Paris Saint-Germain (A) - CL | Post-Match Thread

[Tim of the Oak]

I see our end was full last night, I mention this because there were a few posters who said this wouldn’t happens. We can still rely on our Supporters Clubs to help those Blues who worry about a few empty seats! On to Anfield. Come on City!

 

[Citizen in Pakistan]

I'd rather see jesus or foden leading the line than Sterling, to have MNM and opting to park the bus at home is pretty embarrassing imo. Yes they got the win but this tactic won't work for them in knockouts.

I think we played a good game and had we been lucky with bernado/sterling chance it could have been a different result.

 

[blue whippet]

We should but Brugge has done enough to show those games won’t be a walk in the park

There are an awful lot of people confident predicting winning both games against Brugge. I am sure all of their fans will have watch last night's game and be sat there thinking 'sit back, crowd the box and break, we could do these at home and draw away'. I think we actually needed to draw last night to reduce any pressure on ourselves. We just didn't create enough and were far too ponderous going forward.

 

[Otamendi's Beard]

When even the mighty PSG with the so-called best front 3 in world football park the bus, you know you're good.

We were the better team.

Donnarumma was probably their best signing this summer.

I don't understand anyone calling Grealish (ref gave him nothing with several fouls by Hakimi first half) or Mahrez. They both worked hard and contributed.

The only weak links were really Kev and Sterling. But mainly Sterling which is no longer a surprise to anyone but Pep.

 

[PistonBlue]

I thought we played well against their 12 men, we looked good on the ball and caused lots of problems. We just didn’t get the goal we needed - how on earth did Bernardo fail to score?
PSG still look like a team that will crack under pressure but if you don’t take your chances and put the pressure, they will at some point turn into the Harlem Globetrotters. While 2-0 flatters them somewhat, Messis’s goal pretty special. As soon as he got the ball and started to run at us it felt inevitable.
Not too disheartened but I do wish someone, anyone could have smashed Neymar in two and give the whining woman something to actually cry about.

 

[Ancient Citizen]

Grealish got fouled about a dozen times and got Jack shit,
a couple should have been yellows imo. All in all though I did
think we were better overall, Bernado's miss, just one of those things.

 

[mrbelfry]

Dunno if you guys heard but Messi lay down behind the wall when defending a free kick. Expect this to be on all the highlight reels when he retires

 

[Ancient Citizen]

Not too disheartened but I do wish someone, anyone could have smashed Neymar in two and give the whining woman something to actually cry about.

Amen to that, a more mard arsed player I've yet to see, and I've been around a while.

 

[bluetonium]

Epitomised how we will succeed or fail this season. Yes the ref was a homer and some of the decisions were just plain laughable, but we know from experience that the only way to overcome such variables is to be better, make it so it doesn't matter.

Defending was a bit loose for both their goals, and the final ten we almost lost it completely. But if we score it's a different matter, we just didn't get the bobbles and bounces last night.

I will say, all this Messi talk and the headlines... I thought he was pedestrian for most of the game, in fact for all of it except his one run and goal. Nowhere near the threat he was in previous years. Hope he doesn't kick on now.

But when our plan is not working, when the pass isn't quite right or the rebound goes over instead of in, we just can't be reliant on a sterling or a Torres to be our striker. If that was a premier league game we may have drawn it, but against quality forwards and a bit of luck we lost. That's the risk every time with this false nine.

Still expect us to qualify, PSG are not better than us over two legs and i expect us to prove that. But in a knockout competition we have left ourselves little to no flexibility if our one and only plan fails. Swapping an inside forward for a naturally sided player isn't enough.

Two next games will be interesting. Brugge are showing themselves to be dark horses and have already held the team that just beat us.

Unfortunately I also think Liverpool may be the victors this year, with the ACN nicely placed in between champions League rounds to set them up for a run on it. Probably at the expense of the league however, knowing Klopp.

 

[come-on-barney]

Foden created more chances in 5 minutes than Grealish did in +70 minutes.

For 5 minutes after that he was ineffective. We looked worse when Grealish and Sterling went off.