Bodo/Glimt (A) | CL | Post Match Thread

Not needed in my opinion, but a good gesture none the less.

Slightly confused though - it says 374, and I thought we had slightly over 400 tickets?
 
youngbob said:
Having slept on it, I don't think last night was the total catastrophe it seemed to be while watching it live. Both teams were pretty even in terms of big chances created (1.6xG vs 1.2xG, 4 big chances each), Bodo just put theirs in and we didn't. I also saw people saying "City were saved by the offside flag" on a couple of occasions, but ultimately the flag went up on those occasions because the defence had done its job and held the line.

We lost the game in two periods of 90 seconds - the first one was defined by two big defensive mistakes from Alleyne and the second one was defined by two big defensive mistakes from Rodri. At 0-0 we were absolutely fine. Stroking it around, probing, playing well, finding little spaces to create chances. Ait-Nouri, Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, and O'Reilly all looked busy. Alleyne missed a free header from five yards but the goal was coming. Then boom, two mistakes in 90 seconds from a kid and we're 2-0 down. Alright, it happens, pick yourselves up, get to half-time.

At the end of the first half and start of the second half we were dominating the ball and looking okay, but a mistake from Rodri to give the ball away leads to a world class solo goal and suddenly it's 3-0, maybe game over. Cherki slams one in straight away and you think "Okay, maybe". Bodo were tiring a little and we were having more of the ball, so you start to think we could pin them back. But then Rodri gets sent off and any chance of a comeback is extinguished. And that's the game. We actually controlled it better and created more chances with 10 men than 11, suggesting Bodo would have folded if we'd had everyone on the pitch.

I think last night was just made up of several 50/50 moments just going against us. Alleyne's header going wide, Alleyne miscontrolling the ball on the halfway line, Haaland's shot going wide, the ref not giving the penalty for the foul on Cherki, Rodri giving it away cheaply, O'Reilly's header at the end falling softly into the keeper's hands. The high line didn't help and I'm frustrated that Pep persists with it even after showing against Liverpool, Bournemouth, and Newcastle recently that playing slightly deeper can be just as successful, but I don't think he coached a disasterclass. He coached a 2-1 win, or even a 2-2 draw, but the players let him down in those 50/50 moments.

There's no way last night happens if even two out of Nunes, Gonzalez, Dias, Gvardiol, and Bernardo are out there. Ait-Nouri looked alright early on but playing a left wing-back at right-back eventually revealed itself to be a bad decision. Alleyne looked okay against Exeter and great against Newcastle but based on a bigger sample size it's clear to see why he was at Watford a month ago - thank god for Guehi. Lewis and Rodri were both very weak and big questions need to be asked about them both. Haaland and Foden need time out of the side as well - it doesn't matter if it's part of a planned period of rest or just because they're both woefully out of form, get them out.

But the thing is, we literally had no alternatives last night. Gvardiol, Kovacic, Stones, Dias, Bobb, Gonzalez, Savinho, and Nunes are all out. Semenyo and Guehi were ineligible. Bernardo was suspended. Ake, Doku, and Rodri are still recovering from injuries. Haaland is clearly playing through an injury. Ait-Nouri and Marmoush are only just back from Afcon. The only players we had over the age of 21 last night who were fit and ready (and not carrying something) are Donnarumma, Foden, Cherki, and Reijnders. That's it. Four senior players without baggage.

We won't catch Arsenal, but we were never going to catch Arsenal. I've said since the summer, the title is theirs. They're a few years into their cycle and are hitting the crest of a wave at the right time. Liverpool are still in the post-Klopp hangover, Villa won't be up for the challenge, and City are rebuilding. Well done to Arteta for getting it right at last. For City, this year was just about improving on last year (which we already have), getting the good vibes back, and trying to put something in place that we can build from. Those building blocks are only just being put into place, so we're going to have to suck up the bad days until those blocks are set.

I said last season that 24-25 reminded me of 15-16 under Pellegrini. Old players, a soft centre, a fragile mentality, the old spine (Hart, Kompany injured, Yaya old, Silva injured, Aguero) struggling a bit with injuries and age. New ideas and new blood were needed. It took us three transfer windows (summer 2016, January 2017, summer 2017) to sort that out. This season was always going to resemble the 16-17 season, when all the new ideas and new blood needed time to bed in and become habitual for all the faces we had coming in through the door. I'm willing to give Pep another 12 months, just to see what the team looks like once it's steady and stable and isn't changing every few weeks.

This season will probably click in March, like 16-17 did. We'll be too far away from Arsenal to catch them in the league but we'll likely finish 2nd on about 78-79 points. That's fine by me. We'll probably have reached yet another cup final (providing we don't lose 2-0 or more to Newcastle) and we'll hopefully still be in the FA Cup by then. With that in mind, this season still has the potential to be a great one. I don't know if people got a bit giddy about us being in a title race (we weren't) and are now disappointed, but all I wanted out of this season was clear improvement on last season and we have that. For that reason, I'm not too sad about the current state of affairs.

It's worth remembering right now that we finished 2025 top of the PL annual table (based on points per game, 2.16). We don't get a trophy for that, of course, but we should take a lot of heart from it. Despite the difficulties of last season and the injuries of this season, we still managed to be the best team in the country over a 12 month period. For a club on the way back to the top, that's something to hold onto and build from. We'll have weeks like this one again soon, it's just about riding the wave until we're back at the top - whether that's under Pep or somebody else. I'm kinda thinking it'll be Pep until 2027 and then Enrique. But let's see.
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Whilst I get all that, and the scoreline is explainable given what happened, the bit I'm struggling with last night is that, having gone two goals down and then one man down, we had no alternative plans to try something different.

