At some point Clichy and Micah would have to be given the...

[SB Blue]

I was most disappointed with the quality of the crossing from both sides when we did get in positions to put the ball in the box. A bad day at the office, hopefully, we will come back stronger in the PL. I did wonder if Richards might be injured as he didn't even make the bench?

 

[Kurple]

When Clichy and Micah are available, Bobby wil have to do away with the STRICT rotation policy and play them both when the occasion demands. Sorry to say, but those 2 bring a speed dimension that neither Kola or Zaba can reproduce.

Sure, Bobby! Rotate if you must. But it is time the better players ALWAYS get the bigger games!

You want us to spend money on more QUALITY players in January/Summer, but at the same time start rotating less.

Good luck keeping everyone happy.

 

[ytic04]

Nothing wrong with the rotation policy but CL is not for Zab and Kolorov who can't deal with pace and consistently give free kicks away in dangerous situations and at critical times of the game.
For me these two should only feature against lesser Prem teams.

 

[DD]

Sure, Bobby! Rotate if you must. But it is time the better players ALWAYS get the bigger games!

Indeed. I totally agree with the squad rotation policy but you play lesser players in lesser games not the other way round.

Two or three games in a row shouldn't be too much more anyone. This week saw two huge games and Richards and Clichy are by far and away our best two full backs. They could then have been rested for both Arsenal and Norwich.

What we will now see is Richards and Clichy playing against Norwich in a game that we would have surely won without them, yet they were rested in a game that was up there with the most important game we have played for a long time. The fact that Richards wasn't even on the bench in case we needed to change it down the flanks makes it all the more mystifying.

I've admired everything the manager has done this season in the Premier League but the full back choices last night have almost certainly been the primary cause of us not progressing to the next phase of the most lucrative club competition in the world.

This is going to have a major impact on his financially and in terms of our seeding for the competition next year.

 

[JamesA]

Sure, Bobby! Rotate if you must. But it is time the better players ALWAYS get the bigger games!

Indeed. I totally agree with the squad rotation policy but you play lesser players in lesser games not the other way round.

Two or three games in a row shouldn't be too much more anyone. This week saw two huge games and Richards and Clichy are by far and away our best two full backs. They could then have been rested for both Arsenal and Norwich.

What we will now see is Richards and Clichy playing against Norwich in a game that we would have surely won without them, yet they were rested in a game that was up there with the most important game we have played for a long time. The fact that Richards wasn't even on the bench in case we needed to change it down the flanks makes it all the more mystifying.

I've admired everything the manager has done this season in the Premier League but the full back choices last night have almost certainly been the primary cause of us not progressing to the next phase of the most lucrative club competition in the world.

This is going to have a major impact on his financially and in terms of our seeding for the competition next year.

Spot on, big fuck up from mancini last night, it's like he just hit the self destruct button. Richards and Clichy HAVE to play in our biggest games. Kolarov/Zab simply aint good enough at the top level.

 

[Akai]

I think Kolarov and Zaba are good enough for the PL.

they just weren't suitable against Napoli fast pace play style last night.

 

[Fuzzmaster101]

I have to say after watching Napoli in the home tie I was a little worried when we played Richards and Clichy against Newcastle. I feared that this would mean Kolarov and Zaba for Napoli away and I was right (not because they're poor players but that they lack pace). The same happened again, they broke at pace and our wing-backs couldn't cope with the speed of the break. However, I thought both De Jong and Yaya looked slow of thought and that didn't help matters. The game was almost identical to the first one in that Napoli were very organised and hard to break down and dangerous on the counter attack. Looks like zero lessons were learned.

 

[MaxMCFC]

Mancini is the only manager i know of that rotates fullbacks and in such a big game last night... Needs to stop rotating them, micah and clichy are by far our best choice for each side

 

[BlueRiz]

Mancini is the only manager i know of that rotates fullbacks and in such a big game last night... Needs to stop rotating them, micah and clichy are by far our best choice for each side

Totally agree! Especially with that first goal Cavani made with the header.

 

[Blue Tooth]

I don't think it was our fullbacks that cost us the game so why so much focus on them??...the first goal was a cock up at the near post involving yaya and vinny...the second was de jong giving away possession and yaya caught upfield leaving zabba stranded between two Napoli attackers.
Napoli's main counters came through the middle which is where if anywhere we got it wrong...Yaya was too far forward and had he sat deeper as he did last year at times we could have countered the threat better.

Having said all that we created enough chnces to get a point or a win and for once did not convert.
Shit happens.