Brentford (A) - Post-Match Thread

Sometimes you get games like these, a team defending with no ambition and fairly horrible to watch. To be honest, while we all want to see us scoring 4 or 5 (or 6), I get just as much satisfaction out of seeing us win 1-0 against the bus parkers. It's 3 points. It's not pretty. But ....as we've seen with other so-called top teams who have visited Brentford, they've come away without a win. Last night was professional and on Saturday we'll probably see a more free-flowing City. Thought Ake was excellent, Foden was lively, everyone else just had to dig in. Don't worry about Grealish, like others he will need time to bed in and he'll come good.
 
Whichever way we look at it, the problem is always the degree of variability of decisions being open to interpretation.
Cuases of this can include the fundamental definitions of what constitutes on/off/where/when lines should be set etc.

If we're going to go for as accurate as possible, then it almost doesn't matter what you choose to measure from; as long as it is possible to set a rule/measure that can be consistently calibrated, you're heading in the right direction.

My feeling is that the shirt sleeve rule is too variable as some shirts may be adjusted,some players have longer arms, some wear long sleeves. There is no definitive point for everyone.

And I'm quite OK with players not being able to tell to within 1cm/whatever - that's part of the skill of playing the game - their judgment. And of course, if things could be know to be reliably exact, then we shouldn't have any qualms with the truth.

There is of course, a way to ensure you are onside. (Check). But to push the limits, as in any competition, there is an event of risk required , and sometimes you'll get it wrong.

VAR probably has improved the game from a technical correctness point of view, and will occasionally suffer from issues that either can't be addressed perfectly, or are part of the learning curve.

But in getting more precise, it highlights the areas where there is a lack of consistency in its own processes. And when that inconsistency is down to the humans who implemented it not having thought things through well enough (perhaps deliberately so), then that's what grinds gears.
The huge human reaction to perceived unfairness.
Football was codified by posh Victorians to keep fit, and the rules only had to be good enough. Over a century they've been tweaked to add entertainment, but the fundamental laws don't really translate into the precision that VAR brings imo. Like you say, every specific thing you being into to clarify anything ends up muddying stuff because the general spirit of the game was never designed for it.
 
Aside from eddie, ake , dinho and flashes from kev and phil everyone else was poor but points is all that count this time of year
I don’t get this type of view. No one last night was poor. Everyone gave their all and we made the game relatively easy. Football is not all about loads of skill and lots of pretty patterns. There is a lot of effort and application that goes into a game like last night and if 6/7 players were poor then we aren’t winning that game with the ease that we did.
Two real attempts I think you can say they had last night. Do you know how hard it is to limit teams to those sort of stats.

It’s the busiest time of the year. We’ve had injuries too but no one seems interested in that. Most of squad were at the euros and went deep into it as well. We are defending champions and at the moment playing the best football possibly in Europe and won a difficult champions league group early. I’m not digging you out by the way I’m just frustrated that last night is perceived as a poor performance or we were below par when the reality is different.
 
Sometimes you get games like these, a team defending with no ambition and fairly horrible to watch. To be honest, while we all want to see us scoring 4 or 5 (or 6), I get just as much satisfaction out of seeing us win 1-0 against the bus parkers. It's 3 points. It's not pretty. But ....as we've seen with other so-called top teams who have visited Brentford, they've come away without a win. Last night was professional and on Saturday we'll probably see a more free-flowing City. Thought Ake was excellent, Foden was lively, everyone else just had to dig in. Don't worry about Grealish, like others he will need time to bed in and he'll come good.
A 1-0 win is as satisfying as any other, but only once the final whistle goes.
1-0 with 15 minutes to go is a nervy, difficult watch with the spectre of the sucker punch hanging over us.
Chelsea - Brighton last night comes to mind.
 
Brentford are clearly a well organised team who will give everything for their manager and fans. They clearly belong in the PL and I hope their stay in it is a long one, but I cannot agree with the widespread opinion that the game was very close and the home side deserved a point. Brentford had two shots on target in the entire match and did not create a single chance after the quarter of an hour mark. City had 76% possession, but were not out of sight at any time. Brentford defended intelligently and resolutely and closed down space well, and if City aren't 3 or 4 clear going into the last ten minutes the game is "close" and City are lucky to get the win. In fact, the game was tense because the score was only 1-0 but City never looked like dropping two points, Brentford struggled to keep the ball and found it difficult to get out of their own half. An excellent performance from a depleted Brentford but a thoroughly professional one from City.
 
