Monaco - Post Match thread.

[Petetheblu]

Heartless first half, no balls, that's what hurts the most. A little bit of desire would have been great, offered most the team my slippers in the first half they were that layed back.

 

[Neville Kneville]

I agree, but first half we failed to retain possession.

We were crying out for yaya in that second half...had he played we would've won imo.

Maybe, or Aguero might just have missed two more.

 

[paulusmcblue]

Im sure Kun has lost that vital split second he use to have. With the leaky onion bag that we have, we need to score shit loads!

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

A city/Monaco combined team would be unstoppable. Let's raid them.

Aye we could play the Monaco lads, 1st half and ours 2nd ;-)

 

[cookster]

Have you ever seen Iniesta pull out of a challenge?

Plenty of times and dive alot more than KDB.

 

[Zin 'messiah' Zimmer]

It is always a fluid and dynamic system under Guardiola, it is never rigid and the tactics changes depending on situations and it even changed in the first half as well e.g Sterling and Sane switching positions and full backs inverting inside. The shape of the team was essentially the same in the second half.

The point still remains that it was not the tactics that caused that first half performance, you should not miss that reality as well. The players were weak and that is why the team played poorly in the first half . The tactics even though it was bad (which I don't think so) cannot warrant the performance. It is internal, within the players and they did not show up.

I'm sorry but playing dinho as the sole holding midfielder was a mistake, a tactical one!

 

[Dax777]

It wasn't the first half that cost us, it was the first leg. We gifted them three easy away goals, make such basic mistakes at that level and you go out. Sterling had a poor game, Aguero must have had lead in his boots, his first touch was bad all game. Poor delivery from set pieces. Clichy and Sagna aren't good enough attacking wise. Fullbacks these days are now so important when it comes to attacking, and they don't give us enough.

Hence why I argued for Dihno and Zaba to start. That said, our lethargy in the first half might have still cost us though

 

[Banged up abroad]

Shit tactics and team selection. Why play an attacking side against a team that has to attack us from the off? We left space everywhere for them in the first half. Our midfield was weak, reminded me of watching Arsenal. If we started with Yaya and Fernandinho in front of the back four we'd now be through. Naive from Pep. Better second half but the damage was done and fault must lie with the team he picked to defend a lead.

 

[simon23]

I'm not sure we spent all that money on KDB for him to be a ball winning midfield player.

no but in games you need a bit of fight.

silva isn't a ball winning midfielder either but he does it and doesn't pull out of challenges

 

[flb]

Guardiola without Messi is developing a poor European record. I get it. He likes good football. But so did Keegan. Our recent good form is hardly rocket science
Getting the ball to pacy skillful wingers. Not saying he is the emperor's new clothes but best manager in the world. Not in my book.

Hes got an awful lot to prove that's a certainty , he's no dead cert that's for sure, and as you've pointed out his football isn't revolutionary- it's just attacking football that's relies on the quality at his disposal , getting it to pacy wingers has been going on for 40 years.

We seem to all over analyse Pep as some sort of Messiah, the table is proving otherwise , if it's about spending shit loads then is it that fucking great?

 

[Brendan110_0]

Terrible game management from 2 goals ahead. That lies with the manager. The players were poor too so it's blame all around.

Peps fault. How he couldn't see us not retaining possession was key is beyond me.

 

[Marvin]

De Bruyne a 'disgrace', my arse. If Sterling didn't needlesly dick around after his wonderful through ball and we wouldn't have conceded their third, everyone would be raving. He's having a bad spell, but gave it all in the second (as did everyone) and Pep's switch to get him in front of the defence worked well in general I think.

Yes we bossed that 2nd half. A couple of free-kicks were wayward. Whole 1st half City were totally overrun and in shock by the look of things

De bruyne is a quality player and we are lucky to have him. We need to be sharper up front and stronger defensively.

