Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | Post Match Thread

Pep yesrerday...."It's one game. The season has just started. There is a long, long season ahead of us. We will see what happens."

I remember when Pep arrived every City fan was ecstatic. Multiple trophies later and some are calling for his head. Come on guys don't drive him out. Don't forget their is competition out there doing everything they can to win as well as us. His worst season yet is what? Finishing 3rd? Better than anybody else by miles since he arrived. Give him a break and the new lads and keep the faith. Up the blues. Negative Nellie's stop wetting yourselves.
 
BolinCell said:
his arm was up in the air like a ballet dancer. Just confirms he's not a natural defender. Needs dropping or playing anywhere that minimises his time spent in the penalty area.
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His arms up in the air confirms he is not a footballer. Not a brain cell in his napper.

You don’t need to be a defender to know you don’t have your arms in that position.

Rodri’s comments about child mistakes were about Nunes. Even his teammates think he’s a joke.

Going into the season with him and Lewis as right back option is mental.
 
Prophet of Doom said:
His arms up in the air confirms he is not a footballer. Not a brain cell in his napper.

You don’t need to be a defender to know you don’t have your arms in that position.

Rodri’s comments about child mistakes were about Nunes. Even his teammates think he’s a joke.

Going into the season with him and Lewis as right back option is mental.
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Agreed, square pegs in round holes worked when teams knew we would punish them elsewhere on the pitch but now teams arent frightened and know to just exploit our glaring errors to bully us
 
Got home around 10pm
Great day out ruined by what I can only describe as a 2nd half performance that belonged in the 'cant be arsed category'

Spineless, no desire, no fucking players who have the will to win. We are in for a long season. Only 2 who were at it were Rodri and Trafford.
Doku .. jesus christ 2 yrs of nothing.
Ait Nouri. Awful signing. He was at wolves.for a fucking reason.
Dont start me on the right back issue..
Do not dress it up. The neglect of this squad since the treble is frightening. Yes Pep needs to sort it out on the pitch but fuck me,our.
scouting network and our signings bar 1 or 2 have been literally been wank. Bang average players on big money.

'Ooo but we were 8 behind Liverpool a few yrs ago and still won it' I keep hearing.

Yeah that Liverpool team is no more.
Something seriously wrong at the club in my opinion. Hope they prove me wrong but doubtful.
Also never been less excited about the signing of Donarouma. Another one of huge money now.
Look at this. Contrast and compare what we have now. We have regressed in a big big way and all the club give a fuck about is season ticket holders not letting mates use their tickets. Just fuck off City and wake up.
We lose to the rags and I feel Pep will be under even more pressure than he already is

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St Helens Blue (Exiled) said:
Got home around 10pm
Great day out ruined by what I can only describe as a 2nd half performance that belonged in the 'cant be arsed category'

Spineless, no desire, no fucking players who have the will to win. We are in for a long season. Only 2 who were at it were Rodri and Trafford.
Doku .. jesus christ 2 yrs of nothing.
Ait Nouri. Awful signing. He was at wolves.for a fucking reason.
Dont start me on the right back issue..
Do not dress it up. The neglect of this squad since the treble is frightening. Yes Pep needs to sort it out on the pitch but fuck me,our.
scouting network and our signings bar 1 or 2 have been literally been wank. Bang average players on big money.

'Ooo but we were 8 behind Liverpool a few yrs ago and still won it' I keep hearing.

Yeah that Liverpool team is no more.
Something seriously wrong at the club in my opinion. Hope they prove me wrong but doubtful.
Also never been less excited about the signing of Donarouma. Another one of huge money now.
Look at this. Contrast and compare what we have now. We have regressed in a big big way and all the club give a fuck about is season ticket holders not letting mates use their tickets. Just fuck off City and wake up.
We lose to the rags and I feel Pep will be under even more pressure than he already is

View attachment 168265
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I would add Khusanov to that list of people who played well I thought he was really good yesterday. But agree with the rest something is not right and it's showing.
 
marpleman said:
No , but we do have a right to see ten players try and look half interested rather than which golf course they’re playing at on Monday.

Mental attitude of the squad is fucked
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I am going to disagree and say we don’t have a right to see it, we might wish for it. But it isn’t a right - in my view.

My view on the game, we pressed well for the first 55 mins and ran out of gas - they made 4 changes and we couldn’t keep up with them. And I will put that down to next to no pre season games, if it is still happening in three months time - well we better have thick skin because after three games some of us are losing it already.
 
St Helens Blue (Exiled) said:
Got home around 10pm
Great day out ruined by what I can only describe as a 2nd half performance that belonged in the 'cant be arsed category'

Spineless, no desire, no fucking players who have the will to win. We are in for a long season. Only 2 who were at it were Rodri and Trafford.
Doku .. jesus christ 2 yrs of nothing.
Ait Nouri. Awful signing. He was at wolves.for a fucking reason.
Dont start me on the right back issue..
Do not dress it up. The neglect of this squad since the treble is frightening. Yes Pep needs to sort it out on the pitch but fuck me,our.
scouting network and our signings bar 1 or 2 have been literally been wank. Bang average players on big money.

