City v Sunderland Post Match Discussion Thread

[baggy]

I know 2nd is technically 'progress' but it's hard not to feel pissed off when (If we come second...) we were flying up until December, have been 9pts top and looking by far the best team/squad to what is basically a very average u*d side this season.

Does anyone think it's going to get easier next season? It is f*ck.

Frustrating second half of the season to say the least and can't help feeling like we are throwing this season away.

 

[Jumanji]

If United lose a game, it becomes all to play for. I think there are more twists and turns in this.

Let's be honest!! can you really see that happening? apart from the last match, it kills me to say it but they have looked really strong, good direct attacking play with variety. something that WE were doing earlier in the season. teams were scared to play us and hoped for a draw at best, now they see the chance of a win.

Yes I can see United losing one game in addition to the derby. If they do.....and we do what we need to do we will pip them by 1 point.

If United draw 1 game, and we win our games, it will come to goal difference.

 

[n_mcfc]

Promised I wouldn't do this so I'm doing it as short as possible.

Balotelli had a role to play today with Dzeko up front. Dzeko's a target man, he stays in and around the box, down the middle, a target! Balotelli should've been doing what Aguero manages to do when playing on his own up front week in, week out. That's run the channels. Running into space, dragging out a defender or creating space for yourself. He didn't do it in the first half and it meant that Dzeko had to do it more often than he really should have been doing. Fair play, Edin, that led to the penalty. 2nd half, Mario did nowt again. Ignore the petulant argument, it was a poor footballing performance from him apart from his goal.

Kolarov did his job well today but basically highlighed the weaknesses of Mancini's Plan A which served us well up until recently, especially away from home. The lad is technically superb at football, tactically, okay, not brilliant, but he can shoot, pass, cross like no other player we have.

If Mancini is insistent on continuing to play the way we are, which is fine, he needs to realise that De Jong, especially when trailing by 2 goals, offers absolutely jack shit going forward and even manages to slow down the play regardless of the score. Pizzaro was perfect for the game today after half time, absolutely perfect. He does what De Jong does, but higher up the pitch, at a faster speed and essentially, much better! That pissed me off more than anything today. Why he left it so late to bring him on astounds me.

Milner at right back? Shocking.

Yaya Toure played shit, so did the team.

So to sum up:

Balotelli didn't work hard enough, it cost us. Not a scapegoat, he genuinely didn't pay well.
Pizzaro should've come on earlier.
We shit it when a team presses us and don't know how to react.
Players need to run with the ball more/We need players who run with the ball.
Final point, I'm still fucking fuming and with Arsenal next week, I'm not entirely optimistic.

 

[jimharri]

He hasn't dominated any league, with possible exception of a depleted serie A

And the Premier League.

3 seasons albeit winning the league twice, doesn't mean he dominated the league imo

To win the league twice in three full seasons, with a club that hadn't won the title in fifty-odd years before that, would suggest dominance to me.

 

[Paulmcfc2703]

All this talk of replacing the manager and giving up on players etc. is laughable.

We didn't play a great game today, but we did stage a comeback that would have been beyond any other team.

I agree on the 2nd point. Let's use West Brom for instance who didn't stage a comeback against them because they beat them 4-0 the other week.

 

[Masonicity]

The title race didn't end. Manchester United still have a lot of work to do and it wouldn't surprise me if they dropped some points against the lesser sides, which are battling against relegation. Contrary to popular belief, their schedule isn't that easy.

Stay optimistic and we shall hopefully win the league.

Furthermore, the Reds have their own injury problems to take care of.

 

[Marvin]

Promised I wouldn't do this so I'm doing it as short as possible.

Balotelli had a role to play today with Dzeko up front. Dzeko's a target man, he stays in and around the box, down the middle, a target! Balotelli should've been doing what Aguero manages to do when playing on his own up front week in, week out. That's run the channels. Running into space, dragging out a defender or creating space for yourself. He didn't do it in the first half and it meant that Dzeko had to do it more often than he really should have been doing. Fair play, Edin, that led to the penalty. 2nd half, Mario did nowt again. Ignore the petulant argument, it was a poor footballing performance from him apart from his goal.

