Everyone knows that a DM should have started. The fact remains Zinchenko's man was Havertz and he lost him that's all. Just a side to his game he struggles with. The poor sod should never have been on the pitch
You can dress it up anyway you like if zinchenko hadn't come on at half time the dippers would be champions and we would be having to suffer their incredible fans all summerWhen he came on at HT v Villa he transformed the left hand side of attack and it was he who cut the ball ball to Rodders to score.
He has been invaluable to us but if he wants to fulfill his own potential and play in midfield he needs to move on
Not the fact that Pep realized he picked the wrong team at the start ie Fern starting.You can dress it up anyway you like if zinchenko hadn't come on at half time the dippers would be champions and we would be having to suffer their incredible fans all summer
Change 'incredible' to 'insufferable', ta.You can dress it up anyway you like if zinchenko hadn't come on at half time the dippers would be champions and we would be having to suffer their incredible fans all summer
Absolutely love Hart but the writing was on the wall for him, think he had 45 mins of a pre season and he collected a back pass and smash a long pass straight out for a throw in under little or no pressure the camera zoom in on peps face and you could see his frustration. Hart has been a model pro (can guarantee some media rags have offered him a fortune to bash us and pep but to my knowledge hasn't spoke badly of either) and I would him back as third choice at some stage but he seemed unwilling to even try to play peps way.Hart wasn’t told that at all tbf.
He was explicitly told he wouldnt play a single game even in the Carabao, and was politely persuaded to fuck right off, with us subsidising his big wages for the entire remainder of his contract.
He was made an example of to assert the new manager’s authority.
And before anyone starts, I think this may even have been justified. Harsh but maybe necessary
Sad to see Zinny go but it’s for the best, no need to invent fairytales throwing other great City servants under the bus in the process
Our team was working perfectly well with Gundogan in a more advanced position and Foden on the left. At the time it was clear Sterling saw his arse over game time and Pep decided to play him and shift everyone else around.Our DM is either have terrible form (Rodri) or simply outmatched by Kante (Fernandinho). We will not automatically win just because we have started DM back then, you are really naive if our problem is just down to Pep not playing DM there's many factor on why he didn't bring DM.
Absolutely love Hart but the writing was on the wall for him, think he had 45 mins of a pre season and he collected a back pass and smash a long pass straight out for a throw in under little or no pressure the camera zoom in on peps face and you could see his frustration. Hart has been a model pro (can guarantee some media rags have offered him a fortune to bash us and pep but to my knowledge hasn't spoke badly of either) and I would him back as third choice at some stage but he seemed unwilling to even try to play peps way.
It's when not if on Zinny. And I think keeping Ake around has the club thinking we just need the one left back because both Cancelo and Ake can play there.IF we were to lose Zinchenko, we would be down to 2 natural FB's - we would surely need to be after another two full backs?
I know Cancelo can cover both RB and LB, but if last year is anything to go by Walker isn't going to be able to play 80- 90% of the games especially with it being a world cup year. So even if we do sign Cucurella it's putting a lot of pressure on Cancelo (who again will be playing every game for Portugal in the WC) to stay fit and perform.
Unless Pep has plans to promote a youngster, I think we need to be targeting another plus Cucurella - we don't ideally want Ake and Stones playing FBs if we can help it?
Thoughts?
You seem to have forgotten a Mr Ake is now stayingIF we were to lose Zinchenko, we would be down to 2 natural FB's - we would surely need to be after another two full backs?
I know Cancelo can cover both RB and LB, but if last year is anything to go by Walker isn't going to be able to play 80- 90% of the games especially with it being a world cup year. So even if we do sign Cucurella it's putting a lot of pressure on Cancelo (who again will be playing every game for Portugal in the WC) to stay fit and perform.
Unless Pep has plans to promote a youngster, I think we need to be targeting another plus Cucurella - we don't ideally want Ake and Stones playing FBs if we can help it?