'Ooo but we were 8 behind Liverpool a few yrs ago and still won it' I keep hearing.

Yeah that Liverpool team is no more.
Something seriously wrong at the club in my opinion. Hope they prove me wrong but doubtful.
Also never been less excited about the signing of Donarouma. Another one of huge money now.
Look at this. Contrast and compare what we have now. We have regressed in a big big way and all the club give a fuck about is season ticket holders not letting mates use their tickets. Just fuck off City and wake up.
We lose to the rags and I feel Pep will be under even more pressure than he already is

View attachment 168265
Click to expand...
Nailed it....
 
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Steady heads, calm minds required...​

I've taken time to gather my thoughts on this gutting loss, to avoid a kneejerk reaction.

What we're seeing unfold has been in the making since the treble. Our Champions had peaked, they were getting older & more injury-prone, with several on the decline.

Kalvin Philips was Fernandinho's replacement & he disappointed. We tried to sign Paqueta, but his betting investigation put an end to our interest. In a panic, we bought Matheus Nunes.

Nunes is a player I never rated, & wasn't one who I could envisage in a million years being brought to City to challenge & rotate with Rodri who went on to become World Player of the Year.

The signing of Nunes typifies City's squad complacency & our weird post-treble succession planning. It's as if those in charge of transfers believed our elite squad advantage wouldn't be eroded any time soon. However, that complacency has seen our player quality advantage vapourise quicker than a fart in a hurricane.

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I don't blame Nunes for the clear penalty. His arm movement was a natural reaction to something coming at your face. However, with Matheus now being converted to a right back, different rules apply.

Defenders know the handball rules, especially in the penalty area, but with him not being a defender by trade, Nunes' lack of defensive nous was cruelly exposed & it cost us dearly.

Knowing we needed to replace Walker & seemingly not doing so, continues the odd squad decisions taken by City since the treble.

To counter the 11-man low block that City faced every game, Pep formulated the inverted full back tactical system with great success. At first most teams were completely flummoxed by this change, & then they copied our play book, but in doing so they also figured out how to counter the tactic. Now it's City's turn to be tactically out-thought & since last season, Pep's shown few signs of figuring out a solution.

Because of Nunes' limitations & 'lack of midfield intelligence' he was moved to right back where he had a measure of success & City's results improved. I believe this had much to do with us using a flat back four which was the only position Matheus was suited to, & it led to a solid run of unspectacular results which secured CL football.

When Nunes was replaced by Lewis against Brighton, Pep again switched to his preferred inverted FB formation, & Brighton immediately started launching balls into the channels in the space Rico had vacated. You can clearly see the 4 v 3 effect it had which led to Brighton's winner, so the question is, how long will Guardiola persist with it?

Ait Nouri was poor & left isolated. Reijnders was ineffective. Moose tried, but his efforts weren't enough in a team devoid of a coherent plan. Have we bought poorly, OR is it our formation & the way the players are being instructed to play that's the main issue?

1000088600.jpg

Player for player, I still believe we have more than enough to compete, but it was Rodri's post match comments which were the most telling. He used the word "kids" three times. As usual with Rodri, this was deliberate & by design, & it made me take notice. Rodri's assessments are rarely wrong.

It seems many of the older squad members who were earmarked to leave will remain. Considering our underwhelming performances so far, it might just be a blessing in disguise, because Pep will then be forced to utilise our full squad.

We'll need to find a working blend of younger legs & experience. My hope is that the experienced squad members will impart their vast knowledge onto our new signings, & instill the winning mentality we were famed for & seemed to have lost somewhere along the line.

1000088601.jpg

We could've avoided this whole situation if only Pep & those responsible for transfers had begun our succession planning 2 years ago. It is what it is though. But the big remaining issue that needs to be urgently addressed is the ditching of Pep's inverted FB bollocks.

I honestly feel that if Pep can be persuaded to go back to basics by reverting to his famed Barcelona 4-3-3 formation, with a flat back four using raiding over/underlapping fullbacks, this pressing of the reset button will go a long way to us getting back on track.

I hate international breaks, but tbh, I don't think this one could've come at a better time for Manchester City Football Club.
 
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Keepingthefaithsince1976 said:
Pep yesrerday...."It's one game. The season has just started. There is a long, long season ahead of us. We will see what happens."

