City v Stoke post match

[hammocity]

So you're fickle if you thought last season was well below what was expected ? Pep last season seemed very stubborn and yes people were annoyed. I'm not sure many people wanted him out though, maybe a slight exaggeration by you. However this season looks like everything is clicking in to place.
I said on Saturday night whoever finishes above us this season will win the league and must be one hell of a side

There were plenty who wanted him out towards the end of the season, have a look at historic posts on here. Everyone is entitled to and opinion but after watching years of shite I think maybe a lot of supporters want instant success. It was always going to take longer than one season for Pep to get his ideas through.

I'm not a happy clapper, just a realist.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

I am amazed that nothing has been really raised about Sterlings goal at weekend, the build up play was absolutley unbelieveable, god knows how many passes in the build up and the speed and accuracy was outstanding.

As close to a perfect goal as you could wish to see, if this was scored by a Brazil national team it would be shown for years to come.

Kilbane highlighted it on MOTD2, showing Fernandinho's brilliant diagonal run in the build up (watch it!) to open up all the space, calling the goal world class football.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Something I have noticed so far this season is Pep appears to be playing a settled side every game without making a lot of changes. Last season he may have been experimenting but he quickly found out the premier league is tough and it is difficult to make a lot of changes and coast through what looks on paper an easy fixture. Our performance was incredible on Saturday when you consider almost all our team was away on international duty.

I honestly believe he did that, so he could have a look at EVERYTHING. I don't believe in the slightest, that a man of Pep's intellect and nous,
underestimated the league. Maybe he knew that it would be a tough season and we might not win anything. Who knows ?

 

[Dreadzone]

I agree. The game at Stamford Bridge was so impressive. As was the win against Liverpool

It crossed my mind that Liverpool and Chelsea's poor results after we beat them are in part down to the psychological damage we inflicted on them.

The players and team are growing before our eyes. Winning and winning well is important and it reinforces the trust the players have in the coach I would think. Who wouldn't run an extra mile if it made you a better player and made the team successful. I think the belief that might have wavered last season in the coach is back.

Hopefully the psychology you say is right and we absolutely smash 'that lot!'

 

[shemnel]

maintain the standard shown at Chelsea and at home to Stoke and i can't really see how we wont be in the mix for the title

 

[I'm no cynic but...]

No way was the 77 team better and although the League table showed 1 point the fact is Liverpool were on the bridle for the last few games. They knew they had won it and strangely enough played a game in hand on the Monday night which they lost when the League had been won on the Saturday. That was the last game of the season, truth is we never really challenged Liverpool, we were just a bit better than the others. The 68 team was class, had swagger, scored great goals and were the best team and won at Newcastle on the final day where if you believe the people who said they were there made our support number 50,000 on the day!!!

I was there and it seemed like it!

 

[Dribble]

So you're fickle if you thought last season was well below what was expected ? Pep last season seemed very stubborn and yes people were annoyed. I'm not sure many people wanted him out though, maybe a slight exaggeration by you. However this season looks like everything is clicking in to place.
I said on Saturday night whoever finishes above us this season will win the league and must be one hell of a side

Actually, I read a few on here calling Pep a fraud & saying he was as bad or worse than Pellegrini.

I couldn't even be arsed to respond to most of them, but the few I did bother responding to, I explained that it took 3 years to dismantle the solidity & playing style of Mancini & it would probably take us that long to be back to those levels before we can kick on & even the great Guardiola couldn't sort out the mess he inherited within a season, which proved to be correct.

However where this season is concerned, we're still building ourselves up to become a consistent force again. I've said all along that I think it only fair to judge Pep from season 2019 - 2020 because Pep will have had the time & backing to get us somewhere near where he wants to be.

All I've wanted to see since last August was a halt to our regression, a steadying of the ship & then steady progression going forward which we're now seeing. It may sound odd, but believe me when I say this, I honestly believe what we're seeing now will be nothing compared to what we'll see in 2 years time.

I understood EVERYTHING about what Pep was trying to do last season, even if some of our more trigger happy fans couldn't. Anyone who was calling for his head last season needs to take a long hard look at season 15/16 before Pep came here & the progression we've shown from October 2016 until the end of last season.

Those fans will drive themselves mad supporting City on a game by game basis in isolation. What we should all be doing is looking at us long term, & using the patterns and trends we can see being created in front of us.

This is why some fans saw what was happening to us under Pellegrini from the first kick of the ball in his first gane & I suspect those same fans kept their heads when we began to falter last season. Pep is a proper manager, a deep & studious thinker & a man with a long term plan, but we've still got a long way to go.

If you look at Stoke's first goal; after Sane's mis-placed pass to KDB, you'll notice KDB, Silva, Fernandinho & Sane jogging back to defend which was very 2015/16 of us. But if you look back to the match against Chelsea, we were breaking our necks to get back into shape. These are the things we still have to vastly improve on to such an extent, it becomes second nature to us.

If we win anything this season, it will be great, but if not, we shouldn't despair. Think about where we were 18 months ago, & then think about the upward trajectory since then & where we'll be in another 18 months if we continue in this fashion.

This progress is more important than trophies right now. In Pellegrini's final season, we won a trophy, but almost got relegated from the Champions League. There is no way anyone can say that season was anything less than disasterous. Even though we won NOTHING last season, the foundations of this season were being laid, even if many couldn't see it.

From the top to the bottom, we're in good hands, & like I said, I believe what we're seeing now is nothing in comparisin to what we'll be seeing in season 2019/2020. It's all about progression.

 

[TBooksbluearmy]

This was the best all round team performance, from City since Pep arrived. The harder test will come from teams who will come and try and park the bus. As long as we play against Burnley like we played against Stoke last Saturday. There is no reason when we can't score another 5/6 goals.

The quick passing had most of the Stoke players chasing shadows, their players just couldn't get anywhere near our players. We need to play like this for the rest of the season. I am sure that, if this happens we will not be to far away form being champions.

 

[Wrighty Wrexham]

That second goal gets better every time I see it. Has to be a contender for goal of the season let alone goal of the month. And Ferendinho's cracker well!

 

[Mike N]

Dunno about anyone else, but I find this as funny as fuck:

That was fantastic!