Monaco - Post Match thread.

[toffee balls]

I really liked Boateng and especially Nastasic. We should have never sold them. Didn't liked Mangala from the beginning. Or Stones, unfortunately.

Stones had a fantastic game last night.
Did you not see that.

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

I really liked Boateng and especially Nastasic. We should have never sold them. Didn't liked Mangala from the beginning. Or Stones, unfortunately.

Stones was great last night and will be a stalwart for us.
On the subject of Stones, anyone else think their first goal last night was a foul on Stones? He blocked the first shot, but as that player ran past him he made contact with Stones to keep him on the ground and stop him getting up to go and block the second effort

 

[robbieh]

We have been waiting 3 years for Pep and now we need 2 years for Pep to bring the proper players. That's 5 years wasted. Frustrating.. Very poor management, recruitments and psychology.

The owner/chairman took a huge gamble when they sacked Mancini. He wasn't and isn't and probably never will be an A list manager but it worked for City in no small part down to the fact that Cook/Marwood whoever brought in some very good players, Yaya, VK, Zabba, Tevez, de Jong, Silva, Kun despite the fact that we had no silverware to show for the last however many years

Despite winning the PL twice we have purchased far inferior players since and some areas notably FB have been criminally neglected.

 

[sir baconface]

We simply aren't CL winning material and we show all the old naïveté in this competition (and the PL). It's disappointing that there's no evidence as yet of tangible improvement over the previous regime.

However, we are lucky to be Blues and I ain't giving up on Pep just yet. Especially after witnessing the anti-football practised by Mourinho the other night.

 

[inchy14]

Don't confuse the prem with champion league. Totally irrelevant .
Being 2 goals up we had something to protect and protect we should have done..
We didn't need Silva and kev we needed Yaya and nando. If then we happen to need a goal you bring on a fresh kev and David. It's basically football tactics. Our manager got it more wrong last night than could have been deemed possible.

Funny that picking up your stoke point he got that the wrong way round too.

Very odd.

And if he'd gone with a 3 of the 2 Ferns and Yaya he'd have been slaughtered at half time for allowing the most attacking side in Europe to do what they're good at, Attack while we do what we're shite at, defend.
The team was fine (apart from the back 5 no matter who are crap) they just froze in the first half and didn't take the chances in the second.

 

[Magicpole]

Until your defence is sorted out, you will be 'sorted out' by most of the better teams. No shit Sherlock.

It amazes me how we supporters can look at our teams and see that you could drive through our defence with a bus, yet people who are paid a fortune, either fail to see it altogether, or do, but replace the players with other ones who can't cut it either.

The amount of times I have watched my teams shambolic attempts at defending properly over the years, then listen to our managers talk as if what I just watched only happened on my TV and everything is really smashing.

This always leads to me exploding right through my ceiling and my misses dialling the number of our local asylum to plead with them to come and get me.

I have so far evaded their efforts with a combination of guile and world class disguises.

In our case over the last ten years, we have been hampered with a kitty that wouldn't keep a dozen of the thirstiest members on here in beer for a week. The main one though has been an almost universal inability to secure a combination of a functioning back four that could stop kids entering a sweetshop.

The Jan window was a chance for Pep to address this and his failure to do so has left you vulnerable. The silver lining, apart from actual silver this year, will be your ability to buy class defenders in the summer.

If you don't it's Groundhog Day again next season.

But, what the fuck do we know?

A couple of years ago, whilst watching a series of defending balls ups that literally defied the laws of physics, my young nephew asked me.

"Uncle Magic, Why doesn't the manager(Ronnie Delia) get better defenders."

To which I replied.

"Because he's a fucking twat son"

Again, my misses took exception to this and told the wee fella not to listen to uncle magic as he would be getting taken away in a big van for being mental very shortly.

One day she is going to be right.

 

[manygoose]

oh well shit happens.

another goal for sane - fantastic

stones really looking good now

fernandinho the problem for me last night

wish aguero would take these easy goals

come back soon please gabriel jesus

 

[@BluePhil8]

Is that in any way reassuring? We've signed a new CB every summer for the past 8 years, Lescott apart none of them have been hugely successful acquisitions though Stones may yet turn out to be one.

2009 - Lescott
2010 – Boateng
2011 – Savic
2012 – Nastasic
2013 – Demichelis
2014 – Mangala
2015 – Otamendi
2016 – Stones

Let's hope we don't go down the same path with the FBs.

As for last night, the first half reminded me of Leicester away, no protection from the midfield and panic stations from Clichy and Sagna every time Monaco attacked down the flanks. The second half was an improvement but it must be obvious to Pep that Sagna and Clichy have virtually zero attacking impact so when we were chasing the game in the second half why not at least bring Zaba on to help Sterling going forward as Sagna just seemed to take up his space for most of the game.

Funnily enough if we had just kept Boeteng and Savic instead of houding them out we would have the best defence in England right now and wouldn't have had to spend millions on Mangala and Otamendi.

 

[Kyle_Mck]

Lol you run to Ric like I give a fuck.
I post what I like when I like . Win lose or draw.
Truth hurts I get that but blue/pep tinted glasses are something I'll never have.

Put it this way we are out and to the easiest team we could have drawn.
You work it out.

The fact you think Monaco are the 'easiest team we could have drawn' shows just how narrow minded some can be.

Have to agree with everything Akiva has said.
Thought and detail behind each point instead of the mundane angry chest beating we get so often after a defeat.

 

[FCBarca]

I'd argue you have Pep tinted glasses, you complain about him like none other. Aguero misses sitters, Pep's fault for not playing Yaya. Defence is shambolic, Pep's fault for sending off Joe Hart.

Two biggest issues I saw as a neutral last night was the incredible lack of response from the first whistle, an almost Mirror image of the 1st leg - leaving it with all to do in the 2nd half. Very strange but at the same time, typical of a team not really quite there yet in terms of adopting all of Pep's instructions or having all of the right pièces in the squad.

And in terms of pièces, it's clear IMHO that fullbacks will need to be upgraded as will Kun. Now Messi critics have a better understanding of all the sitters Aguero, Higuain & Di Maria have missed over the years.

That being said, Monaco are an excellent side and benefit from a system, players & coach that are not merely enjoying 8 months of time together. I'm not sure I've seen a more dominant 1st half than the one I saw last night, nearly every 50/50 challenge was won by Monaco and City could not deal with the pressure applied everywhere on the pitch with the majority being in their own half

That's debatable, Sevilla certainly look far worse. I would have said Monaco were the most dangerous team we could have drawn. They score more goals than any team in football and we ship goals like there's no tomorrow. Further, our defense is slow and their attack is pacey and red hot.

I went into last night very nervous and came out feeling that, ultimately, 6-6 overall basically says it all about City right now and I can't imagine we'd have had the same issues with Sevilla, or Dortmund, or PSG, or even Barcelona.

Definitely concur