Kolarov did his job well today but basically highlighed the weaknesses of Mancini's Plan A which served us well up until recently, especially away from home. The lad is technically superb at football, tactically, okay, not brilliant, but he can shoot, pass, cross like no other player we have.

If Mancini is insistent on continuing to play the way we are, which is fine, he needs to realise that De Jong, especially when trailing by 2 goals, offers absolutely jack shit going forward and even manages to slow down the play regardless of the score. Pizzaro was perfect for the game today after half time, absolutely perfect. He does what De Jong does, but higher up the pitch, at a faster speed and essentially, much better! That pissed me off more than anything today. Why he left it so late to bring him on astounds me.

Milner at right back? Shocking.

Yaya Toure played shit, so did the team.

So to sum up:

Balotelli didn't work hard enough, it cost us. Not a scapegoat, he genuinely didn't pay well.
Pizzaro should've come on earlier.
We shit it when a team presses us and don't know how to react.
Players need to run with the ball more/We need players who run with the ball.
Final point, I'm still fucking fuming and with Arsenal next week, I'm not entirely optimistic.

Mario doesn't seem to make those little runs that a 2nd striker should.

Dzeko played well I thought

To be honest I wouldn't be too critical of the forwards. The midfield usually dominates possession at home, but today we only started to do that when Tevez took Silva's role and Pizarro came on.

 

[Comrade Buka]

Feel sorry for Mancini. We know from the training threads he spends time on breaking forward with speed. Its clear that the players arnt listening to him.

There is a simple truth in life same as in management.

The loyalty lies where the relation is strong.

Mancini could obviously not bond with glue.

In fact its his tactical changes when things are going wrong that is getting us through this awful patch.

Like Dzeko's run into the box or Balotelli's shot or Kolarovs long shot? Those are tactical decisions? Whatever you are smoking I want some.

 

[remoh]

its the managers job to deal with these flipping idiot lame brains.
if his staff arent getting the message over then

1) sack the staff
2) resign and move on
3) ditch the players that arent listening [marwood is useless]

buuuuuuuuuuuuuuttt
he didnt buy most of the players and probably would like to ditch 80% of the squad but this isnt modern football. They are bought by someone else and thrown at the manager with the screams of "just get them playing"

Well, he has ditched plenty already, hasn't he? and how many of them are playing out of their skin for other managers?
To name a few:-
Bellamy
Adebayor
Petrov (Look up today's report; he does this all the time)
Bridge - Is he really worse than Kolarov?
Ireland - who is starting to come good for Villa

My point is that Mancini has proved often enough, now, that he cannot get the best out of his players, just the opposite in fact. His pattern, in England, is to buy top players at high prices then gradually ruin them.

O'Neill on the other hand...

Are you joking pal ? Every single one of those players you mention are fucking shite. Have you watched any of them play, as opposed to reading reports on them?

No : I'm not joking (pal). Ade has been first choice forward on Spurs team-sheet all season and has done bloody well. Their form as a team has dropped recently and we have to look at the uncertainty about their manager's future to find the reason for that. They were chasing us for the title before that. Remember?
Bellamy, although he has to be rotated because of previous injuries, has been a revelation for Liverpool. (At least to his detractors) Did you not see the quality of his winning Cup-tie goal against us, or don't you watch the game?

Petrov has been an ever-present for Bolton ever since he left us, playing against the same teams as we do and he's been quality all the way. Exceptional today.
He is obviously not as quick as he was, but still takes up dangerous positions, crosses as well as ever and scores goals. Who do we have who's better, playing wide?

Ireland, after a long time out with injuries, is finally getting a regular game at Villa and gets better every week. He's still young enough to get back to his best.

Now watch Bridge do his stuff under O'Neill.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're not still at school, but you do sound as if you are.

 

[Joga Bonito]

If Sunderland do then against the rags then I will have no problem