Thoughts?
i Can't really remember when we last had 4 functioning full backs. Zinchenko didn't actually play that much last season. So if Cucerella comes and plays regularly we are actually better off than last season and a 4th full back wouldn't play very much if at all.IF we were to lose Zinchenko, we would be down to 2 natural FB's - we would surely need to be after another two full backs?
I know Cancelo can cover both RB and LB, but if last year is anything to go by Walker isn't going to be able to play 80- 90% of the games especially with it being a world cup year. So even if we do sign Cucurella it's putting a lot of pressure on Cancelo (who again will be playing every game for Portugal in the WC) to stay fit and perform.
Unless Pep has plans to promote a youngster, I think we need to be targeting another plus Cucurella - we don't ideally want Ake and Stones playing FBs if we can help it?
Thoughts?
I don't believe Pep came in and just told Hart he was done to make an example out of him, it's completely the opposite of everythign we know about Pep as a manager.
I expect Pep arrived and told Hart he wasn't good enough with his feet to be number 1, and Hart was presented with a choice of accepting that and working incredibly hard as a 2nd or 3rd choice keeper to improve a part of his game that was terrible, or acting out, and he chose the latter.
The irony is that his decision to not stay as 2nd/3rd choice keeper has left lead to him spending 5 years bouncing around clubs as 3rd choice and Bravo struggled so much Hart probably would have come back in at some point that season if he'd just been more grown up about things.
Kabore is still on loan for another year, he wont be here.We're not short anywhere if we can bring Cucurella (or another LB) in.
20 man squad for heavy rotation as follows:
Ederson (GK)
Ortega (GK)
Carson (GK)
Walker (RB)
Cancelo (LB or RB)
Cucurella (LB)
Stones (CB or RB)
Ake (CB or LB)
Dias (CB)
Laporte (CB)
Rodri (DM)
Phillips (DM)
KDB (RCM)
Bernardo (LCM, RAM or LAM)
Gundogan (LCM)
Foden (LAM, RAM, RCM, CF)
Grealish (LAM)
Mahrez (RAM)
Haaland (CF)
Alvarez (CF, RAM, LAM)
Additional youth team players for occasional introduction / injury cover:
Palmer (RAM, RCM)
McAtee (CAM, RAM)
Kaboré (RB)
Mbete (CB)
Not only zero holes, IMO, and I'd back that squad against any other in the PL.
We're not short anywhere if we can bring Cucurella (or another LB) in.
20 man squad for heavy rotation as follows:
Ederson (GK)
Ortega (GK)
Carson (GK)
Walker (RB)
Cancelo (LB or RB)
Cucurella (LB)
Stones (CB or RB)
Ake (CB or LB)
Dias (CB)
Laporte (CB)
Rodri (DM)
Phillips (DM)
KDB (RCM)
Bernardo (LCM, RAM or LAM)
Gundogan (LCM)
Foden (LAM, RAM, RCM, CF)
Grealish (LAM)
Mahrez (RAM)
Haaland (CF)
Alvarez (CF, RAM, LAM)
Additional youth team players for occasional introduction / injury cover:
Palmer (RAM, RCM)
McAtee (CAM, RAM)
Kaboré (RB)
Mbete (CB)
Not only zero holes, IMO, and I'd back that squad against any other in the PL.
IF we were to lose Zinchenko, we would be down to 2 natural FB's - we would surely need to be after another two full backs?
I know Cancelo can cover both RB and LB, but if last year is anything to go by Walker isn't going to be able to play 80- 90% of the games especially with it being a world cup year. So even if we do sign Cucurella it's putting a lot of pressure on Cancelo (who again will be playing every game for Portugal in the WC) to stay fit and perform.
Unless Pep has plans to promote a youngster, I think we need to be targeting another plus Cucurella - we don't ideally want Ake and Stones playing FBs if we can help it?
Thoughts?
i Can't really remember when we last had 4 functioning full backs.