Madrid v City CL semi final 2nd leg

The worst thing about it is that it was there for us if only the manager had done his job. Playing Yaya was just ridiculous in the extreme, I knew he would do it and I knew what the outcome would be. To have our captain strolling around like it was a friendly in a CL semi-final was bizarre.
Im pretty certain city are contractually obligated to play yaya when even remotely fit, im pretty certain of it. Thankfully we are no longer in that place where the earth is promised to get the big players here.
 
Of course he shares the responsibility that had a ferny shot and a late kun effort to show for 96 minutes of rubbish.

Insipid effort , no spine , no fluid movement typical of many of the 14 defeats this season so far and mnay of other efforts where only a piece of individual effort have got us over the line.

Kompany or no Kompany it wasn't good enough and anybody who thinks a crocked captain is the difference in games like this and has a manager who cannot get a side in the biggest night of their European lives to do nothing other than be a passenger is deluding themselves.

We won't get another chance like this for sometime against a side that was well below what they are capable of whose manager won't last out next season as well in charge and it was pitiful to watch.

I
 
We really missed Silva and/or Nasri in this type of game to retain some possession. A perfect example of why they will both thrive under Pep.

I'm really disappointed by the result and the lack of tempo from us but even though we lost this game is a big step for us. I'm not content with a Champions League semi-final (I want it all) but you do step back and realise that we just went out 1-0 to Real Madrid with a single goal coming at the Bernabeu. The big disappointment for us isn't this campaign, its the league.
 
Sergio did nothing wrong.

What are people expecting, he's just banging his head against a brick wall, isolated at every turn, because we had no possession or link play up to him, hence him trying to drop 30 yards back

If that was Bony he would've been destroyed on the forum. Iheanacho for one at least tried to do more despite being cut off from passes. He made himself open for a pass more han several times.

As for Aguero: He was missing, non involved and didn't even try to run the spaces. And also: The situation with the one on one with Navas towards the end. If he wasn't such a greedy ballhog he would have tried to knock the ball sideways in the air to Iheanacho, instead of trying to win an aerial fight with Navas and Pepe.

Aguero was the worst player yesterday, save for maybe KDB and Fernando.
 
My take on the tactical mistakes:
1. Toure should never have starter. KDB in the middle, Sterling and Navas on the wings (or in my opinion Iheanacho and Navas, given how poor Sterling has been). Toure in general is mishandled this season - he should be brought on as a 60-70 minute sub to impact the game.
2. Fernando plain and simple is not good enough. If fit, play Delph who at leasts adds some creativity.
3. With 20-30 minutes to go, Wilfried Bony is a must. Despite him not performing his power and hold up play would be pivotal to make spaces up front. The last 20 minutes should have been Bony + Aguero or Bony + Iheanacho.
 
The changes are coming, players and management style will change, the club know it's required as does the whole footballing community, it's clear as to why it's required so should be no surprise we've come up short in most depts, therefore it's a bit like moaning for the sake of it, to get the best we have to wait and during this period the club is in state of limbo.
 
Our European successes (if you can call progressing to the semi's as success) have come off the back of having De Bruyne in the role behind Aguero which works as KDB will make runs in behind defences, last night we shoe horned Yaya into the role which ended up costing us as we had no central runners.

I can half understand the thinking behind starting Yaya to try to give us some ball retention in the middle of the park but as soon as we found out Casemiro was out for them we should have started with Sterling wide and KDB in the centre with the 2 Ferns. Modric, Kroos and Isco were never ever gonna press us high up the pitch when we were in possession thus negating the need for Yaya in there, yet again the managers ineptness was shown in his team selection (and subsequent changes)

The season has been an unmitigated disaster, roll on August
 
My take on the tactical mistakes:
1. Toure should never have starter. KDB in the middle, Sterling and Navas on the wings (or in my opinion Iheanacho and Navas, given how poor Sterling has been). Toure in general is mishandled this season - he should be brought on as a 60-70 minute sub to impact the game.
2. Fernando plain and simple is not good enough. If fit, play Delph who at leasts adds some creativity.
3. With 20-30 minutes to go, Wilfried Bony is a must. Despite him not performing his power and hold up play would be pivotal to make spaces up front. The last 20 minutes should have been Bony + Aguero or Bony + Iheanacho.

Personally I would disagree with all of those points.

1. Sterling has shown nothing in the last 3 months to merit a start, Toure has the experience - it didn't work out but we hardly got overran. The game plan was ok until the 65th minute or so when we then should have put the foot on the gas.

2. Delph is out of his depth at this level and would have added nothing. He is a poor signing and shouldn't be here. That doesn't mean Fernando should either. It's poor planning and signings.

3. Bony has shown nothing when he does come on to make me think that he would have had any influence on that game. He is another who has jumped one step too high on the level ladder. He needs to drop down a notch and head back to a mid table club where he will play more and I'm sure do better.
 

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