QF 1st Leg Post Match Thread

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After the dust has settled and considering we did not really give it a go I think pep will be happy with 1 nil loss with the game at our place to go.

But in the return leg we have to go back to playing pep style football not the return to the slow peligrini stuff that we have served up in the last two games.
 
Look at it this way before the game if anyone said you were going to lose a game and you had to pick one which one would you pick . I as well as orob maybe 90 percent would have picked last nights. We will do them at ours but no more fucking about
 
In horse racing, when a horse just becomes too good, the handicap system will give it extra pounds to carry to level the playing field and give others a chance.

It has become blatantly clear that this system has now entered football, and after our 100 points haul last year, and unknown to us at the time, were awarded a 60,000,000 pound handicap called Mahrez.
 
Look at it another way. We could have played the big guns last night and still not gotten a result. Three critical games in a short space of time, we couldn't afford to play them all in all three risking injuries / fatigue. Nothing wrong with the selection last night in my mind and had the pen gone in, I think that starting 11 would have gone on to score again. I do concede the lateness of the subs was strange, but I suspect pep saw an opportunity as spurs were flagging

Of course none of us are psychic or we would be highly successful millionaires now. I understand Pep's thinking. You have put out a team that looks solid and think, " I have Mahrez, Sterling and Aguero. Three potential match winners. If they don't score surely with that talent on the pitch we will score at least one." Small margins, if the penalty had gone in we would be saying it was a Pep masterclass as the very least we would have now is a score draw. In my opinion scoring an away goal in this competition is vital to your chances. We didn't so now we have to win the return leg by two cleat goals, which we are of course capable of doing.

At this stage of the season mental grit and confidence is as important as anything else. If the players sense Pep is showing a bit of fear in team selections the players can become edgy. I know he is a brilliant manager but last night I think he got it wrong and as a result handed the initiative to Spurs. Deep down how many of us before the game looked at that team selection and started to worry? Probably at least 80% of us if people are honest.

His hands were tied slightly of course by injuries to Zinchenko and Bernardo, both big misses. Mahrez for me never gets a start so long as we have a fit Sane. We have all waited for this former POTY and an established premier league player to "Settle in, to come good." I'm sorry but for me I don't see it happening. He reduces our style, threat and flow by at least 30% every time he plays, even against third division opponent's. Delph we are stuck with unless he plays Laporte at left back. The other player worrying me and it kills me to say this, is David Silva. For the last few months the magician has lost his magic. Will it cone back? Please God.

Our midfield if everyone is fit now has to be Ferna, Bernardo and Kev. Up front Sterling, Sane and Aguero. The time for game management, rotation and resting players are gone. We have a maximum of eleven games left if we continue progressing in the champions league and we have to win every game, especially in the league. We can rest players by using substitutions if games are won early, aside from that it is shit or bust.
 
I waited until this morning to post in case it was just disappointment. Having slept on it, I can honestly say that if I never see Mahrez in a City shirt again I’ll be happy. Every time I see him on the team sheet, I know we will be slow and predictable, whilst he gives the ball away so often that it puts us on the defensive in midfield and ruins our attacking flow. Last night was certainly not all his fault but he was, once again, a major contributing factor. He did well for Leicester and clearly has something to offer for many teams. I just don’t believe he is a good fit for us.
 
Totally agree. Spurs have won one of their last 6 games in the PL and lost 4! I think given the form of the two sides and the clear gulf in class it’s a terrible result. Two shots on target in 90 mins and one of them a pen! Poor. We were poor Sat and poor again today. Need to up the level of performances straight away.

We were not poor in either game.

I've not had benefit of any TV coverage but I thought we played well last night. It was a very mature UCL away leg against a tough opponent. It was tight and tactical and unfortunately was decided by a couple of moments that went against us.

I'm sure we had at least three goal attempts on target: Aguero, Ota & Raz but not seen replays...

It's HT but it is advantage Spurs.
 
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