City V Southampton post match discussion

[samharris]

It was evident after about 5 minutes that Southampton were pacy and mobile, and intent on exploiting our lack of personnel down the flanks. Zabaleta in particular was completely exposed for the entire 90 minutes, with nobody covering in front of him, as Southampton doubled, and even trebled, up on him. Kompany kept getting dragged over to help, which then left Mr Wooden (Lescott) having to cope with the big lummox up front on his own, something he struggled at, getting backed into and bumped into scuffed half clearances galore. Seriously though, if we can't cope with a team of Premier League journeymen counterattacking, then the Chimps League promises to be a fucking nightmare of epic proportions. Whatever, it took Mancini 85 minutes to introduce Kolarov, and we never saw Milner at all.

Hart 6 - Fuck all to do, but his piss poor sliced clearances down the middle in the last 10 minutes allowed Southampton to run the ball back at us repeatedly.
Zaba 6 - Did his best, but had no fucking chance defensively.
Clichy 6 - See Zabaleta. Much better crossing than usual I'm pleased to say.
Kompany 6 - Mediocre at best.
Lescott 5 - See Kompany, only painfully slow.
Nasri 9 - Man of the Match by a country mile and even won a few tackles.
Silva 4 - Dreadful. Clearly not fit. The penalty was a joke. Anyone who takes an almost perpendicular run up to the ball, drastically reduces the chances of controlling its placement, and so it proved. If I was Mancini I would have fried his nuts in oil for that one incident alone. Give him two or three games to get that sharpness back and he'll be buzzin' again I'm sure.
Ya Ya 8 - Increasingly ran the game.
Rodwell 6 - Some nice touches initially, but grew progressively more crab-like as the game possessed. May have been acting under orders in that regard, or may have been feeling the pace, but either way unless he's prepared to unleash his attacking instincts now and again, then he'll be little more than a taller version of De Jong. There were enough flashes of skill to make me optimistic though and it's a shame his one bad pass proved so costly.
Tevez 7 - Typically bustling, scored and won a pen.
Dzeko 5 - A carthorse. Looks like he's put on a stone in weight, and clearly can't be relied on to convert even the simplest of chances. Unfortunately, at 120k a week and 25m quid, he ain't going anywhere. Moaning about being on the bench is fine (it demonstrates hunger if nothing else), but he was put clean through in the Charity Shield and lumbered after it like a Lada towing an anvil, and yesterday he adjusted his feet with all the dexterity of Arthur Mullard ballroom dancing to miss from 3 yards.
Mario 7 - Also joined the "missed an open goal" club, but touch and movement was light years ahead of Dzeko.

If we play like that on a regular basis, a top 3 finish will be the best we can hope for. There were positives - good going forward (apart from the dire finishing) and crossing much improved, but there were significant negatives as well. For the third competitive fixture in a row (QPR, Chelsea and Southampton) the opposition had 2 shots and scored 2 goals. We were a fucking shambles at the back, but much of the trouble there stemmed from the midfield failing to protect the defence, particularly down Zab's flank.
The injury to Aguero killed the mood for me, and I'll be absolutely gutted if he's out for the season. A pox on the cunts in the away end booing him and chanting "She fell over". Bottom line though? We were way below par and still won. The hallmark of champions

Dzeko a carthorse. ffs he scored.. Then you go on to say we have the hallmark of champions.

Good grief,theres some shite on here sometimes.

 

[decmancity]

What i want to know is what has happened to the Dzeko that played for Wolfsburg.

Watch any highlight videos and he looks 10x faster he has quick feet, bossing defenders with his strength, taking shots on from everywhere, running through players like a steam train and so on.

I don't know if he really does need a good long run of game or he can't be arsed.

He still gets his goals and fair play to him for that but the chances he gets he really should be making more of them.

I still have faith in Dzeko and i hope he can spur himself on now and really stamp his place in the team.

 

[kabuverdimcfc]

What i want to know is what has happened to the Dzeko that played for Wolfsburg.

Watch any highlight videos and he looks 10x faster he has quick feet, bossing defenders with his strength, taking shots on from everywhere, running through players like a steam train and so on.

I don't know if he really does need a good long run of game or he can't be arsed.

He still gets his goals and fair play to him for that but the chances he gets he really should be making more of them.

I still have faith in Dzeko and i hope he can spur himself on now and really stamp his place in the team.

Now he's playing at Man City, watch this [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aUMGkabCic[/youtube]

Every player do a bad match, Silva didn't played well too. He scored the second goal, like the match against QPR!!

