City vs Barca - Post Match Thread

[tonea2003]

games at this level are all about possession, you know barcelona are going to have the lions share of possession in nearly every game they play

we have to be ready and able to control and use possession when we get it

and i'm afraid kolorov and to a lesser extent navas didn't do it last night and the ball went back to barcelona to cheaply

 

[newenglandblue]

Acquitted oursevles well. Stood off a bit for the first 20 mins but that had no impact on the outcome of the game. Atleast their equals for the last 25 minutes of the first half. Started the second a bit slowly and they were building, that said the first goal was avoidable, both with the ref and MD who I thought was having his best game until that point. He cant resist a slide tackle unfortunately and this cost us. Love Lescott, but anyone must have seen his limitations when he came on, did ok but put us under pressure due to his unease on the ball and they knew this and swarmed him - hence why MD started. Second goal was a killer. THink it was one of those where Joe will be dissapointed but not a mistake per se. Overall, we have to feel good about how we played, especially between 65-85 minutes where we looked the more likely to score.

 

[kaiten.keir]

Shame about the result, but I'm proud of the way our players played after the red card incident.

 

[TCIB]

Acquitted oursevles well. Stood off a bit for the first 20 mins but that had no impact on the outcome of the game. Atleast their equals for the last 25 minutes of the first half. Started the second a bit slowly and they were building, that said the first goal was avoidable, both with the ref and MD who I thought was having his best game until that point. He cant resist a slide tackle unfortunately and this cost us. Love Lescott, but anyone must have seen his limitations when he came on, did ok but put us under pressure due to his unease on the ball and they knew this and swarmed him - hence why MD started. Second goal was a killer. THink it was one of those where Joe will be dissapointed but not a mistake per se. Overall, we have to feel good about how we played, especially between 65-85 minutes where we looked the more likely to score.

A fine post and one that echoes my feelings also.

 

[wolfie1988]

Can't bring myself to be disappointed with last night.

We had a game plan which was clearly to be in the game by the time we got to the Nou Camp. Losing a man has obviously killed us. 0-1 would have been perfect. We'd have had to score regardless over there but that 2nd goal was a killer.

On another note, i can't be the only one who found it a little boring last night. The game was bitty and niggly. We couldn't go near a player to put a tackle in due to the referee and they created nowt. The press are battering us this morning but for me they are not looking at the wider picture

 

[adr2.8i]

Acquitted oursevles well. Stood off a bit for the first 20 mins but that had no impact on the outcome of the game. Atleast their equals for the last 25 minutes of the first half. Started the second a bit slowly and they were building, that said the first goal was avoidable, both with the ref and MD who I thought was having his best game until that point. He cant resist a slide tackle unfortunately and this cost us. Love Lescott, but anyone must have seen his limitations when he came on, did ok but put us under pressure due to his unease on the ball and they knew this and swarmed him - hence why MD started. Second goal was a killer. THink it was one of those where Joe will be dissapointed but not a mistake per se. Overall, we have to feel good about how we played, especially between 65-85 minutes where we looked the more likely to score.

EXACTLY!!

 

[Lucky Toma]

Acquitted oursevles well. Stood off a bit for the first 20 mins but that had no impact on the outcome of the game. Atleast their equals for the last 25 minutes of the first half. Started the second a bit slowly and they were building, that said the first goal was avoidable, both with the ref and MD who I thought was having his best game until that point. He cant resist a slide tackle unfortunately and this cost us. Love Lescott, but anyone must have seen his limitations when he came on, did ok but put us under pressure due to his unease on the ball and they knew this and swarmed him - hence why MD started. Second goal was a killer. THink it was one of those where Joe will be dissapointed but not a mistake per se. Overall, we have to feel good about how we played, especially between 65-85 minutes where we looked the more likely to score.

Agree with all your post but the highlighted text doesnt tell the whole story.

De Jong loved a slide tackle - in fact I've never before or since witnessed a player who adored a slide tackle more! - but can you imagine Nigel, in that very same situation, committing to a hopeless cause and inevitable red card.

It was not instinct that prompted MDM to lunge at Messi's feet. It was a decision. A decision from a highly experienced player who has played most of his career at the highest level. A decision that was so naive and breath-takingly stupid it defies belief.

Messi would have probably drew Hart in then dinked it over his committed body. Or rounded him and slotted it home. Or drilled it into the far corner.
But he still had it all to do. And Hart had options too at that point.

But due to MDM's piss-poor decision-making suddenly we were a man down for forty minutes against the one team on the planet you cannot afford to be a man down to. And the best player on the planet now had the luxury of a free unhindered shot from 12 yards against a keeper rooted by law to the line.

And MDM CHOSE this!

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Acquitted oursevles well. Stood off a bit for the first 20 mins but that had no impact on the outcome of the game. Atleast their equals for the last 25 minutes of the first half. Started the second a bit slowly and they were building, that said the first goal was avoidable, both with the ref and MD who I thought was having his best game until that point. He cant resist a slide tackle unfortunately and this cost us. Love Lescott, but anyone must have seen his limitations when he came on, did ok but put us under pressure due to his unease on the ball and they knew this and swarmed him - hence why MD started. Second goal was a killer. THink it was one of those where Joe will be dissapointed but not a mistake per se. Overall, we have to feel good about how we played, especially between 65-85 minutes where we looked the more likely to score.

A fine post and one that echoes my feelings also.

Thank you for talking sense, Newenglandblue. It was very, very even up until their penalty: although they had more possession it wasn't bothering us. What was more disappointing was the way we were being contained up front, but hey, Negredo on his own isn't going to perform miracles. Demichelis had to make that last ditch tackle, he had no other option, every other centre back in the world would have made the same decision, and probably fluffed it. We're talking about Lionel Messi here, not some clown, but the man with the sharpest acceleration over five yards in the world. The second goal is the real tragedy, but they were all really tired by then, and players make silly mistakes when they've been run ragged. Anyway, that will have the virtue of clearing our minds wonderfully. On to the business of the League, the League Cup, and the Cup.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I've got nothing to say that hasn't been covered in these 60 odd pages. Demichelis did have to go, and though it left us a man down he would have been crucified further if he didn't make the challenge. Thought everyone else was fine and certainly nothing to feel too downtrodden over. Get an early goal over there and I can honestly see them bottling it.

 

[warringtonblue]

A few of the posts on here mention anout tackling and diving saying that you can't tackle in the champions league like you do in the prem or you give away free kicks and pick up booking
Danny Alves managed to give away 4 fouls before receiving the card, I just wish we had been offered the same leniency.
No real complaints about the loss, just s shame we conceded at the death
In a perverse way I was a little disappointed I'm Messi's contribution, I was expecting more from him