Crystal Palace (H) - Post-Match Thread

[blueabdi]

Our wide players were not dangerous,
Foden is best playing at left wing
Mahrez should start ahead of grealish
kdb needs break, he is been so poor
Stones and diaz should partner at the back
We need striker

 

[ancoats]

View attachment 29039

lee i said the same thing

i just get the feeling we are champions league or nothing this season
if we do some how win it then changes will happen and pep will step down and let somebody else build the new team for the next 5 years ?

don't get me wrong we have a load of good young players and a spine but without a striker to lead the line.
we was always told you defend from the front with the strikers. i think the club need to really go out and buy 2 world class strikers. hopefully in the winter window we can sign haaland and forget the price just get him signed

 

[Chi-town blues]

Looks like the team is burned out from high pressing few games before west ham .
Need to conserve more energy like before .

 

[Atypical]

The sending off was correct and Phil was offside.

Palace got their early goal and played on the break.

City play a very specific system under Pep, and in some games it has looked a bit shit, Is that because some players are off form, we have been worked out, we can’t change due to the lack of a number 9, or a lot of the same type of players.

Hopefully Pep knows, like he did last year.

 

[Scottish Cityzen]

Not like us to have two fairly insipid performances back to back.

Whatever is up with KDB needs to be addressed - if he needs rest, recuperation or an op to sort out his ankle then we need to bite the bullet and do it. Or if it’s just simple poor form then he needs benched for a spell in the big games.

The positives are that we are not in as big a hole as we were last season but we need to find our groove quickly.

If Laporte hadn’t fucked up for the first goal (or Eddie had bailed him out) then we might have been looking at another frustrating draw.

We looked like we were lacking confidence and belief yesterday which isn’t like us.

Based in the last two we should see Stones work his way back in, I’d like to see Zinchenko come back in at LB, think we would benefit from his ball retention, heart and composure (and Cancelo has pissed me off with his erratic recent performances).

Yes, Grealish isn’t setting the world on fire these past few games but overall he’s made a decent start to his time with us, plenty of our squad had much poorer first seasons adapting to our style.

Hopefully Gundog feels like coming to the fore in the run up to Xmas, or give Phil an opportunity in there.

Let’s get the chins up for Bruge, get some goals knocked in and be on the front foot for the Rags next Saturday.

 

[Kinkladze 1]

I think the top brass have got complacent on the football side of things - They're probably more interested in attracting sponsors, advertisers, etc rather than players.

To be honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Txiki goes back for Kane in January, hoping to get him 'on the cheap' - Especially now he's effectively downed tools at Spurs.

We've got too many players approaching their sell-by dates, and not enough talent coming through the EDS. If we don't make a few 'marquee' signings over the next two windows, we're at risk of falling out of the top 4... Just in time for Pep to leave.

“not enough talent coming through the EDS” that’s a bit of a stretch I’d say!

 

[lasereyes]

Not like us to have two fairly insipid performances back to back.

Whatever is up with KDB needs to be addressed - if he needs rest, recuperation or an op to sort out his ankle then we need to bite the bullet and do it. Or if it’s just simple poor form then he needs benched for a spell in the big games.

The positives are that we are not in as big a hole as we were last season but we need to find our groove quickly.

If Laporte hadn’t fucked up for the first goal (or Eddie had bailed him out) then we might have been looking at another frustrating draw.

We looked like we were lacking confidence and belief yesterday which isn’t like us.

Based in the last two we should see Stones work his way back in, I’d like to see Zinchenko come back in at LB, think we would benefit from his ball retention, heart and composure (and Cancelo has pissed me off with his erratic recent performances).

Yes, Grealish isn’t setting the world on fire these past few games but overall he’s made a decent start to his time with us, plenty of our squad had much poorer first seasons adapting to our style.

Hopefully Gundog feels like coming to the fore in the run up to Xmas, or give Phil an opportunity in there.

Let’s get the chins up for Bruge, get some goals knocked in and be on the front foot for the Rags next Saturday.

This to me is critical. At his best, he is technically excellent, great movement getting into the box, and a pretty slick finisher. We are missing all these three. I would definitely play him against the Scum in place of KDB or Grealish

 

[come-on-barney]

As expected:

Blame the players - check
Blame the officials - check
Crowd wasn’t up for it - check

Tactics were all over the place. Square pegs in round holes that performance. Then we continued to move players around to try and find a solution which resulted with more square pegs.

We lack leaders on the pitch, nobody to get the players going when the chips are down. After the offside goal yesterday you could visibly see the confidence drain from the players.

No real pace in the side. Need a Sane type player that can beat defenders and get fans up out of their seats. Remember that when you got out of your seat as Sane danced passed defenders.

Need to stop playing players out of position. Get back to some solidity which we had with Stones and Dias.

Given Pep was fairly upbeat after the last two games, are we throwing the kitchen sink at the champions league this season.

Plenty of time left to have a good season. Defeat next week and it will certainly get interesting. Hopefully the players and management step up.

 

[Norbert D]

Hes fucking wank, mate.

meh

 

[Norbert D]

There is a lot of truth in this concerning our worrying recruitment strategy. It seems that if Sky Sports narrative is we should sign Kane or Grealish or Slabhead or Sanchez or Fred then in we go. Daren't think who they state will replace Pep.

Grealish is a good player and can get better but one hundred percent was not what we needed, if we are to splurge that amount of money on one player it needs to be something special. I also have my opinions on the academy, so far it has produced one first team regular, the real purpose appears to be a sausage machine to churn out £10m to £20m players who we can then sell on.

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Could KDB have said no to Belgium?

The answer is yes, he wanted to play for his country so your argument is void.

KDB last season for the player he is was average, he was very ordinary at times with flashes or pure brilliance.

