Brentford (H) | Post-Match Thread

[SJT]

Is it me or did Phil Foden snub Erling again in the passing...grasping at straws now.
gonna be resorting to aloof humour soon.

 

[Zinchilla]

I agree. But would add that the midfield is not functioning right either if Kev is off key like yesterday we struggle.
We are not creating overloads play is congested, slow and lateral. The key feature of yesterday's game indeed Chelsea as well was the transition when we lost possession, with us always looking vulnerable and likely to concede.
The league is still there to be won but we need to be better as in reality a 5 point gap probably flatters us.

Agree with both comments, though I’d add that Arsenal’s points tally is flattering for them given some of their performances. It’s a long season, things will change, it isn’t Christmas as Sky like to say it is to keep their reds subscribing.

The team still needs a huge amount of praise. They’re having to play an attack v defence game every week, finding gaps in well organised blocks. That’s hard and frustrating and will mean we run out of ideas and steam every now and then. If that low block also has a powerful forward to hoof it too - like yesterday - then it makes for a twitchy, shit game from both sides. Yesterday was Palace from previous seasons.

 

[Berts Neck]

Oh fuck.. we lost a game..to a shit team..not like it has never happened before..to all the Blues who were in the Wigan end with me I salute you..that was real pain.

 

[bitterblue78]

Calmed down now. We always have this type of reason every season. This time lasr season palace recently beat us and were 5/6 points behind.

 

[Tricky17]

I appreciate it’s not in Pep‘s DNA to play for a draw but why oh why didn’t we accept we had been really poor, deserved to lose and outplayed for most of the match and shut up shop for the last few mins of injury time. Being caught so far up the field without a recognised right back, no left back is insane. Take the point and move on. To lose was criminally expected for the majority of us who watch us week in week out. It was Spurs at home all over again.

 

[chickaroon]

I just don't understand why we continue to play Gundo and Kevin in the team together. Kevin needs freedom to roam. Our best team is with Bernado in midfield with Rodri and Kevin. Grealish would have been chumping at the bit after his performance in midweek and Phii, in opinion, plays better on the right.

 

[Protein Junkie]

They haven’t so far against Brentford.

Only United, Chelsea and Brighton so far !!

 

[chickaroon]

Cultism. He’s human and fallible.
We’ve been just about scrambling through games and edging results for weeks now
Our worst performances and worst spells almost always involve shoving Bernie out to the right wing to shoehorn everyone else in
This lunacy was quite rightly binned off two or three years ago. Quite why it had suddenly returned with a vengeance is baffling
It makes Bernie worse and the whole team worse

Agree.

 

[paulchapo]

This defeat has been coming for a while. I know we have had a few injuries at the back but we seem to have regressed to Pep's first season here, in that teams are blitzing us too easily on the break and with the long ball. The last two games we could easily have conceded five goals each game if it wasn't for very good goalkeeping displays. The question is why? Could it be our ageing midfield? Kev and Gundo are both the wrong side of thirty and Rodri has never been quick. Only Bernardo has pace and energy to burn. We can also debate the merits of selling Jesus but his insane pressing meant teams couldn't break on us so easily. Sadly I think we are seeing the first signs that this team is on the slow decline from its peak. Obviously we're still a very good team but the warning signs are there

 

[chaddblue]

Not been this pissed off with a city result for a long time. The result was bad enough and the manner of the result conceding a criminal late goal was a kick in the bollocks.. but it was the lack of effort with the WC round the corner, from more than half the team that is really hard to accept.

 

[FantasyIreland]

I just don't understand why we continue to play Gundo and Kevin in the team together. Kevin needs freedom to roam. Our best team is with Bernado in midfield with Rodri and Kevin. Grealish would have been chumping at the bit after his performance in midweek and Phii, in opinion, plays better on the right.

Odd that the fans can see it,yet.....

 

[stonerblue]

Was it him lost it for their winner? Fucking criminal, I'm at the other end so didn't see who it was.

Yeah, 50/50 on edge of their box

 

[FantasyIreland]

Yeah, 50/50 on edge of their box

He loses far more than he wins,which often results in a breakdown and an opposition break.....yet that problem is often airbrushed because of the magic.

