Lyon (H) - Post Match Thread

[Craig]

So one bad game doesn't mean Mendy should play however Delph having a good game against Fulham means he should play? People say Delph should play because defensively he is better. He was shocking last night and I like Delph. I am sure we will see Pep choose Mendy more often than not so that will be enough for me.

It wasn't one good game in though was it he was brilliant for most of last season. I hope Mendy learns to defend but at the moment he's the unproven one in this league. Is Pep choosing to play Bernado wide and picking Gundogan over Sane currently enough for you too then?

 

[dachoosen1]

We got what we deserved last nite. Still think we can get out of the group and have a decent run in the competition. Fernandinho looked shattered he needs a break should have started mahrez or sane with bernando playing in the middle but hindsight is 20/20. Passing was truely awful trying to remember a game that we played with such sloppiness but I can't recall.

 

[roy.or.r]

We got what we deserved last nite. Still think we can get out of the group and have a decent run in the competition. Fernandinho looked shattered he needs a break should have started mahrez or sane with bernando playing in the middle but hindsight is 20/20. Passing was truely awful trying to remember a game that we played with such sloppiness but I can't recall.

If we can't get out of this group with this team, then we will never win the Champions League. This is the easiest group that we could have hoped for and to not qualify from this group would be a disaster.

 

[OB1]

Think the half hearted attitude of supporters ,attendance and vocal support is transferring to the players performance in the champions league. Meeting teams from Europe whatever leagues they play in is irrelevant as they raise their game.

The crowd etc is a poor excuse. I'm sure a bit of vocal support helps at times but what's key is whether or not the players really want to win the trophy and believe that they can.

I do hope that winning the UCL means more to the players than it seems to to many of our supporters.

I don't for one minute believe that the players think "oh the fan can't be bothered so why I should I care about winning the biggest prize in club football"; if any of them do, they need to go and find another club to play for.

 

[Stoned Rose]

Nowt wrong with the starting 11 or tactics imo.

Nowt wrong with the subs.

Nowt wrong with Arteta.

Extreme complacency and believing they’re Billy Big Bollocks was the issue. Simple as that.

Numerous mistakes, none of the usual ‘move as one’ movement in either phase, poor pressing, none of the ‘6 second rule’ in evidence, wasteful as fuck in front of goal. That’s purely down to attitude and not being arsed enough.

Given the standards this club sets and the level Pep requires, he will both shame and bollock the absolute fuck out the lot of them today.

Let’s hope that will be an end to such shenanigans.

 

[OB1]

Not seen the stats, but he had a very good game and would be an excellent signing

He might be a decent signing but so might other players. I'm still left wondering whether he is actually more mobile than Dinho though.

 

[OB1]

Nowt wrong with the starting 11 or tactics imo.

Nowt wrong with the subs.

Nowt wrong with Arteta.

Extreme complacency and believing they’re Billy Big Bollocks was the issue. Simple as that.

Numerous mistakes, none of the usual ‘move as one’ movement in either phase, poor pressing, none of the ‘6 second rule’ in evidence, wasteful as fuck in front of goal. That’s purely down to attitude and not being arsed enough.

Given the standards this club sets and the level Pep requires, he will both shame and bollock the absolute fuck out the lot of them today.

Let’s hope that will be an end to such shenanigans.

Oh for the Amazon film crew.

 

[Maldeika]

Pep never won CL with Bayern either maybe it's not meant to be

Pep's problem at Bayern were the away matches in the knockout round. Controlling in that match was more important than attacking - and that is what often went wrong. And the injuries. When Bayern was attacking - even when our wings were injured - it was fine. The matches against the real big guys were then the matches in which we could not turn that around anymore.

 

[Mancini Manus Domini]

Our midfield was seriously lacking some youthful vitality. Foden needs to be given a chance in one of the forward midfield roles, rotating with the two Silvas, and maybe Mahrez.

Gundogon needs to be regularly rotating with Fernandinho in just the holding role, nothing else. I'd also give Zinchenko a go in the holding role for the Carabao Cup.

 

[Shirley]

The crowd etc is a poor excuse. I'm sure a bit of vocal support helps at times but what's key is whether or not the players really want to win the trophy and believe that they can.

I do hope that winning the UCL means more to the players than it seems to to many of our supporters.

I don't for one minute believe that the players think "oh the fan can't be bothered so why I should I care about winning the biggest prize in club football"; if any of them do, they need to go and find another club to play for.

I'm sure the all the players want to win the biggest prize in Europe which is the CL. We are in danger of taking that opportunity away from them if the fans don't embrace the competition, they will rather move to a club who can win it.

 

[Alan Oakes Shinpads]

Surprised no one has mentioned the referee`s performance.

Anytime we went near them it was a foul when most times it wasn't,allowed them to waste time and when we did get a free kick he stopped us from taking them quickly,All these worked to disrupt our flow.

Having said the above,it was a poor performance by the team and we should have been good enough to rule the referee`s actions irrelevant.Some credit for Lyons as well,looked a better team than PSG the night before at Klanfield.

 

[paulchapo]

I'm sure the all the players want to win the biggest prize in Europe which is the CL. We are in danger of taking that opportunity away from them if the fans don't embrace the competition, they will rather move to a club who can win it.

Who in our current squad aside from KDB and possibly Aguero would get that move? I mean to Barca, Real Madrid or Bayern? Mendy maybe.

Fans not embracing it isn't the problem it is half arsed performances, biased refereeing decisions and groundhog day tactics meaning teams like the dippers will always beat us. There was forty thousand there last night and the dross the players served up is hardly going to want them to shell out more hard earned money for the same.

