Great trip but shit game, which is pretty much my experience of watching City away in Europe. We usually get beat when I go to the away games, so a draw is an improvement! Bus & train back to Dusseldorf after the match seemed to take forever. Wish I had taken today off work, lost my voice & feel more hungover than I did yesterday. Good place to watch football & the people are sound, even got to see the Dusseldwarf & get tapped up by what looked like a transgender James Brown lookalike! Happy days!
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Jazzman
Well-Known Member
Confirm that mate. You speak germanAnyone speak German, I think this says there were 45,921 in attendance
http://m.sport1.de/fussball/champio...gue-borussia-moenchengladbach-manchester-city
sir baconface
Well-Known Member
Cheers mate. Needs to be exact though, for the history section of the site. Otherwise @Gary James will tell me off.
Good god, man. Make up a number and pull rank on the bully.
You don't have a lush office and 100 flunkeys just to get pushed around ;)
Scaring Europe to Death
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 31 Oct 2014
- Messages
- 4,213
There were 7 City fans on my train from Hamburg on Tuesday morning, but by the time we reached Dusseldorf, I was the only one left.
Not sure exactly what happened (although I could probably guess), but the others seemingly preferred to be thrown off at Osnabruck.
Not sure exactly what happened (although I could probably guess), but the others seemingly preferred to be thrown off at Osnabruck.
City will secure a spot in the knock-out stage of the CL with a 1-1 draw in Germany, probably the only positive to keep from that match –which added more misery to an already complicated reality…
We have a tired team out there, playing 2 matches per week for a while now, the recent international break making things even worse. Only two changes in BMG’s line-up (they were missing Hazard and Vestergaard), nevertheless they were fresher than us, as expected: no matter what Pep says publicly, the PL is far more demanding than the Budesliga, personally I believe he’s still in a state of a shock with the reality he’s experiencing in England –which shows in his decisions…
We started with a back-3, a decision probably having little to do with the expected opposition’s duo upfront (Rafael, Stindl –the latter dropping deeper occasionally so as to support midfield as well as to link the lines), most likely reflecting the manager’s desire to control the game. [By the way -and leaving this particular match aside for a moment- an element we should always have in mind is that Guardiola tries to utilize his human resources the best possible way (which should be the intention of all managers, provided they’re tactically flexible): Our fullbacks’ contribution is not ideal, with 3 at the back you are able to use more of your best players, playing the game to your strength. The problem is the tactical complications for one, plus such a move undermines furthermore your already limited rotation options. At the end of the day, all your key players will leave the pitch more tired…].
City took possession from minute 1, a situation apparently acceptable by the opposition, waiting in their own half in a 4-4-2 formation, all 11 players behind ball. We began establishing our typical patient build up from behind, but were soon bound to face serious problems with / without the ball…
When a play like the one in 10’ occurs, you start feeling uncomfortable: Ball is occupied by their 2 center-halfs, they pass to their RB. Before it even reaches him, Silva – KDB (left high up) are already mis-positioned. Their 2 central midfielders are in front of them which means 2 + Aguero = 3 City players cannot participate in the defensive effort. Sterling will close down on the RB (Elvedi) having the ball, Gudogan will approach the area to offer cover, but so will a German central midfielder. They will change the ball quickly, resulting in the latter charging in front of our defensive line, a 5 vs 4 situation (thankfully Navas had already become a RB). Borussia will get nothing from the play, but the sign was there, our co-ordination being anything but ideal…
Enjoying just 32% possession, Borussia seemed far more dangerous in the few occasions they attacked. The chemistry of the team is not questioned, they could connect effectively with a first touch passing game, penetrating through our lines. Superior physically, in terms of condition and energy, they could also leave City players behind them when running with the ball. Their development was simpler and more direct than ours, when our pressing upfront troubled them, they wouldn’t hesitate trying to find one of their forwards with a long ball. City were exposed in that fashion a couple of times, one of them being the play leading to 1-0 on 22’ (Stones could have handled it better, but the boy still lacks experience, it’s normal)…
