with the fear of making a mistake that might set them back in the pecking order again.

I'd defy anybody to write a piece clarifying our transfer 'policy' and for it to make sense.

 

[GX Blue]

What’s going on? I can’t believe everyone is celebrating this like we are fantastic again.
We played a second string Juve side who clearly weren’t up for it.

They still scored 2. Our defence is a shambles.

I hope we are, the energy was noticeable and some of the forward players seem to be on it.

As a team though it’s so easy to counter on us. It’s just not being addressed.

Got a lot of stick for this post in the Juve thread last week.

People need to actually watch games rather than just happy clap.

It’s been glaringly obvious as a team the defensive set up is all wrong.
It’s not improving and it’s been this way for a while.

Blame individual players, blame errors but the truth is it’s Pep’s set up.

 

[oldius]

It's a bit weird that these pages are filled with 'insight' from people who didn't watch the game.

We were beaten by a good side with some excellent players. They had a plan, stuck to it, were highly efficient, and chose the well-worn path of defending in numbers and relying on a break. People describing them as non-league are wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, we dominated possession, created a multitude of chances, had some strong individual performances, but conceded a goal with every chance we gave.

This is a bizarre tournament in many ways, and though I want us to win every game, it is pre-season for us, with a host of new players bedding into the side and several who will not be with us when the season begins. Everyone can argue about who should be picked to play, and a loss intensifies those feelings about who should not, but our side was strong enough to win that match.

It seems that Akanji and Dias are now targets for negativity. Savinho another. There was one spell when people here were condemning Dias for a particular incident when replays and commentary showed that he had made a perfectly timed challenge to prevent a chance.

We will not get everything right but the important thing is that this squad is ready for the beginning of the season. That is all that really matters. That may mean some players who are not staying will be chosen to play ahead of those who will need to be ready for the season opener. That might include players who have been with us for a good while who seem now to be described as 'Pep's mates' which is disrespectful to them and to our manager.

As it transpires, I said before the game that I wanted to see Reis and Gvardiol in central defence. Would it have made a difference? I have no idea. I would also have brought on Khusanov to deal with their pace on the counter, but remember that we were winning 1-0 and creating a host of chances before we conceded two right at the start of the second-half.

Shit does happen, and it is damn frustrating, but what can we learn?
Ait-Nouri is a massive talent, and will be devastating with Doku on the left, but it will leave gaps for the fast counter behind them - we will need some 'Walker type' physicality to deal with that, or a midfielder who shifts over.
Cherki will create a multitude of chances, like KDB did, but he will also give away possession when his through-balls don't come off, just as Kev did. He will need to be backed up to win the ball back quickly when it turns over in this way.

In short, we are vulnerable to a rapid counter just as we have been for a while. It is the Achilles' heel to all high-line teams. Most of the time it will not be an issue, but insurance policies against it are always a good thing, and that means some pace at the back but also real pressing at the front so that the switch is shut out before it begins. People talking about pedestrian passing didn't watch this game, in my opinion. We created a boatload of chances and were, generally, quicker in the attacking phases.

 

[Regular Joe]

I stopped going on the post match threads ages ago as I got into arguments like the one me and you are having and it bores the shit out of me but I just thought I'd dip my toe in as I thought the bedwetters and kneejerkers would be out in force and I was right.

One poster said this competition is more important than the champions league. Another said we'd just played a championship team. Listen I know half the posters on the post match thread aren't city fans, probably your mardarse red cartel wankers but a lot of city fans lose their shit if we don't win and it baffles me.
By the looks of it you and me have both been on the city treadmill for decades and are used to typical city, yes it is completely different if you've spent money to go and watch us but did you really think we'd win the competition after the shite we'd just produced all season?
We wasn't suddenly going to dazzle in 4 weeks when we'd stank tge place out all season.

Just my opinion.

I know what you mean (you’ll see I have less than 1000 posts in 16 years so I’m not one for keyboard arguments either) but I honestly thought we could win the tournament, right up until the final whistle tonight. Im gutted about it, its cost me a good few quid to come out here but I wouldn’t swap it. Anyway I know you’re all well into the morning back home but I really need to go to sleep…

 

[CΛL]

But what incentive do the likes of Akanji and Gundogan have to leave when they know they’ll be getting regular gametime this season?

Need to be brutal and force them out.

Pep needs telling that they’re not going to play.