mosssideblue
Well-Known Member
Price has nothing to do with ability - ask the rags
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Are we good enough defensively to win the Champions League
- Thread starter aguerrrroooooooooooo
- Start date
supercity88
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 9 Aug 2009
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- 13,880
In the knockout games you want to be tight away from home and try and pick up an away goal. We could do with playing a defensive minded player alongside Fernandinho. Really the player we need is someone with buckets of pace. De Bruyne covers so much ground and when he slots in we are much more balanced in the midfield. His pace and workrate mean Fernandinho is less exposed and going forward he is so creative. Jorginho AND fern away from home would be mich more solid. But with the away goal as long as you are not thrashed as we were at Anfield, you have a chance in the 2nd leg.
A 2-0 or 3-1 would have seen us progress last season I think. But, as with Monaco the season before we do struggle to avoid conceding in the CL. Having said that, the team that wins the CL tends to be the one that scores the most rather than concedes the fewest. Atletico have got close but ultimately failed because they were not quite expansive enough to get the killer goal and win the final. Though they were very close against Real the first time around.
A 2-0 or 3-1 would have seen us progress last season I think. But, as with Monaco the season before we do struggle to avoid conceding in the CL. Having said that, the team that wins the CL tends to be the one that scores the most rather than concedes the fewest. Atletico have got close but ultimately failed because they were not quite expansive enough to get the killer goal and win the final. Though they were very close against Real the first time around.
Aguero_Element
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 10 Jan 2012
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- 5,409
Have you heard of this magical thing called having a bad game
cleavers
Moderator
I'm not sure what he did wrong last night, I thought he had a good game, not his best game, but good nontheless.Fernandinho so far has looked leggy in these games, slow of thought and pass and that is not a great sign against the better sides.
Against Lyon he was put under more pressure, and got no help, but other things caused that in that game for me, we had no continuity on the LHS from back to front, and I thought it caused much of his poor passing, he was having to cover far more than one player should have too, he improved once Sane came on as the whole LHS changed, and he had better options all round.
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader
Well-Known Member
There is an error a game in each of our preferred back 4, (walker, stones, laporte and mendy) for me that says no. All of our defenders natural instincts are not primarily as defenders. You get tested defensively at the top level and need to be able to defend as well as attack. I hope my opinion is proved wrong.
And not only an error apiece, but when one of them makes the error it invariably results in a goal. We never seem to get the rub at the other end, although the Hoff kid did a good impression of buggering things up when Silva nicked the ball off his foot after a poor piece of control.
cleavers
Moderator
Exactly the same can be said about our front players missing chances, if they stuck more away then we'd not need to worry about the odd mistake at the back.There is an error a game in each of our preferred back 4
mancity2012_eamo
Well-Known Member
No.We'd need to be absolutely, impeccably, brilliant.
Gabriel
Well-Known Member
No.
I think we should have identified and bought a left back this summer. It didn't have to be a superstar but someone experienced who could ably deputise for Mendy and who could solidify our defence and offer a genuine attacking threat in the highest pressure games. Delph, Laporte, and Zinchenko, for me, are not the answer.
I think Guardiola is convinced that physically powerful fullbacks are a necessity, especially domestically, and while that has proven true so far, I fear our fullbacks simply don't offer enough in the attacking third in big European games to see us prevail. Perhaps Mendy will prove me wrong, but neither Walker or Danilo appear to have the guile of an Alves or Marcelo, and when it comes to the latter stages, and Sterling and Sane are nullified, you need that little bit extra from your fullbacks.
There's also the small matter of profligacy in front of goal and the acres of space Fernandinho is expected to cover, but that is for another thread.
I think we should have identified and bought a left back this summer. It didn't have to be a superstar but someone experienced who could ably deputise for Mendy and who could solidify our defence and offer a genuine attacking threat in the highest pressure games. Delph, Laporte, and Zinchenko, for me, are not the answer.
I think Guardiola is convinced that physically powerful fullbacks are a necessity, especially domestically, and while that has proven true so far, I fear our fullbacks simply don't offer enough in the attacking third in big European games to see us prevail. Perhaps Mendy will prove me wrong, but neither Walker or Danilo appear to have the guile of an Alves or Marcelo, and when it comes to the latter stages, and Sterling and Sane are nullified, you need that little bit extra from your fullbacks.
There's also the small matter of profligacy in front of goal and the acres of space Fernandinho is expected to cover, but that is for another thread.
feedmpenzaandhewillscore
Well-Known Member
In the knockout games you want to be tight away from home and try and pick up an away goal. We could do with playing a defensive minded player alongside Fernandinho. Really the player we need is someone with buckets of pace. De Bruyne covers so much ground and when he slots in we are much more balanced in the midfield. His pace and workrate mean Fernandinho is less exposed and going forward he is so creative. Jorginho AND fern away from home would be mich more solid. But with the away goal as long as you are not thrashed as we were at Anfield, you have a chance in the 2nd leg.
A 2-0 or 3-1 would have seen us progress last season I think. But, as with Monaco the season before we do struggle to avoid conceding in the CL. Having said that, the team that wins the CL tends to be the one that scores the most rather than concedes the fewest. Atletico have got close but ultimately failed because they were not quite expansive enough to get the killer goal and win the final. Though they were very close against Real the first time around.
Agree with this, we went furthest in this competition when Pellegrini stuck Fernando next to Fernandinho and had the creative midfielder sat in front of them. Having it the other way round with two creative midfielders further forward can lead to us being got at. It wasnt great how we controlled that game last night and it was way too open especially in the 1st half. De Bruyne is the most complete midfielder in the world, he can do both sides of the game in smashing into tackles and pressing, then going box to box and threading passes. I dont know if Pep would change his approach as he goes into every game to win but maybe sticking Kev deeper next to Fernandinho and each of them being disciplined and taking to turns joining attacks.
I also wouldnt mind seeing how we would fair with a midfield of De Bruyne staying deep and Bernado and Spanish Dave playing further forward as Fernandinho doesnt seem to be getting a break at the moment. Playing 90 minutes last night when he will have dippers running at him at 100mph on Sunday isnt the best preparation.
Blue Til Death
Well-Known Member
The high back line is a difficult skill to master for any team regardless of who plays, Fern is being exposed a lot this season, we need back up for him, I would rotate John Stones in that role and rest Fern a bit more..