Real Madrid post match thread

[Rammy Blue]

We had CB playing RB, who was injured. Rico is one player who has been playing in that position, often, for two years, so the only choice was really him or Khusanov, who has very limited experience. That Rico seems to be the current whipping boy can be your only excuse for this post.

Could have brought Nunes on at right back, maybe not the best player but I prefer him to Rico.

 

[Tomblue]

Awww.

Good one.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I thought PSG were better than Real Madrid but on both occasions I've witnessed Gundogan and De Bruyne treading water, our opponents deliberately not pressing Lewis, recurring injuries, silly mistakes, City fading in the last fifteen minutes, and always the feeling that despite winning the PL last season we actually went backwards and should have addressed some of these issues in the summer.

 

[Rammy Blue]

No yellows last night, who’d have thought it!

The **** knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[Rammy Blue]

I said picking Kev and Bernie in starting line up would be a mistake, we just can’t carry them both against fit strong teams. Bernie looks busy at times but it’s just pointless trotting around nowadays, there’s no zip to him and he doesn’t have the pace or strength to carry the ball, just a pirouette here and there and short pass. Kev’s legs are fucked and whilst still being the player you want to make the killer pass most of the time his body can’t react as quick as his mind and he fucks it up too often now.

Sad, but we need to move on and save our season.

 

[fathellensbellend]

I said picking Kev and Bernie in starting line up would be a mistake, we just can’t carry them both against fit strong teams. Bernie looks busy at times but it’s just pointless trotting around nowadays, there’s no zip to him and he doesn’t have the pace or strength to carry the ball, just a pirouette here and there and short pass. Kev’s legs are fucked and whilst still being the player you want to make the killer pass most of the time his body can’t react as quick as his mind and he fucks it up too often now.

Sad, but we need to move on and save our season.

it's crucial we save our season, we need top 4/5 so we can give our ground over to tourists again next season, here's to the europa league, fuck save the season, let's save our identity

 

[Mike S]

The morning after the night before and I still don’t know what to make of it….

So close to taking an advantage into the second leg, but also slightly grateful that Madrid didn’t have their shooting boots on. Their finishing was poor. Otherwise it really could have been embarrassing. Yet we lose to a shinner and two fkn gifts.

I’m not the biggest fan of Lewis but their winner wasn’t really on him. Kovacic played him into trouble.

If we score first again next Wednesday it could be interesting but I shudder to think what might happen if Madrid score early on.

We now go to Madrid more in hope than expectation.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

The **** knew exactly what he was doing.

He's not called Turpin for no reason!

 

[adr2.8i]

I thought PSG were better than Real Madrid but on both occasions I've witnessed Gundogan and De Bruyne treading water, our opponents deliberately not pressing Lewis, recurring injuries, silly mistakes, City fading in the last fifteen minutes, and always the feeling that despite winning the PL last season we actually went backwards and should have addressed some of these issues in the summer.

Yeah we should have, but hopefully we'll have a good summer window with some fresh young eager legs in the team and bounce back ready to regain our title :-)

U never know....in a years time we maybe saying that this seasons poorish form was the kick up the arse we needed

 

[Rammy Blue]

it's crucial we save our season, we need top 4/5 so we can give our ground over to tourists again next season, here's to the europa league, fuck save the season, let's save our identity

Ha, I get your sentiment but we need the revenue from the Champs, just the way it is nowadays.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Everything Real created last night we repelled. Eddie made crucial save after crucial save, the defence made solid block after solid block, and then ......? We gave the opposition not one helping hand but three! I'm fucked if I know why Eddie, having playing superbly saves his worst kick of his tenure for this game. And did anyone think it was a foul for that free kick? From pretty much the furthest point in the ground I thought our guy played the ball. But a chance ten yards from the area Highway Rat Turpin seizes on the chance.

And WhyTF did it take so long to confirm Haaland's first? After a minute and a half there's nowt else that the LotG can come up with. Offside or handball, a gentle nudge that we can call a foul? Oh, give us a couple of minutes more and summat will turn up that we can hang 'em with!

 

[give it to gordon]

The morning after the night before and I still don’t know what to make of it….

So close to taking an advantage into the second leg, but also slightly grateful that Madrid didn’t have their shooting boots on. Their finishing was poor. Otherwise it really could have been embarrassing. Yet we lose to a shinner and two fkn gifts.

I’m not the biggest fan of Lewis but their winner wasn’t really on him. Kovacic played him into trouble.

If we score first again next Wednesday it could be interesting but I shudder to think what might happen if Madrid score early on.

We now go to Madrid more in hope than expectation.

Wasn't Lewis fault I agree. Eddy start the shit with a poor kick, why we didn't pass short I'll never know. Than Kovacic tried to kung foo the ball to Lewis.

But nothing is going right this season Saturday a long shot hits the bar hits keeper goal. Yesterday an awful fluckie first goal, this seems to be happening alot this season

 

[Akira]

Man do we find a way to orchestrate our own downfall. Luck was on our side... until it wasn't.

