CSKA Post Match Thread

[BlueAnorak]

Well unless YaYa and many others in the team buck up and actually return from their hols and beat CSKA at home and Roma away (and hope Bayern are ruthless against the same opposition), that's Pellers out of a job in the summer.

 

[MihaiCity]

the second half performance was a disgrace wtf happened???? we still have a chance to go trough but that will means that most prob will end up with us being forced to win in rome or something like that....keep the faith blues keep the faith

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Still think our players dont work hard enough to be successful at the highest level. Looking at bayern, full of world cup and champions league winners, are fighting to win the ball back even at 5-0.

Certainly when we need them to in a situation such as today's game. I'm watching CFC, admittedly playing group stage fodder, but they are not strolling through this match. They have players running round like blue-arsed flies! We always stand off and let players come at us. Makes a fuckin' hell of a difference when they have all the time to arrange, re-arrange, decide, change to Plan B and then the ref fucks us!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Anybody want to challenge my belief from a few weeks ago that Pellegrini has taken us as far as he can?

I think he needs to develop a bit more pragmatism at times.

Absolutely. The essential outcome tonight was to get 3 points. Nothing more, nothing less, even it that meant winning a bit ugly. I was a bit surprised that he didn't change things at half time, with us being 2-0 up. Take off Dzeko or Aguero, bring on Clichy and push Kolarov into midfield then get Milner to sit in front of Zabaleta. Take Toure off and bring Fernandinho on, pushing Silva up behind the striker. Then we've got two banks of 4 who can all defend, but with options (in Milner, Kolarov and 'Dinho) to go forward if we get a good chance.

But we did exactly what we laughed at Liverpool for doing at Palace last season and chased the game when we really needed to control it and hang onto what we had. I'm absolutely furious with Pellegrini and I hope Txiki kicks his arse all the way back home for that.

 

[kp789]

Still think our players dont work hard enough to be successful at the highest level. Looking at bayern, full of world cup and champions league winners, are fighting to win the ball back even at 5-0.

Certainly when we need them to in a situation such as today's game. I'm watching CFC, admittedly playing group stage fodder, but they are not strolling through this match. They have players running round like blue-arsed flies! We always stand off and let players come at us. Makes a fuckin' hell of a difference when they have all the time to arrange, re-arrange, decide, change to Plan B and then the ref fucks us!

Complacency seems to be a big issue for some of our players, particularly a few of the bigger names.

 

[blue ranger]

The only 2 players to come out of tonight's game with any credit were Hart and Fernando. Hart had little chance with either goal while I thought Fernando worked his bollocks off again with little support from lazy arse Yaya.

Thought the manager got his subs totally and utterly wrong again. At 2-0 he should have closed the game off. We should have stuck MDM right in front of the back 4 and took Aguero off other than Dzeko who I thought was marginally better.

Bringing on navas was a joke. The top managers make sure their team don't mess up games like that. It isn't good enough and yet again inept management in Europe by our manager.

Had enough of players like Kolarov allowing players to run in behind them or Yaya trying fancy flicks and not tracking runs. Mangala looks far from a £30mil player and over the last couple of years I still maintain Nastasic had the most potential.

 

[warringtonblue]

the second half performance was a disgrace wtf happened???? we still have a chance to go trough but that will means that most prob will end up with us being forced to win in rome or something like that....keep the faith blues keep the faith

If it does come down to this game and we lose, it's Thursday Sunday for us for a while, that I can do without!

 

[Rodney]

bayern's got 5 by the way

It won't matter if they score Ten!!

The fact is that we will struggle to win in Rome and the head to head counts

BTW Roma beat Moscow 6-1

What does thta say about us?

I am tired of this little fucking club mentality many of our supporters have

It is time we held players and the manager to account!

err, how exactly?

 

[BigJoe#1]

Anybody want to challenge my belief from a few weeks ago that Pellegrini has taken us as far as he can?

I think he needs to develop a bit more pragmatism at times.

Absolutely. The essential outcome tonight was to get 3 points. Nothing more, nothing less, even it that meant winning a bit ugly. I was a bit surprised that he didn't change things at half time, with us being 2-0 up. Take off Dzeko or Aguero, bring on Clichy and push Kolarov into midfield then get Milner to sit in front of Zabaleta. Take Toure off and bring Fernandinho on, pushing Silva up behind the striker. Then we've got two banks of 4 who can all defend, but with options (in Milner, Kolarov and 'Dinho) to go forward if we get a good chance.

But we did exactly what we laughed at Liverpool for doing at Palace last season and chased the game when we really needed to control it and hang onto what we had. I'm absolutely furious with Pellegrini and I hope Txiki kicks his arse all the way back home for that.

Good suggestion there PB, on all counts, substitutions, tactics and arse kicking!

 

[Utter bobbins]

Guess we didn't win then

 

[kp789]

bayern's got 5 by the way

It won't matter if they score Ten!!

The fact is that we will struggle to win in Rome and the head to head counts

BTW Roma beat Moscow 6-1

What does thta say about us?

I am tired of this little fucking club mentality many of our supporters have

It is time we held players and the manager to account!

err, how exactly?

Roma are getting hammered by Bayern, who we lost to by the slimmest of margins so what does that say about us?

 

[kas_tippler]

Swales out!!!!

 

[GoMancini7]

I am actually scared that Bayern will do the same to us that they do to Roma now. Will need another Hart parade performance for sure. Dont trust Pellegrini to go 451 defensive style vs Bayern at home, but then if we try to play being very open Bayern will just get too many decent chances.

