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

ChicagoBlue said:
I go back to Kate Abdo’s brutal slam from the QF…

ABDO: If Liverpool are not in the CL next season I’m not sure if you’ll be here.

SPITTER: You’ll lose half your audience!

ABDO: We might have an opening on the Thursday show!

MICAH: (Crying laughing)

Plus, did you see Micah’s reaction to the City winner? UFBly good, and funny!

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Brilliant Micah, but you should have twatted him on the way round
 
Marvin said:
I think we were massively fortunate in this game, and we should be aware of this. Against Spurs we dominated the ball but scored through a set-piece. Today, again we dominated the ball for long periods in the 2nd half and were able to create some very fluid passages of play on the outside of their box, but rarely did we threaten their goal. There was one must score moment from a PSG error in the 1st half when Bernardo passed to Foden and he struck it too centrally.

PSG are in a way the counter-opposite to City. Their threat are their forwards in Mbappe and Neymar, whereas our offensive talent is that we have 5 fantastic midfielders in Foden, GUndogan, Bernardo, Mahrez and KDB but we are forever massed against their defence outside their penalty box free-wheeling forever. It is beautiful to watch when we have a lead but frustrating if we need a goal. Nothing came of all our midfield play at Wembley, and nothing came from it last night either. You could say the same about PSG too (took a corner).

Our free-kick was incredibly fortunate. Mahrez can try that a 100 times and will never be able to do that again. What was he trying to do? GO round it, go over it? poor execution that came off simply because he hit it hard and on target.

We got lucky. Same as Spurs did when they came to City in that Q/F. But you need luck.

I think we have make a virtue from a fundamental weakness in our side...the lack of a centre-forward. Our ability to control the ball prevents Mbappe and Neymars from hurting us because it means we dominate the ball but we don't carry the same lethal threat in the penalty area that PSG have.

When PSG have Neymar and Mbappe on the edge of our penalty area, then they have the capacity to shift the ball really quick and get a runner in on the end of a cross e.g., Mbappe to Veratti that he missed by inches. I don't see this City side carrying this kind of threat.

The ability though to suffocate a side by preventing them from building up play, and to monopolise the ball though are huge pluses.

If Foden and/other players develop the Neymar/Ronaldo/Lampard ability to carry a real goal threat without being an out and out centre-forward then this absence of a central stiker does not matter.

In the Summer we have a crucial decision to make. Do we continue as we are, or do we sacrifice a forward to carry more threat in the box but at the same time lose control over possession? How many times do Bernardo and Mahrez cut back inside and float lovely balls in but rarely do these crosses have much threat. Against Villa that's how Rodri scored (from a Bernardo ball).

The plus side is though that most games end up 30:70 possession for City and what can an opponen do with so little possession? PSG are very dangeorous because they are more clinical, or efficient with their 30% possession.
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After ten minutes in the first half, we were understandably more conservative in our approach as PSG became more dominant & took the lead. Between 20-40 minutes we looked decidedly ragged with PSG pulling us all over the place. However, there's a few things you failed to point out.

When Mahrez & Foden were attacking, they were attacking in isolation, often surrounded by 2-3 PSG players & having little or no options for the pass. This is why most of our first half attacks were being blunted & easily snuffed out.

In the second half I immediately noticed a difference. When Mahrez received the ball, Silva closed in to support him, but crucially Walker overlapped which pushed Bakker back therefore creating space.

Whereas we were closing down individually in the first, in the second half we hunted PSG down in packs giving them little time on the ball, forcing them into errors. This seemed to unnerve them & it reminded us of what we do best most weeks.

Agreed, we didn't have an out & out striker to make the most of many 6 yard box opportunities, but I doubt we'd have made those opportunities unless we had the control we created for ourselves in the second half. It's a legitimate tactic, as we have Foden, Silva, Mahrez, KDB & Gundog who've proven they know where the back of the net is to compensate.

Another crucial observation & probably the most important thing effecting last night was Pep. In the past, he's been guilty (imho) of over-thinking crucial CL ties which have cost him at Bayern & City. Who can forget Bayern's disastrous man for man marking effort against Barca, or the weird formation City played at Klanfield with Gundog playing right wing?

Against PSG the whole world mostly guessed the line up beforehand, with only Zinchenko/Cancelo & Stones/Laporte being the only reasonable unknowns. After the half time team talk, we were reminded of who we were & what we do best, so therefore brilliantly executed it in the second half & PSG couldn't live with us. So much so they began to lose the plot because we were making them look so ordinary. Remember, they're NOT used to being played off the park like we did to them.

As I posted after the Carabao Cup, City are better than most of us fans (me included) give us credit for. Two weeks ago I watched a rerun of El Classico in Madrid 2011-2012 season. Barca were sporting Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Sanchez, Villa, Alves, Busquets, Puyol etc... The Barca team around this era were widely considered to be the finest footballing side in soccer history, & I could definitely see their DNA in the way today's City side play.

This is a big claim, but when we tick (notwithstanding Messi), today's best City side is every bit as good as that iconic Barca team, if not better. I saw more errant passes from Barca that match & less movement than we have. Many times I watch City & I'm perlexed as to what formation we're playing & which players are in what position. If I'm lost, just imagine what opposition players must be thinking/feeling? The crazy thing is that the City players all seem to know what they're doing regardless of who plays, so there's an order to what on the face of it seems very random.

Make no mistake, we thoroughly deserved last night's win. Yes the KDB goal was fortuitous & Mahrez admitted he was trying to curl the ball around the wall, but got it horribly wrong & still scored, but I believe you make your own luck, & we took full advantage of it.

It's only half time & PSG are more than capable of overturning the tie, however we're just as capable as tearing them a new arsehole too, so just as I thought last night, they've got as much to worry about as we have. It'll now come down to who can carry out their plan best next Tuesday & make the most of their luck.

Advantage City, but we'd be silly not to continue where we left off last night. Hopefully Pep has learned to continue with what has served us so well so far, & not to over think the return leg & present us with a surprise line up, formation & set of tactics which has cost us previously.
 
We haven't been as good at home this season as we have away.
PSG apparently have been better away from home too.
Home advantage means less this season with no fans in stadiums

Long way from being over this tie.

It's the same position we found ourselves in last season at home to Real. The away game went the exact same way too ironically, they took the lead, we came back to win 2-1 and they had a man sent off.
Even if we take the lead next week there'll be a long way to go as, like when Benzema equalised at the Etihad last year, a goal for them puts the tie back on a knife edge and will get the nerves jangling.
 
IrishBlueSince92 said:
We haven't been as good at home this season as we have away.
PSG apparently have been better away from home too.
Home advantage means less this season with no fans in stadiums

Long way from being over this tie.

It's the same position we found ourselves in last season at home to Real. The away game went the exact same way too ironically, they took the lead, we came back to win 2-1 and they had a man sent off.
Even if we take the lead next week there'll be a long way to go as, like when Benzema equalised at the Etihad last year, a goal for them puts the tie back on a knife edge and will get the nerves jangling.
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That's the spirit............
 
The beauty of this team is we have so many possible permutations..Sterling will come back dont worry..Truthfully, would love Mendy to hit his Monaco form with us as he clearly loves the club and that means a lot to me..Kayky is our future Mahrez..very skilful but quite left footed..Torres, will come good too..I know it is premature as we have two more years of Pep, but heavens, I wonder who could ever fill his shoes. Next season, the rent boys will be our biggest competitors..we need Haaland..any other big player would be a bonus. (Grealish!!!)
 
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