Agree to disagree, I'm more concerned with Phils form tbh,He's been looking like a passenger in most games over the last couple of seasons.
Those 'moments of brilliance' are fewer and further between. I've said before that imo he's now a ten minute player. One who may come off the bench and just get us over the line every now and then.
This season has been the chance for Phil Foden to step up in the KDB role, but he hasn't. He's not looked anywhere near as capable.
Pep could have tried Jack Grealish in the role, but it seems that he doesn't trust him in the middle.
Cole Palmer was probably the best lad for the job, but hey ho, that's not happening.
Agree with this, we were certainly doing lots of things differently in the first 45 minutes at least, however things weren't coming off. The header off the post should be working the keeper (he didn't move so on target it's a goal). Bernardo's shot (well) wide should be working the keeper too. There was a fantastic KdB style cross from Foden, somebody should be on the end of that for a tap in.Exactly — bit puzzled by those who think this performance was “just like” the others; we were trying new things today — route 1, faster tempo, dribbling AT defenders — not things I’d seen much of any of for two months.
The coach is the conductor of the orchastra,sets the beat, rhythym and pace.
The orchastra follows the conductor or is out of tune.
Our players are playing to Peps rhythym which is too slow, predictable and so easy to defend against now.
Everton set up to allow Ake and Akanji to have possession knowing they were slow and could'nt pass killer balls.
Ortega had no one else to pass to cos Phil, Bernardo & Kova were not making themselves available to receive the ball deep.
We played to the beat of a funeral drum....AGAIN....AGAIN....AGAIN....
and the players are playing to the instructions of the conductor.
Again the substitutions were at least 15/20 minutes too late.
Doku cant play or concentrate for 60 minutes,so sub him on 50 minutes, NOT 78 !!
I could go on and on but, until we change most elements of our structure,tactics and game mananagement, not much will improve.
End of a magnificent, glorious era !!
I thought we mostly played OK today, bar one or two players. The problem is from where we wer playing before this run started and now, the margins are small, a pass we completed 99% then, we're now only 95%, and so they are taking less risk. It's a bit of a chicken or egg question.
Today we were undone by some shit defending, but overall I thought the defence played quite well, not sure who it was who kicked or headed the ball straight up before their equaliser, but that was poor defending, the ball over the top of Gvardiol was a good ball, but compounded by a sloppy pass in the build up.
We went in at 1-1 at HT, when realistically we should have been 3-0 up by then, and they probably don't score that, and we'd probably defend it a whole lot better.
Players today who I thought played quite well, Bernardo, Ake, Kovacic, Lewis (poor on the goal - ball watching), Ortega and Akanji didn't do much wrong either.
Players who I thought wre quite poor, Haaland, Savinho, Doku (who was at least trying his best, but just makes the wrong decision nearly every time). Gvardiol head went after the goal, and though he did some good things still his confidence looks shot.
I'm most worried about Foden though, yes he's badly out of form, but he doesn't seem to know what his role is, and was often hiding behind their players.
Of the subs, I didn't think any did much useful, apart from Simpson-Pusey who looked comfotable enough.
I just think it's small margins mostly, we're drawing games we would have won 6 months ago, and losing games we'd have drawn, but we've been quite ordinary most of the season even before this run. The one really stand out dreadful result was spurs, who frankly weren't great, and have been poor since.
Yeah I thought it was, but we should still have cleared the ball, insted it went straight up in the penalty area, and then Lewis was guilty of ball watching.Doku was at fault for the Everton goal losing possession & I thought was fucking horrendous all game.
Tried to control the ball coming down from 20 ft instead of just clearing it..been saying the lad is not good enough.Doku was at fault for the Everton goal losing possession & I thought was fucking horrendous all game.
Well Arsenal and Chelsea could not score against them and they hammered Wolves 4-0, so certainly not a walkover. :)Fucking hell mate they were dire… we made them look half decent. unless I’ve just been clarkied
It was a microcosm of the season. If memory serves Savinho passed inside waywardly with players all committedThe chance that everton blew at the end, was this season in a nutshell. 2 defenders against 4 attackers, but chance not taken. I think over all we were a bit better today
He’s better in the pockets.Can the Sheik play fullback?
Then in the second half, once again large banging and clanking coming through the PA system, it sounded like someone had left their mobile MIC on and was having a shit.
Some people simply don't want to acknowledge what's happening in front of their very eyes.The danger is people actually believe we've been unlucky and are simply not taking our chances.
That would be to ignore a plethora of other issues.
Agree that things weren't coming off but they were closer to doing so -- though perhaps that's down to the opponent.Agree with this, we were certainly doing lots of things differently in the first 45 minutes at least, however things weren't coming off. The header off the post should be working the keeper (he didn't move so on target it's a goal). Bernardo's shot (well) wide should be working the keeper too. There was a fantastic KdB style cross from Foden, somebody should be on the end of that for a tap in.
The "dribbling" though is an issue for me, Savinho runs into dead ends constantly, and is like a wet lettuce when tackled, Doke dribbles one way then turns back or into a crowd and gives it away nearly every time. The route 1 should work more often than it does too.
It wasn’t pretty that last 15 mins was it for the umpteenth time this season.We had a decent start today, but the reality is any team that runs out of gas every game on 60 mins like we do doesn’t have a chance of winning games.
Sides better than Everton would have scored 2 or 3 goals against us in the shambolic last 15 mins where every City attack shortly reverted to a 4 on 2 Everton attack.
It bloody was turgid at times ..Turgid FC.
Absolute rubbish.
It was defo turgid at times..Turgid FC.
Absolute rubbish.
Rinse and repeat. The more we make 30 sideways passes at the edge of opposition box in the last 1/4 of the games the more likely we are to lose.It wasn’t pretty that last 15 mins was it for the umpteenth time this season.
Agree re Akanji. Back to his first season sloppy performance play.Amongst the many worrying things to come out of this horrific run is the downturn in the second half performances.
Previously it never worried me losing at HT because we always seemed to play better in the second half.
Is it tiredness or a change in tactics or do we change tactics in anticipation of tiredness setting in on an ageing team.
Where did the quick passing (quicker than in the previous matches) go to in that second half.
Doku has come in for a lot of flak today but by the time we got the ball out to him there were sometimes 4 players surrounding him, we were that slow.
Also agree with some of the comments about Akanji, if he sticks to the basics like in his first season he is a 9/10 defender but I think he thinks he’s a better footballer than he really is…..poor going down as though he had been shot after losing that header near the end. He also slows down the tempo.
No I was there at the final whistle.you mustve left before the end...
Well we better win the matches before that run starting with Leicester this Sunday.Rinse and repeat. The more we make 30 sideways passes at the edge of opposition box in the last 1/4 of the games the more likely we are to lose.
Gonna get a lot worse - the run of fixtures from 22nd Jan is horrendous.