On the other hand, things were anything but bright with the ball, however it’s rather unrealistic to expect more given our condition status as well as the strength of the opposition. BMG were well organized, disciplined and compact, their lines being very close. Time with the ball and space were denied practically throughout 90’, the Germans gave away very little individually winning most of the battles. The thing is, physical fatigue influences negatively decision making, a determinism well known throughout football history. When you’re not at 100% you think slow, you act incorrectly; as simple as that. Therefore:
How did he actually react? Without changing the attitude, on 30’ he ordered a tactical change (for which the team was obviously already prepared from the dressing room): City switched to a back-4, Navas becoming a RB, Raheem going to the right wing, David becoming a false left winger. It went smoothly, having invested more playing time in this set-up we have become more familiar with it. And after surviving a couple of horrible threats around 38’-39’ (thankfully Claudio’s error wasn’t fatal), the team responded successfully by the end of the 1st half: The combination Silva – KDB – Sterling set-up Sergio in the box, a clear opportunity wasted (45’). A minute later, it was Gudogan – Sterling – KDB setting-up Silva for the equalizer. The kind of plays we had been missing for 45 minutes…
It could have been 1-2 on 50’ (Kevin should have down better there), a minute before Stindl’s idiotic reaction resulting in a red card, a development meant to seal the proceedings of the 2nd half. Ten minutes later a coward Cuneyt Cakir will invent a red card for Fernadinho, even Borussia’s players felt uncomfortable with his decision. I’m perfectly sure he would do exactly the same had Busquets or Kroos or Marchisio (or you name who) been in Fernadinho’s place. Interestingly, Rafael’s handball on 72’ (a player involved in Ferna’s sending off) somehow did not deserve a second yellow…
City kept attacking (with Navas, particularly, very active from the flank) and could have scored on several occasions, even though, with the clock running, Pep gradually started keeping specific players (Kevin, for instance) deeper. Before he finally decided to kill the game in the final 5 minutes, Fernando never had the opportunity to enter the pitch…
Bottom line
Since I’ve missed commenting following the Barca match, I will conclude this by saying I’m proud of literally all players appearing on the pitch during recent matches, whatever the outcome was. Very few complaints regarding a couple of them, but it’s beyond the scope of this post. Overall the progress of the team plus the improvement in specific players have been outstanding, never did I expect such an evolution by the end of November. As far as I am concerned, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like this before…
Once again, what worries me is our limitations in terms of squad depth. City pay for some amateurish decisions (or non-decisions) during the summer transfer window –a situation unacceptable even for a League 2 club. The level of commitment has been awesome, it has taken a lot of sacrifice to reach this point, but it cannot go on for long. Fernadinho, Aguero, Silva, to name a few, need protection, the first two being absolutely indispensable. I mean I’ve read posts from members expressing their relief for Ferna’s red card, I fully understand what they mean. By fielding players not 100% fit you run risks: Injuries for one. Underperforming, leading to a low moral, a player losing his self-esteem, perhaps blaming his teammates, hurting the team’s unity. All these have happened before, repeatedly…
Still, we’re short of options for the moment. I hope some youngsters progress and mature as soon as possible so as to provide reliable rotation options. Nolito finding his true form. Yaya adapting to our game quickly, and so on. In order to reach the winter transfer window and fix what can be fixed…
None, I repeat none of City’s direct rivals face such problems (particularly for the SC position I don’t think you’ll find a single club in the PL, even the Championship, facing City’s situation: it’s ridiculous), some of them even enjoying the luxury of playing once a week; which makes this race a battle against the odds…
Another tough task ahead of City in a few hours, less than 3 fucking days after a CL fixture away. Congratulations to the PL, they know how to enhance competition, don’t they?
Anyway, for me it is a privilege to support this group of players led by this manager. Good luck to Pep and his men.
