Burnley (A) - Pre-Match Thread

[St.Pauli support]

Maybe not the right thread, but since some are still wondering about DM:

Fern is 34 and a half, contract till next summer (maybe another year as CB), the workrate at DM is too high at his age. He could help for a match or 2, that's about it. That was clear since Rodri has arrived. Well, to me it was.

Rodri is so young, has to learn a lot and also has to adapt to the mucher higher PL pace and intensity.
Takes some time, but I think he will come good.

Gundogan - like it or not - is exactly what Pep wants most of all to play his possession game:
perfection in ball control, very high passing accuracy and intelligence to read a match. Calm, experienced.
Nobody at City is better right now in those departments (David maybe, but not at DM).

Gundogan had his injuries and HAS to be a bit more controlled in 1on1s. He had to adapt his physical game,
that can be a problem sometimes (and many hate that!) - yes - but the advantages are still prevailing by far.

The accusation Gundogan is too slow or is slowing our game down is just nonsense, sorry.
When he isn't running across the pitch like mad he is just holding his position (ask Pep), ready to deliver,
always head up and reading the game.
He loves to speed up pace and play sharp passes into pockets or over the top,
but the runners have to make an offer first! Since many matches our wing play got dramatically lazy,
Raz maybe because he is overplayed w/o Sane, and don't let me talk about Mahrez or Bernardo...

We also have said in several threads, defence is only working as a team. If 1 DM has to cover the complete mid, we will always fail, no matter who is playing DM.

Wingers and AMs have to support DM.
That's how all those deep sitting teams make us suffer and kill the games, it's not too difficult.

 

[lionheart]

...
Raz maybe because he is overplayed w/o Sane, and don't let me talk about Mahrez or Bernardo...

Please share your views on Mahrez and Bernardo...Raheem and Gabriel too, if you like.

 

[A J Styles]

Anyone know of decent places to park in Burnley? I've got a Manc Bee sticker on my car so hopefully its not set alight by them lot.

 

[OntarioBlue]

or he's better than you think, and can see things you don't

If Pep can see that playing. 5’11” Ferna as centre back against a team of giants is a good idea he needs to get his eyes tested.

I understand that we don’t know anywhere near as much as Pep about the technical side of the game but the thousands of people on here who have said that the experiment of playing Fernandinho as a centre back has to end are not wrong. The decline in our overall performances and our goals against average cant be a coincidence.

 

[Withnail]

Maybe not the right thread, but since some are still wondering about DM:

Fern is 34 and a half, contract till next summer (maybe another year as CB), the workrate at DM is too high at his age. He could help for a match or 2, that's about it. That was clear since Rodri has arrived. Well, to me it was.

Rodri is so young, has to learn a lot and also has to adapt to the mucher higher PL pace and intensity.
Takes some time, but I think he will come good.

Gundogan - like it or not - is exactly what Pep wants most of all to play his possession game:
perfection in ball control, very high passing accuracy and intelligence to read a match. Calm, experienced.
Nobody at City is better right now in those departments (David maybe, but not at DM).

Gundogan had his injuries and HAS to be a bit more controlled in 1on1s. He had to adapt his physical game,
that can be a problem sometimes (and many hate that!) - yes - but the advantages are still prevailing by far.

The accusation Gundogan is too slow or is slowing our game down is just nonsense, sorry.
When he isn't running across the pitch like mad he is just holding his position (ask Pep), ready to deliver,
always head up and reading the game.
He loves to speed up pace and play sharp passes into pockets or over the top,
but the runners have to make an offer first! Since many matches our wing play got dramatically lazy,
Raz maybe because he is overplayed w/o Sane, and don't let me talk about Mahrez or Bernardo...

We also have said in several threads, defence is only working as a team. If 1 DM has to cover the complete mid, we will always fail, no matter who is playing DM.

Wingers and AMs have to support DM.
That's how all those deep sitting teams make us suffer and kill the games, it's not too difficult.

Gundogan is not slow? I stopped reading then, you obviously did not watch Maguire last season at the Etihad just walk past him and then Henderson at Anfield when he again walked past Gundogan for the cross for the 3rd goal. Gundogan blows hot and cold and against high pressing teams he can't cope and goes missing.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Then Pep needs to go.

If he's literally unable to see that, he's not as good as we think.

And the dickhead of the year award goes to.....

 

[OntarioBlue]

Maybe not the right thread, but since some are still wondering about DM:

Fern is 34 and a half, contract till next summer (maybe another year as CB), the workrate at DM is too high at his age. He could help for a match or 2, that's about it. That was clear since Rodri has arrived. Well, to me it was.

Rodri is so young, has to learn a lot and also has to adapt to the mucher higher PL pace and intensity.
Takes some time, but I think he will come good.

Gundogan - like it or not - is exactly what Pep wants most of all to play his possession game:
perfection in ball control, very high passing accuracy and intelligence to read a match. Calm, experienced.
Nobody at City is better right now in those departments (David maybe, but not at DM).

Gundogan had his injuries and HAS to be a bit more controlled in 1on1s. He had to adapt his physical game,
that can be a problem sometimes (and many hate that!) - yes - but the advantages are still prevailing by far.

The accusation Gundogan is too slow or is slowing our game down is just nonsense, sorry.
When he isn't running across the pitch like mad he is just holding his position (ask Pep), ready to deliver,
always head up and reading the game.
He loves to speed up pace and play sharp passes into pockets or over the top,
but the runners have to make an offer first! Since many matches our wing play got dramatically lazy,
Raz maybe because he is overplayed w/o Sane, and don't let me talk about Mahrez or Bernardo...

We also have said in several threads, defence is only working as a team. If 1 DM has to cover the complete mid, we will always fail, no matter who is playing DM.

Wingers and AMs have to support DM.
That's how all those deep sitting teams make us suffer and kill the games, it's not too difficult.

I don’t know which Gundogan you are watching but the one I watch always has the first instinct to turn back and look for a backwards or (at best) square pass. Every now and again he will make a forward pass and when he does he’s very good at it (which makes it all the more frustrating).

Also, he can’t tackle, which is a bit of a drawback for a DM.

I honestly don’t know what Pep sees in him. Whatever it is it’s invisible to me (and many others).

 

[BringBackSwales]

Simon stone is a cock

Personally I would give you a forum ban for being too polite about stone

 

[Withnail]

Time for us to show our mettle and let's hope Walker's rallying call has the desired effect. This will be a battle, thank god Gundogan is not playing although Rodri needs to show a bit more.

 

[simon23]

Gundy is not going to be dropped and dinho is not going back to his rightful place,no point expecting anything else

Oh i agree...Pep has made that clear - hence why i said he has a bit of a blind spot on this one in my opinion.....and it makes us a weaker team as well (again in my opinion)....people will point to the run of games at the end of last season but there were other much more instrumental players than Gundogan in that (Kompany being one, Laporte being another as well as B.Silva, Sergio, Sterling and David Silva)......