I remember when Pep arrived every City fan was ecstatic. Multiple trophies later and some are calling for his head. Come on guys don't drive him out. Don't forget their is competition out there doing everything they can to win as well as us. His worst season yet is what? Finishing 3rd? Better than anybody else by miles since he arrived. Give him a break and the new lads and keep the faith. Up the blues. Negative Nellie's stop wetting yourselves.
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Good post. Having calmed down from yesterday I’m beginning to accept that the path back to where we were is likely a long one. Recruitment hasn’t been good enough and other teams are prepared to throw lots of money at it too. We have been truly spoiled during the pep era but there’s no divine right to win anything, never mind on the scale of before. CTID
 
himalayan_blues said:
This is not true. He knew brighton direct balls will trouble us so he played khusanov.
New signings needs time to jell. Even if things doesn't go to plan pep stills has to be given till next year to sort it out. Even ferguson got 2/3 years time...
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Sorry mate but you’re talking bollocks. Pep isn’t in year one or two, he’s in year ten. He’s won everything but he can’t cut it any more. He’s too stubborn to change so needs booting at the most appropriate time. Think Bielsa at Leeds, the fans loved him but knew he had to go.
 
St Helens Blue (Exiled) said:
Got home around 10pm
Great day out ruined by what I can only describe as a 2nd half performance that belonged in the 'cant be arsed category'

Spineless, no desire, no fucking players who have the will to win. We are in for a long season. Only 2 who were at it were Rodri and Trafford.
Doku .. jesus christ 2 yrs of nothing.
Ait Nouri. Awful signing. He was at wolves.for a fucking reason.
Dont start me on the right back issue..
Do not dress it up. The neglect of this squad since the treble is frightening. Yes Pep needs to sort it out on the pitch but fuck me,our.
scouting network and our signings bar 1 or 2 have been literally been wank. Bang average players on big money.

'Ooo but we were 8 behind Liverpool a few yrs ago and still won it' I keep hearing.

Yeah that Liverpool team is no more.
Something seriously wrong at the club in my opinion. Hope they prove me wrong but doubtful.
Also never been less excited about the signing of Donarouma. Another one of huge money now.
Look at this. Contrast and compare what we have now. We have regressed in a big big way and all the club give a fuck about is season ticket holders not letting mates use their tickets. Just fuck off City and wake up.
We lose to the rags and I feel Pep will be under even more pressure than he already is

View attachment 168265
Click to expand...
That subs bench … Wow
 
When you look at the defence we put out, they all have their shortcomings & problems - whether (hopefully) temporary or (you suspect with Nunes) long-term.
 
itsnevereasy said:
I am going to disagree and say we don’t have a right to see it, we might wish for it. But it isn’t a right - in my view.

My view on the game, we pressed well for the first 55 mins and ran out of gas - they made 4 changes and we couldn’t keep up with them. And I will put that down to next to no pre season games, if it is still happening in three months time - well we better have thick skin because after three games some of us are losing it already.
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You’re right, we don’t have a right to see players looking interested. We should expect it though. I certainly expect that as a minimum. I don’t expect to win trophies, or even matches, even though we have a unicorn of a manager and a massively expensive squad full of international professionals.

I agree too that we ran out of gas, (against a team that offered absolutely nothing) so why didn’t we change our style of play or also bring players on in order to keep up with them? That’s the worry for me. One of the players they brought on was 39 years old. Now I’d love to be 39 again, but that is ancient in football terms.

The pre season was a complete farce and the way it’s Looking, we won’t have to worry about the club World Cup for a good while.

This isn’t just 3 games though. We have ambled through the last 2 seasons. We’ve brought in a number of players (we can debate whether or not they’re good enough or prestigious enough all day) and the manager, who has been wonderful during his tenure, still insists on doing the same things and playing the same way. Granted, it’s been wonderful to watch in the past, but that’s where other coaches have left that style. They’ve figured out how to play against it and they’ve done it effectively. We don’t have an answer. As things stand right now and certainly for the last 12 months, nor does Pep. Again, I’m not saying we should win the league every season, but what has Pep done differently in the last 12 months? He's stubborn And maybe he’s earned the right to be, but we cannot keep playing the same drab, lifeless, predictable football until his contract runs out. He isn’t enjoying it, the players aren’t enjoying it and most importantly, the supporters aren’t enjoying it.

He has to change it or he has to hold his hands up and say he doesn’t know how to or that he’s had enough.

That was a bit of a rant, apologies, wasn’t aiming it at you.
 
You could have Maldini, Baresi & Kompany at the back & conceded with suicidal tactics like that. Acres of room behind us & 3 V 4 ffs. Trying to play the offside trap, dangerous so late in the game. Only takes one mistake & no time to come back. Thats what happened. On another day we might of got lucky & not cost us. But we shouldn't be relying on luck, be pragmatic ffs sit in & keep it tight.
Hate to say it after all he has won but Pep is stubborn & not evolving. He got out thought by a coach who looks about 12 years old & not for the first time. He needs to shape up. Deserves the time to turn it around deffo but he needs to stop making the same mistakes. When the game changed on 60 mins & the pen we should've sat in & saw the game out. If you can't win, don't lose.1000022478.jpg
 
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