And to play in a team where you are the star is different that a team that you're one of the stars

 

[decmancity]

I know players have bad games and i am not doubting he is a world class player but just a better level of consistency is needed. If he can do that he will be very important for us this season.

 

[Salar]

Defence was poor.Joe didnt look fit.Rodwell was a bit off the pace in the second half.Hope agureos ok.Nasri played well.Tevez played well.

So what mistakes in defence did we make? Our defenders won their individual battles. The goals came from City losing the ball in their half, and we put ourselves under pressure in the last 10 mins because we didn't hold on to the ball - that had little to do with the defence and a lot more to do with the midfield. There weren't that many options for the man in possession so we kept giving it away, but actually we protected our goal quite well

I said rodwell was off the pace mush so that means the midfield didnt do the best of jobS ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I remember correctly the first goal came from a bad clearance from Lescott.

 

[pudge]

So what mistakes in defence did we make? Our defenders won their individual battles. The goals came from City losing the ball in their half, and we put ourselves under pressure in the last 10 mins because we didn't hold on to the ball - that had little to do with the defence and a lot more to do with the midfield. There weren't that many options for the man in possession so we kept giving it away, but actually we protected our goal quite well

I said rodwell was off the pace mush so that means the midfield didnt do the best of jobS ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I remember correctly the first goal came from a bad clearance from Lescott.

Hardly a poor clearance, he was stretching to intercept a pass (which he did) it just happened to fall to Lambert

 

[Salar]

I said rodwell was off the pace mush so that means the midfield didnt do the best of jobS ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I remember correctly the first goal came from a bad clearance from Lescott.

Hardly a poor clearance, he was stretching to intercept a pass (which he did) it just happened to fall to Lambert

He could have done better.

 

[pudge]

If I remember correctly the first goal came from a bad clearance from Lescott.

Hardly a poor clearance, he was stretching to intercept a pass (which he did) it just happened to fall to Lambert

He could have done better.

He initially blocked Do Prado's shot and pushed out, it fell to their player, he then played it to Lambert who attempted to play it to Do Prado, Lescott intercepted, nobody reacted or picked up Lambert, it fell to him and he scored.

What more could Lescott have done?

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

It was evident after about 5 minutes that Southampton were pacy and mobile, and intent on exploiting our lack of personnel down the flanks. Zabaleta in particular was completely exposed for the entire 90 minutes, with nobody covering in front of him, as Southampton doubled, and even trebled, up on him. Kompany kept getting dragged over to help, which then left Mr Wooden (Lescott) having to cope with the big lummox up front on his own, something he struggled at, getting backed into and bumped into scuffed half clearances galore. Seriously though, if we can't cope with a team of Premier League journeymen counterattacking, then the Chimps League promises to be a fucking nightmare of epic proportions. Whatever, it took Mancini 85 minutes to introduce Kolarov, and we never saw Milner at all.

Hart 6 - Fuck all to do, but his piss poor sliced clearances down the middle in the last 10 minutes allowed Southampton to run the ball back at us repeatedly.
Zaba 6 - Did his best, but had no fucking chance defensively.
Clichy 6 - See Zabaleta. Much better crossing than usual I'm pleased to say.
Kompany 6 - Mediocre at best.
Lescott 5 - See Kompany, only painfully slow.
Nasri 9 - Man of the Match by a country mile and even won a few tackles.
Silva 4 - Dreadful. Clearly not fit. The penalty was a joke. Anyone who takes an almost perpendicular run up to the ball, drastically reduces the chances of controlling its placement, and so it proved. If I was Mancini I would have fried his nuts in oil for that one incident alone. Give him two or three games to get that sharpness back and he'll be buzzin' again I'm sure.
Ya Ya 8 - Increasingly ran the game.
Rodwell 6 - Some nice touches initially, but grew progressively more crab-like as the game possessed. May have been acting under orders in that regard, or may have been feeling the pace, but either way unless he's prepared to unleash his attacking instincts now and again, then he'll be little more than a taller version of De Jong. There were enough flashes of skill to make me optimistic though and it's a shame his one bad pass proved so costly.
Tevez 7 - Typically bustling, scored and won a pen.
Dzeko 5 - A carthorse. Looks like he's put on a stone in weight, and clearly can't be relied on to convert even the simplest of chances. Unfortunately, at 120k a week and 25m quid, he ain't going anywhere. Moaning about being on the bench is fine (it demonstrates hunger if nothing else), but he was put clean through in the Charity Shield and lumbered after it like a Lada towing an anvil, and yesterday he adjusted his feet with all the dexterity of Arthur Mullard ballroom dancing to miss from 3 yards.
Mario 7 - Also joined the "missed an open goal" club, but touch and movement was light years ahead of Dzeko.

