Liverpool v City - post match thread

[blueinsa]

Really don't know where to begin with what I saw last night.

I thought up until the first goal we were okay. It was playing out relatively similar to the league cup final only difference being that I felt Lallana and Origi were posing more problems for our midfield and back four than Sturridge and Firmino did on Sunday.

The goal went in and from there it was standard City under Pellegrini in the last 12 months. An absolute abject lack of intelligence, leadership, composure, pretty much anything that you'd consider a basic tenet of football when you go a goal behind at a place like Anfield, we forsook all those things. Instead we had Kompany and Otamendi charging up the pitch with the ball at their feet leaving huge gaps behind them.

The less said about last night's midfield the better. Fernandinho showed why for all his qualities he isn't a Toure replacement, not even close. Both him and Fernando had literally no idea how to deal with Henderson, Can, or Lallana defensively, and had not anywhere near the range of passing to be able to impact the game in the final third. Silva was a joke. Anonymous, giving the ball away, and generally doing his best impression of someone who isn't arsed about doing the hard yards.

Navas, Sterling, and Kun did the best they could but when there's zero service for them, little in the way of support from the midfield, and the knowledge that they were going to be kicked up into the air every time the ball came near them.

We've seen the best and the worst of Pellegrini's 'trust' this week. His call to put Willy in nets was fully vindicated. However the substitution of Bony for Raheem was a thing of staggering stupidity. We brought on our least mobile attacking player to try and impact a game in which our lack of mobility in midfield was killing us and we took of a mobile and pacy player to do that. On top of that, the only reason Bony got the nod ahead of Kelechi was his seniority in the side (there's that trust thing). It was a decision that smacked of keeping the peace and throwing in a player he wanted a year ago rather than making the tough call, which was to put Kelechi on. From there, the Fernandinho substitution was just lamentable. It took everything to not just switch off at that point.

We're a long way from being a Pep Guardiola side. Those players who have the quality, a lot of them don't have the application. And those players who have the application, lack the quality. This is the biggest challenge he's faced since he came into coaching and it'll take one hell of a summer from Begiristain to give him the tools he requires to play the way he wants to play.

As ever, nailed it fella.

 

[M147WN]

Just not good enough last night but we will move on. Liverpool were always gonna be going for this one just a shame our players had no fight last night which was a surprise we was so so slow where Liverpool were all over the place pressing us. Move on from this now we will our next 5 games I'm sure.

Like we moved on after Leicester & moved on after spurs?
Move on UP!! That's what's needed!

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

Got really fucked off seeing Silva lose the ball and display zero fight to get it back even though the player who robbed him of the ball was only a yard or two away. That's not tiredness, that's can't be arsedness.

And now we're hearing the truth. I like the guy a lot. But its 5 touches when one will do. He's not alone either. The players are piddling around with it when there are goals to be scored and points to be won.

 

[Bluemoonie92]

Did we applaud Milner when he went off yesterday?

No, he was called a wanker instead

 

[Vincents Tackle]

