Lyon CL QF Post-Match Thread

[hampshireblue]

Whatever we think about team selection, at 1-1 VAR had a major impact on the game. How an "offside" player allowing the ball to go through his legs and then subsequently score is totally beyond me. UEFA only needed one opportunity to make sure we didn't progress and they got it. I'm not denying we weren't good but there's plenty on here who should look at themselves and their comments.

 

[simon23]

The goals we concede are comical. No other teams concede as many easy goals as us. I bet we are near the top of goals conceded from chances created table. The amount of possession we have we shouldn’t be conceding many goals, yet we ship comical schoolboy goals game after game. One ball over the top, Goal.

Unfortunately its part of the way Pep plays and its always going to be that way...its a sacrifice and a weakness of the system.

He needs defenders who are all great in one vs one, quick, good tacklers - but also requires them to bevery good on the ball as well -these are extremely hard to find.

 

[give it to gordon]

Foden possibly our best player since restart on the bench
Bernie was born down the road would have wanted to show his friends and family a good game on the bench
Silva on the bench
Marhez on the bench

i bet Lyon thought it was christmas when they saw that bench !

 

[bondsman]

We needed a bit of that early on last night. Put down a marker early doors. Let them know we were up for the challenge.

We don’t have that in this squad. No bite

 

[BlueAnorak]

Looking back on the game - Pep probably used the right formation but the wrong players and match tactics.
Ferm/Rodri shoukd hace been in the centre.
Walker should have been the RCH with Bernardo in front. But worst of all was playing Gundogan instead of Foden.
As to tactics - that formation only works if you regularly slot the ball diwn the channels (as per Lyon). We haven't done so for one and a half seasons so it was doomed from the start.

 

[simon23]

Fair points but I think it's mainly Pep coming in for all the flak with some suggesting his time is up. Can't go along with that.

No absolutely I agree - Pep deserves some flak but so do certain players. SOme players have a little more leeway as far as Im concerned as they have "money in the bank with generally very good performances 99% of the time (Sterling being one). But the likes of Gundogan (for me at least) is one of the real issues in our team in these bigger games. Walker Im perplexed about - 100% he gives no less every game and will run through walls for you but has brain farts all the time and cant hold a simple line. Laporte for me hasnt been where he should be since the restart either.

 

[CC1]

I personally felt last year was our year.

We were robbed by corrupt VAR officials of what should have been ours.

Still it dosent excuse that shit show last night.

What happened to Pep" I will will never change the way i play mentality".The naivety that has cost us so dearly in away Legs of Champions League games at Liverpool,Monaco,in the past.

If ever a game where attack really was our best form of defense. Last night was it.

The only way i saw them winning last night even before the Team sheet was read our.

was by us setting up in one of Pep brain fart Alien formations causing even more calamitous defending than usual for them to benefit from.So we go and do just that.

We dont need any in depth analysis of where it all went wrong.

All we had to do was play to our own attacking strengths.Knowing full well we would likely make a mistake, or two,as we usually do these days.But would have too much for them over 90 minutes..

Spot on. It was a mistake to not play our usual game. However, it didn’t work against lesser teams in the league this year when opposition has played a very defensive game & hit us on the break. We’d never beaten Lyon - who play that way. Probably Pep was hoping to cut out the breakaway goal. It didn’t work.

not happy with the team selection but if he had gone full out attack & we'd had been caught out on the break as we had many times in the league this year - Pep would have been pilloried anyway for not adapting his team!!

We should have scored 2 & one of theirs should have been ruled out.

However we did not use our squad effectively

 

[Blu3m00n91]

We have too many players who drop their arse in a big game. De Bruyne/Kun only two who don’t for me. Laporte again last night. Had a nightmare and it’s cost us yet again in the CL

 

[lionheart]

If he knows his central defenders are slow, which he has admitted, then why not play Walker there alongside Laporte with Cancelo at right back and Mendy at left back? That simple switch should have been made once Fernandinho got booked and was subsequently walking on egg shells. Foden and Bernardo should have been brought on too. Such a woeful use of the five substitutes rule. Pep was using the game as a rehearsal for the Bayern tie, which would probably have been a hammering anyway. Come on Seville and Jesus Navas, one of my favourite City players and now their captain.

 

[Gray]

Sterling also needs his arse kicking for that miss.

Never been a natural finisher and often thinks too much about what to do. We need somebody to replace Aguero who just instinctively knows what to do - Harry Kane would be my choice.