Leverkusen (H) | CL | Post Match Thread

jamielowndes said:
Definitely.

I know you can't replace players like for like, but last night's team really needed a Kompany/Ferna/Rodri type who would just take control. This happened a lot last season. Lot of followers, no leaders. Its not a talent issue. Same with the attack, however i see Cherki over time becoming the KDB type to actually want the ball and to drive things forward.
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You could be right about Cherki but not in the DeBruyne mould. He'll be more like Merlin, finding the pockets once he gets up to speed with the League. Far off it atm, unfortunately. Great corner taker though.
 
willipp said:
I think its a bit of both. A lot of those players Pep picked last night have hardly any minutes in a City shirt over the last few months. It was always going to be difficult for them to find much rhythm and it totally showed. We all saw that team sheet and saw what was coming and I'm sure Pep knew the risk as well. I doubt anyone is surprised at how bad it was and that kinda makes it all the more frustrating.

We seem to have this kind of period every year (always feels like November time), even when we've had our great sides, and we generally find a way through it. I think Leeds will be very different and hopefully this ones quickly forgotten.
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Yeah agree! Now this is my take! Pep would have watched Leverkuson he isn’t daft he would have known how good they are in the press in the passing out from the back and keeping the ball! Pep probably thought with just 2 days rest against that team we still could have struggled to win! So he gambled with that team! What’s worse playing the same team we played against Newcastle and get beat(yep we would of a greater chance to win) which could effect confidence now those same players will feel if we would started we would of won so there mentality be different now than it would of been them all started and get beat!

It was a gamble by pep!

Beat Leeds we move on we have to beat them
 
Thought I'd leave commenting until after a night's sleep in a hotel before the 3+ hour train and bus journey home.

Having got some perspective, I'm just disappointed, more in myself than the players. Why the fuck did I join all three Cup schemes. I had my doubts before the season but, somehow, convinced myself that the new signings were going to consign the sideways and backwards passing to history. The sight of another complex series of passing movements, culminating in one of our centre halves looking up as if about to play a defence splitting pass before giving it direct to an opposition player, nearly saw me off. I naively thought those days were gone.

All that needs to be said has been said by others. Suffice to say, I won't be in any of the cup schemes next year, I'll take my chances in the event we get into the CL and spend my time and money more wisely in future. See you Saturday.
 
chaddblue said:
It's not been Peps greatest 4 days of his career
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Big mistake by Pep last night with that starting eleven.. If he was looking to keep the players fresh then he could quite easily have made 4 or five changes for last night & this weekend & still get the results.
 
WesthoughtonJohn said:
Carry on performing like we are doing and Big Erl ain't hanging around - he wants to win the big trophies and we're not close currently I'm afraid
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Haaland is going absolutely nowhere. He'll understand a lot more than many on here that this is a rebuild and rebuilds don't happen overnight.

Rodri could as it'll be his final contract.

We also aint miles away, we're a couple of solid players from being a great team again. A RB, another pacey winger & a solid CM maybe even another CB as Dias doesn't look particularly great 3/4 players.

We made 10 changes, played against a team Champions of Germany and currently 3rd yet it was their Goal Keeper who was MOTM and made some excellent saves.
 
citytill1die84 said:
Haaland is going absolutely nowhere. He'll understand a lot more than many on here that this is a rebuild and rebuilds don't happen overnight.

Rodri could as it'll be his final contract.

We also aint miles away, we're a couple of solid players from being a great team again. A RB, another pacey winger & a solid CM maybe even another CB as Dias doesn't look particularly great 3/4 players.

We made 10 changes, played against a team Champions of Germany and currently 3rd yet it was their Goal Keeper who was MOTM and made some excellent saves.
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Who gave their goalie man of the match?
 
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Moving away from the obvious shit show last night, who was the lad singing before the game?....and what about the guitarist?, asking for a friend!!
 
half & half derby scarf said:
You could be right about Cherki but not in the DeBruyne mould. He'll be more like Merlin, finding the pockets once he gets up to speed with the League. Far off it atm, unfortunately. Great corner taker though.
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Yeah I think you're right about his style. I'm not talking about strictly style replacement but just rather being the one player who isn't afraid to push the team forward in attack and break the rhythm. Reijnders shows flashes of it, but has a tendency to dig himself into a hole.
 
