Lyon (H) - Post Match Thread

[OB1]

The positive is that we have 5 more games to sort it out and it isn’t a strong group so we should be ok.

They played really well and we once again struggled against the press.

We miss De Bruyne and will do so until he is playing again. We are not the same team without him and it shows against better sides.

The decision to not buy a player to take some
of the workload off Fernandinho could be extremely costly. He was terrible tonight.

Pissing around with team selection and positions didn’t work. Sterling left, Bernardo right was just wrong tonight and didn’t work. All to accommodate Gundogan who let’s face it offers very little.

The defence is still very vulnerable under presssure. I personally don’t like this Stones/Laporte pairing and better teams will exploit it.

Why did Walker take that free kick? Since when has he been a master of free kick taking?

We lacked leadership tonight.

Don’t think the CB partnership is a problem. Laporte’s pass may have been a problem, although Dinho had time to protect ball, but defending by CB’s not what cost us: defending is tough for anyone v counter.

 

[OntarioBlue]

Just a bad day at the office. No Pep on the bench. Delph having his worst first half for years (maybe ever). Very sloppy. Much better in the second half and by the end when we had the right team on the pitch we looked ok. Poor finishing and our inabiity to take a decent corner is a constant frustration. We still dont look up to the same pace as we were last season - the World Cup is definitely having an effect. Need some rotation to give some players, particularly Ferna, a rest. Pep will sort it.

 

[rnblade]

We can’t do anything about this really poor performance now, except win all our remaining games.

Onwards to Cardiff. A must win in my opinion. They will be set up to defend for their lives. If we can’t win there, no doubt questions will be forthcoming. We were going sideways too many times tonight.
Bernardo MUST play with Merlin. Leroy was a real spark when he came on too.

Come on CITY. Let’s get it going again!!!!

 

[ChicagoCityzen]

We are really missing KDB. It’s been said before but Ilkay just isn’t good enough. Bernardo did much more than him in that position but service lacks so much without Kev. Really hope this was a good wake up call to the team, I’m sure we’ll get it right.

 

[ahoyle77]

Anyone else wonder if our best team right now, with all healthy, is KDB at DM with the two Silvas in front? Or is it Gundogen at DM, KDB and Bernardo? I think Dinho is done.

 

[oddfellows]

Wake up call Pep.
Set pieces - we're clueless
Long ball over top - we're vunerable every time
Can anyone tackle - no

 

[Aussie!]

WE DIDN'T EVEN REPLACE YAYA NEVER MIND FERNANDINHO!

We did try; Jorginho

 

[shevtheblue]

Awful team performance but I think this one has the be chalked up on pep and arteta. It's arteta's first game without any live help from pep, pick the guys who are on form. I can understand Jesus as aguero had a niggle but dropping sane and moving Bernardo out wide was criminal. It's a fuck up and it was plain to see how better we were when it was rectified.

 

[Eaglechief]

I really do think Pep's achilles heel is constantly wanting to play both Fernandinho and Gundogan in the middle.

It didn't work against Liverpool in both Champs League games or against Man Utd in the home game last season.

We are ineffective defensively when these two play at the same time and also Gundogan offers no creativity going forward either, so we are weakened offensively too.

Having said that, both Fern and Delph were guilty of seriously sloppy passes and schoolboy defending errors today which cost two goals and a defeat in the end.

 

[Phil1]

And all the Mahrez doubt makes me laugh, probably the same duds who didn't think Silva or Tevez were good initially. Has more class in his boots than Sterling and Sane. Whipped in about 4 world class crosses at the end, something only De Bruyne can do in our squad. Will enjoy the humble pie eating later.

I’d be very surprised if anybody will ever be eating humble pie in response to the pile of wank that you often post.