Champions League Final | Post-Match Thread

Not watched a single second of coverage from the final. Not one interview, nothing. It’s still too painful. Anybody else?
It was getting worse with every passing hour just thinking of that big bottle of piss Pep and the lads gifted us, so I missed everything. This morning I forced myself to read the two very decent articles analysing the game in todays The Guardian (by Jonathan Wilson and David Hytner). And before anger started raising again, I decided to quit football for a month at least. I don't give a shit about Euros, transfers, etc, just everything fuck off. To quote Bill Burr 'For a point eight second I cried like a little boy, before I put the lid back on the jar, fastened it back and just added it on the shelf of anger that sits in every man's chest.' Off to the garden to enjoy afternoon sun, drink some cold beer and read Waitrose Food magazine.
 
This is a rather fine post, actually. A necessary counterweight to the “it's all on Pep” school. Pep made an incomprehensible decision in picking Sterling. It probably weakened the team, tactically. To say that it accounted for sub-par performances all over the pitch is a stretch. And there were — sub-par performances, that is.
I think people need to understand that players aren’t robots, they will have been looking forward to this game in the expectation that we’d play a certain way, and would have expected to play with a similar line up to the one that had been successful in previous rounds. Then Pep throws in a curve ball and suddenly you’re not playing where you were expecting to play and the balance of the team is not what you were expecting to see. This is sufficient to affect the performance levels of players even if they’re not directly affected by the changes, anyone who’s played the game can tell you that even the smallest of tweaks can have unintended consequences. To pull this in a one off knock out winner takes all game of this importance smacks of self indulgence on the part of the manager. Ok, this keeps happening so maybe this is just a part of the package that comes with a manager like Pep, and I certainly wouldn’t swap him for anyone else, I love the guy, but I’d like to think a period of self reflection by Pep might be in order because nobody is perfect.
 
I just watched it agian in the cold light of day with no commentary and not behind the sofa. Stones and Zin had a horrendous first 15 minutes. There were misplaced passes all over the pitch especially early on. If you've still a recording have a look at exactly 40 mins and the goal less than 2 minutes later. We get away with it the first time, and it's almost identical to how we conceded the 2nd to the scum and not that different to Chelsea's goal in the semi.

The fact is not enough were at their usual standard and I'm not convinced neither Ferny or Rodri playing was really the cause.
 
If you had watched Brazil up to the Germany game then you would have known that once they faced a decent team they would be in serious bother ........ City on the other hand showed no signs of this happening until Pep sadly did what he did ........ honestly he’s an amazing manager a genius but football sometimes is an easy game ....., send your best XI out your best formation and if that fails then you don’t have to make excuses ....... what happenedSaturday was just baffling ........., will he learn from it ???? If he doesn’t then sadly he never will :(
It’s not an illusion and as for Pep to throw in without preparation he was experimenting with all sorts look at the one man midfield with Rodri been over run against Chelsea, the various changes in the latter matches he was preparing them for a final and not once did anyone see that team selection it was not even hinted at, because we had a DM in every single game. The players underperforming was probably due to lack of confidence in the what was been asked just like Lyon last year, we ripped Madrid a new one and then what he changed it and the players were all over the shop! The team would’ve been more relaxed and with that breeds confidence, Gundogan Foden KDB didn’t seem to know where to be at times. 60 games you play a system and everyone is used to it then the 61st after 5 days prep! Pep fucked up and by all accounts was nervy before the game this obviously translated to the players, why was he nervy he has the best team on the planet he was nervy because he wasn’t confident why wasn’t he confident because he over thought it again. He’s a flawed genius we have to accept that but what if he does it again and again? He is not beyond critiscm no one is.
For various reasons, I’ll always have a greater respect and appreciation for Mancini.
 
player's form is usually somewhat erratic, more in-form than not. AFAK, it is not contagious. When it affects half the team at the same time,,,,time to worry, maybe? Or fear the worst? Or just look at the league table and smile? Fuck knows, cos i dont.. The red faction in the msm will have a field day no doubt, even some of own will have their own take on it, those who still bear a grudge since RM got the tin tack have not gone away. " It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".....
 
Chelsea were more hungry from the start and we looked mentally shocked that we couldn’t get going in our usual style of play,Sterling’s first touch for the chance eluded him otherwise it could have been 1-0 up.We needed to play our game and the occasion seemed to freeze the players and manager more so.Wonder if Khaldoon will have the final say on team selection in a future final or spends the evening before chatting to Pep on reasons for his selections..guess not but the selection seemed to drain the confidence from the team and we lost our shape regularly.
The experience of playing in a final will be good going forward,it does take time to familiarise players to become accustomed to playing their best game and Pep may well need to try a different approach if and when we get there again.
 
Just started watching Premier League review of the season (had to turn it off as the narration is in rhyming cuplets for some reason) but literally the first goal of the season was a Liverpool penalty against Leeds where the ball hit a defender's thigh then bounced up onto his arm, have the rules changed since that, if not what's the difference between that and our penalty claim on Saturday?
 
Just started watching Premier League review of the season (had to turn it off as the narration is in rhyming cuplets for some reason) but literally the first goal of the season was a Liverpool penalty against Leeds where the ball hit a defender's thigh then bounced up onto his arm, have the rules changed since that, if not what's the difference between that and our penalty claim on Saturday?
It’s Liverpool at Anfield.. that’s all you need to know
 

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