PS. Sagna obviously lacks match practice following his injury, still uncomfortable with the ball. However his off-ball movement from the moment he entered the pitch subbing Sterling (68’) reveals aggressiveness and ambition. Hopefully we can build on that as soon as he finds his form again…
We have a tired team out there, playing 2 matches per week for a while now, the recent international break making things even worse. Only two changes in BMG’s line-up (they were missing Hazard and Vestergaard), nevertheless they were fresher than us, as expected: no matter what Pep says publicly, the PL is far more demanding than the Budesliga, personally I believe he’s still in a state of a shock with the reality he’s experiencing in England –which shows in his decisions…
We started with a back-3, a decision probably having little to do with the expected opposition’s duo upfront (Rafael, Stindl –the latter dropping deeper occasionally so as to support midfield as well as to link the lines), most likely reflecting the manager’s desire to control the game. [By the way -and leaving this particular match aside for a moment- an element we should always have in mind is that Guardiola tries to utilize his human resources the best possible way (which should be the intention of all managers, provided they’re tactically flexible): Our fullbacks’ contribution is not ideal, with 3 at the back you are able to use more of your best players, playing the game to your strength. The problem is the tactical complications for one, plus such a move undermines furthermore your already limited rotation options. At the end of the day, all your key players will leave the pitch more tired…].
City took possession from minute 1, a situation apparently acceptable by the opposition, waiting in their own half in a 4-4-2 formation, all 11 players behind ball. We began establishing our typical patient build up from behind, but were soon bound to face serious problems with / without the ball…
When a play like the one in 10’ occurs, you start feeling uncomfortable: Ball is occupied by their 2 center-halfs, they pass to their RB. Before it even reaches him, Silva – KDB (left high up) are already mis-positioned. Their 2 central midfielders are in front of them which means 2 + Aguero = 3 City players cannot participate in the defensive effort. Sterling will close down on the RB (Elvedi) having the ball, Gudogan will approach the area to offer cover, but so will a German central midfielder. They will change the ball quickly, resulting in the latter charging in front of our defensive line, a 5 vs 4 situation (thankfully Navas had already become a RB). Borussia will get nothing from the play, but the sign was there, our co-ordination being anything but ideal…
Enjoying just 32% possession, Borussia seemed far more dangerous in the few occasions they attacked. The chemistry of the team is not questioned, they could connect effectively with a first touch passing game, penetrating through our lines. Superior physically, in terms of condition and energy, they could also leave City players behind them when running with the ball. Their development was simpler and more direct than ours, when our pressing upfront troubled them, they wouldn’t hesitate trying to find one of their forwards with a long ball. City were exposed in that fashion a couple of times, one of them being the play leading to 1-0 on 22’ (Stones could have handled it better, but the boy still lacks experience, it’s normal)…
On the other hand, things were anything but bright with the ball, however it’s rather unrealistic to expect more given our condition status as well as the strength of the opposition. BMG were well organized, disciplined and compact, their lines being very close. Time with the ball and space were denied practically throughout 90’, the Germans gave away very little individually winning most of the battles. The thing is, physical fatigue influences negatively decision making, a determinism well known throughout football history. When you’re not at 100% you think slow, you act incorrectly; as simple as that. Therefore:
- Ferna – Gudogan + Silva – KDB formed kind of a square in midfield, theoretically the advantage being that David – Kevin could move between the lines. Receiving the ball in such a position and facing the net could lead to a quick combination involving Kun, a through ball to a winger cutting in etc. But City gained very little from their initial formation, very few situations such as the above mentioned occurred (the equalizer being one of them). We didn’t have the energy to move, naturally the ball hardly reached our attacking midfielders (especially Silva). And when it did, the decisions were usually wrong, with the Germans closing down immediately and winning the ball…
- Our passing accuracy was problematic, we wasted passes throughout the match.
