Borussia Dortmund (A) - CL QF | Post-Match Thread

First half we looked like rabbits in the headlights, we froze. Foden was being denied influence, Mahrez was anonymous and Dortmund did a decent impression of Leeds of with 11 men. We kept the ball well but we were passing around them not through them and they looked comfortable. Bellingham looks one hell of a player, took his goal well and at that point I thought we were out as we didn't look at it at all.

Last night more than anything else showed we have character, we have a team of winners and whatever Pep said them at HT worked. Second half we played with less fear, we remembered we are a team that others should fear rather than be fearful. The relentlessness of our 2nd half performance was magnificent, yes we got lucky with the penalty decision but that was a result of our constant pressure and you could see Dortmund wilting even though much to their credit they did hang in there and gave everything they could. In the end though we were better than them and although I believe we have played better football, we have rarely played with such bollox as we showed. After Foden's magnificent strike they had nothing left to offer and we could and should have scored more in the end. Kev was magnificent last night, he really is the best midfielder in the world on that showing and after the Bellingham goal defensively we were as we have come to expect. Haaland did nothing, Reus was peripheral at best and we slowly smothered them, it was masterful to watch in the 2nd half and as we grew in belief, the belief drained out of them.

At the highest level football is about small margins, last night those small margins ran in our favour and we got what we deserved at last after 3 seasons of being close but having those small margins go against us.

We are often talked about as being a brilliant football team, but last night we also showed we could also fight like a team and every single player in the squad deserves credit for that because the lads who are not starting are now as important as the lads who are because togetherness and character wins trophies when the business end of the season comes around. Last night was another step, a halting one at first, but a confident brash exuberant one by the end and that will stand us in good stead.

Now we move onto Chelsea, another tough game, but we now know we are not just a very good football team, we have players with big bollocks as well.
 
In the post-match presser, the last question is from Sam Lee. Pep’s answer about how City play and his tactics is the MOST INSIGHTFUL DISCUSSION OF HIS TACTICS I have ever heard from him.

For me, it confirmed my initial belief that he left Cancelo on the bench because he coughs up the ball too often. This team was selected to control the ball and thus control the game. Pep knows who he trusts with that and the team was filled with them tonight!

Zin got off to a rocky start in that regard, but quickly settled and was unfortunate his hammer was straight at the keeper. One of these days he’s going to score a screamer!

Anyway, if you get a chance, listen to Pep’s last question from Sam Lee on the website, and expect some discussion of Pep’s comments in The Athletic soon.
 
The Colonel said:
It’s ok the upstanding Merseyside police are on it. Sleep safe tonight.

"Such incidents will not be tolerated under any circumstances. A dedicated investigation team will be reviewing CCTV footage from the area, along with our own body worn camera footage, and working closely with the club to identify those responsible."
Click to expand...
Mersyeside plod have just reported something very strange - the CCTV disc has got an irrecoverable error and the batteries in the body cameras were all flat - so nothing to see here - the bricking and candles is simply fake news. And on careful inspection it looks suspiciously like the TV footage is from the archives.
 
Rascal said:
At the highest level football is about small margins, last night those small margins ran in our favour and we got what we deserved at last after 3 seasons of being close but having those small margins go against us.
Click to expand...
I actually said we weren’t getting the rub of the green at HT. KDB hitting the bar, Mahrez being blocked on the line, etc., but our persistence created those small margins.

The only thing that could have made the game even sweeter was if KDB’s dazzling run had produced the goal it deserved, and Sterling had smashed home his one on one with the keeper!

All in all, though, I think we crushed the small margin barrier tonight with a dominating team performance.
 
Last edited:
ChicagoBlue said:
In the post-match presser, the last question is from Sam Lee. Pep’s answer about how City play and his tactics is the MOST INSIGHTFUL DISCUSSION OF HIS TACTICS I have ever heard from him.

For me, it confirmed my initial belief that he left Cancelo on the bench because he coughs up the ball too often. This team was selected to control the ball and thus control the game. Pep knows who he trusts with that and the team was filled with them tonight!

Zin got off to a rocky start in that regard, but quickly settled and was unfortunate his hammer was straight at the keeper. One of these days he’s going to score a screamer!

Anyway, if you get a chance, listen to Pep’s last question from Sam Lee on the website, and expect some discussion of Pep’s comments in The Athletic soon.
Click to expand...

Which website mate?
 
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