Our Closers - Our overhyped NDJ

[blueplan]

When City is leading in the dying minutes of the match we have to ask ourselves whether we can close the game?
That is do we have the closers?
A true measure and worth of defensive & holding midfielders is can they close the game?

Does City have them?

BTW IMO we should have subbed in Vieira instead of the young AJ.

 

[LoveCity]

Re: Our Closers?

BTW IMO we should have subbed in Vieira instead of the young AJ.

Mancini may have sensed a second and really it was there but Johnson - did he touch the ball? I really don't remember.

Also, if he had sent Johnson back to the bench, the media would have eaten us alive, although I'm not sure if Mancini cares about that.

 

[mike channon´s windmill]

Re: Our Closers?

Bad sub imo - Paddy would have had the experience to close it out one way or another so Bobs fooked up there

 

[blueplan]

In the dying minutes of a match and leading a good closer not only should protect the back four but help to relieve pressure from them.


At Stoke viz ,

1. When fullback (Richards) provide cover for our CB (Toure) against Jones & Tuncay where was our 'protecting cover' or closer?

2. Or rather did any of our closer help or come for a pass to relieve Kolo from pumping the ball in the first place!

 

[Bill]

we'll get there, it was a bad sub but its done and he will have learnt from it.

roll on bolton.

 

[buckshot]

This has been a weakness for some time, I expect them to have it sorted soon though.

 

[birchwoodgingerste]

i think mancini said he is looking to replace viera but players of his stature and quality are hard to come by.i wudnt rule out mancini bringing a viera type player in so if we are leading one nil we can bring him on because other than nigel de jong who else breaks the play up?

 

[gunny]

People boo him for bringing Barry on one week then moan another week when he brings AJ on.

How does he win?
You dont want defensive and boring yet you dont want attacking and exciting either

 

[warpig]

thought toure was more susceptible for criticism after that daft hoof upfield when we looking to see the game out.

 

[Citizen Green]

we'll get there, it was a bad sub but its done and he will have learnt from it.

roll on bolton.

That's the attitude to have mate

Step by step, day by day

 

[Harry Godwin]

Why do you have Nige in the title of the thread but not
mention him in your op ? Nige is class, one of the best
in his position anywhere.

 

[J-Bay Blue]

Why do you have Nige in the title of the thread but not
mention him in your op ? Nige is class, one of the best
in his position anywhere.

Agree BUT he was to blame for Stoke's equaliser - he failed to track Ethterington's run and when Tuncay back-heeled the ball into space in front of Etherington, Nige woke up too late.

It freaks me out the number of points we throw away in injury time - NEARLY ALWAYS down the right hand side.

We should have played keep - ball for 5 minutes at the end, no matter how boring and frustrating it may have been.

Micah's goal was great, but where was he when Etherington scored? I thought he was playing right back?

Walton was a joke - should have gone on a sympathy strike with his colleagues from Scotland.

Allowed Huth and Fuller to smother Joe Hart on all their set pieces, and did nothing about the flying arms. legs and elbows.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Once upon a time you might have got to the 70th or 80th minute with a one-nil lead and the opposition would have called it a day. Yer don't get teams like Stoke giving up until they are back in the changing room. There was a stat the other day that gave Stoke out as top of the league if yer only counted the second half of games. Bloody obvious that they were goin' to come at yer for the full 90+5. The solution was to hammer their goal and give them no respite and when necessary defend to the last man. We get caught too many times at the death for it to be just unlucky.