CSKA Post Match Thread

[OB1]

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!

And if we can see it, why the fuck can't the man who's paid £3.5m a year see it?

Different people see different things. I would only have changed things when CSKA started to gain some traction in the game and I would have taken Dzeko off and brought Dinho on.

The idea that Pellegrini can't see things fans does is specious; Pellegrini chooses to do things in a particular way and he won two trophies doing it last season.

He may decide to be more pragmatic in the UCL at some point; just as he did with Malaga. You asked earlier if someone would challenge your idea that he had taken us as far as he could? Well, he went further in the UCL with two weaker sides than City so history suggests that he can go further with City.
The problem that I am sure he is grappling with is playing as he would against stronger opposition against weaker opposition: he has not resorted to that level of pragmatism yet; he may have to but I do not think he will rush into it.

 

[eversince 76]

Somehow we are so poor playing in this commercially monstrous competition l am at a point l can't care less if we are part of it. Sheik Mansour however will disagree. In lifeless Moscow we surrendered to whatever and whoever we dislike: UEFA, fair play rules, Platini, Moscow and their dreadfull fans ... We are not worth representing England as champions. I just hope it won't haunt us on Saturday and the weeks after for as long as we are in this league.

 

[TheThirdDeano]

I feel like breaking my own rule and posting for the third time in the same thread:

I don't blame Pellegrini for tonight, in fact I think his changes were all good choices, although arguably aguero should have gone rather than dzeko but that's by the by.
We were lacking speed and urgency going forward. Navas is quick and good holding the ball up on the edge of their area, ushering us forward, the use of both were shown in the final few minutes when we decided to play again.
Fernandinho was brought on to plug the midfield but frankly it was like trying to use a cork to plug the hole in the side of the titanic. but this wasn't down to anything other than the players performances.
Jovetic was simply an attacking move, a final roll of the dice with Pelle is more than entitled, almost encouraged, to have done at that time.

This loss is down to nothing other than the players. Kompany was bad, looked shaky in possession and was far too often found out of position.
Mangala is still learning and so put a bad shift in, the lad is still young and shows very positive signs. Still he was poor tonight.
Kolarov gave the ball away time and time again.
Yaya was attempting flicks and dinks that he had no earthly right to try and the times he did, proof of this is just before the penalty is given.
Silva, apart from his glorious chip through was largely invisible and ineffective.
Zaba was rather shaky and didn't look like his marauding self.
Fernando was another one who had a vendetta against using his possession usefully and ended up losing it.
Milner was average
Aguero was good but again nowhere near his best.
Dzeko was overall quite alright and it's debatable whether or not he should have been taken off.

This issue here, as with every European and domestic game we've thrown away is the attitude of the club, for whatever reason we simply do not step up, and when we do we seem to take our foot off the opponents neck which we simply cannot afford to do this any more, especially if we want to get anywhere in Europe. We had these issues when we first stepped into Europe and we still have these issues now, and that leads me to believe it's not the managers that's the issue here.

I will make it clear: I am not saying pellegrini is immune from criticism, I am however saying that tonight as with previous games, and games we played like this under Mancini, tonight was not pellegrini's fault.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

And Bayern only won 1-0 in Moscow with a fucking penalty. To many slapped arses on here, we're not out of this by a fucking long shot yet.
Beat Moscow and hope Munich destroy Roma again, in out hands still.

Funny isn't it, how Bayern get a penalty, we're denied a stoner and the ref shafts us with a fictitious one!

Have Bayern, Madrid, Barca, MANUre ever been on the shitty end of that kind of thing? I suspect not!

No probably not.

I'd love to know how many key incorrect decisions we've had against us in this corrupt competition now. Anyone want to work it out? I can't be arsed but I guess it'll be double figures.

Our second goal could easily have been given as offside against Zabaleta. Kolorov as per fucking usual didn't use his brain in the area and got the wrong side of the forward. He certainly didn't get the ball and the player gave the ref the chance to make the decision. Yaya gives the ball away, the cross comes in too easily and Kolorov fucks up. Ultimately that was down to our players ineptitude as well as a players diving conning the ref.

