Lyon (H) - Post Match Thread

[bobbin blue]

Said it last night but still think the same, on recent games it looks like we've made the same mistake as the last 2 times we won the league and not strengthened and freshened the squad in the summer.

Not bringing in a DM was a major mistake.

absolutely spot on

 

[hammocity]

It's only normal on a fans forum that fans ask questions after such an unexpected terrible performance. A routine win v Fulham demands less analysis. To say the moaners are out in force is patronising when most are merely trying to fathom out whst went wrong becsuse something obviously wasnt right last night. The crowd, the lack of team understanding, jaded players, lack of spark...all needs looking at. In context though. The season is only just beginning so noone is panicking just yet. We can't ignore critical issues such as central midfield being a problem area though - and has been all through our CL years - along with left back. Areas of the pitch which keep on holding us back in this comp. Roll on Cardiff, nothing like the next game to get the positivity back.

I’m not patronising, merely pointing out some people can’t wait to have a moan. We see it in all walks of life, not just football, but moaning City fans should conduct an head wobbling exercise, a few years ago City in the CL? We need to take defeat with humility and understand for whatever reason sometimes we get beaten amd outplayed by a better team on the night.

 

[stonerblue]

Bloody awful last night. One thing that struck me was our players seemed to be facing the wrong way a lot of the time. Instead of picking up passes on the run, players wee getting it to feet but with their backs to goal or other team mates. No fluidity and stop start all the time.
Gotta give credit to their midfielders who put in a great collective performance.

 

[robbieh]

If it was a straight choice between CL and PL this season like most I'd choose the latter.

However I think the club needs to win the CL to progress to the next level. It's a perception thing.

So CL as long as Chelsea win the league.

 

[cityfan46]

Disgracefully sloppy in that first half and it cost us.

Sane changed the game when he come on, easily our best player.

The system should have been kept the same as the weekend, we look miles better with 2 proper wingers.

Why persist with Gundogan, a bad buy who is not improving, also Jesus is not as good as all the hype suggests. Plus Fernandinho had his worst game ever and looked very unfit. Worst team performance I've seen for a long time.

 

[The Preacher]

Very disappointing last night but can’t complain about the result. We got what we deserved, for a variety of reasons already well highlighted in many of these posts. I said after the Fulham game how important Fernandinho still is to the way we do what we (normally) do, but he is getting older, less mobile and more tired and leggy, as he lacks, for the moment, a credible younger understudy to share both game time and workload in this vital midfield role, and it seems that opponents will increasingly seek to exploit this fact and nullify or limit his influence. That does not, of course, excuse several other players for their failure to step up last night, particularly in the first half. Well, the Lyon game’s gone now and there’s no point in brooding. For me, at least, it’s now a case of how Pep and the team respond to this poor CL showing at Cardiff in the league on Saturday.

 

[u2fme2]

Wow that was a wake up call.
Not seen us play that shit for some time I hope the players were not
sending pep a message regarding extra sessions he put on this week.

 

[CityPar]

Dreadful first half last night collectively. Not even the simple things were being done right. And Delph at LB ? Let's just put it down to a bad day at the office for him but clearly we need proper cover there. He is not the answer. The stadium was like a morgue from the get go and that doesn't help. We didn't gee the lads up and they provided sod all spark for us. But onwards and upwards. We get back on track against Cardiff and Hoffenheim will take care of itself......

 

[Pezzer2]

Bloody awful last night. One thing that struck me was our players seemed to be facing the wrong way a lot of the time. Instead of picking up passes on the run, players wee getting it to feet but with their backs to goal or other team mates. No fluidity and stop start all the time.
Gotta give credit to their midfielders who put in a great collective performance.

Noticed this myself. I’m screaming at the TV for players to turn after they receive the ball, a few times they had acres of space but there was no communication (which in itself is a worry) and then passed backwards. Even David Silva and Delph went for the same header without anyone shouting. I give them the benefit of the doubt after 1 loss but the spark needs to be rediscovered fast!

 

[SamBlue]

That first half.....I am still having nightmares.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Let's get Bernardo in the middle.

Let's get Leroy and Sterling back where they belong.

Let's get Mahrez in the ten role and give poor Dave a rest.

