City v Boro - Pre Match Thread

[domalino]

i woud leave willy in there tbh, bravo's performances so far don't really merit a guaranteed start

i hope & expect kdb to start in a central position again, was a lot better there than out left as in the first 40 mins on tuesday.

if dinho is indeed injured, i'm sure gundo, kdb & silva can handle v boro. no need to bring in a real dm like Fernando imo.

when dinho's back, i would maybe push silva out left and rotate sterling/nolito on the other side.

If you really think Bravo hasn't been doing exactly what Pep wants, and doing it well, you haven't been watching him or you just don't get it.

He's done everything asked, he's been moving the ball around, building from the back and directing our play.

The main reason Caballero looked good vs. Barca is because Pep completely abandoned our usual style of play and he said as much afterwards - we aren't good enough to play our way against barcelona yet.

I doubt he feels the same way about Middlesborough, which means back to normal, which means Bravo is a country mile ahead of Willy.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

If you really think Bravo hasn't been doing exactly what Pep wants, and doing it well, you haven't been watching him or you just don't get it.

He's done everything asked, he's been moving the ball around, building from the back and directing our play.

The main reason Caballero looked good vs. Barca is because Pep completely abandoned our usual style of play and he said as much afterwards - we aren't good enough to play our way against barcelona yet.

I doubt he feels the same way about Middlesborough, which means back to normal, which means Bravo is a country mile ahead of Willy.

Willy didn't really do much the other night, barring kick the ball out of play the majority of the time.

Bravo has been excellent.

 

[kippax kid]

I lived round Maine Road in the 90's (feek I still do) had to go toe to toe with a few of these smoggy b*#tards just to get to my home, after the f.a.cup match. Got to say I come back out and was with the blues that battled these lads back in to town, ( anyone else remember that police horse getting C.S gassed on upper brook street f'ing carnage that day) trust me they hate us no idea why as they was always fights between us in the 80's I was to young then so don't know what happened to make it so bad, but I can tell growing up around Maine Road all the lads I knew feeking hated them and we always gave them a hard time . So yes would love to see us rip these apart , but any win will do.

 

[KDBestplayerintheworld]

He's done everything asked, he's been moving the ball around, building from the back and directing our play.

hold your horses, domalino :D no need to get angry you pep-worshipper!!

i doubt bravo's numerous errors & hesitant interventions were asked by the coach :) not talking about general style of play.

 

[waterfootblues]

He said he won't play 90 both games but he intends to play him

Cheers :-)

 

[KDBestplayerintheworld]

Don't you just love when someone disagrees with you in a football discussion, they always say "you clearly haven't seen any games" when you know you haven't missed a single minute, even watched several matches a couple of times over (integrally), pushed pause & play to look at positions, movement, tactics :D Arr the argument of the weak ...

 

[KDBestplayerintheworld]

Oh and please don't ask me for examples of Bravo's bad, hesitant interceptions because I really suck at making gifs and all that advanced technical stuff :D

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I lived round Maine Road in the 90's (feek I still do) had to go toe to toe with a few of these smoggy b*#tards just to get to my home, after the f.a.cup match. Got to say I come back out and was with the blues that battled these lads back in to town, ( anyone else remember that police horse getting C.S gassed on upper brook street f'ing carnage that day) trust me they hate us no idea why as they was always fights between us in the 80's I was to young then so don't know what happened to make it so bad, but I can tell growing up around Maine Road all the lads I knew feeking hated them and we always gave them a hard time . So yes would love to see us rip these apart , but any win will do.

It might be a Moss Side thing then, as also grew up there.

Boro were always fighting in and around the streets.

I also remember going twice in the Cup one year and the fog when you couldn't see the halfway line.

And I was also there for Paul Lake's last game.

Horrible place.

 

[abu13]

Why? It's an international break next. Full strength team please Pep. No need for rotation.

Some players will be knackered after the shift they put in on Wednesday or carrying knocks.

I may be wrong but has Pep put the same unchanged side out this season?

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I want to destroy this lot, never could stand 'em.

Especially so, after they gave it the big one when some of their players mocked Vinny after their FA Cup win couple seasons back.

Full strength, send them back to the arsehole of Britain with six of the best.

The only one of the north-east grounds I've been to. I remember being up at the top of an uncovered terrace, years ago, freezing my bollocks off with a vicious January wind ripping in from off the North Sea, looking around at what was visible of the town from up the top there and thinking, fuck me, people actually have to live here. It was easily the grimmest place I've seen in the British Isles, although I'm sure there's a few gems that have escaped my notice. They'll be quite tough to break down, I think, but if we take them seriously we should have enough quality. We're a much better team than Arsenal, honestly. I don't see that there's any player like KDB in the Premier League, and that's just for starters. We dropped four points against Everton and Southampton, with a number of early Christmas gifts to both of them, in one form or another. No more of that at least, please.