The key will be staying in the hunt until Laporte returns.We’ve done it before several times when we’ve been a fair way behind in the league. It’s sort of what we do when it comes to winning the league. In one sense the deficit needs to be viewed as 6 points because we can beat them at the etihad... tons of time to make that gap up and Liverpool have a habit of blowing it
Best post so far on this thread. Top notch.I try to wait until I’ve slept on it before commenting after a defeat.
Yes, the handball decision was a double wammy, denying us a clear penalty and leading to their goal. Disappointing but hardly a surprise to any of us. More worrying, for me, is the current malaise in the team:
Bravo is terrible and rarely saves anything. He needs to go; playing a 34 year old not very tall DM at centre back because Otamendi is awful is not how a top club operates. The injury to Laporte is unfortunate but had to happen sometime. Not reinforcing in the close season has been the mistake we all thought it was. Stones has the attention span of a gnat and should be leaving alongside Bravo and Ota. Like most of us, I am desperate for academy players like Angelino to succeed but he is a poor defender though looked good going forward yesterday. Mendy seems out of favour with Pep and I wonder if his time with us is coming to an end?
On top of our defensive woes, David is getting older as is Kun. I love Gabby but he is still making the same mistakes as he did two seasons ago, particularly but not exclusively offsides. He doesn’t look a guaranteed replacement for Kun. Bernardo is understandably out of sorts. Gundogan has a role to play but not when battle commences. With Rodri fit and Leroy seemingly off to Bayern anyway, we really only have Laporte and Zinch unavailable. That should be manageable for any club.
Winning the league in consecutive seasons was a magnificent achievement but exhausting for the players. Given the ageing squad members, this season might be a good time to blood some of the youngsters. Finding out who is good enough before deciding on transfer targets in the summer seems a sensible way to proceed.
I haven’t given up on the league though. We rarely get anything from Anfield and it hasn’t much affected our trophy count. Continuing to do the same things expecting a different outcome though is a definition of madness. Perhaps we need to accept our current defensive limitations and adopt a more cautious approach?
Liverpool will drop points in games people don't expect them to because they don't play teams off the pitch. If you survive that initial 10 - 20 minute blitz at the start you have every chance of taking points from them a la Aston Villa(almost), even f****** United did it!
A few injuries would also be useful given they seem to be the only team in the PL that doesn't get any at all!
I have a strong feeling that his saves to goals ratio is appalling. That may be a legacy of a poor first season, or it may be representative of ongoing weakness. Was he at fault for any of the goals against Liverpool? I'm not sure. Other players like Gundogan made bigger errors.I want to write maybe an unpopular opinion but it needs writing.
What I dislike most about following football is the attitude of City supporters towards their own players. At times it's like witnessing a rabid pack of animals turning on one of their own because of an injury or weakness.
I don't go to games very often these days mostly because I can't afford it and follow games on tv. I was at a game a few years back, City were 4 - 0 up and Jo came on. You should have heard it. Nothing but venom towards him before he had even touched the ball. I've heard similar towards Samaras and Mike Sheron but undoubtedly this has happened many times towards many of players. Malcolm Allison! used to complain about it.
Currently that attitude exists towards Bravo. All this labelling of Bravo as "a clown" is nothing but vicious, unwarranted criticism.
Bravo is a human being. He is doing his best. He is the best option we have right now. He has the backing of his manager.
Against Liverpool he played well. His distribution - which before the game I was worried about - was brilliant and I only counted one misplaced pass in an otherwise immaculate display of distribution.
I have read the opinion he was at fault for the 3rd goal. Really? The cross should have been defended by Angelino and the header should have been defended by Walker. You could say at least there was an accumulation of defensive errors before it came to Bravo's attempt at a save. From the back view Bravo got his hand on it but could not keep it out. It would have been extraordinary to have kept it out. It certainly was not a howler. Maybe Gordon Banks could have kept it out but the save he made that was similar against Brazil has been hailed as one of the greatest saves of all time.
When supporters get on the back of their own team, collectively or individually, all they achieve is to make things more stressful and more difficult for their own team. I am a football supporter and I know things get frustrating and expressing that frustration is part of the game. But in my view the criticism that players get is often predetermined and mindless. If you want to keep having go at certain City players because you know - better then the manager - that they aren't good enough and you can't express that criticism as a reasoned opinion but have to use derogatory terms maybe you should "support" someone else. You will not be missed.