FA Cup 5th Round Draw (against Chelsea Home)

[Manx Blue]

Do we not play Barca on the Tuesday and not Wednesday as people are stating?

That is correct, Tuesday.

Thank you lalala.

This means we should be playing on Saturday lunchtime

 

[Rammy Blue]

Well tbh I'm more interested in the game against the chavs on Monday week.

 

[Bottomless_Sailor]

Re: FA Cup 5th Round Draw

Have a feeling both Chelsea and us will rest a few players.

Jose Mourinho played Barcelona away with Real Madrid in the semi-finals 2nd leg of Copa Del Rey last season, score 2-2 from first leg and with the 2nd leg vs Manchester United in Champions League 2 days later.

Played a completely 2nd string side, and still won both matches. I'd rather Pellers copy his strategy rather than send our first team out to run on empty vs Barcelona (the bigger of the two matches). The worst that happens is we get knocked out of the FA Cup, which would be understandable in the circumstances.

WTF will Chelsea rest players?

They play their league game on the Tuesday (we are on Wednesday) and they don't have chmpions league the following week.

Ah didn't realise Chelsea didn't have a game. Still, same applies to us. I'm sure our squad was built for these weeks, not on the idea that we'd be playing Coventry and Bolton around the crunch points of the season.

On the downside the team Barcelona are playing on the Sunday before us are on Sky Sports 1 now, and they're pants.

 

[George Hannah]

this fixture list will concentrate the players' minds wonderfully and does Manuel's motivation job for him - life at the top!

 

[Henkeman]

Playing Chelsea on the Sunday would be a bit much. Presumably there's something preventing that? Otherwise, Saturday is plenty of time to recover.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

You're not getting my point are you?

He's stating that we're the end product (finished article) yet Pellers has only been at City the same time as he's been at Chelsea, how does that work?

He thinks Chelsea is still work in progress, if that's the case, so are we?

I get your point, but I see it as great mind game rhetoric from Mourinho. Does he mean City have a long way to go, or actually his own Chelsea team?

Is it a jibe at his opponents, or a mitigating statement for the team he's still building? Is he critiquing us or motivating them?

He's played the media perfectly there.

None of the above, he's shitting himself, the draw was his worst nightmare.

It's a get out clause if his team gets owned twice in a month at our place, "we're work in progress" blah blah blah

It makes a change from "City should win everything with that squad" quote though?

He's laying down the old win/win scenario but deep down he's shitting himself.

MP has a score to settle, I think he's all in for this fixture..........

That's exactly how I read it, too, fella. Most managerial "mind games" are simply in the minds of fans. This is Mourinho managing expectations and taking pressure off himself and his squad. He knows we have a better team. As you say, I suspect MP is desperate to get some payback on him.

 

[ONTHERUNWITHTHAKSIN]

I'm loving this ride and don't ever want to get off.

 

[samharris]

Jesus fucking Christ.
What a small time defeatist attitude some folk have.
Years in the wilderness, and now we fear nobody.
Except some of us still do.
But I'm sure they're right, as they always are.

We fear nobody yet we have a losers mentality..

Im still thinking on that one;)

Keep thinking, Sam - I'm sure you can work this one out if you apply yourself.

Think you may have crossed wires fella..im with you..( was in response to damocles)

I just hope we dont take Chelsea and Barca for granted!!

 

[cavendishblue]

Re: FA Cup 5th Round Draw

We have the worst February fixtures I have ever seen. Surely now signings need to be made because that is going to push our squad to breaking point.

Spot on - the quality in depth myth is just that. We have about 16 top players, a couple will be out injured. We couldn't get away with Rodwell, Lopes, Jovetic and Richards against Watford at home . Optimism has its place but beating Chelsea or Barca will take a lot out of the players and require all the first 11. Who the hell are we going to play against Sunderland a couple of days before if all the top players are needed for both Chelsea and Barca? If we go for a mix of 1st & 2nd rank players in each game I could easily see us dropping home points to Sunderland, getting a replay at the Bridge and losing it and not doing nearly enough in the 1st leg against Barca to go through over too legs. We would not be the first team to fall between the stools going gung-ho in all competitions and for those who believe we have 2 world class players for each position, we don't!

 

[Manx Blue]

Do we not play Barca on the Tuesday and not Wednesday as people are stating?

That is correct, Tuesday.

Thank you lalala.

This means we should be playing on Saturday lunchtime