Burnley (h) FA Cup 3rd Round pre-match thread

[Pam]

Sold out? Us? No way that can't be true. Emptihad blah blah blah.....

Whatever will the Rag empty seat counters do all afternoon?

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I still think Burnley has a hail mary shot at top 6 with about half a season to go and no other competition to bother them. I think we should send a team that has a fair chance of winning even if they send their best. The fixture against the dippers is looming in a prelude to another congested month. I don't think it's worth it to send our big guns. The league and Europe have to be the priorities.

I also don't think the side I posted is weaker than our side who went against Leicester.

The difference is I think Burnley will field a far stronger team than Leicester did. By the end, Leicester clearly had a top side out and the boys were Herculean in their fight to the end, but are we going to just put out kids for every Cup game and hope they can get through on penalties every time???

I realize the Prem and the CL are the primary targets here, but SILVERWARE in the cabinet is what they also want, because Pep is going to be graded (by others in the world) by pots, not the quality of football he is producing and simply advancing the Project. The League Cup is the best first opportunity to secure silverware and put that BS to bed. Thereafter, maintaining a significant margin in the PL enables Pep to provide greater strategic rotation as the season enters the final weeks and months.

In a perfect world, our best first team would be good enough to win the PL & CL, and the kids could step in for the EFL & FA Cups, but I think we are in a less than ideal situation with the ability to rotate. Pep likes a smaller squad, because it keeps quality very high and everyone happy, while allowing the kids to slot in every now and then. So far, so good. However, it is key injuries that throw the wrench in that system.

Here’s hoping we can find the right balance, but I don’t think we need to do it just yet. When the CL shows back up, I agree. Until then, best available team, based on the science behind the scenes on player fatigue levels and fitness.

The future is BLUE!!

 

[Fame Monster]

------------------Aguero
Sane-------------------------------Bernardo
---------Gundo-Yaya-Dave

Zin------Otamendi-----Kompany-------Danilo

-----------------Bravo

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Yeh me to mate should be good atmosphere, strongish 11 by us should be to good for burnley? mates here are saying dyche wont make to many changes for burnley?

hopefully mate. id imagine a few players rested ,but i think we should go all out for this trophy, especially after losing to arsenal last year. i can see burnley making a few. hopefully we dont see you in your half burnley/city top ;)

 

[MAG]

Think from the head and not your heart ... Liverpool is the least important of the three games coming up as even a loss there and Scum and Chelsea winning their PL games that weekend would mean we would still be 12 clear at the top ...

Second one the is the first leg of the League Cup against Bristol ... three reasons, one it’s against a lower league side, two it’s the League Cup for god sake, fourth in order of a quadruple, right at the bottom and third and most important, it’s only the first leg so it’s like half a game ... even if we need to take a goal or two deficit to the second leg, that second leg gives us the chance still to pull though ...

Which makes this game against Burnley the most important of the three as it’s a knockout ... and yes draw is better than losing here but that would mean a return fixture at their ground and yet another mid week game ... so I say full strength here, win it quick and then rest three of the big guns in second half!

Win this first ... then worry about next ... one game at a time ... stop thinking about Liverpool!!

 

[Charlie Chuck]

Is Diaz fit? If so I'd like to see him start.

 

[burnley blue mcfc]

hopefully mate. id imagine a few players rested ,but i think we should go all out for this trophy, especially after losing to arsenal last year. i can see burnley making a few. hopefully we dont see you in your half burnley/city top ;)

Haha!!

hopefully mate. id imagine a few players rested ,but i think we should go all out for this trophy, especially after losing to arsenal last year. i can see burnley making a few. hopefully we dont see you in your half burnley/city top ;)

haha that’d never happen mate ;)

 

[jay laruja]

The difference is I think Burnley will field a far stronger team than Leicester did. By the end, Leicester clearly had a top side out and the boys were Herculean in their fight to the end, but are we going to just put out kids for every Cup game and hope they can get through on penalties every time???

I realize the Prem and the CL are the primary targets here, but SILVERWARE in the cabinet is what they also want, because Pep is going to be graded (by others in the world) by pots, not the quality of football he is producing and simply advancing the Project. The League Cup is the best first opportunity to secure silverware and put that BS to bed. Thereafter, maintaining a significant margin in the PL enables Pep to provide greater strategic rotation as the season enters the final weeks and months.

In a perfect world, our best first team would be good enough to win the PL & CL, and the kids could step in for the EFL & FA Cups, but I think we are in a less than ideal situation with the ability to rotate. Pep likes a smaller squad, because it keeps quality very high and everyone happy, while allowing the kids to slot in every now and then. So far, so good. However, it is key injuries that throw the wrench in that system.

Here’s hoping we can find the right balance, but I don’t think we need to do it just yet. When the CL shows back up, I agree. Until then, best available team, based on the science behind the scenes on player fatigue levels and fitness.

The future is BLUE!!

Indeed! I think it's safe to say that we're gonna win the league barring a bottling of tremendous proportions. The league cup final is also well within reach. And, no disrespect to Basel, but there are worse opponents to face in CL and I expect us to advance to the quarter finals. Glad I'm a city fan.

 

[Tevez City]

___________________Bravo_________________

Danilo_____Mangala______Tosin________Zinchenko

_________________Yaya______________________

_____Bernardo______________Gundogan______

Sterling________Nmecha_____________Diaz

 

[geoff clipp]

Think from the head and not your heart ... Liverpool is the least important of the three games coming up as even a loss there and Scum and Chelsea winning their PL games that weekend would mean we would still be 12 clear at the top ...

Second one the is the first leg of the League Cup against Bristol ... three reasons, one it’s against a lower league side, two it’s the League Cup for god sake, fourth in order of a quadruple, right at the bottom and third and most important, it’s only the first leg so it’s like half a game ... even if we need to take a goal or two deficit to the second leg, that second leg gives us the chance still to pull though ...

Which makes this game against Burnley the most important of the three as it’s a knockout ... and yes draw is better than losing here but that would mean a return fixture at their ground and yet another mid week game ... so I say full strength here, win it quick and then rest three of the big guns in second half!

Win this first ... then worry about next ... one game at a time ... stop thinking about Liverpool!!

100% correct. This team deserves a shot at an unprecedented trophy haul. To meekly chuck the FA cup away on the basis we're afraid we can't wrap the league up from a 15 point head start shows a lack of nerve unbecoming of us in my opinion. We could rest players against Burnley, field a strongest 11 against Liverpool and still drop points so we don't even know it'd be worth while.

Bollocks to Liverpool. We have enough games left against mediocre opposition to win the league at a canter. Putting a league game against them above progressing in a prestigious trophy shows miles too much respect to Liverpool in my opinion.