Group games against what should be easy wins will never fill the ground.

 

[cleavers]

aguero can make things happen himself

Can and didn't.

Sergio wasn't the answer to the issue last night, the answer was the first sub made, and the change of positions of 2 other players, and it should have been made after about 10 minutes, 40,000 could see that. Had it been made much earlier then Jesus would have had much better (some even) service from both sides, whereas he had none from either side.

 

[cleavers]

Resorting to pot shots from Delph outside the area summed the whole night up, only thing last night hopefully proved is when fit Mendy plays over him every time.

Unfortunately Saturday pretty much proved the exact opposite. Delph was very poor last night, but both full backs were poor, and I thought frustrated by the blockage in front of them for much of the game.

 

[Tom_mcfc]

Unfortunately Saturday pretty much proved the exact opposite. Delph was very poor last night, but both full backs were poor, and I thought frustrated by the blockage in front of them for much of the game.

So a good game against Fulham proves the opposite but a howler against a good team means nothing? Can't use one and not the other sadly. Pep will have the final say, and his say will be Mendy playing the majority of the time.

 

[cleavers]

So a good game against Fulham proves the opposite but a howler against a good team means nothing? Can't use one and not the other sadly. Pep will have the final say, and his say will be Mendy playing the majority of the time.

I don't believe that Lyon are a better team man for man than Fulham, the difference last night was our team selection allowed them to dominate our midfield 1, it started right from kick off, pressure was applied and we wilted under it. Fernandhino was effectively playing there on his own, Silva had no support further forward, almost every time he passed to Sterling, Sterling ran back past him towards our goal, whereas on Saturday Sane ran at the Fulham defence, not Sterlings fault, but he really can't do anything with his left foot. The knock on effects of Sterling on the left, namely Bernardo on the right, and the statue in midfield, affected pretty much the whole team.

I don't buy the complacency thing, it was a poor team selection, and it was obvious quite quickly, and should have been dealt with earlier, much earlier.

 

[Rolee]

I don't believe that Lyon are a better team man for man than Fulham, the difference last night was our team selection allowed them to dominate our midfield 1, it started right from kick off, pressure was applied and we wilted under it. Fernandhino was effectively playing there on his own, Silva had no support further forward, almost every time he passed to Sterling, Sterling ran back past him towards our goal, whereas on Saturday Sane ran at the Fulham defence, not Sterlings fault, but he really can't do anything with his left foot. The knock on effects of Sterling on the left, namely Bernardo on the right, and the statue in midfield, affected pretty much the whole team.

I don't buy the complacency thing, it was a poor team selection, and it was obvious quite quickly, and should have been dealt with earlier, much earlier.

I agree the team selection was poor however I don't get how you can dismiss complacency, some of the passing last night was just pure lazy and arrogant.

 

[City Man]

Nowt wrong with the starting 11 or tactics imo.

Nowt wrong with the subs.

Nowt wrong with Arteta.

Extreme complacency and believing they’re Billy Big Bollocks was the issue. Simple as that.

Numerous mistakes, none of the usual ‘move as one’ movement in either phase, poor pressing, none of the ‘6 second rule’ in evidence, wasteful as fuck in front of goal. That’s purely down to attitude and not being arsed enough.

Given the standards this club sets and the level Pep requires, he will both shame and bollock the absolute fuck out the lot of them today.

Let’s hope that will be an end to such shenanigans.

Sometimes the simplest explanations are the best.

“It is hard to explain. We didn’t start well. We started waiting to see what would happen. When we woke up, it was so late - we conceded two goals and in that competition, you cannot win like this. We paid for that.”

Nowt wrong with the starting 11 or tactics imo.

Nowt wrong with the subs.

Nowt wrong with Arteta.

Extreme complacency and believing they’re Billy Big Bollocks was the issue. Simple as that.

Numerous mistakes, none of the usual ‘move as one’ movement in either phase, poor pressing, none of the ‘6 second rule’ in evidence, wasteful as fuck in front of goal. That’s purely down to attitude and not being arsed enough.

Given the standards this club sets and the level Pep requires, he will both shame and bollock the absolute fuck out the lot of them today.

Let’s hope that will be an end to such shenanigans.

Agreed. Attitude. Sometimes the simplest explanations are the best. I think what Dinho said after the game probably bears out what you say: "We started waiting to see what would happen. When we woke up it was so late. We conceded two goals...."

Waiting to see what would happen. FFS, did they think Lyon were a bunch of lab rats that they could sit and examine for a while before deciding how to go about bumping them off? That's arrogance on top of complacency not to mention being asleep. Let's hope Pep's size tens up their arses nips this mentality in the bud.

 

[Father Paul]

I agree the team selection was poor however I don't get how you can dismiss complacency, some of the passing last night was just pure lazy and arrogant.

I hope your right because if not we have zero chance of winning this competition. The performance last night (for whatever reason) was light years short of the required standard. Likewise if this becomes a habit in the weeks ahead we will be fighting the Rags for 3rd spot come April. I said weeks back KDB's injury would hurt us and I stick by that claim.

 

[cleavers]

I agree the team selection was poor however I don't get how you can dismiss complacency, some of the passing last night was just pure lazy and arrogant.

I thought it was just pressurised rather than lazy or arrogant. I don't actually know what an "arrogant" pass is ? One thing that did annoy me was the number of chipped passes out wide, and that was because our single midfielder had nobody else to pass to most of the time, again a function of players out of position, and one not in any useful position at all.