- Even more frustrating was watching so many players reacting slowly when receiving the ball. Practically inviting markers towards them, trying to run with it, eventually losing it (not to mention risking an injury from a challenge). Sterling, Aguero, Navas, Silva, Kevin, even Fernadinho, all fall in this category…
How did he actually react? Without changing the attitude, on 30’ he ordered a tactical change (for which the team was obviously already prepared from the dressing room): City switched to a back-4, Navas becoming a RB, Raheem going to the right wing, David becoming a false left winger. It went smoothly, having invested more playing time in this set-up we have become more familiar with it. And after surviving a couple of horrible threats around 38’-39’ (thankfully Claudio’s error wasn’t fatal), the team responded successfully by the end of the 1st half: The combination Silva – KDB – Sterling set-up Sergio in the box, a clear opportunity wasted (45’). A minute later, it was Gudogan – Sterling – KDB setting-up Silva for the equalizer. The kind of plays we had been missing for 45 minutes…
It could have been 1-2 on 50’ (Kevin should have down better there), a minute before Stindl’s idiotic reaction resulting in a red card, a development meant to seal the proceedings of the 2nd half. Ten minutes later a coward Cuneyt Cakir will invent a red card for Fernadinho, even Borussia’s players felt uncomfortable with his decision. I’m perfectly sure he would do exactly the same had Busquets or Kroos or Marchisio (or you name who) been in Fernadinho’s place. Interestingly, Rafael’s handball on 72’ (a player involved in Ferna’s sending off) somehow did not deserve a second yellow…
City kept attacking (with Navas, particularly, very active from the flank) and could have scored on several occasions, even though, with the clock running, Pep gradually started keeping specific players (Kevin, for instance) deeper. Before he finally decided to kill the game in the final 5 minutes, Fernando never had the opportunity to enter the pitch…
Bottom line
Since I’ve missed commenting following the Barca match, I will conclude this by saying I’m proud of literally all players appearing on the pitch during recent matches, whatever the outcome was. Very few complaints regarding a couple of them, but it’s beyond the scope of this post. Overall the progress of the team plus the improvement in specific players have been outstanding, never did I expect such an evolution by the end of November. As far as I am concerned, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like this before…
Once again, what worries me is our limitations in terms of squad depth. City pay for some amateurish decisions (or non-decisions) during the summer transfer window –a situation unacceptable even for a League 2 club. The level of commitment has been awesome, it has taken a lot of sacrifice to reach this point, but it cannot go on for long. Fernadinho, Aguero, Silva, to name a few, need protection, the first two being absolutely indispensable. I mean I’ve read posts from members expressing their relief for Ferna’s red card, I fully understand what they mean. By fielding players not 100% fit you run risks: Injuries for one. Underperforming, leading to a low moral, a player losing his self-esteem, perhaps blaming his teammates, hurting the team’s unity. All these have happened before, repeatedly…
Still, we’re short of options for the moment. I hope some youngsters progress and mature as soon as possible so as to provide reliable rotation options. Nolito finding his true form. Yaya adapting to our game quickly, and so on. In order to reach the winter transfer window and fix what can be fixed…
None, I repeat none of City’s direct rivals face such problems (particularly for the SC position I don’t think you’ll find a single club in the PL, even the Championship, facing City’s situation: it’s ridiculous), some of them even enjoying the luxury of playing once a week; which makes this race a battle against the odds…
Another tough task ahead of City in a few hours, less than 3 fucking days after a CL fixture away. Congratulations to the PL, they know how to enhance competition, don’t they?
Anyway, for me it is a privilege to support this group of players led by this manager. Good luck to Pep and his men.
PS. Sagna obviously lacks match practice following his injury, still uncomfortable with the ball. However his off-ball movement from the moment he entered the pitch subbing Sterling (68’) reveals aggressiveness and ambition. Hopefully we can build on that as soon as he finds his form again…
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SilverFox2
Well-Known Member
Trying to understand better this tiredness thing. Is it physical or mental tiredness or a combo ?
How fit are our players compared to say tennis players ? They are after all professional athletes so twice a week in a team game for 45 minutes at a time x 2 does not seem arduous compared to other physical jobs that some of us undertake for up to 8 hours every day.
Regarding mental tiredness perhaps I can better understand that, my monday morning blues are legendary so having to work twice as often as say a player from Chelsea must have some impact on ones sense of fairness but perhaps with better rewards ?
How fit are our players compared to say tennis players ? They are after all professional athletes so twice a week in a team game for 45 minutes at a time x 2 does not seem arduous compared to other physical jobs that some of us undertake for up to 8 hours every day.
Regarding mental tiredness perhaps I can better understand that, my monday morning blues are legendary so having to work twice as often as say a player from Chelsea must have some impact on ones sense of fairness but perhaps with better rewards ?