 

[Gabriel]

I thought PSG were better than Real Madrid but on both occasions I've witnessed Gundogan and De Bruyne treading water, our opponents deliberately not pressing Lewis, recurring injuries, silly mistakes, City fading in the last fifteen minutes, and always the feeling that despite winning the PL last season we actually went backwards and should have addressed some of these issues in the summer.

I thought Paris Saint-German were better balanced but Real Madrid were without key players at the back. Games against Real Madrid are a good measure of where we are at. We had already regressed last season but have unsurprisingly fallen even further behind, largely through a combination of poor investment, small-squad syndrome, and change in playing style. Real Madrid looked rightly shell shocked in 2023 and were staring down the barrel of our coming domination, but they simply kept to their system and added more of the same: pace and athleticism. They probably can’t believe how far we’ve managed to regress in two seasons.

 

[uwe rosler 28]

The **** knew exactly what he was doing.

No blame on the ref though he was excellent never thought I'd say that!!!

 

[East Level 2]

Still don't know what to say I'm just once again mystified as to how we Didn't win that.

I'm sure Madrid will look at the chances they had and be mystified as to how they weren't 3-1 up at half-time.

 

[No1 was Colin bell]

Still a touch traumatised at that ending last night. Albeit it was pretty inevitable. I think we are all hanging onto the thought it will come good. But it won’t. It’s the end of a truly unforgettable era. One to be treasured forever.
It’s time for an overdue rebuild. Kev Bernie Eddie Walker are legends but times up. Those too injury prone and thus unreliable small squad members also have to go (sorry Johnny that probably means you). Rebuild started too late but now doing so. Not sure how good these new kids are.
Forget this seasons champions league, maybe have a decent FA Cup run, but focus everything on ensuring top four. And go again next season.
Last years four in a row was a great achievement by Pep, maybe his finest, as all of this seasons implosion was there and he dragged us over the line. But now is his biggest challenge as we cannot carry on with the previous style of play unless these new lads get it straight away and it often takes the best players a season to do so.
But whatever CTID.

 

[paulchapo]

I thought Paris Saint-German were better balanced but Real Madrid were without key players at the back. Games against Real Madrid are a good measure of where we are at. We had already regressed last season but have unsurprisingly fallen even further behind, largely through a combination of poor investment, small-squad syndrome, and change in playing style. Real Madrid looked rightly shell shocked in 2023 and were staring down the barrel of our coming domination, but they simply kept to their system and added more of the same: pace and athleticism. They probably can’t believe how far we’ve managed to regress in two seasons.

Neither can we....

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Tried to make sense of a few things, some I can, some i can't. One is that Madrid were really decent and put in a very good away performance. They don't appear to care about conceding the odd goal, the confidence comes from understanding knockout football is 2 legs and is won all the way from kick off to final whistle.

City faced a storm at either of the game - the early one we weathered (albeit slightly fortunately) and the one at the end, largely of our own making, we succumbed to. There were also other periods of sustained Madrid pressure throughout but if one example of a structured approach to cup football exists from last night, it's the strong start and finish from them.

City played pretty well for large periods. Some of that was Madrid sitting in a good shape and letting us have it, but we did fashion decent chances and play pretty well. Stones was largely good, Gvardiol excellent, Savinho really battled, Haaland good.

There was a stark contrast between the two teams in getting from deep midfield to edge of the box, in that Madrid appeared to be able to suddenly up the pace of passing, make it very direct, and suddenly have a shooting chance - contrast that to City's much slower approach.

The Diaz goal was tough, but surely only a small subset of Blues thought we were the better team to take the win, 2-2 seemed almost inevitable looking back with hindsight over the 90, almost like it would be no other score.

Until the Farce. Everything about their winner was utter fucking dross.

They also rarely felt the need to put all 10 of their outfield players into our final third, which is something we’re absolutely obsessed with and which finds us out every single week. I cannot remember the last time any opposition didn’t have at least one occasion where they were running directly at our goal with us looking like the keystone cops chasing them!
To compound that, we play so, so slowly that the pushed up back 4 have loads of the ball but, save for Stones, cannot play a 40 yard pass (not a criticism, as they’re defenders).
Erling must make 30 forward runs every match and rarely does anyone even try to find him. One of the problems though, and it was hugely noticeable last night, was we had Erling making a forward run and they had M’Bappe, Bellingham, Vinicius and one other all trying to run forward, meaning covering was almost impossible. Bit like we used to do!!!
Our default pass (and Lewis is especially culpable in this) is backwards. Make a mistake with that pass and we’re all running backwards and they’re all running forwards, which is never a good thing.

Finally, for the last half an hour it looked like they had at least one extra player, which is never going to end well…

 

[pudge]

No blame on the ref though he was excellent never thought I'd say that!!!

No blame for the result but how the fuck did Bellingham not get booked?