His performance away at Arsenal was magnificent, he was unplayable, but since then we have seen decline.

No one is doubting his ability, but physically he looks done, and both club and player needs to seriously think where and what needs to be done, otherwise his career at he very top level will be over.

I would love to see him taken out of the firing line, even if it means losing him for 1/2 a season, because I fear without some R&R we have seen the best of KDB.

Yes, he could have said no to Belgium, but is there a player anywhere who has said no to his country on the basis that 'I'm not fit enough' ? He's 30 - you don't dramatically fall away at that age - or any other age for that matter - it's gradual. Some of the engine parts in this Lamborghini of a player need a bit of work to bring him back to the monstrously good player he is. It's not a case of a clapped out old vehicle being no longer good enough. But having said that, neither you nor I have the detailed facts on his condition, but struggling on the pitch doesn't mean he's physically done.

 

[Scottish Cityzen]

This to me is critical. At his best, he is technically excellent, great movement getting into the box, and a pretty slick finisher. We are missing all these three. I would definitely play him against the Scum in place of KDB or Grealish

Not meant in a critical way at all. He’s had the injury to start his season and is feeling his way back to fitness.

I’m just not assuming he will be able to find his best form straight off but we could surety do with it!

He was the catalyst last season and hopefully is ready to do it again!

 

[stan bowles]

Think City are in a unique position, if teams come to play football against City we tend to win by 4 or 5. If teams are anti football and defend with 10 or 11 behind the ball it's harder for City but City normally find away though once the opponents tire abit.

I dont watch many other games but the few I have seen are more open. I dont see many teams with all behind the ball against the rags or the dippers to the same extent as us. The dippers and rags ping it long for their fast forwards. How do they get teams to come onto them to leave space behind and City cant ?

I would love City for one game ( and refund us lol ) to just pass it around on the edge of our box so the other had to come out. At the moment when City this most of the time the other teams doesn't engage and just sits back. It the other team didnt come out it would be the most boring game in history ! Partially if City did it at away ground, were it is down the home team to try and win.

I expect the rags to put 10 behind the ball at the swamp and be anti football. City should just knock it around our box would be interesting how the rags fans take that.
I wonder which team the press would turn on ;)

For our opponents they only see their team play this way once or twice a season, for us its nearly every home game that's why I call it anti football. And I can see why some people say City are boring to watch. But it takes two teams to play football if one teams is playing not to win...

WHU = Parked the bus
Palace = Parked the bus
Rags= will park the bus

3 teams in a week that wont play good attractive football. I dont expect teams to roll over but I pay big money and want to see a 3-2 even if City lose

Also if the refs did their jobs and booked players for time wasting from the word go, that might help

And when teams do come and sit deep and makes things difficult the last thing you do is gift them a goal after 6 minutes and then commit a professional foul when you're the last defender and end up getting a red card.

 

[lasereyes]

Not meant in a critical way at all. He’s had the injury to start his season and is feeling his way back to fitness.

I’m just not assuming he will be able to find his best form straight off but we could surety do with it!

He was the catalyst last season and hopefully is ready to do it again!

Yeah that's my point. We need to play him to get him back in the groove. A midfield of Gundogan, Rodri and Bernardo will give us a lot of control, supply to the forward line, and the ability to make killer runs into the box in Gundo's case

 

[HarrytheBlue]

Pep is a good manager but please don't elevate him to the status of a god who never makes mistakes. Personally I think we have a number of players currently who have come to the end of the road for various reasons. Pep is doing a good job of shuffling a declining pack he will really earn his corn this season if he gets us one of the big two.

'Pep is a good manager' is the understatement of the year. Don't take the word 'god' too literally. In football terms, his formations, his tactics, the number of goals his teams score, the number of trophies his teams win in such brilliant style, the records he breaks, make him a god of a manager/coach. Whether he adds to his two Champions Leagues remains to be seen. I wouldn't bet against that happening.

 

[Fordyboy46]

If we haven't scored within the first 20 mins at the Etihad then you know it's going to be one of those days, where we could play all night and not score. We quickly run out of ideas, start playing long passes which reach nobody, even short passes don't find their man on a lot of occasions. Will be a totally different performance next week against the rags fingers crossed

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Laportes challenge was crap, but any competent ref would know Walker who is a yard away could easily overtake Zaha with his pace and put a tackle in

Laporte wasn't the last man it was 2 on 1.

Terrible reffereeing from a useless **** of a man

There’s no such thing as “last man”, never has been. it’s simply whether Laporte denied a goal scoring opportunity or not.

 

[Keeper!]

Yes, he could have said no to Belgium, but is there a player anywhere who has said no to his country on the basis that 'I'm not fit enough' ? He's 30 - you don't dramatically fall away at that age - or any other age for that matter - it's gradual. Some of the engine parts in this Lamborghini of a player need a bit of work to bring him back to the monstrously good player he is. It's not a case of a clapped out old vehicle being no longer good enough. But having said that, neither you nor I have the detailed facts on his condition, but struggling on the pitch doesn't mean he's physically done.

His issues look very physical to me, he looks and runs like an old man, he clearly is not fit.

 

[shemnel]

It was a poor game and a poor result. Thought it was a red card myself, others didn't. Move on.

I'm much more in the camp that City can't simply win everything every season, the Carabao had to be relinquished at some point, winning the title is always tough, and we have to accept defeats are just part of football.

However it is hard to ignore patterns, such as home defeats that are almost clones of each other, chunks of the squad going out of form at the same time and this seeming lack of creativity that comes along occasionally. It happens, but I find the defeats with very similar characteristics frustrating

 

[malg]

Only just seen the goals. Oh my life Ederson needs to do better with the first. Shame they don't wear the old keeper's cloth caps as he might as well have just thrown that on the ball. Shocker.