I don’t get this type of view. No one last night was poor. Everyone gave their all and we made the game relatively easy. Football is not all about loads of skill and lots of pretty patterns. There is a lot of effort and application that goes into a game like last night and if 6/7 players were poor then we aren’t winning that game with the ease that we did.
Two real attempts I think you can say they had last night. Do you know how hard it is to limit teams to those sort of stats.

It’s the busiest time of the year. We’ve had injuries too but no one seems interested in that. Most of squad were at the euros and went deep into it as well. We are defending champions and at the moment playing the best football possibly in Europe and won a difficult champions league group early. I’m not digging you out by the way I’m just frustrated that last night is perceived as a poor performance or we were below par when the reality is different.
It's a simple case of glass half empty or half full. I am naturally a pessimist but try to refrain from commenting. :)
 
Interesting, so you had audio from the stadium so could hear the crowd noise, but the comms off? Is that one of the options with Prime? Never realised. Might do that if I happen to glance at the match tonight.
Yes, its brilliant, watched some of the Spurs game the other night with Hoddle turned off. Just click on audio option, then select crowd noise and done, no commentary, actually made watching the games more enjoyable
 
A 1-0 win is as satisfying as any other, but only once the final whistle goes.
1-0 with 15 minutes to go is a nervy, difficult watch with the spectre of the sucker punch hanging over us.
Chelsea - Brighton last night comes to mind.
That's true.....but the difference last night, having watched the second half of the Chelsea v Brighton game, we were in control and never really looked like conceding, I felt fairly relaxed. Brighton on the other hand were on top for periods and had a right go at Chelsea, a draw was the least they deserved. OK, at 1-0 I know one mistake can cost us and see exactly what you mean, but I thought we managed things pretty well in the last 15-20 mins.
 
Not only that, they were doing the "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dog sh*t ahhhhhh" to Ederson. I haven't heard that since the early 90s!
I was chuckling at that, it petered out quite quick when Eddie just passed it casually through them straight into midfield and the start of another attack… Their crowd sounded like it was packed with 12 year olds …!!
 
Good professional performance against a very hyped up Brentford.

Foden outrageous and I’ll say it again, for me he’s now the best player at the club. The way he “glides” is fucking gorgeous and he’s now playing like the “main man”.

Ake was very good too. Best performance for us so far. Looks like he’s “got” what Pep wants from a LB / left sided CB now.

Next couple of games could sew the title up.
 
"Take no risks" summed up our approach, barely attempted to take players on, a sort of about-face from our previous games. Champagne to flat beer.
Painful to watch at times; soon over it, a look at the league table and all is forgiven....Talk of the title-race being over is laughable, it's not even certain to complete. ffs. Especially if we have a double-figure lead....just sayin'
I don’t know why everyone keeps saying this. Jesus took his defender on plenty times and the times he beat him he put poor balls in, Grealish didn’t attempt at all and that is on Grealish himself not on Pep.
 
I was chuckling at that, it petered out quite quick when Eddie just passed it casually through them straight into midfield and the start of another attack… Their crowd sounded like it was packed with 12 year olds …!!
It felt like a third round FA cup tie. Underdogs looking for a giant killing act in front of the cameras rather than a PL game. They went long ball as they knew they couldn’t play through us or hit us on the break which is how they played v Liverpool and Arsenal.
We can’t score 6 in every game for that reason.
 
Good professional performance against a very hyped up Brentford.

Foden outrageous and I’ll say it again, for me he’s now the best player at the club. The way he “glides” is fucking gorgeous and he’s now playing like the “main man”.

Ake was very good too. Best performance for us so far. Looks like he’s “got” what Pep wants from a LB / left sided CB now.

Next couple of games could sew the title up.

Phil very much belongs in a squad of internationals, he's earnt his place. Not only that, like you say, has become the leading light.
 
I was shouting like mad to change it up espeacialy Grealish but he couldn't get into any of the spaces especially behind Brentford were so compact just look how Berny played he to found the angles difficult

It's keep ball & retention if Jack ran that ball in & lost it everytime Pep would go fucking bananas & drag him off

Unfortunately for Jack these games are a tough watch Brentford never looked arsed all about not losing 4 or 5-0 thats my opinion
Now the Arsenal game is different they will leave space behind & in front for Jack but he will be benched & Sterling back in along with Gundagun & Mahrez imo
I just wanted Grealish to look for something different other than take the pass from Bernardo, then go inside past his two markers. Try a run past them without the ball! Just give Bernie another option including a pass inside the defenders.
 

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