City Vs Liverpool Post Match Discussion Thread

[dctid]

Don't get too depressed - it was all pretty predictable - as bad as we were, we totally bossed the 2nd half, and we lost the match due to a stupid penalty.
1-0 isn't a disaster and Liverpool have been pretty rubbish at home. Hopefully, Silva will be back and we will pose more of a threat - perhaps we'll sign somebody, or have a fit Balo available.
We can still get through, and if not, we can improve massively for the premier league run in when we're back to full strength and blow everyone out of the water from Feb onwards.
Biggest concern is that Johnson, Savic and Kolarov are clearly inadequate and barely first team material when our stars aren't available to give them time and space to shine.

Yep sums it up nicely except for adding that Nasri needs to do better

We didn't "boss" the second half. We were allowed to play in front of Liverpool's defence. Which is what 99% of the teams who come to the Etihad allow us to do. The difference between tonight and the rest of the season is we didn't create a fucking thing, and, we didn't have a single player behind the "attacking" players with the ability to cause a problem and be the extra man.

Exactly

 

[sincity]

I couldn't see any "crazy stunts" by Balotelli on the pitch. He clearly didn't look 100%. Mancini gambled on his fitness - unsuccessfully.

I also think you're rather too kind to Savic, although that balances the many other posts who are far too hard on him.

As for strikers, I'm sure Aguero for one can shoot low, as he has demonstrated over and over and over again in his career. He still looked by far the best chance of City getting a goal tonight - look at the way when, surrounded by 4 Liverpool defenders, he still managed to get in a shot - a low one by the way.

(Is it a coincidence that the only two players you mention favourably are Balkan ones? Forgive me for my suspicions if unjustified, but there are too many posters who seem to be Bosnio-/Balkanophiles rather than true City supporters).

I agree with you on the ref. however - he showed up how poor Foy was.

By crazy stunts, i refer to the tantrum he pulled when he did not get a foul...then the other incident where he almost got into a fight with Charlie Adam, if Milner hadn't stopped him, all in the first 30 mins...if he was not fully fit, then maybe Mancini should not have taken a gamble with him, Nasri played much better when he came on...

Savic, I keep watching the penalty incident but cannot find a serious infringement...there was obviously some contact, and the Liverpool player made the most of it. For the rest of the match, he rarely ventured forward and kept passing, probably because he lost his confidence, but I did not see him commit a serious mistake after the penalty incident..

I, very well know that strikers like Aguero can shoot low, but somehow it did not happen in this match. Watch the match again, he did miss a sitter by shooting high, when a simple tap-in was enough..Yes, he was still one of the best City player (I would give that to Micah) on the pitch but it was not the best of performances from him, and he and Mancini know that..I am a big fan of Aguero, and know that he usually sets very high standards for himself...

And no, I am not part of the Bosnio-/Balkanophiles that you mention, just a fan frustrated at the outcome of the match, and trying to analyze where the weak points were..
FWIW, Dzeko was totally anonymous when he came on, though I don't think he's an impact striker anyway and should have played from the start...and I feel the only reason Mancini persists with Kolarov is that he's probably the only one in the team who can take a proper free-kick, even though his conversion rate is still pretty poor..his passing and defensive capabilities are atrocious..

I thought Micah and Joe Hart were the best of an average lot, followed by Clichy, Milner and Barry.. Adam Johnson was finally showing some of his talent towards the end with some great through passes, but it was not enough, he really needs to develop his overall game...

 

[Nelly's Left Foot]

Mario was fit.Milner did brilliantly stopping him getting at Adam but that overreaction I am sure was part of the reason Mancini took Mario off.That and needing an extra body to compete for the ball in midfield.

 

[Anonymous]

Mario was fit.Milner did brilliantly stopping him getting at Adam but that overreaction I am sure was part of the reason Mancini took Mario off.That and needing an extra body to compete for the ball in midfield.

marios didn't look fit to me, he was right in front of me for the whole time he played and was hobbling about from the start, everyone around me was saying the same.

 

[Nelly's Left Foot]

Mario was fit.Milner did brilliantly stopping him getting at Adam but that overreaction I am sure was part of the reason Mancini took Mario off.That and needing an extra body to compete for the ball in midfield.

marios didn't look fit to me, he was right in front of me for the whole time he played and was hobbling about from the start, everyone around me was saying the same.

So you are saying that Mancini was totally wrong in selecting him if he was "hobbling" from the start. He wasnt when I watched him, although the moody strut was there for sure.

No he was fine and my guess still is,even though I expect his ankle will be used as the reason for the early change to avoid too much being made of it.

 

[bluecroi]

I got a text from a mate of mine, he said he saw it on twitter.

Man City have been missing a few things recently. Ones a title, two's a Kompany, three's a crowd.

Can't say I laughed.
He said we were lucky Liverpool stopped playing in the second half, just like the rags did, but we couldn't admit it.

Oh what are friends for..

An awful night. At least it wasn't the Premiership.

 

[Super David Silva 21]

How bad was the result really??????

They win the leg with a penalty and only in the first half did they really test us, second half i thought we did quite alright, only real thing i would have done is started with Nasri in a Silva role.

 

[Anonymous]

Mario was fit.Milner did brilliantly stopping him getting at Adam but that overreaction I am sure was part of the reason Mancini took Mario off.That and needing an extra body to compete for the ball in midfield.

marios didn't look fit to me, he was right in front of me for the whole time he played and was hobbling about from the start, everyone around me was saying the same.

So you are saying that Mancini was totally wrong in selecting him if he was "hobbling" from the start. He wasnt when I watched him, although the moody strut was there for sure.

No he was fine and my guess still is,even though I expect his ankle will be used as the reason for the early change to avoid too much being made of it.

well as i say he was right in front of me for all the time he played and he din't look right at all, whether something happened really early or not i don't know.

 

[Nelly's Left Foot]

How bad was the result really??????

They win the leg with a penalty and only in the first half did they really test us, second half i thought we did quite alright, only real thing i would have done is started with Nasri in a Silva role.

Liverpool ran the game from start to finish.It was our good fortune that they decided not to go for more goals and just shut up shop.We huffed and puffed a bit but seriously didnt look like scoring. They may regret that as we can do them at Anfield.

 

[WNRH]

Liverpool were terrible, they really were, if we had an ounce of quality in our side tonight it would have been the same story as last week. Instead we had no quality and they got a chance with a pen.

Hart 9
Richards 9
Savic 5
Lescott 6
Clichy 7

Milner 8
Barry 5
de Jong 5
Johnson 4

Aguero 4
Balotelli 5

Nasri 5, Dzeko 6, Kolarov 2

High marks maybe for Richards and Milner but i was impressed by their heart more than their ability tonight.

I don't rate Denis Suarez as much as some fans do but i fail to see how he would have done any worse than Nasri tonight, and that tells you everything about Nasri, looking like one huge flop.