Lyon (H) - Post Match Thread

Manchester_lalala said:
I don’t see how you can criticise Delphs attacking qualities when he started majority of our games last season at left back and many thought he was good for the balance of team. If anything’s to blame for this seasons shaky start, it’s Pep trying to experiment with formations and different players. Just play the same set up as last season. Sane and Sterling on the wings, with Bernardo and Silva creating in the middle.
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This.
 
Easy to say in hindsight but if there was a game where we could rest Fernandinho and play Gundogan in the number 6 role then it was last night as Ferna tends to struggle against teams that press. He would have been fresher going into Cardiff, the type of game we need him for and that he excels in. As it is he's probably going to look knackered at the weekend.
 
Pep has a real job on his hand - how to motivate the team after a season like last year and so far it looks like it is not going as expected.
 
TravisBickle said:
It’s a weird feeling isn’t it.
It’s supposed to be the biggest club competition in the World, yet when we lose in it I really couldn’t give a flying fuck!
Yet when we lose a league game I’m fucked off for days & days.
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Same here , Max Boyce Fc on saturday means way more than tonights cheese-eating surrender monkey snooze fest.
 
Hopefully, a one-off night when most of the team - Sane apart - were well under or just under the normal level. Not watched any highlights - two errors cost us.

Btw, apart from those of us who go to all Ch L games, do our fans realise that the owner's vision is all about the Ch L, and that Pep is primarily here in that context ? Ten minutes to kick off and I'm hoping and praying that there's a late filling of the stadium. I know some will say 'Grow a pair', but it's embarrassing. Why do our superb Prem attendences not translate into Ch L big crowds ? Almost universally, City fans now hate Liverpool fans more than any others, but they turn up at Anfield on Ch L nights. I can't stand YNWA, but they have a fanaticism in huge numbers - not exactly an affluent part of the world either. Pep deserves a full/nearly stadium on Ch L nights. Poor performance apart, I'll bet that the size of the crowd tonight pissed him off.
 
Mancityus said:
Pep has a real job on his hand - how to motivate the team after a season like last year and so far it looks like it is not going as expected.
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But it is going as expected if you believe that Pep has a real challenge to get us back to our best.
 
Our transition was appalling. We’d knock it to the midfield and instead of turning and attacking or playing a side ball and looking for a return, it would come straight back to the defence first time. This gave Lyon all the time:in the world to reset. We went forward twice I think from this position md nearly scored twice. This is where putting gundogan in there was a fail. We really missed kdb. Gundo and fern with only Silva as the creative outlet is too stifling.
 
Mancityus said:
Pep has a real job on his hand - how to motivate the team after a season like last year and so far it looks like it is not going as expected.
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Would agree if our team and shape from last season was struggling
 
I think not being a deep laying midfielder will hurt us this season as dinho just doesn’t have the legs like he once did and he needs protects too. Any team that beats us I feel like it happens in the midfield as that’s where our oldest players seem to be.
 
This is probably an over reaction and just annoyance but I am getting really fed up with:

a) Gundogan, b) mahrez and c) Jesus.

All have been ineffectual for City this season.

I also feel the selection by pep was wrong. mendy was injured so fair enough play Delph, but then you must play Sane. And we should have had Bernardo inside instead of Gundogan who was useless. All he did was pass it backwards or sideways.

First game that I have felt we really missed De Bruyne.
 
kanovic said:
I think not being a deep laying midfielder will hurt us this season as dinho just doesn’t have the legs like he once did and he needs protects too. Any team that beats us I feel like it happens in the midfield as that’s where our oldest players seem to be.
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Possibly right but we didn't play with our best and natural shape. We had Gundogan trying to play De Bruyne's role and BefnaxB wasted on the wing.
 
super_city_si said:
Our transition was appalling. We’d knock it to the midfield and instead of turning and attacking or playing a side ball and looking for a return, it would come straight back to the defence first time. This gave Lyon all the time:in the world to reset. We went forward twice I think from this position md nearly scored twice. This is where putting gundogan in there was a fail. We really missed kdb. Gundo and fern with only Silva as the creative outlet is too stifling.
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Gundogan just sits. Jesus was also invisible. He really has to do more.
 
K.Reeves right foot said:
For me the central midfield issue is worrying. Ferna has struggled to cope against the best teams on his own. When yaya used to partner him teams in the CL would waltz through our midfield, Liverpool did last season. This season he looks like he's feeling his age so no criticism of him thsts just biology but why we've still not invested in a 2nd defensive player for these type of games is baffling. I hope it doesnt come back to haunt us but i fear it will.
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It's a huge fucking problem that many do not want to admit.

With De Bruyne out, we have problems there.
 
If that's Pep's new tactics for this competition he needs to throw them in the bin and start again.

While KDB is out Bernardo has to start centrally every game. Gundogan and Jesus for me are only players to come off the bench, we look weak when both start. I am not convinced our central defence is aggressive enough without one of Ottamendi or Kompany. Delphs cock up tonight but for me Walker and at times Stones have total switch off moments every game, often costing us.

Fernandihno and D. Silva are starting to look like time is catching up with them in the middle. When our play breaks down teams are pouring through our midfield and that is why the dippers who have pace keep turning us over. Until we rectify this we will never win the champions league, better teams exploit it.

Early days but we must as a top priority get a very good DM in as soon as possible.
 
One of either Sane or Mendy must always start.
With Mendy injured it blows my mind that Pep could think we could start without Sane on the left providing width.

It blows my mind that he shoehorns Gundogan into the team at every opportunity even to the detriment of our formation and shape.

Gundogan must have some serious dirt on Pep.
 
Its been a long time since a City performance can be called out as being thoroughly rotten but tonight was. Ederson, Sane are the only two who came out above par, Sterling for his level of effort and commitment deserves exclusion from being given an almighty boot up the arse well and truly deserved by the rest.

We looked lethargic, Complacent, slow, flat, short on effort and bereft of ideas. No leader to take the rudder and steer the team. Nobody for example to have taken the ball of Walker for that bloody stupid and inevitably dispatched into the crowd free kick.

Credit to Lyon though. They played well and made the most of their chances. Its our wastefulness that even last season in all its glory and despite scoring alot of goals was clear to see. Also clear to see that missing so many chances will bite us on the arse.

Tonight Is no disaster and no reason for the predictions of doom and gloom providing it serves as kick up the arse the team needs to refocus and not believe all the hype written and spouted about how good we are. I am sure Pep will have learned some valuable stuff tonight.

It is going to be hard to have a season quite like last season however that has got to be the aim. If we do manage to repeat of even surpass it, tonight could actually be the game that makes that achievable. It does of course make what looked to be an easy group a little more tricky but its still in our own hands and should still expect to win the group with some to spare.
 
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