If we play like that on a regular basis, a top 3 finish will be the best we can hope for. There were positives - good going forward (apart from the dire finishing) and crossing much improved, but there were significant negatives as well. For the third competitive fixture in a row (QPR, Chelsea and Southampton) the opposition had 2 shots and scored 2 goals. We were a fucking shambles at the back, but much of the trouble there stemmed from the midfield failing to protect the defence, particularly down Zab's flank.
The injury to Aguero killed the mood for me, and I'll be absolutely gutted if he's out for the season. A pox on the cunts in the away end booing him and chanting "She fell over". Bottom line though? We were way below par and still won. The hallmark of champions

Dzeko a carthorse. ffs he scored.. Then you go on to say we have the hallmark of champions.

Good grief,theres some shite on here sometimes.

The hallmark of champions is winning without being at your best.....erm, which we did. And if you're claiming that scoring a goal from 3 yards but not having a particularly good game are mutually exclusive acts, then you're right, there is some shite on here. Berk.

 

[BringBackSwales]

It was evident after about 5 minutes that Southampton were pacy and mobile, and intent on exploiting our lack of personnel down the flanks. Zabaleta in particular was completely exposed for the entire 90 minutes, with nobody covering in front of him, as Southampton doubled, and even trebled, up on him. Kompany kept getting dragged over to help, which then left Mr Wooden (Lescott) having to cope with the big lummox up front on his own, something he struggled at, getting backed into and bumped into scuffed half clearances galore. Seriously though, if we can't cope with a team of Premier League journeymen counterattacking, then the Chimps League promises to be a fucking nightmare of epic proportions. Whatever, it took Mancini 85 minutes to introduce Kolarov, and we never saw Milner at all.

Hart 6 - Fuck all to do, but his piss poor sliced clearances down the middle in the last 10 minutes allowed Southampton to run the ball back at us repeatedly.
Zaba 6 - Did his best, but had no fucking chance defensively.
Clichy 6 - See Zabaleta. Much better crossing than usual I'm pleased to say.
Kompany 6 - Mediocre at best.
Lescott 5 - See Kompany, only painfully slow.
Nasri 9 - Man of the Match by a country mile and even won a few tackles.
Silva 4 - Dreadful. Clearly not fit. The penalty was a joke. Anyone who takes an almost perpendicular run up to the ball, drastically reduces the chances of controlling its placement, and so it proved. If I was Mancini I would have fried his nuts in oil for that one incident alone. Give him two or three games to get that sharpness back and he'll be buzzin' again I'm sure.
Ya Ya 8 - Increasingly ran the game.
Rodwell 6 - Some nice touches initially, but grew progressively more crab-like as the game possessed. May have been acting under orders in that regard, or may have been feeling the pace, but either way unless he's prepared to unleash his attacking instincts now and again, then he'll be little more than a taller version of De Jong. There were enough flashes of skill to make me optimistic though and it's a shame his one bad pass proved so costly.
Tevez 7 - Typically bustling, scored and won a pen.
Dzeko 5 - A carthorse. Looks like he's put on a stone in weight, and clearly can't be relied on to convert even the simplest of chances. Unfortunately, at 120k a week and 25m quid, he ain't going anywhere. Moaning about being on the bench is fine (it demonstrates hunger if nothing else), but he was put clean through in the Charity Shield and lumbered after it like a Lada towing an anvil, and yesterday he adjusted his feet with all the dexterity of Arthur Mullard ballroom dancing to miss from 3 yards.
Mario 7 - Also joined the "missed an open goal" club, but touch and movement was light years ahead of Dzeko.

If we play like that on a regular basis, a top 3 finish will be the best we can hope for. There were positives - good going forward (apart from the dire finishing) and crossing much improved, but there were significant negatives as well. For the third competitive fixture in a row (QPR, Chelsea and Southampton) the opposition had 2 shots and scored 2 goals. We were a fucking shambles at the back, but much of the trouble there stemmed from the midfield failing to protect the defence, particularly down Zab's flank.
The injury to Aguero killed the mood for me, and I'll be absolutely gutted if he's out for the season. A pox on the cunts in the away end booing him and chanting "She fell over". Bottom line though? We were way below par and still won. The hallmark of champions

Dzeko a carthorse. ffs he scored.. Then you go on to say we have the hallmark of champions.

Good grief,theres some shite on here sometimes.

