So the Athletico game was or wasnt an exception?yes, really. Of course, theres always going to be a couple of exceptions. Atl Madrid away we just about clung on in the end, in what was a very poor second half performance. Better teams would have punished us, just like what happened last night.
Frequent poster in blue tinted glasses.Jesus lmfao
Our current group of players have four games left to deliver what I and many other Blues consider to be the most important trophy.
Win the PL or not, in my opinion, significant changes are needed to update and improve the squad for next season.
On what the club and staff will have considered to be the most important night of the season, a few players demonstrated very clearly that they're either not up to it mentally, or simply aren't good enough.
Cancelo - Inconsistent, indisciplined angry little man. A very average defender whose main contribution to City has been to mask/delay the our continuing need for a proper left back.
Laporte - Just not good enough. Potentially weak character. Can't be trusted. Proved that when he opted to play for Spain when France didn't pick him. Nathan Ake is a far more reliable defender.
De Bruyne -.Went into hiding last night when most needed. Completely overshadowed by the RM midfielders. Certainly nothing like a leader and shouldn't be anywhere near the captain's armband. World class? Not any more he's not. We'll be lucky to get one more good season out of him. I’ve said it before; Ward-Prowse would be a great replacement, and would flourish at City.
Sterling - Time to go. One good game in ten, rarely looks like he's interested. His cameo last night may well have been his last game, he was weak and shockingly poor. Cole Palmer would have been a better option.
Mahrez - Cash in if clubs are offering good money.
Jesus - Another angry little man. Just not good enough against strong, organised defences. Needs to move abroad to improve his game, because it's not developed in the PL.
Bernardo Silva - The bloke is either becoming too good for City, or City aren't good enough for him
If a few players matched his workrate and showed half his passion for the game, we'd have won the CL for the last two seasons and be looking at a third this month.
He would be running the show at a club like RM, and would most likely win both the CL and Ballon d'or within two years.
The best footballer at City by miles. If we don't strengthen the squad considerably in the summer, he could/should be looking for a move.
Foden, Grealish - Not ready for top level yet. Very raw and need another year or two to develop. Foden has been overplayed, Grealish has been overwhelmed by the big move.
Ederson - The Curate's egg. Good in parts (distribution), less good in others (shot stopping). He's been lucky to be playing behind a team who dominate possession in the PL.
That said, there are few better than him at what he does and he fits in for Pep. That's why he'll still be with us next season
Anyone who thinks Haaland is the missing piece in the current squad could be in for a nasty shock. We need fresh young blood, players with genuine hunger and strongmentality, to maintain current levels and improve on them in the next three years.
Is Pep the man to lead the change? If the club still wants to prioritise the CL, I'm genuinely not sure he is. Change is necessary at player level next season imo, and it's going to take someone with fresh ideas, who's likely to be around for longer than two or three years, and doesn't have a monkey on his back.
How did all those players do in the CL for us, out of interest?Correct,if peak Kompany had been playing last night we wouldn't have lost.We can be very passive at times
and need a Zabba or De Jong type to mix it up a bit.
You're a tool go give your head a wobble fella.Frequent poster in blue tinted glasses.
Frequent poster in blue tinted glasses.
Too many players nearing the end of career and/or past their peak.You have question marks over pretty much all our team. Makes you wonder how we even make the top 6 every season never mind winning the hardest league in the world nearly every season.
I generally agree with what you're saying, but we had aerial dominance in defence - it was the deflection on the cross that made it easier for them to score the header.I thought the way we dealt with PSG last season was real evidence of our ability to compete at the highest level. We riled them up, Ferny got Di Maria sent off and then we drew the fouls and saw the game out.
But whilst we were right to push for the second goal we needed to then just play keep ball and get the ball down their half of the pitch. All night long that long ball was causing us problems though. We didn't seem comfortable with it. Then in the 2nd half of ET once they were ahead Militao (who is absolutely shite at football) just kept going down "injured" then miraculously would come back on before going down again. It was a masterclass. That's what we needed. It's the standard tactic used. If Real had have been ahead they'd have been doing it from the 70th minute, if not sooner. We needed someone with the experience of Fernandinho to just slow the play down.
When they got the first goal someone should have pretended they had cramp to allow our players to reset and take a breath. The ref would have added more time on for them, but it could have given us the chance to communicate and get back into shape. You wonder if Ake could have come on instead - the majority of their goals in this competition have been from crosses so having someone who is currently dominant in the air would have been a good option...
Only downfall in your argument is that Ederson was and continues to be one of the main reasons we can play the style and level of football we play, a style and level which has helped us win the last two PL titles (and hopefully a consecutive third) and get to the final and semi final of the CL. So without him we likely wouldn't be even playing the game last night for the mistake to be made in the first place. He is a human being not a robot, people make mistakes, he makes mistakes, we all make mistakes. He is probably in the top 3 keepers in the world, who else would you bring in who is, a) better than him, b) doesn't fundamentally change the way we play, in terms of him pretty much playing as an outfield player and allowing us to confidently break presses from the back? There just isn't anyone better. Everyone makes mistakes, even if you think he was to blame, surely he deserves more chances.
This is my last post on this because some of yous just don't seem to understand why we fail in big games.Yep not good enough. On the verge of our 3rd premier league title in 4 years. Some of our players have their faults but your posts are ridiculously OTT. Cancelo has been integral to this team that may win back-to-back titles.