BillyShears said:Didsbury Dave said:Injury? I assumed he was being rested.
Him and Silva both have slight knocks. Pellegrini confirmed as much after the match.
Didsbury Dave said:Let's hope they are slight. Our posession game wasn't the same without them on the field.
The way Fernandinho clears up now at the back of the midfield is superb. And he got forward a time or two as well, whilst YAya sat.
I did think it was the wrong decision to play Ya Ya deep and Milner forward second half. I'd have done it the other way round. Minor gripe though.
bobmcfc said:Really Noticed his absence when he didn't return. We need him in that midfield, he is pivotal
BillyShears said:Didsbury Dave said:Let's hope they are slight. Our posession game wasn't the same without them on the field.
The way Fernandinho clears up now at the back of the midfield is superb. And he got forward a time or two as well, whilst YAya sat.
I did think it was the wrong decision to play Ya Ya deep and Milner forward second half. I'd have done it the other way round. Minor gripe though.
As soon as one of Silva or Nasri drift into the middle of the park and join Yaya and Fernandinho, the opposition have a problem. The combination of physical presence and technical quality those players possess mean if you try and close them down and press them they're going to play right through you and be on top of your back four before you know it.
I actually thought CSKA were excellent defensively last night. They were compact, had a really good shape, the defenders and midfield left very little room to play in. Which makes our scoring so many goals all the more impressive.
And yes to go back to your point about Fernandinho, everything we do is built through him. He is to this team what Marcos Senna was to Pellegrini's Villareal team. The perfect foundation for the midfield to build from.
George Hannah said:bobmcfc said:Really Noticed his absence when he didn't return. We need him in that midfield, he is pivotal
if he doesn't make it perhaps it's time for Rodwell to show us how good he is
OB1 said:I think CSKA are a better team than a lot of people have credited; which does indeed make our wins against them more impressive.
Like the Senna comparison: a player that I wanted City to steal at one time. I continue to be impressed by how Fern is settling in.
George Hannah said:bobmcfc said:Really Noticed his absence when he didn't return. We need him in that midfield, he is pivotal
if he doesn't make it perhaps it's time for Rodwell to show us how good he is
der-bomber said:He is looking nicely settled now and starting to put in the kind of performances he did at Shakhtar . Fantastic engine and great fitness levels allied to a great attitude .
He's even learnt the lingo in double quick time .
I thought their forward Doumbia was good, and they passed the ball well on midfield, but defensively they were awful.OB1 said:BillyShears said:Didsbury Dave said:Let's hope they are slight. Our posession game wasn't the same without them on the field.
The way Fernandinho clears up now at the back of the midfield is superb. And he got forward a time or two as well, whilst YAya sat.
I did think it was the wrong decision to play Ya Ya deep and Milner forward second half. I'd have done it the other way round. Minor gripe though.
As soon as one of Silva or Nasri drift into the middle of the park and join Yaya and Fernandinho, the opposition have a problem. The combination of physical presence and technical quality those players possess mean if you try and close them down and press them they're going to play right through you and be on top of your back four before you know it.
I actually thought CSKA were excellent defensively last night. They were compact, had a really good shape, the defenders and midfield left very little room to play in. Which makes our scoring so many goals all the more impressive.
And yes to go back to your point about Fernandinho, everything we do is built through him. He is to this team what Marcos Senna was to Pellegrini's Villareal team. The perfect foundation for the midfield to build from.
I think CSKA are a better team than a lot of people have credited; which does indeed make our wins against them more impressive.
Like the Senna comparison: a player that I wanted City to steal at one time. I continue to be impressed by how Fern is settling in.