Sane is proving to be a fantastic addition. Sterling needs to up his game. He's been good in the Champions League, and has had a good season, but I don't think he is that confident in front of goal. Jesus looks to me like he will improve us upfront which probably means Aguero will be off in the Summer unless we play Jesus on the left, Aguero up front and Sane on the right. Aguero for me is not quite as sharp as he was so I think when Jesus is fit, he'll come in for Aguero.

We're probably sorted up front, but it's the defensive midfield, central defence and full backs that need sorting

 

[cookster]

For some of us old uns, it used to be October. So there is progress ;-)

I like the cut of your jib

 

[CityFan94]

Shocking.

This was such an easy game to qualify from tonight. 2 goals up so sit back, be disciplined then kill them on the counter attack with Sane and Sterling. Job done. Why on earth were we so open first half? What kind of game management is that?

Fernandinho isn't a top holding midfielder, more like a charity shop Kante. De Bruyne has been very poor for weeks and those two horrendous free kicks towards the end summed his form up. Not sure it was the night for Silva either, we didn't need to go and open Monaco up. Yaya or Delph would have been a better option to shore the midfield up.

We know the back four isn't good enough, we so must protect them. Pack the midfield, not play one in centre midfield! Second half was better when De Bruyne played deeper, but that starting line up and tactics in the first half were absolutely atrocious.

Well done to Monaco, but they're not a great team. We scored 6 goals and still knocked out, that is completely ridiculous.

 

[Dax777]

I'm sorry but playing dinho as the sole holding midfielder was a mistake, a tactical one!

Like I said on the pre game, I'll pray for us, but I didn't see it.

 

[RayCTID]

Fernandinho's shortcomings in that role were exposed when Guardiola played him there against Stoke, so it can't have been much of a surprise when a faster and fitter team boxed him in.

We have completely messed Fernandinho up in trying to convert him to full back. Another issue was to hand him one of the vice captains and lost the plot in both the Chelsea and Burnley games (not entirely his fault)

 

[Danny_Johnson4]

Do give over.Stones fails to cut out cross Goal 1,Stones nowhere need player Goal 3.

Holy lord, are you awake?
He did fantastically to block the initial cross for the first goal, I am literally embarrassed for you claiming he should have stopped the second one half a second later.

We just got totally out classed over 2 legs and didnt have a shot on goal until minute 55 tonight, and you want to blame our youngest, newest defender?
I am cringing for you.

 

[Neville Kneville]

A city/Monaco combined team would be unstoppable. Let's raid them.

Unfortunately, it would just lose 6-5 due to fucking useless defenders.

 

[johnmc]

With a two goal lead we have the perfect players in Sane and Sterling in playing fast counter attacking football away from home especially in Europe and especially when we have a lead.

Silva and Kev shouldn't play together in those circumstances. I'd question whether either of them should actually start. Put Yaya and Fernando in for those two and do you see us two down within half an hour?

 

[OB1]

Yup, agree with all of that. DeBruyne needs to take a long hard look at himself. When the going gets tough, he disappears far too often. Jogging after opponents, powderpuff tackles? Unacceptable.
One thing I pray we buy in the summer are two full backs, who can actually cross the ball. Sagna, Clichy and Sterling are terrible at it to the point of embarrassment, and when you're chasing a game like that you need as many options as possible. Our lack of professionalism when things aren't going our way is a real concern for me as well. That was an appalling goal to concede

The players are just not tough enough, physically and, most importantly, mentally.

I thought Pep should have started Yaya but the bigger problem was too many players simply not doing their jobs well enough. Yet again we demonstrate brain dead defending and make costly errors. Dinho losing ball in midfield led to the situation that allowed Monaco to score. Stones was left without help for so long on their second goal - Sterling majorly at fault on that.

People will criticise the high defending on their third but we defend like that all the time and it has been very effective. Not sure if KDB need to give the foul away but we are buggers for giving cheap free kicks away in bad areas and his two subsequent free kick deliveries were a stark contrast to theirs.

 

[hihosilva]

Sterling has been shite for the last three games. He's not good enough