Was at the game last night and not going to watch any highlights to confirm it but that is the worst performance I can remember seeing from us in years! It was as if the players had been on the piss since Sunday and only stopped drinking once they got off the coach at Anfield.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Forget last night. Or rather, put some perspective on it. There've been enough exciting and distracting things going on — the FA cup, a couple of good victories in that; the League Cup, just won it the other day, ok, nice…; the Champions League, seem to be through to the next round (although it's not a done deal yet) and that's further than ever in the history of this club, hmmm, not bad — to have taken our minds of one simple stark fact that is staring every City fan in the face. Strictly in the league, we have played eight games since the turn of the year. Our record? Three victories, two draws, three defeats.
Now not only is that not title challenging form, that is barely respectable for a mid-table team. We have in fact been living on the 'capital' of the first half of the season (which was not exactly great, by comparison with our two PL winning years). Pellegrini complained that he hadn't been able to acquire any real 'crack' players, as he terms them. In the summer, he got two, or two with approximately that reputation.
Thus, our performances in the league, by any kind of yardstick, have been completely unacceptable. And when we get beaten, we get, all too often, thrashed. But for a couple of saves from Hart last night, that could have easily been 5-0. And we haven't been seeing that kind of thing done to City for literally years. This is a poor way for Pellegrini to go out, and the League Cup trophy cannot cosmetically hide that fact.
Pep's got work to do. And I'm not saying he's a miracle worker, either. There was an attitude problem last night, visible all over the pitch. Those Liverpool players were as tired as us, more so, maybe, but you wouldn't have said so.
I'll be in the SS on Saturday for Villa, and cheering the team on, because, well, that's my job as a fan, isn't it, but basically I'm just waiting resignedly for the end of the season, now. Top four place, hopefully. In to the next round of the CL, hopefully (at which point we get drawn against Barca or Bayern). That's it.
Want to cheer yourselves up? Hey, it could be Wenger we have coming in in the summer. (I know, I know, small-minded stuff…)

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

It's at times like these I still wish we had players like Tevez and Dickov - guys who never stopped running for the cause.

It's bleedin annoying that we have players who have 10 times more skill than those two but put in one third of their effort. Hit them in the pocket...it's the only way.

 

[mancityscot]

No, he was called a wanker instead

good, he is

 

[BobKowalski]

Was at the game last night and not going to watch any highlights to confirm it but that is the worst performance I can remember seeing from us in years! It was as if the players had been on the piss since Sunday and only stopped drinking once they got off the coach at Anfield.

Ah so when Vinny talked about going 'hunting' he really meant 'let's stay in the cozy lodge next to the fire and order in another round of drinks'. Huzzah!

 

[Don Karleone]

Really don't know where to begin with what I saw last night.

I thought up until the first goal we were okay. It was playing out relatively similar to the league cup final only difference being that I felt Lallana and Origi were posing more problems for our midfield and back four than Sturridge and Firmino did on Sunday.

The goal went in and from there it was standard City under Pellegrini in the last 12 months. An absolute abject lack of intelligence, leadership, composure, pretty much anything that you'd consider a basic tenet of football when you go a goal behind at a place like Anfield, we forsook all those things. Instead we had Kompany and Otamendi charging up the pitch with the ball at their feet leaving huge gaps behind them.

The less said about last night's midfield the better. Fernandinho showed why for all his qualities he isn't a Toure replacement, not even close. Both him and Fernando had literally no idea how to deal with Henderson, Can, or Lallana defensively, and had not anywhere near the range of passing to be able to impact the game in the final third. Silva was a joke. Anonymous, giving the ball away, and generally doing his best impression of someone who isn't arsed about doing the hard yards.

Navas, Sterling, and Kun did the best they could but when there's zero service for them, little in the way of support from the midfield, and the knowledge that they were going to be kicked up into the air every time the ball came near them.

We've seen the best and the worst of Pellegrini's 'trust' this week. His call to put Willy in nets was fully vindicated. However the substitution of Bony for Raheem was a thing of staggering stupidity. We brought on our least mobile attacking player to try and impact a game in which our lack of mobility in midfield was killing us and we took of a mobile and pacy player to do that. On top of that, the only reason Bony got the nod ahead of Kelechi was his seniority in the side (there's that trust thing). It was a decision that smacked of keeping the peace and throwing in a player he wanted a year ago rather than making the tough call, which was to put Kelechi on. From there, the Fernandinho substitution was just lamentable. It took everything to not just switch off at that point.

We're a long way from being a Pep Guardiola side. Those players who have the quality, a lot of them don't have the application. And those players who have the application, lack the quality. This is the biggest challenge he's faced since he came into coaching and it'll take one hell of a summer from Begiristain to give him the tools he requires to play the way he wants to play.

Agree with most of that,just not the Silva bit.

Take a look at the picture of his ankle in the Silva thread.