Post Match Thread: City v Juventus

[borassic]

Thought we were poor but still created enough to win the game.

I just think we hold too much fear in Europe, we are more afraid about what they will do to us. Hate to say it but look at United down the years under red nose. They went out to beat teams their own way with two wingers and two strikers, they treated every team like they were below them and we should be doing the same. Man for man we are a better team than Juventus.

Pellegrini's first mistake last night was playing Nasri, it was clear we needed pace to hit them on the counter and get in behind when they had every man behind the ball. Nasri just slows the game down far too much as does Yaya at times. Do feel like we lacked somebody that could grab the game by the scruff of the neck and you'd expect someone as talented as Toure to do that.

Said before the game that we'd win the game if Bony won the battle against Chiellini and the Attacking midfielders got close enough too him, neither happened.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

What utter nonsense. People go on about the pace and power of the PL and continental teams being unable to deal with them, but then continental teams regularly deal with it with relative ease, like Juve and PSV did yesterday.

Aren't you the guy who was adamant that City would be signing Pogba?

I was also the guy who said we were signing Sterling and De Bruyne back at the end of May, unless you reckon that somehow inhibits by understanding of football in this country?

Italian teams do not come up week in, week out, against the general pace and ferocity of the English game. And they certainly don't need to go maximum strength on every occasion.

Juve rested six players at the weekend, why do you think that was? Perhaps they felt resting some would enable them to be fresher and deal more effectively with the physicality of an English opponent.

Juve and PSV doing it in one-off games against City and United isn't my point.

My argument is if Juventus were forced to play in our league, they would have to add seriously and much younger quality to withstand the various challenges of the English game.

There's a reason the Spanish, German and Italian leagues take breaks mid-season. Again, nobody can argue it does nothing but benefit their domestic and European programme.

I watched City absolutely bully and eventually dominate Roma last season. A team who has fared more than well in Italy in recent seasons, yet looked mid-table Prem fodder against us.

I have no issue people defending the merits of respective leagues, but to win a title in England is like nowhere else IMO.

 

[blue by birth]

Really thought we might do much better this season in Champs league but fair play to Juve . They did what we couldnt and took their chances ( albeit a wonder goal to beat us).

Positives were Fern looking immense again and a decent attendance.

Negatives were Silva looking out of sorts and Bony looking more like hes on strike than a striker.

We needed Navas for pace and i know he gets slagged off for final ball and finishing, but fuck me he does create lots of space and gives Sagna more cover.

Still think we will Qualify prob as 2nd placed team but we need Aguero to be fit and Silva firing on all cylinders.

Cheer up lads we will do West Ham and hopefully Arse N Chavs will draw .

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

We again looked more fluid and dynamic when KDB came on. I wish he had started instead of Nasri who slowed the game down again. Its clear that Yaya and Bony have an understanding and a couple of lay offs from Bony to him were close to coming off but no cigar, and the Juve defence became suddenly organised again. Sterlings finishing really needs to improve as well, and Im sure it will. All in all Im not that bothered, but wish we played at a quicker tempo in that game. At times we looked like last season again

 

[Pitchell]

I was also the guy who said we were signing Sterling and De Bruyne back at the end of May, unless you reckon that somehow inhibits by understanding of football in this country?

Anybody who has any awareness of Italian football would have told you early on in the window that Pogba was staying. This would indicate that you may have a vast knowledge of other leagues, but not of Serie A.

Italian teams do not come up week in, week out, against the general pace and ferocity of the English game. And they certainly don't need to go maximum strength on every occasion.

That's a nonsense statement based on lazy cliches and absolutely no evidence.

Juve rested six players at the weekend, why do you think that was? Perhaps they felt resting some would enable them to be fresher and deal more effectively with the physicality of an English opponent.

Juve rested six players and struggled against Chievo. Judging by last night's evidence, City would have done well to rest a couple of players to deal with Juve. Physicality has nothing to do with it, it's called squad management.