 

[wythenshaweblue£££]

To slow last night and to many mistakes with sloppy passes etc looked like we had no leaders on the pitch. Wrong starting line up why Leroy didn’t start I don’t know. But it’s only one game hopefully get the win in the next one.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Lyon are no muggs, despite thier poor start in the league. They have a £70mil forward, Depay is better than he was at United, their keeper looked decent, thier midfield was very good and defence was as solid as anyone can be against us

That said, we weren’t at it. We can get away with it at home to Newcastle and the like but not at this level

We miss De Bruyne more than I thought we would. But we are still crying out for a midfield player and another striker

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Like most on here I think Pep's a genius but he does make the odd mistake. The set up last night was wrong. Playing Bernardo on the wing and Gundo alongside Ferdy was a mistake.We looked fluid after we changed it and brought Sane on but it was too late. It was a bit like last season's quarter final at Anfield. Lyon's players ran through Gundo and Ferdy easily (just like Liverpool did). We have to play with two proper wide players. Gundo has never recovered from the long injury and Ferdy is starting to show his age.
I'm sure Pep knows this and he will address it, perhaps in January. We really need a Kante or Keita but there are not many out there. We would still have got away with it last night if we had all been on our game.

 

[halfmist]

I think one thing that emerged from last night, in addition to the players playing crap, is Arteta is not Pep's successor. He is far too quiet and lacks the motivational skills to change things

 

[feelymcfeel]

something totally else not a fortress.

It's like a fortress I built when I was a kid, out of pillows and sheets, that fell over when my bedroom door was opened.

 

[blue banks]

Very disappointing last night but can’t complain about the result. We got what we deserved, for a variety of reasons already well highlighted in many of these posts. I said after the Fulham game how important Fernandinho still is to the way we do what we (normally) do, but he is getting older, less mobile and more tired and leggy, as he lacks, for the moment, a credible younger understudy to share both game time and workload in this vital midfield role, and it seems that opponents will increasingly seek to exploit this fact and nullify or limit his influence. That does not, of course, excuse several other players for their failure to step up last night, particularly in the first half. Well, the Lyon game’s gone now and there’s no point in brooding. For me, at least, it’s now a case of how Pep and the team respond to this poor CL showing at Cardiff in the league on Saturday.

Good post, well written.

 

[Martin*]

Walker needs to cut out the mistakes - it's happening all too often and they're leading to goals/goal attempts.
We desperately need to find cover for Fernandinho - we're killing him playing him every game.
Gundo is nowhere near good enough. Slow, weak, the game seems to mostly pass him by.
Bernardo should only ever be a last resort for the RW slot - he's been incredible in the centre, why change it.
Laporte/Stones need to stop allowing the ball to bounce before attacking it when close to an opposition attacking player. Too many times last night a header back up the pitch would have eliminated the threat but they allowed it to bounce then tried to deal with the second ball, at which point Depay had generally positioned himself between them and the ball resulting in winning it/a foul.

That is all.

 

[stonerblue]

Noticed this myself. I’m screaming at the TV for players to turn after they receive the ball, a few times they had acres of space but there was no communication (which in itself is a worry) and then passed backwards. Even David Silva and Delph went for the same header without anyone shouting. I give them the benefit of the doubt after 1 loss but the spark needs to be rediscovered fast!

Just a blip hopefully

 

[blueparrot]

Very disappointing last night but can’t complain about the result. We got what we deserved, for a variety of reasons already well highlighted in many of these posts. I said after the Fulham game how important Fernandinho still is to the way we do what we (normally) do, but he is getting older, less mobile and more tired and leggy, as he lacks, for the moment, a credible younger understudy to share both game time and workload in this vital midfield role, and it seems that opponents will increasingly seek to exploit this fact and nullify or limit his influence. That does not, of course, excuse several other players for their failure to step up last night, particularly in the first half. Well, the Lyon game’s gone now and there’s no point in brooding. For me, at least, it’s now a case of how Pep and the team respond to this poor CL showing at Cardiff in the league on Saturday.

Pep calls that position 'pivot' for good reason and like any machine a weak pivot effect the whole thing. Hopefully he can rediscover last seasons form but replacing him needs to happen in January either way.