Monaco - Post Match thread.

[blueincy]

Pep didn't just play that card did he? We have an inexperienced team in this competition FFS...

They should play from start to finish in any competition end of lesson... Sick of this inexperience bullshit being spouted...

Time for bye bye Sagna Clichy how's the french coefficient this evening:-(

 

[cookster]

I use my eyes and he's fallen well below the standards he set last season. Really need him to produce on a consistent basis. He hasn't done that this season.

Maybe he's just adjusting to a new system under a different manager.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

The objective is to outscore the opposition. There's more than one way of doing it. With our squad, that is the way that makes most sense

I agree with bluejay16. Pep was very arrogant today. He seems to be more concerned with the world / media's perception of him and his reputation as an attacking manager rather than what's best for the team.

 

[Mancityus]

Pep has to take the blame - why was Yaya out of line-up. Why after big talk of all attack by Pep the team came out sleep-walking. Why no action was taken at half-time or even earlier when he found team was not able to handle the press by Monaco.

Pep has a style of playing from the back and 80% of our time we spent/wasted trying to get the ball to the halfway line under high press and then Monaco took the ball.

This team is not good enough for Pep I hear, not good enough to perform in PL or EFL cup or CL, a team Pellegrini took to semis last year- I guess he needs Messi and Neymar and Suarez and then maybe we might see something.

 

[Proy]

Well I thought it was tactical but we turned the cnuts over in the 2nd half, they were chasing shadows. Same personnel, same shape. We just applied ourselves properly.

Top and bottom is we bottled the first half. Shit the bed. We also don't take our chances, and I mean really easy chances. It's bizarre.

I thought we were very good in the 2nd half, Stones was excellent, so I see a lot of hope once he's sorted out the areas he needs to, next season.

Huge 3 games now. We can get our ticket into the top 3.

 

[BlueTG]

Some of the players don't care much for the shirt. They turn up when they either can be arsed, or they're on the brink of an embarrassment. It was too little, too late again this time.

That first half was fucking turd.

 

[Tricky17]

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

Completely disagree. Yes he has ups and downs but he's 21 and probably our most improved player. The younger players are the future, getting on their backs ain't going to help and buying 35 year old strikers like manure ain't the answer either.

 

[Eccles Blue]

Why does Guardiola not bring on subs earlier? Very, very rarely does he bring on a sub before 70mins no matter how poorly we are playing.

Well I suppose I can afford a long weekend in London for Wembley now that I don't have to save for any more CL matches!

 

[Arthureros]

Tie was decided in the 1st half. Couldn't string 3 passes together. Maybe it's the tactics maybe it's the players, definitely one of the worst city performances of recent years. Fern should have played alongside Yaya in the middle, oh well, we can focus on finishing the league strongly now.

 

[geoff clipp]

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)

I'm sure a player of his experience should be able to bounce back from being asked to play a few games out of position.

 

[Neville Kneville]

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?

If it's the same in 3 years, probably not.

Imo its the biggest change in football quality I've ever seen at City, probably anywhere. If Sergio was the player from 3 seasons ago, we'd have buried Chelsea & still be in he Champ's Lg, in spite of any weaknesses imo.

 

[Corky]

Game changed 2nd half didn't it. What did you want him to do that could possibly have changed things

We started OK, but got rocked by the goal, and the players I felt were shocked and rocked off their game. That's natural. if you are suggesting that yaya toure should have started then that is wrong in my opinion. He uses the ball well, but one thing that Monaco have is great intensity and speed and Toure can't do the work off the ball that is required in that position.

We started okay as in not conceding until we did, and not having the ball in their half? Pretty much nonsense.

 

[IWasHere]

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

This.

 

[Marvin]

Gutless in the first half, a lot better in the second but overall we didn't do enough on the night. Very frustrating.

I couldn't see a way back at half time, but it totally changed. It was very frustrating to lose from a game that we were bossing.

But that has been the story of our season.

1) We don't score enough from the chances we create
2) Defensively as a team we are weak.

 

[Mancityus]

Oh so we're only playing in the champions league now.

Well he gave up on PL against Stoke by not fielding Sterling and Silva.

 

[cookster]

Fair point, I think Pep knows how woeful some of our defenders are and tries to outscore the opposition. Stones looked decent tonight and I felt sorry for him trying to stop their second goal - he made three challenges whilst others stood and watched and where was Sagna? Playing the entire attack onside in the left back position. First order of business must be replacing both fullbacks and Vinny who sadly is probably finished.

I don't think it's down to individuals so much but the system. At least 2 goals that Monaco scored came from mistakes from the GK playing out from the back.

 

[simon23]

Find it ridiculous that our "fans" are turning on KDB. They obviously missed him playing deeper in the sweeper role 2nd half, that lead to us dominating.

Lack of fight maybe but he's still created more chances that any player in the top 5 leagues.

Im certainly not turning on him...the guy si a fantastic player but he was awful tonight along with others but he was the worst of the lot.....lack of fight isn't about creating chances but his passing was awful, he looked half a yard of the pace and their midfield were running around him like he wasn't there. I know he is getting use to the new demands that Pep is placing upon him (he has said it himself) but his performances have been way off for a lot of the season.....he has had some good moments but a lot of average ones as well which for someone with such high standards unfortunately stand out.......

think he needs a rest (ala sergio) to give him a bit of his fight back

 

[RayCTID]

I'm sure a player of his experience should be able to bounce back from being asked to play a few games out of position.

I did think he was tactically flexible and experienced but I am proven wrong. He does look out of sorts, although Pep has praised him he has struggled to fully adapt.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I agree with bluejay16. Pep was very arrogant today. He seems to be more concerned with the world / media's perception of him and his reputation as an attacking manager rather than what's best for the team.

With the players we have. It would have been suicide to just try and defend.
Problem is , no one saw the car crash performance, from everyone in the 1st half.

 

[Patientman63]

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?

Completely agree. I'd even had considered Delph cos of his engine and pace. 4-1-4-1 tonight, with Dinho as the holding 1 was a mistake.