 

[Rodney]

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?

By making it clear that this performance is unacceptable!!

The trouble with us is we are too loyal to managers

We are grateful for them leading us to win trophies....but should be asking should they have done it more easily

Not sure really. No one wants CL success more than Khaldoon and Sheikh Mansour, they will hold people to account if need be.

I don't think the performance was unacceptable (being 5-0 down at half time at home is unacceptable), but I agree that in the second half we lost our way.

 

[oasis-city-greek-fan]

Pelle doesn t look at opponents weakness not before not even during the game...He lives in his own world!!! This is NOT a CL winning behaviour

 

[BobKowalski]

Its CSKA striker , Musa before the game:

We're going to use that advantage because in the couple of two games they played they are not that good," he said.
"We know their weak point - they are very weak in their defence - so we are going to try to do our best to work against that."

If even a team like CSKA knows our weaknesses and able to punish it even tell it before the game like this thats really fucking sad and reflects bad on the manager.

Yet a pre eir league title and league cup in his first year I charge says otherwise. I'm stunned these lists slating the manager aren't being more heavily criticised, yet posters like me who question those posts get accused of stirring shit.

The two issues are not mutually exclusive. We do have a weakness in defence. We had it last season too but our strategy is to overwhelm with superior players/firepower and in the PL we invariably make it work. In the CL this strategy does not work. This season in the PL we now have a comparable opponent in Chelsea so it remains to be seen whether we make it work again.

But in the CL what we do now simply does not work and hoping it does is not a viable plan.

 

[nellyonthewing]

We get dicked because we are so pedestrian in central midfield. The better sides know they can push numbers into that area and Toure will get brushed aside -then they swamp the back 4. Toure is a defensive liability against fast sides and it costs us time and again.

 

[jrb]

Another very disappointing CL night. I'll leave it at that.

 

[mad zab]

I feel like breaking my own rule and posting for the third time in the same thread:

I don't blame Pellegrini for tonight, in fact I think his changes were all good choices, although arguably aguero should have gone rather than dzeko but that's by the by.
We were lacking speed and urgency going forward. Navas is quick and good holding the ball up on the edge of their area, ushering us forward, the use of both were shown in the final few minutes when we decided to play again.
Fernandinho was brought on to plug the midfield but frankly it was like trying to use a cork to plug the hole in the side of the titanic. but this wasn't down to anything other than the players performances.
Jovetic was simply an attacking move, a final roll of the dice with Pelle is more than entitled, almost encouraged, to have done at that time.

This loss is down to nothing other than the players. Kompany was bad, looked shaky in possession and was far too often found out of position.
Mangala is still learning and so put a bad shift in, the lad is still young and shows very positive signs. Still he was poor tonight.
Kolarov gave the ball away time and time again.
Yaya was attempting flicks and dinks that he had no earthly right to try and the times he did, proof of this is just before the penalty is given.
Silva, apart from his glorious chip through was largely invisible and ineffective.
Zaba was rather shaky and didn't look like his marauding self.
Fernando was another one who had a vendetta against using his possession usefully and ended up losing it.
Milner was average
Aguero was good but again nowhere near his best.
Dzeko was overall quite alright and it's debatable whether or not he should have been taken off.

This issue here, as with every European and domestic game we've thrown away is the attitude of the club, for whatever reason we simply do not step up, and when we do we seem to take our foot off the opponents neck which we simply cannot afford to do this any more, especially if we want to get anywhere in Europe. We had these issues when we first stepped into Europe and we still have these issues now, and that leads me to believe it's not the managers that's the issue here.

I will make it clear: I am not saying pellegrini is immune from criticism, I am however saying that tonight as with previous games, and games we played like this under Mancini, tonight was not pellegrini's fault.

Of course it was

He picked the team....the formation and the tactics

If he had taken Toure off rather than Silva then I may have given him some slack.....however like Mancini he showed he didn't have the bottle to take off the so called big players who might rock the boat....this is why we didn't win so please stop making excuses for him!!