The hallmark of champions is winning without being at your best.....erm, which we did. And if you're claiming that scoring a goal from 3 yards but not having a particularly good game are mutually exclusive acts, then you're right, there is some shite on here. Berk.

I really don't think that he is the berk on this particular occasion

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

Dzeko a carthorse. ffs he scored.. Then you go on to say we have the hallmark of champions.

Good grief,theres some shite on here sometimes.

The hallmark of champions is winning without being at your best.....erm, which we did. And if you're claiming that scoring a goal from 3 yards but not having a particularly good game are mutually exclusive acts, then you're right, there is some shite on here. Berk.

I really don't think that he is the berk on this particular occasion

If you can counter the argument made, please feel free......

 

[cleavers]

Can we not let the bickering spoil the thread please ?

 

[Chippy_boy]

Silva 4 - Dreadful. Clearly not fit. The penalty was a joke. Anyone who takes an almost perpendicular run up to the ball, drastically reduces the chances of controlling its placement, and so it proved. If I was Mancini I would have fried his nuts in oil for that one incident alone. Give him two or three games to get that sharpness back and he'll be buzzin' again I'm sure.

For some unfathomable reason, he's always been garbage in front of goal though, hasn't he.

The number of times he has going scoring chances and completely fluffs his lines is ridiculous.

 

[raininspain]

This is what I found on a Southampton forum:

The whole match day experience at The Etihad was fantastic. I was so surprised when waiting for my train home at Piccadilly how many City fans came over to me and shook my hand and congratulated us on giving them a game and leaving with "Play like that and you will stay up easily"! In fact, this continued on the train home with City fans chatting to Saints happily. I would urge Saints fans to make them as welcome when they visit us. Their humility was refreshing as they didn't have to do that; I doubt it would've been the same had we been to the red side of the city.

What nice people we are!

 

[Plaything of the gods]

lol

 

[Bilboblue]

This is what I found on a Southampton forum:

The whole match day experience at The Etihad was fantastic. I was so surprised when waiting for my train home at Piccadilly how many City fans came over to me and shook my hand and congratulated us on giving them a game and leaving with "Play like that and you will stay up easily"! In fact, this continued on the train home with City fans chatting to Saints happily. I would urge Saints fans to make them as welcome when they visit us. Their humility was refreshing as they didn't have to do that; I doubt it would've been the same had we been to the red side of the city.

What nice people we are!

Can you PM me the forum please? I'd like to have a look at that, thanks

 

[jimharri]

They seemed to have had a decent, sorry, ''deeecent'' time ''oop North'';

City’s defence was great value and its easy to see why they belong in the England side. Hart, although we put two past him, (and how about those goals!!) was good; Kompany and Lescott were a joy to watch. There’s no point in even discussing their mid-field and forwards.

But we did well, Guly for the first time since he put on Saints shirt looked really comfortable out there and I was so pleased that Adam Allana wore to the armband. That blonde child, Ward-Prouse, can be proud of his debut and our pair of subs; two mins two goals! Jay Rodriguez, like Billy Sharp, will soon get used to our style and Morgan, though he got easily hustled off the ball once or twice keeps on improving. Our back four acquitted themselves well, but if they didn’t know it before, they know now what’s in store for them. Kelvin was Kelvin and Puncheon is going to drive me around the bend!

Our Away fans were on form (just ask the Sky pundits!) with lots of noise. But a word about the City fans. We walked back to the car with several, and I know they’d won the game, but they were really friendly. Perhaps they remember what it was like before they came into the money and could invest in top players. I for one would like to see them take the Premiership again. Unlike the Red side of Manchester you can enjoy a bit of banter and still have a laugh with City fans.

 

[IcriedwhenTueartleft]

Myself and the wee chap came down from Edinburgh for this one, one of our usual 5 home games a season and overnight stay on match day routine and very enjoyable it was too. The 5 games we saw last season were a walkover for City, the closest was the 3-0 v Blackburn....so this was something we'd not seen in the flesh for a while, a close City home game.
Jesus, there were some right whingers round us, some people seemed to have forgotten that City are the current league champions and that to win the league you generally have to be a half decent team or better. Personally, I thought Southampton were mediocre and it was a miracle they scored twice, more down to our sloppiness at the back in clearing lines than through any creative play from them.
Nasri was immense, that guy can hang onto the ball like few others, in my view he is becoming as important to City as Silva and his performances since the Chelsea 2-1 at home have been on average better than Silva's, this could be the season when Nasri really flourishes.
We love coming down for home games, its great to come to a place where there are so many other fellow blues and I envy a lot of you who live in or around Manchester and are able to get to most home games....going to the Etihad is a joy these days.