The number of times we had a line of players on the edge of the box, facing their two lines of five, and tried to pass it along the line to find a space to prod it through was ridiculous. Even a cross shot or hit-and-hope would have been worth trying on occasion, give Haaland something to try to latch onto, but we didn't do that. We just continued holding onto possession, a bit like at the swamp on Saturday but making nothing of it and not trying other things.....

Is that the players? Pep's instructions? Don't know. But that's the worrying bit, not so much the lack of personnel and recent results.
 
Bluemart said:
Pep is the greatest manager City have had and one of the best ever in the world.
Sometimes he selects a team with players playing out of their normal positions, more often than not it works. Sadly, we know how stubborn Pep is and if it’s not going to plan, he hardly ever changes it. I think we all know just moving the 3 players around ie Alt-Noor, Lewis & Nico would have made us more stronger.
I do believe the team are trying albeit they look knackered, bewildered & lacking leadership particularly the last 2 games whether that on or off the pitch.
We do need to find a midfield player who can produce the killer pass to Haaland or instruct Doku & Semenyo to hit first time crosses into the box for him to feed off. If not the you may as well cash in on him.
Rodri is clearly not 100% fit as he can’t protect the back 4 at the moment but good p,Ayers don’t become bad overnight and I think he needs a rest.
Our list of injuries is bizarre but we have just signed to players who will give us a massive lift.
Bot much has changed in the last week, we have only lost 1 point to Arsenal and we can still qualify for the next stage of CL.
Let’s get behind the boys on Saturday and give them a lift
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We drew 3 and lost 1 of the last 4 games. That equates to 3 points from 12. And lost convincingly too a team from Norway. That's a problem. There have been glimmers of hope this season. Maybe next season and a good end to the season with cup success.
 
Ric said:
Statement from captains Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, and Rodri:

"Our supporters mean everything to us. We know the sacrifice our fans make when they travel across the world to support us and we'll never take it for granted. They're the best fans in the world.

"We also recognise it was a lot of travelling for fans who supported us in the freezing cold throughout a difficult evening for us on the pitch. Covering the cost of tickets for the fans who travelled to Bodo is the least we can do.

"We're ready to fight on Saturday against Wolves and again next Wednesday when we face Galatasaray in front of our amazing fans at the Etihad
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It’s definitely a nice gesture but this is like me donating £5 to a leaving present at work. Flights, Annual leave, hotels, food and drinks. These trips are often super expensive. Covering a ticket is nice but let’s be honest, this is small change for these players.

Maybe I’m missing the point, you definitely don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s great they’ve done something at least
 
Ric said:
Statement from captains Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, and Rodri:

"Our supporters mean everything to us. We know the sacrifice our fans make when they travel across the world to support us and we'll never take it for granted. They're the best fans in the world.

"We also recognise it was a lot of travelling for fans who supported us in the freezing cold throughout a difficult evening for us on the pitch. Covering the cost of tickets for the fans who travelled to Bodo is the least we can do.

"We're ready to fight on Saturday against Wolves and again next Wednesday when we face Galatasaray in front of our amazing fans at the Etihad."
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Any word on the costs of Flights/Hotels/days taken off work for the Blues that made that trip, to be served that up last night?

It tells you how abysmally bad last nights "performance" was when even the players are basically acknowledging publically that it was not in any way an acceptable effort. Given the ridiculous formation the team was sent out in the manager himself should be getting his hand in his pocket too.
 
Lavinda Past said:
True. I thought we were dead in the water as soon as their second goal went in. We didn't look remotely capable of coming back.

Too many heads dropped after their first goal. Many looked beaten at that point, as if they knew it was going to get worse.

Once that self-belief has gone in a player, there's no coming back.
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I think most of the fans didn't let conceding a goal upset them because we knew that if anyone could do it, it was city. Unfortunately, that sense of certainty has been lost. Why is that? I have no idea.
But that doesn‘t mean I‘m not behind Pep and our team, don‘t get me wrong.
 
p.taker said:
Pocket change to them, so yeah it is the least they can do
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they didnt have to do anything and should have done nothing in my opinion. you dont follow abroad city to watch them win. you go because its an experience and something you enjoy - watching city with mates in interesting places around the world is the fun. this is a nice gesture, but also an unnecessary one IMO
 
A game pre match that was there to win and qualify. Shuffling the pack backfired.

Losing possession and being wide open happened early in the game. Tactically we made no adjustment for it to repeat several times. Should have made at least a substitution at half time. Their number 9 could have had a hat trick had it not been for Donnurumma.

On the positive side - spoke to a group of young Norwegian fans near the stadium. All enthusiastic and excited about City coming to Bodo. Asked if they lived locally and one of them replied, I live in the blue house and pointed to his house across the road to the stadium.

Taxi driver to the airport said the takings for him and the local pub in Bodo over 48 hours had been the highest of the year by some distance.

We may have lost the match but made many local people happy in the process.
 
Ric said:
Fair play to them.

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Yesterday on the couch I told my Mrs, if I were them, I would pay every fucking pound (tickets, hotel, etc.) for every blue, who travelled there, because how I always said: You can lose, but not in that way. When the fans were shown on TV, I really felt sorry for them.
 
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