Palace v City post match thread.

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Because we've seen it all too often this season - particular since New Year, when every other match day has seemed like groundhog day - I think most posters are looking at last night's performance too negatively.
On the groundhog days, we've had no luck at all except bad; on the rough end of the decisions that count; 'worldies' scored against us with regularity; usually dominating posession, record number of shots and hitting of the woodwork - looks like the cycle has come full circle and we're paying for any good luck we had when we won both Premier League titles.
Putting aside our individual arguments about team selection which might have changed things, it's hard to argue with anything else that Pellegrini had to say after the match namely, that we dominated but couldn't score, and they won thanks to an offside goal and a world class free kick.
It just ain't our season! At least we go into the derby as underdogs, and that hasn't happened for a very long time - I think we were underdogs when we won 6 -1 weren't we?

OK we all have our opinions - but never in a million years was it a World Class free kick. Hart was at fault - too near his right hand post - gave himself too much ground to cover. Puncheon starting position meant that the ball could have only gone where it did. - left foot over the wall into the left of Hart.
Has it been proved that the first goal was offside.?? - I do not have Sky. .

It was just offside but marginal.

 

[Phil1]

Like so many games before this season we ended up carrying players which has the knock on effect of others trying to fill in. Fernandinho had to do the job of two because Toure was a disgrace (no wonder strike will make up for that) and Aguero was having to come deep to pick up the ball and do the running of both forwards because Dzeko took up a useless left wing position and moves broke down whenever the ball went near him.
Against hard working teams it's not acceptable, and how it wasn't noticed from the sidelines and changes implemented earlier (Nasri for Dzeko and Milner for Toure) tells me MP's in game management skills aren't good enough.

We had no width to speak of, our flying, overlapping full backs offered nothing going forward. Their runs are too predictable and the final delivery nowhere near good enough, added to Navas's tendency to run into blind alleys and earn us corners at best and players who are scared to shoot and it's not hard to see why we're failing to score even though we're completely dominant.

It just seems like nothing changes (at least this year) in the way we approach games. We look like a team relying on individual moments of magic as opposed to 11 players working together to produce a polished performance that's been worked on at the training ground. We look so disjointed at times it's hard to believe this set of players (mostly) have been playing together for years. The constant chopping and changing of the back four plays a large part of this and for that MP is solely to blame. Great teams start their success from a strong defence, we've gone from the very best in the league to a mid table looking side. We got away with it whilst scoring at the other end but it's plain to see our attacking front are struggling as much as our defensive unit.

Since Xmas it's been the perfect storm of defensive mediocrity, midfield laziness and a forward line lacking confidence and killer instinct that's hurting us. In all 3 positions we've had players not on their game in one way or another and at the very highest level in football it kills you. I'm not saying every player in every position, but it doesn't need to be, it only takes one of the back four, one midfielder and Dzeko and it affects the whole team. Wherever it's a general malaise that's set in or just a lack of belief in the system I don't know but there something and it seems the boss can't fix it.

As it stands finishing in the top 3 is a must, the players need to forget last night, regroup and show us that they still have pride in the blue shirt because this weekend is where we see who gives a fuck and who's already on the beach (or another club) The one good thing about football is how quickly things can change. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can go on and win 7 out of 7 and finish comfortably second having pushed Chelsea to the end. That's why we love the game. Of course we could drop out of the top four and everyone loses their shit which is why all other supporters love the game..

 

[Claytop]

What gets me how we consistently make bang average players look great.

Take Glenn Murray, very average player yet we make him look like Pele. Winning every header, bullying our defenders.

Same against Burnley twice. Ings, Boyd, Barnes all have stormers against us.

All these players and there teams have at least double the desire when we come up against them.

 

[tiggsywiggsywoo]

What gets me how we consistently make bang average players look great.

Take Glenn Murray, very average player yet we make him look like Pele. Winning every header, bullying our defenders.

Same against Burnley twice. Ings, Boyd, Barnes all have stormers against us.

All these players and there teams have at least double the desire when we come up against them.

Its not the players against us its their hearts and will to win. We lack the strength in character to compete, and I'm afraid that this is vital to success.

 

[foxy]

The fact that a player received man of the match despite scoring an offside goal and committing a blatant hand ball demonstrates the poor refereeing standards.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

Because we've seen it all too often this season - particular since New Year, when every other match day has seemed like groundhog day - I think most posters are looking at last night's performance too negatively.
On the groundhog days, we've had no luck at all except bad; on the rough end of the decisions that count; 'worldies' scored against us with regularity; usually dominating posession, record number of shots and hitting of the woodwork - looks like the cycle has come full circle and we're paying for any good luck we had when we won both Premier League titles.
Putting aside our individual arguments about team selection which might have changed things, it's hard to argue with anything else that Pellegrini had to say after the match namely, that we dominated but couldn't score, and they won thanks to an offside goal and a world class free kick.
It just ain't our season! At least we go into the derby as underdogs, and that hasn't happened for a very long time - I think we were underdogs when we won 6 -1 weren't we?

OK we all have our opinions - but never in a million years was it a World Class free kick. Hart was at fault - too near his right hand post - gave himself too much ground to cover. Puncheon starting position meant that the ball could have only gone where it did. - left foot over the wall into the left of Hart.
Has it been proved that the first goal was offside.?? - I do not have Sky. .

The lad's left toes were offside on the flick on. Really difficult to spot that.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

The fact that a player received man of the match despite scoring an offside goal and committing a blatant hand ball demonstrates the poor refereeing standards.

Dann got MOTM didn't he? and Murray wasn't the one who was offside, it was Ledley's foot.

It was certainly hand ball though.

 

[foxy]

The fact that a player received man of the match despite scoring an offside goal and committing a blatant hand ball demonstrates the poor refereeing standards.

Dann got MOTM didn't he? and Murray wasn't the one who was offside, it was Ledley's foot.

It was certainly hand ball though.

Man of the match: Glenn Murray.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/313690/report" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 690/report</a>

Whilst it was Ledley's foot, it still contributed to an offside goal. Officials can't get it right 100% of the time but it's happened too often with City.

That said I question the attitude of the players and Manuel going in to games against opposition further down the table. I honestly think they've not learnt anything about playing lower tabled sides. Back in 2013 when we were beaten at Cardiff, MP should have learnt from this that in the English game every team you play against away from home are going to give you a tough time.

 

[uwe rosler 28]

Defensively thought we were quite good last night could have handled murry better but apart from that thought we were sound! Had a perfect line for there first goal playing 2 players offside but that linesman was a joke we got fuck all of him all night! The 2nd goal was just a great strike! Thought the 4 midfield players put a good shift in! Including toure! Dzeko was awful sergio out of sorts and we just didn't take our chances! Pellers though waited to long with his subs dzeko should have been hooked at half time for milner/nasri might have prevented that 2nd goal.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Defensively thought we were quite good last night could have handled murry better but apart from that thought we were sound! Had a perfect line for there first goal playing 2 players offside but that linesman was a joke we got fuck all of him all night! The 2nd goal was just a great strike! Thought the 4 midfield players put a good shift in! Including toure! Dzeko was awful sergio out of sorts and we just didn't take our chances! Pellers though waited to long with his subs dzeko should have been hooked at half time for milner/nasri might have prevented that 2nd goal.

The second goal was a comedy of errors.

Toure lost a challenge for a header, silva miscontrolled, Demichellis put in a crap challenge and missed it, Fernandinho made a stupid tackle and Hart was in the wrong position.

Other than that it was good defending!