Dreadzone
Well-Known Member
Yep, I'm with you. I honestly believe we were/ are the better team tonight. And quite confident we'll finish above them at the end of the season.
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Arsenal post match thread
- Thread starter Champions2012!
- Start date
cleavers
Moderator
I usually support MP, but, Aguero wasn't fit, so he shouldn't have been playing for me, he was pretty awful, as were all the attacking players, so not singling him out, as at least he has an excuse.Pellegrini said post match it was important that Aguero got some football, and we did at least fight back even if it was too late.
As for fighting back, well we played OK all night, but piss poor team defending in the 1 minute added on, and piss poor attacking from no less than 6 attacking players over 90 minutes isn't good enough.
Blue Whale
Well-Known Member
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- 2 Nov 2008
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- 789
I'm with you two too. I reckon we keep playing like this as we have for at least six games already it's ours. A new manager that is.Yep, I'm with you. I honestly believe we were/ are the better team tonight. And quite confident we'll finish above them at the end of the season.
We were actually better than we have been. To go in 2-0 down was a sickener at half time. Can't argue about Mangala although he has been good in patches. I think there's a good player there, but he's been really poor game after game recently.Man city didn't deserve to lose over 90 mins, but we had a few clear cut chances and could have got four. Its your defence that shocked me the most I knew mangala was crap but not that crap... No offence meant
At last Aguero is back but as you saw he's a long way off from fitness. He was struggling when he got that heel injury so that has just put him back even further. Maybe if he plays through the Christmas period and stays fit, then by mid-January we will be back in business. If not, then our season is over.
Arsenal have more injuries, but you have players who can come in and do a job. We don't have cover for our big players, and Pellegrini insists on playing Toure who just strolls. He's still got quality but I don't know if that justifies his place as the other players have to work harder. He costs us a lot off the ball
cleavers
Moderator
Did every Arsenal player go down holding his face at some point ? It felt like it.Thought they were just a team full of Ashley Youngs !!
Vicious111
Well-Known Member
For me two massive areas of concern.
1 - Defensive Cohesion - our defence look as if they are trying to communicate to each other in Klingon. They have absolutely no cohesion and communication going on whatsoever; it's an absolute shambles back there and has been for some time. I do rate Otamendi and i think he will eventually work well with Kompany and we did see some great challenges (and some terrible ones) from him tonight. But my concern is that we have spent vastly on two players when we could have had Nastasic and Denayer in there. Two players that could (and would) have built a strong partnership that would lasted for years to come. The midfield are also coasting through the game. Yaya contributes nothing, he should never be started in place of players that are willing to give it their all.
2 - Tactics - for years we have become used to watching this square attack down the wings then cut it across nonsense. It is absolutely painful to watch and 99% of our attacks get cleared by large centre halfs who are coming up against Aguero, Silva and Sterling - there is never competition there. Mancini's 4231 system had us playing fluidly and fast, attractive football. We have a far superior team now to date - we should be allowing our players to express themselves. Pellegrini's tactics has them all playing down the wings. It quite simply does not work and does not suit us. I sigh everytime i see Navas get the ball, run to the edge of the box - stop - do a shimmy right and left - run to the goal line and cut it across. Horrible. Unproductive.
Let's get rid of the 20% players and get some youth in the team who are willing to show a bit of fire.
1 - Defensive Cohesion - our defence look as if they are trying to communicate to each other in Klingon. They have absolutely no cohesion and communication going on whatsoever; it's an absolute shambles back there and has been for some time. I do rate Otamendi and i think he will eventually work well with Kompany and we did see some great challenges (and some terrible ones) from him tonight. But my concern is that we have spent vastly on two players when we could have had Nastasic and Denayer in there. Two players that could (and would) have built a strong partnership that would lasted for years to come. The midfield are also coasting through the game. Yaya contributes nothing, he should never be started in place of players that are willing to give it their all.
2 - Tactics - for years we have become used to watching this square attack down the wings then cut it across nonsense. It is absolutely painful to watch and 99% of our attacks get cleared by large centre halfs who are coming up against Aguero, Silva and Sterling - there is never competition there. Mancini's 4231 system had us playing fluidly and fast, attractive football. We have a far superior team now to date - we should be allowing our players to express themselves. Pellegrini's tactics has them all playing down the wings. It quite simply does not work and does not suit us. I sigh everytime i see Navas get the ball, run to the edge of the box - stop - do a shimmy right and left - run to the goal line and cut it across. Horrible. Unproductive.
Let's get rid of the 20% players and get some youth in the team who are willing to show a bit of fire.
BluessinceHydeRoad
Well-Known Member
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- 26 Mar 2012
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- 2,562
I was not at all confident before the match, but in the event I thought we played well. The fact is that our players are not in the form or fitness of their lives and Arsenal are a very good team and they are playing well so we're not clearly better than Arsenal at the moment. In recent matches we have been atrocious at home to Liverpool, away to Stoke, at home to Swansea and getting a result at the Emirates seemed to be asking a lot. Tonight, though, we actually started quite cautiously but were not going to have lost the game in the first twenty minutes as against Liverpool and Stoke and so nearly so against Swansea. We didn't threaten much but they didn't threaten at all. The disturbing thing was that Sergio was not getting into the game and David's radar was rather off. What changed the game completely were two major errors that meant we never put pressure on the ball so that Walcott put in an excellent shot to score, and then Eliaquim made a gift of the ball to Arsenal in the dying seconds of the half and this lead to Giroud's goal. Two shots: two goals. We had controlled the game, but sloppiness gave us a mountain to climb. We had no choice but to abandon the caution of the first half having tossed the initiative away.
