Post Match Thread: City v Juventus

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

very dissapoined in the result, we just can't seem to get it right in the champions league for some reason

went last night stood in 119 south stand, disappointment in the atmosphere tbh lots of what seemed to me regulars who just dont sing. Apart from the 1894 block no one in the south stand seems to sing anymore. lots of tourists, id rather have cheaper tickets and a ground full of actual city fans then last night.

 

[Marvin]

I honestly reckon Yaya's refusal to be mobile was what enabled Juve to fare so well despite having 2 up top. I'd have much rather seen nasri play in yaya's role last night, with someone else playing wide. The combination of Samir and yaya is far too stagnant.

With Juve sat in 2 deep banks, that game was crying for Yaya to burst forward at them. Something he didn't do once.

I reckon a combination of inexperience on that stage for Bony and Raheem mixed with playing Nasri and Yaya together put us at a severe disadvantage last night.

You cant begrudge Juve the two goals. Both were top class. However, how did our middle give Pogba all that time? That's either down to Samir or Yaya, and Pogba had a field day in that second half finding space the pair of them were too lazy to close down.

It was concerning that we couldn't convert our chances. In the premiership Bony slides that shot in 10 times out of 10. Sterling came close but should have gotten one of them. That happens. But in the champs league we cannot miss that many chances with the talent we have on the field.

Bony and Raheem desperately need to start finding the net in the prem and capital one cup.

Bony needs games. He's quality and can play at this level. What he can't do is run the challenges and move the back 4 around.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I honestly reckon Yaya's refusal to be mobile was what enabled Juve to fare so well despite having 2 up top. I'd have much rather seen nasri play in yaya's role last night, with someone else playing wide. The combination of Samir and yaya is far too stagnant.

With Juve sat in 2 deep banks, that game was crying for Yaya to burst forward at them. Something he didn't do once.

I reckon a combination of inexperience on that stage for Bony and Raheem mixed with playing Nasri and Yaya together put us at a severe disadvantage last night.

You cant begrudge Juve the two goals. Both were top class. However, how did our middle give Pogba all that time? That's either down to Samir or Yaya, and Pogba had a field day in that second half finding space the pair of them were too lazy to close down.

It was concerning that we couldn't convert our chances. In the premiership Bony slides that shot in 10 times out of 10. Sterling came close but should have gotten one of them. That happens. But in the champs league we cannot miss that many chances with the talent we have on the field.

Bony and Raheem desperately need to start finding the net in the prem and capital one cup.

I agree with all that. I would most certainly add there is a lesser degree of thinking time at this level?

There were a number of occasions when Bony was half a yard short, not because of a lack of genuine pace, but just in his head.

And Sterling's youth seemed more apparent last night? He's a game little bugger and doesn't shy away from a physical challenge but a bit like Barkley v Chelsea at the weekend, they want to hold on to the ball a little too long and in the wrong areas.

 

[halfgoathalfotter]

Juve's awesomeness in all of last season's CL run to the final was unbelievable defensive organisation and team shape and devastating effectiveness from their forwards on the counter. They showed exactly that last night.

Again at the risk of repeating myself I just don't see the parallel with previous CL games in terms of performance/tempo (but I will watch it again tonight). If it mirrored any game it was the Roma away game only diff being we didn't take our chances last night.

mirrored several cl games,midfield at times overrun despite fernandinho being our best player by a mile,tempo dismal ,time and again gave juventus time to get 11 behind the ball ,gave the opposition to much space(pogba had the same pass on 5 mins before the equaliser which he fucked up)juventus defended from the front,gave silva no time or space to control the match.still had chances to put the game away but not clinical enough.although yaya put more effort in at times he was chasing pogbas shadow

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Well, clearly not.

We'll leave it there, bud.

You win the Revisionism Title 2015 after just five games and without a mid-winter break.

 

[Leech]

They came to win one way or another.

We came hoping to perhaps possibly win but in the back of our minds we knew we probably wouldn't.