Our CL record is simply pretty bad, no other way to say it. We played about 25 games in CL so far and we hardly had any clean sheets maybe 2-3. Plzen and a relegated Villarreal comes to mind. We cant defend well at this level.

What is bit sad because under Mancini it was Lescott and Barry in the team and we should have go and buy real upgrades on them. We did and spent lot of money on Fernando, Fernandinho, Mangala etc, but our defending as a team isnt any better is it? Acrtually tactics became more attacking but lot more open.

I think we do only half the job, we dont press as Barca did years ago, but we want to be same open. We should press opponent, win balls back high up the pitch with this style.

But we opt not to do that because some of our players doesnt like really hard work off the ball Silva, Agüero, Yaya etc, and we try to play to their strengths but defending drinks the piss for it...

To be fair we are still very far from a decent CL team, even if go trough from this group what I doubt we would meet Atletico, Barca, Juve, Real next round and we probably would lose both tie and would be out of it.
We still arent comfortably better than CSKA, Roma, Schalke level of teams. Even with lot more expensive squads than them. Then what do we want vs Real, Bayern in the knock out stages?

Mentality+ tactics. When we have a CL game we usually have big problems both in mentality and tactics. Andplayers performing to their potential. Or actually not performing to it.

 

[BlueTaylor91]

What is wrong with everyone in here!!!

We will qualify!

Bayern beat Roma
We beat Moscow.

We will beat Roma away

 

[BLUEMATT23]

Conclusion:
We haven't improved in 4 CL seasons. Still look completely and utterly out of our depth and a million miles away from ever competing for the final.
Given the players we have it is unforgivable, maybe the club need to be utterly ruthless and axe the manager and get in Pep sooner or later because Manuel looks just like Mancini when it comes to European football at the moment and the question must be asked by the owners given the squad why are they playing so badly in Europe time after time?. It really is not good enough.

 

[crmcfc]

Its fair that Pellergrini is getting some stick on here a Sunday league manager would have known to play one up front tonight any one with a brain said so beforehand.

But how do you legislate for Kompany, Zabaleta, Silva, Toure Milner (obviously), Fernando and Dzeko all turning in absolutely shambolic performances in the 2nd half that from a professional point of view beggared belief. No matter what formation or tactics you have would not have worked the way they were playing. They need a good bollocking (but from who? its easy come easy go at the club) there is more to it than picking you money up in these games we are undone time and time again in CL.

I am sorry everyone but we need to talk about James (aka Jimmy, Jamie) at some point....but not tonight......

You missed Mangala, Kolorov and Navas from that list.

Well yes but did not think they where quite as bad plus we already know Mangala, Navas and Kolarov are not up to so its not such a surprise from them.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

What is wrong with everyone in here!!!

We will qualify!

Bayern beat Roma
We beat Moscow.

We will beat Roma away

you missed a bit

city lose to bayern
roma beat moscow...
try again

 

[Hung]

The Yaya ‘issue’ has been done to death, but the fact is, with him in the team these days, we are half a man down in the middle of the park. We are not allowed to drop him and it seems we are not allowed to even substitute him. If you add that to a poor performance from a few others and we look ordinary. Against the better teams, the Yaya ‘issue’ will cost us. We can roll over the cannon fodder (unless those around him are having a mare), but we’ll come unstuck against our competitors.

We need to find some courage to deal with him in the very, very near future.

 

[chedlee]

I went to watch York v Shrewsbury on Saturday. That was bad. That was where were until quite recently.
We need to be very careful, some people on here are starting to believe the hype.
Being really good is what we have achieved and that entitles us to feel aggrieved when we play as badly as we did in the second half tonight.
Being great takes years of success and belief and we aren't there yet and its that step that we need to take to be successful in Europe.
Personally, I hate the champions league and I couldn't give a flying fiddlers about it... but I always want city to win and as that is seen as the ultimate in European club success that has to be our aim.
But lets be patient and be a bit grateful/humble for what we've enjoyed the past few seasons, its been a long time coming and will be hard fought to maintain.

 

[Pigeonho]

I disagree. It happened almost overnight with Atletico and Dortmund. They just sprang to life quickly and challenged for the trophy. No reason we should not be challenging, except... well, I question the players more than the manager. There is a collective lack of hunger that has spanned two completely different regimes (authoritarian Mancini and loveable Pellegrini).

Two things Atletico and Dortmund had in common despite playing totally different styles: they were fearless and got in the face of any team, no matter what their standing and reputation.

Maybe it is an actual club thing, as stupid and far fetched as that sounds. I've heard before how we seem to just not believe in ourselves in the competition. It csmt be the players because we have world cups winners amongst us and players who have played for some huge clubs. It feels like a curse in thst sense, like we just don't believe. Thst of course has to be bollocks though.

I'd put it more down to the fact that Atletico and Dortmund are two teams that have a well drilled formation. Every player knows their role and if one players is missing, another one can replace them with minimal fuss. You only have to look at the players they have lost in past transfer windows and see their current CL performances to prove this.

Although they do have players who are a lot better than others like Reus and Koke, the fact is Atletico and Dortmund can adapt a lot better with the loss of their stars than we can.

We still seem to be a team based upon individual quality rather than a collective team effort. Until this is addressed I cannot see us reaching our potential.

Cracking post, well put. Is thst not the 'problem' with our own philosophy then? Buying players and appointing managers when it doesn't work out for their respective predecessors? Is thst why Klopp could fail here?