In the second half we pressed forward and looked much more open and much more likely to concede than score until we took Sergio and David off. Two undeniably and incomparably great players, but neither had had anything like a great game. With the advent of Bonie and Navs and the pushing forward of Ya Ya - why oh why do we have Ya Ya starting games even deeper than our CBs??? - we began at long last to carry a real attacking threat. Navas comes in for a great deal of criticism but this season we have always looked much more dangerous with him on the pitch. He should have shot rather than that ridiculous attempt at squaring the ball, but he did make a real contribution. Ya Ya DID run the show for the last twenty minutes and an equalise looked a real possibility. Unfortunately it didn't come.
There's no use calling for Peller's head because he doesn't ask CBs to give the ball away in dangerous areas - and he doesn't have any real options to replace Mangala with. I suspect Mangala will not be here next season because he always seems to have one clanger to drop in each game. But I did think that City looked a lot better than in recent games and are hopefully returning to fitness and form.
In the second half we pressed forward and looked much more open and much more likely to concede than score until we took Sergio and David off. Two undeniably and incomparably great players, but neither had had anything like a great game. With the advent of Bonie and Navs and the pushing forward of Ya Ya - why oh why do we have Ya Ya starting games even deeper than our CBs??? - we began at long last to carry a real attacking threat. Navas comes in for a great deal of criticism but this season we have always looked much more dangerous with him on the pitch. He should have shot rather than that ridiculous attempt at squaring the ball, but he did make a real contribution. Ya Ya DID run the show for the last twenty minutes and an equalise looked a real possibility. Unfortunately it didn't come.
There's no use calling for Peller's head because he doesn't ask CBs to give the ball away in dangerous areas - and he doesn't have any real options to replace Mangala with. I suspect Mangala will not be here next season because he always seems to have one clanger to drop in each game. But I did think that City looked a lot better than in recent games and are hopefully returning to fitness and form.
But how do you get Aguero fit other than by playing him. We've seen the same thing from Aguero continually throughout his time at City.I usually support MP, but, Aguero wasn't fit, so he shouldn't have been playing for me, he was pretty awful, as were all the attacking players, so not singling him out, as at least he has an excuse.
As for fighting back, well we played OK all night, but piss poor team defending in the 1 minute added on, and piss poor attacking from no less than 6 attacking players over 90 minutes isn't good enough.
The one positive from the night was getting an hour into Aguero. In a months time we might recognise him, if he's not injured by then. Our season probably depends on it, because no one else scores. If he gets going, the whole confidence of the team will grow
paulsimpson
Well-Known Member
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- 16 Nov 2008
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Well saidI honestly thought we were the better team in the first half and miles the better team in the last 15 minutes, just they took their first two chances then sat back and hit us on the break and got lucky that the referee was on the take. If Kev sticks that first one away when we were completely nullifying them, or Mangala doesn't give it away before half time, or Hart saves the pretty routine shot then it's a completely different game. If we get the stonewall penalty on Sterling as well, which I still have no idea how the bent ref can justify not giving.
Our organisation was fine until half time, but the classic mistake of leaving Yaya in a two left us all over the place and pretty easy to play against, but even then we should have got a point if the referee does his job.
It wasn't too bad really but the very fact I'm writing those words does still imply that it's bad enough . At this level we cannot simply carry on like this week in week out . The mistakes are too obvious and we get punished . The opposition isn't that great this season but because of big mistakes it is enough for those teams to beat us . Even if we create chances at home score a few and concede ,even that is acceptable . But our away form is abysmal -generally creating the odd few chances , not scoring and conceding a lot is a recipe for disaster . Tonight was better than Stoke away at least . But it's still not acceptable at this level considering the money we have spent .
Mancini provided that backbone of defensive quality and then Pellegrini actually capitalised on it when we created and took chances for fun in his first season . Since then it has gone downhill even though finishing runners up last season was acceptable it has actually got worse since then . He says we are still in 4 competitions but in the next 3 premier games our bread and butter could go away from us . Tonight was an improvement but the next 3 prem games will decide his future IMO . Philosopher Louis isn't the only one under pressure .
As for Yaya he needs to just play 30 -40 mins . He's ageing and isn't the player he was . Pellegrini needs be wise in this regard.
City , get your act together before it all slips away .
The fans are suffering. It is now that we need good management . 7 points out of the next 3 premier league games is a minimum . I don't want any excuses . Sort it out !
leighton
Well-Known Member
its a joke the usual bullshit at times with MP. Defenders not defending were costing us a goal a game its a joke. Why Mangala didnt pass the ball back to Joe i dont know. Dont get me started on Yaya the biggest waste of space lacks the fight and heart to go on to the next level and win a Ballon Dor he has the talent and if he had the heart he would of won a Ballon Dor by now. Time to fuck him off he should be a bit part player now. have him on behind a forward not in a holding role when at least 4 players run by him as he is at a stand still. No desire and the sooner the better we get rid of Yaya the better we will be defensively. IF Pep or whoever comes in for MP hes the first 1 out the door.