No-one passing to Haaland.

[Blue and true]

He’s not wasted at City at all. We’re just not playing as a team to his strengths in every game.

So far he’s scoring at a higher rate at City (1.11 goals per game) than he was at Dortmund (0.97 goals per game). And has already scored more goals this season (31 goals in 28 games) than he did last season for Dortmund (29 goals in 30 games).

In half a season, he’s already outscored the last four seasons’ Prem Golden Boot winners over full seasons.

There are no rumours of a crack in his relationship with Pep.

We as a team need to improve all-round and in finding ways to play with Haaland in every game, but Haaland himself has got a hell of a lot of improving to do as well outside his goalscoring.

You're right, there are no signs of a breakdown in relationship with Pep. But I can tell you one thing, if it comes to it, and they do have a coming together, I'd rather see Pep walk than Haaland. He's already had a bust up with our only competent left back and it looks as though he's alienating half the squad. Something has to give. We still have the basis of an incredible team and we shouldn't be ready to throw that away just to indulge our manager's whims and OCD.

 

[Bez]

All the games we have lost in the league have been by a single goal. No-one is pummelling us. In those games we have not created enough. Pep and the players need to find a way. That's why they are paid millions of pounds. If they can't do it, the club will get new players in and move on the players that want to go to Spain for the nicer weather.

 

[jacko74]

They can't block passes that are over their heads...

As I've mentioned previously, what makes it even more frustrating is there was a time if we were struggling to break teams down we would resort to pointlessly lofting in endless high crosses for our munchkin false 9's to never get on the end of... now we have got a monster upfront we never seem to do it.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

You're right, there are no signs of a breakdown in relationship with Pep. But I can tell you one thing, if it comes to it, and they do have a coming together, I'd rather see Pep walk than Haaland. He's already had a bust up with our only competent left back and it looks as though he's alienating half the squad. Something has to give. We still have the basis of an incredible team and we shouldn't be ready to throw that away just to indulge our manager's whims and OCD.

I think this is all a bit over the top. We are just having one of, what I call, our ‘drop-off’ seasons. We’ve had four out of seven seasons where we’ve been below our top standards under Pep (we even won the league in one of them!). Every time it happens people start going to extremes about seeing him off.

Cancelo was a mard arse. He was when he came, he was in his first season and he has been over the Winter this season. He also fell out with CRonaldo (not hard I suppose haha) and was dropped by his Portugal coach during the World Cup.

I think we just need to come to terms with our team this season not being as good as it has in previous seasons and think that having a good second placed finish would be a good season for this team, and see how far we get in the Cups. Our current team is more in with the rest of the pack now than what we had at our best a few years ago.

 

[alexmcity]

I'd rather see Pep walk than Haaland.

NO.

I think Pep made a big mistake with Cancelo, and his recent obsession with Rico Lewis may cost us the season. But he has enough credit in the bank. It would be silly to part ways with the greatest manager in order to turn into FC Haaland for a season or two before Haaland's inevitable departure.

Pep's mistake this season, specially after the WC, was to go with the *happy* players and bench the moaners (Cancelo, Laporte, Walker, KDB, Foden...). This "happy" philosophy doesn't work and is ruining our season. But Pep can ditch it if it creates more troubles than solutions. He himself was telling the players back in 17/18 to hate him if that helps them perform better. Ironically, he plays precisely the happy flowers (and they are happy, for none of them would start at Real or Bayern...)

 

[CatMan]

We are so paranoid with safe passing due to the fear of turnover and counter attack due to our inabilityto defend!

The problem with this philosophy of course is our players cannot understand that a safe pass in centre field is different from a safe pass when we are in our final third. That almost blind flick pass by Rodri to Rico with, who was flat footed and being closed down, was both avoidable and stupid. No other team in this league attempts such stupidity in their own final third yet we continue to do this, week in week out. Play the way you are facing and if needed fucking punt it downfield.

I'm still fuming today, not so much to the result, but to the stupidity and negativity of our play. It's all Guardiola's fault as he picks the team and dictates tactics.

He's clearly had a complete fall out with the Portuguese element because they have either left, are not arsed or are not selected. No doubt Laporte will be speaking to his agent too. Walker, KDB, Gundogan and Mahrez are all just going through the motions. Grealish tries but delivers nothing. Foden clearly has problem away from football that is impacting any chance of selection. Palmer's not playing enough to get any confidence going whilst the £40m on Phillips makes the £100m on Jack look value.

I won't even touch on Ederson's inability to save anything. Navas played for Forest yesterday and he saved everything and more. If you get a chance, look at the highlights and see how he stands in preparation to save shots! It's completely different from Ederson who for all his passing is fundamentally flawed as a shot stopper.

 

[SJT]

its like tipping a bucket of crabs on the floor and watching them, it's fucking sideways fest and boring AND slow, - *speed, counter, width...three dead words in training.

 

[Weavers run]

We are so paranoid with safe passing due to the fear of turnover and counter attack due to our inabilityto defend!

The problem with this philosophy of course is our players cannot understand that a safe pass in centre field is different from a safe pass when we are in our final third. That almost blind flick pass by Rodri to Rico with, who was flat footed and being closed down, was both avoidable and stupid. No other team in this league attempts such stupidity in their own final third yet we continue to do this, week in week out. Play the way you are facing and if needed fucking punt it downfield.

I'm still fuming today, not so much to the result, but to the stupidity and negativity of our play. It's all Guardiola's fault as he picks the team and dictates tactics.

He's clearly had a complete fall out with the Portuguese element because they have either left, are not arsed or are not selected. No doubt Laporte will be speaking to his agent too. Walker, KDB, Gundogan and Mahrez are all just going through the motions. Grealish tries but delivers nothing. Foden clearly has problem away from football that is impacting any chance of selection. Palmer's not playing enough to get any confidence going whilst the £40m on Phillips makes the £100m on Jack look value.

I won't even touch on Ederson's inability to save anything. Navas played for Forest yesterday and he saved everything and more. If you get a chance, look at the highlights and see how he stands in preparation to save shots! It's completely different from Ederson who for all his passing is fundamentally flawed as a shot stopper.

The problem with that philosophy is he has turned us into a slow, boring team to watch who plays with no intensity, to combat being done on the counter, to then keep losing games by a goal on the…. Counter. I’d rather play as we used to and get caught out, than be bored to tears to watch us end up losing anyway

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

The problem with that philosophy is he has turned us into a slow, boring team to watch who plays with no intensity, to combat being done on the counter, to then keep losing games by a goal on the…. Counter. I’d rather play as we used to and get caught out, than be bored to tears to watch us end up losing anyway

But the matchday thread would be even longer and more hysterical

 

[Claytop]

What's changed?

I felt the first part of the season we were trying too hard to find him, Pep get spooked by the Newcastle/Palace & United games where we shipped a few?

Now our games are by and large dreadful to watch.