AndyP68 said:
Marmoush banged a quick fire hatrick against Newcastle and scored goal of the season. Savinho doesn’t look like he’s learning anything. Reijnders is a puzzle. Maybe the step up from Serie A is great than we thought.

As you say, take out the elite players and it’s pretty average
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When you consider the Rag who went over to Naples, fairly shite here if I recall correctly, was a revelation over there this should not come as to much of a surprise. I would give Reijnders a bit of time to adjust but from what I have seen to date the ceiling may not be that high. As for last night the less said the better. It is very likely to have us playing off again in February.
 
bluegaz13 said:
The only City fan who actually enjoyed the performance tonight….I bet you have had that post composed for a while (maybe just. changed some of the players names)

I think all City fans will be devastated about the performance…but you fail to hide the perverse pleasure you seem to get when we get beat.
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You're an idiot.
 
I didn’t watch last night as I didn’t have the correct channel. What I did watch though was Chelsea v Barcelona on Amazon Prime. I was totally blown away by the intensity from both teams. They were fighting like cats and dogs for every single ball and the pressing from both teams was off the scale. It was like they’d had rocket fuel for their pre match meal. It’s very rare I watch anyone except City but the was eye opening stuff. Totally different from how we play and refreshing to see to be honest. I think we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that pass, pass, pass, sideways, backwards, start again is what football is these days.
 
Pete R said:
Wonder what James French the set piece coach gets paid? Came from the dippers and clearly hasn't got a clue about corners because they're shocking. Foden just floats them in ffs. Recruitment overall has been poor last few seasons and I wonder who's to blame......Pep, Txiki, Vianna? All no doubt. Savinho, Rjeinders, Phillips, Nunes not good enough, add Bobb and Lewis. Jury out on Khusanov, Gonzalez, Marmoush, Cherki. £30M spent on Reis......will we see him again. Foden can't play the number 10 role. Movement in the team is shocking with no one capable of playing balls through the lines although chicken and egg situation I guess. They've even ballsed the goalkeeping position up.......what's Ortega up to these days? Oh and there's some bloke called Ait Nouri who won a lottery ticket to play for City. We'll still be better than most but miles away from three or four seasons ago. And Pep doesn't help totally disrespecting Leverkusen last night.
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The only thing I would disagree on there is I think Nunes has improved greatly now he has settled in
 
Gazza said:
Correct, it's a bit unfair on the second string players to play them all at the same time - that is, if you are one that is actually a better standard than the others it's hard to show because them playing poorly around you drags your game down too.

Players I'm quickly losing patience with;-

Savinho
Bobb
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Savinho Lewis Bobb Aït-Nouri Reijnders Khusanov did nothing to show that they should be playing everyweek, if the truth be told, it sort of shocked me on how unfit they looked. Also Ake Stones looked old and leggy

We can say it's because lack of game time and games under their belts, but sorry, you have to take the bull by the horns and take your chance and shine. But it looked more like they wanted their places back on the bench
 
SWPISHOME said:
I did say in a post on here that for the first time tonight I feel like Pep and City should part ways.

Nothing wrong with having that opinion with how we have been playing for the last 18 months and no signs of improvement.

If people think that this group of players are playing for their manager then I must be watching something completely different to everyone else.

The recruitment has been absolutely abysmal for a couple of years now, also players maybe need new ideas from another manager to freshen things up and give everyone a lift.
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There were many people calling for Pep to go the year before we then won 4 titles in a row.

Hes the best manager.

But the club hasn't replaced the world class players that he had, allowed top prospects to leave and kept poor ones and bought him rubbish players to work with.
 
There’s no conviction in the majority of those out there last night. And it’s not a one off. None of them willing to take the same risks that Haaland, Foden, Cherki, Doku etc. are willing to take.

It’s really poor. Those players like night should’ve been chomping at the bit to make an impact. And the only way to do that is by standing out. And to stand out you need to take risks. All of them were happy to be another cog in the machine of slow, backwards passing and walking-pace attacks. All of them technically stood where they’re meant to be but absolutely no urgency to make something happen.

I remember when Sterling used to get chances like that game last night having been on the bench beforehand and he’d score 2/3 goals and make a point. Pissed off but channeled it into output. Same with Mahrez. And Sane. Those last night must be pissed off but sulked their way through the game and made Pep’s mind up for him.
 
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