Juve and PSV doing it in one-off games against City and United isn't my point.

They're not one-off games, though. Look at how PL teams have performed in Europe over the past 3 years or so. It certainly doesn't warrant the superiority complex English fans express.

My argument is if Juventus were forced to play in our league, they would have to add seriously and much younger quality to withstand the various challenges of the English game.

Again, that's pure conjecture. Besides, Juve have added serious (and young) quality. Just because somebody like Rugani didn't cost £40m, it doesn't mean he has less quality than a Mangala, for example.

There's a reason the Spanish, German and Italian leagues take breaks mid-season. Again, nobody can argue it does nothing but benefit their domestic and European programme.

I somehow don't think that yesterday's results were down to a lack of a mid-season break, to be honest.

I watched City absolutely bully and eventually dominate Roma last season. A team who has fared more than well in Italy in recent seasons, yet looked mid-table Prem fodder against us.

City didn't bully Roma at all. The first leg was a very even match and Roma could easily have nicked it (as could City). City were the better side in the second match, but needed two late goals to win it. The truth is that if Roma hadn't conceded a sloppy last minute equaliser against CSKA in the previous match, City would have already been out at the group stage, so I don't think the bravado is warranted.

 

[Damocles]

Anybody who has any awareness of Italian football would have told you early on in the window that Pogba was staying

I have watched Serie A for 25 years and go over once or twice a year and didn't think Pogba was staying, and agree more with Tolm's analysis more than yours which I think is absolute nonsense

I really fucking hate people who come on here as single issue posters. Drives me daft.

 

[Rickaccurate]

So a day to calm down after a disappointing loss.
Juve were disciplined in midfield and contested everything we had going forward. Still we had chances and didn't finish. Their goals.... Perfect service for one
Perfect finish on the other.
All in all I feel it boils down to intensity.When we get going we are as good as anyone. Problem is when we don't we can be pretty darn average. Content with going with the flow. Losing intensity and getting scored on.
Maybe a different line up could have helped.(Navas) doesn't score but works very hard...
But that exact line up should be able to beat Juve at home more often than not.
Maybe we are offense first. Defense second. When we are frustrated offensively,our defensive intensity drops.
Except for Dinho he's pretty much on fire right now.

 

[Mattyc55]

Very frustrating night, agree with the likes of Damocles in his analysis of the game.

I think we're all just bemused as to why we can't just have one seemingly straightforward group campaign in this competition.. our home form and inability to keep clean sheets is also is extremely worrying when you consider that away goals count double in the latter stages.

Monchengladbach are in appalling form and could well end up being the group cannon fodder. I also have a feeling that Sevilla will nick something in one of their games against Juve and it won't be a case of one team running away with it, like Bayern usually do in our groups (which generally makes it easier to come second).

Sevilla are an excellent European side and will really push us all the way now in this group.

So annoying that one bad result can take the gloss off such a great start, the players just don't carry their A-game into the CL.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Yaya's usual "do fuck all" champions league performance.

Pellers needs to be man enough to stop selecting him.

I thought he and Fernandinho were two of our better players.

 

[Neville Kneville]

And City were miles away from Chelsea last year, who were knocked out of the CL by a 10-man PSG, who were then rolled over by Barcelona. Quite frankly, one of the downfalls of PL clubs in the CL over the past few seasons is their misplaced arrogance, thinking that just because they have spent lots of money they are automatically a better team and don't need to adapt tactically to their opponents. That's not how it works.

There are one or two teams who are better than the rest, usually Bayern, Real Madrid & Barca. Occasionally a vastly inferior team has a decent run, like Juve or Chelsea/Liverpool when they won it.

Juve are nowhere near as good a side as Chelsea & didn't play anything like as high quality football last night. The problem was, neither did City. Chelsea would have beaten us comfortably.

I'll mention Cudrado here. Utter garbage a few weeks ago, causing problems everywhere last night.

We were nowhere near it.