 

[Hungarian blue]

I think Yaya did what he could yesterday. He played solid, but was man-marked throughout the game and Allegri really shut down both our 'playmakers', i.e., Silva and Yaya. Like what the rags used to do to Pirlo. So both were ineffective, but I was more upset with Silva (or Pellegrini?), who I think should have went back next to Yaya and Fern more often in the game. I know he was our no. 10 and otherwise we would have had too few men around the box, but interchanging with Sterling or Nasri, with Kolarov adding some width (or Navas as a sub), it might have been better. At least, it would have confused their midfielders, whether do keep track of Silva or stay in position.

Anyway, it was great to see Yaya tracking back when we lost possession and actually making some successful tackles. He looked really up to it, which is great and hopefully he will maintain this desire the whole CL season, then this group is definitely not lost yet. I know it should be like that by default, but let's be honest, we all know Yaya and his defensive willingness and positional awareness. :)

And Silva, the opposite, quite. He lost possession few times when he really shouldn't, of course bad days in office happens, but too many times for my liking he didn't bother to get it back or to track down opposition who won the ball mainly because of him. He seemed too frustrated and these things might even affect your teammates, when they see things like that.

He did magical things in Barcelona, so we all know that he can be the same in Europe as in the league, and games like this, he should shine more.

 

[Neville Kneville]

A lot of people have said City can't produce in Europe.

I think it's more a case of the opposition raising their game to a much higher level than they do in their domestic leagues, whilst City just play their normal game. Dortmund, Bayern and Juventus have come to City and played a really high intensity physical game in the midfield and their own defence where every player is immediately challenged, but to win leagues in the Premiership you have to go away from home and attack. Could they do that?

They reminded me of Chelsea when they won the Champions League. Great defensive team. They scored two very good goals mind you. But the hallmark of their game last night was workrate, and organisation. They'd have shut down Messi playing like that.

The finishes were great, but we could have stopped both goals, easily.

I understand what you are saying but imo they didn't shut down City at all, we just missed our chances & played obvious, slow, shit football. Then we didn't have the sense to realise we were not very good & close the game out, thus let them back in. How would they have broken us down if we were professional about it ? They had nothing to worry us. We could have picked 4 goals on the break. Getting done by two long balls is criminal. Should be the other way around.

People are blaming Nasri for last night & he wasn't great but imo Silva was like Adam Lallana's shit brother last night. He was missing opportunities to get passes off time & again, getting caught on the ball, dithering. Players like him, our best players, not producing, is why we struggle in Europe imo. They seem to think they have to do something different. All of our best players have had absolute stinkers in Europe at different times or sometimes all together. We found CSKA a much tougher job than Juve.

Fernandinho maintained his usual level & looked on another level to everyone. That's all he does. The rest don't.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

They came to win one way or another.

We came hoping to perhaps possibly win but in the back of our minds we knew we probably wouldn't.

I would go the other way.

I think they came not to lose and would have taken a draw all day, every day, until that unfortunate break of the ball for their second.

They continually tried to break-up our tempo by going to ground and such.

 

[halfgoathalfotter]

Two teams operating at a very high technical level, fine margins always the case when it comes to such.

Thought they did a number on us in terms of defending certain areas of the pitch and we still lack that extra conviction when teams of a certain level are diligent enough to close the spaces between our lines.

Watching from South Stand Level 3 this season has certainly given me a new-found appreciation for this level.

Juventus were far from spectacular and if we had taken our chances we would be saying this morning that it was a proper European performance.

I saw nothing wrong with the tactics or formation, just let down perhaps by Sterling and Bony when the crucial moments came.

Bony was caught out, perhaps, in terms of being alive to certain situations, and Italian defenders will take his type of forward all day, rather than those trying to get in behind with pace.

We lacked pace on the night, but agree with Pellegrini, there was very little wrong outside of concentration levels at crucial moments.

Thought Nasri, Sagna, Fernandinho and Kolarov all came out with Kudos.

Made it very hard for ourselves once again getting out of the group.

agree with fernandinho and sagna ,kolarov decent first half ,nasri utter fucking dogshit