Its a particular issue when we line up with such a slow centre like yesterday.

 

[mayo31]

Pep was too blame yesterday

The team that he picked was wrong from the start and to make no changes until the death was unbelievable really

 

[chickaroon]

I don’t know about that.. We still have to see Arsenal after the World Cup and under huge pressure in January and February
I just have a feeling that they have already peaked, and a decline is coming.
If the continue with their form, then yes our games vs Arsenal would potentially decide the title

Arsenal are certainly playing well. However they have had no major injuries in the squad. Time will tell.

 

[inchy14]

Our leader is mysteriously sat on the bench most games.

To be fair he’s been pretty poor when called upon this season.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

No prizes handed out in November.

Then how did Almiron pick up his award for Player of the month for October? ;-)

 

[Rammy Blue]

Odd that the fans can see it,yet.....

It’s the Gundo blindspot that Pep has, always thinks he’s good for popping up with a goal and no doubt harks back to the Villa game last season. Bottom line though is he’s a passenger in a lot of games and isn’t scoring regularly in the slightest, crazy he played the full 90 yesterday.

 

[chickaroon]

I see some complaining about pushing for the win while drawing.

We did that against Fulham and turned 1 point into 3.
Today, we did it against their local neighbors and lost 1 point.

I’ll do the math for you…we ended up 1 point ahead of where we would have been by ”settling” for 2 draws!

If THIS TEAM isn’t pushing for a win, at home, against Brentford, then what’s it all mean?

They did us on the break…again! It’s what teams do to us. HOWEVER, that is a function of being the most attacking, high goals scoring, most successful team in the Premier League for the last decade!

What troubles me is the individual performances of some players, because Pep’s system relies on a cohesive unit, where one passenger can bring the whole thing crashing down, and Pep’s seeming reluctance to change what is clearly not working!

He left it waaay too late to bring Bernardo in off the wing! Who wastes one of the best midfielders IN THE WORLD as a touchline hugger, when he’s got Grealish and Mahrez on the bench?

Who chooses to push Gundogan forward when he brings Bernardo into midfield alongside Rodri, when you’ve got fresher legs on the bench?

Their game was ALL about long high balls for knock ons, and punts down the line for one of the rabbits to chase, which ANYONE should have known, yet of our THREE most aggressive Centre Backs ZERO were played at Centre Back!

indeed, their first goal was a result of first Akanji being beaten to a header by Mee, then Laporte being beaten to a header by Toney….and them all being played onside by Stones playing Right Back…while Ederson neither came nor stayed and got “lobbed” by the header!

It was a shitshow all around!!!

And, by the time they did actually score, if it hadn’t been for Ederson, it’d have ALREADY been 2-0 and that would have been 3-0 down INSIDE 16 MINS!!!

Is there ANY chance we can get a player who can play RIGHT WING AND COME INSIDE IF PLAYED ON THE LEFT WING??? ANYONE??

When Bernardo is your Right Winger and Stones is your supporting Right Back, crosses are not really on the agenda, are they?

It’s no wonder Haaland prowled around all day with a face like a slapped arse! Best forward in the world and you can’t even get him the ball???

Oh well, enough of that shit! I knew it was in the cards after about 5 minutes, when they were plastering us, and the Commentator said

- they haven’t won away from home all season,
- they hadn’t beaten us since 1935,
- A City win would break a century’s old record
- A goal for Haaland would have been his 200th goal for club and country in his 200th appearance

Same old story of Typical City rearing its ugly head at the wrong moment!

Your first point here. Before that free kick was taken, it was obvious that the ball was going to be played to Mee. Toney was set up for the second ball and, yes, Stones, way out of the action, put Toney onside.

 

[paulchapo]

Pep was too blame yesterday

The team that he picked was wrong from the start and to make no changes until the death was unbelievable really

Bernardo had to go central and we needed somebody who could handle Toney, maybe Dias? Perhaps Mahrez and Grealish dribbling at them to create something as they easily dealt with our crosses.