Real Madrid post match thread

We’re going through the drop off every top team has experienced after a period of dominance, sure it’s frustrating to watch but it’s part of football. It would be nice to show a bit more pragmatism when leading games, particularly in Europe although unfortunately it’s just not Pep’s style.

A few more big games coming up, still think if we can get everyone fit and play ourselves into some form the fa cup and club world cup are still winnable.
 
We played much better than I thought but we’re nowhere near where we were.

John Stones was superb. Such a shame he can’t stay fit. Grealish played well until he went off and Foden played well too for the most part. Savinho is miles better on the left and shouldn’t be used on the right.

Ederson had his best 85 minutes since the champions league final, then his head went. What the fuck was he doing? I’ve never been his biggest fan because I think he has always had big weaknesses to his game, granted, he has some big strengths too but that kick was brain dead. And for their 3rd, he’s just in no man’s land.

Some of the subs were strange too. I don’t think the game needed Gundo at that point. Why leave Kev on so long? We needed mobility to see the game out. Rico should have gone through their player and instead he swung a half-arsed leg at it but Kovacic is far too experienced to flick a ball back like that. He wants fining a weeks wages for stupidity.

It’s not out of the question to go there and get a win, but I just can’t see it. We have no backbone at all. We have 1 way to play and if it doesn’t work we keep doing it. As soon as Erling put the penalty away on 80 minutes we should have dropped deeper and killed the game, but no…
 
Micky Blue said:
Do you remember his first season at City? that wasn’t a great team, they were good but not capable of Peps football.
But Pep had ideas and innovations.

He inverted the 2 fullbacks to go into midfield and make up the numbers.

It wasn’t a great season but Pep would try things, he was brave and made changes.
I don’t see that from him anymore and that worries me.
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He put Rico on at half time because he wanted him inverting into midfield. That's fine, when he's in a strong team - otherwise Lewis can't do it - he's lost there. Then, when he has to defend, they've got him on toast, apart from 1 tackle.
He is not a midfielder or right back at the top level; and tonight he was facing the top level of attack. He's poor; period!
In the last month, Pep's left him out for Nunes, but against the best attackers, he brings him back after he looked reasonable against Leyton bloody Orient! (By no means am I saying that Nunes is the answer; Kusanov, or Reiss, probably is!)
He looked like the schoolboy that he still is. Sorry Pep; Lewis failed us tonight, and that was down to you. I can see he isn't good enough at the top level so why can't you? We needed Kusanov on when Akanje went off. Of all the youngsters champing at the bit to get minutes, Pep always favours fuckin' Lewis - the lightweight!
What a let down - we nearly rode our luck tonight. Why bring Marmoush on so late? In the end, we had no midfield at all - and then our weak defence and goalie gave them the game in the last 10 minutes. Once again! Fuckin' groundhog day!
I look forward to the team selection for Newcastle. The 1st hour tonight had promise! But, who the fuck is going to be fit, available, and in Pep's good books? Lewis, KDB, Gundo, Kova and Bernardo are all worryingly fit, with Akanje, Ake and Grealish probably injured again, so unless Pep can get some magic out of someone, we're fucked in the next 3 games. Newcastle, Real Madrid and then Liverpool; fuck me!
Very frustrating.
 
bennyboy said:
Weird thing tonight i was thinking Eddie or John Stones for motm.Then Eddie has a brain fart.
At the same time i was thinking Rico has been good since he came on.
Another 2 quick goals costs us again.
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I agree with all of that apart from Rico, It seemed a game that was out of his depth and he looked out of his depth when he came on, Unfortunately he's nowhere near this level of football.

His positional sense is atrocious, His awareness of what's going on around him is non existent.

I like the lad, He's just not at the standard required.
 
As much as tired players is one explanation for the shit show week on week we are seeing. The other accompanying explanation is Pep's insistence on almost pedestrian build up play. In fact, to call it build up play is probably unfair, it's bumph or stodge.

Every time we move the ball quickly forward and are attack minded we either score or create great chances. The thing is, as the months have rolled on, we do it less and less. 1 min to go, 2-3 down and we're still trying to pass the ball sideways.

For the best manager the world has seen, there is so much nievety (or just stuborness) in our game management. When we need to attack we don't, when the long ball is on time after time, we ignore it, when it isn't on we try to play it, when we need to close games out we don't.

It's all very odd behaviour from such an experienced manager and set of players. I'll blame tiredness as much as the next man, but this isn't just tiredness.
 
Why was the plan the summer play with two proper wingers then we gave it up? Because they cant keep the ball?

Savinho has been one of our best players, doku was on fire before he mysteriously vanished.
 
ninjamonkey said:
Very disappointing. Second best throughout, no idea how we took the lead in that game twice, if they'd have won that by 4 I wouldn't have complained. ederson and some poor finishing kept us in it for the majority of the game. 2 late goals to turn a win into a defeat probably won't matter much in truth, even had we taken a 1 goal lead over there it wouldn't be enough. Expect to get comfortably beaten in the second leg.

Their back 4 was there to be exploited and we barely troubled them, what was peps plan? Didn't seem to have one. A top team puts them under immense pressure tonight. We're miles away from being a top team right now with these tactics. His subs were just awful too. why is Lewis coming on ahead of khusanov or Nunes? Why was kdb kept on for 20 minutes after he was completely spent? Why did we not see doku?

How have they come away without a single booking?

Similar feeling to when pellegrini took us to the bernabeu and all we needed was a goal to reach the final and we couldn't even muster any efforts at goal and went put with a whimper. Don't mind going out to a better side as long as we gave it a go, can't say we did tonight.

On yhe bright side, I'd sooner go out now than dump madrid out, go out to somebody inferior in the next round anyway and pave a clearer path for the dippers or arsenal.

All eggs in the fa cup and top 5 basket now to salvage some success and respectability from a dreadful season.
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summed up pretty well. I was watching without usual angst as i was thinking we need a fluky 3 goal cushion somehow with our team..never going to happen so was pretty resigned. Terrible, awful big match 'tactics' ..subs..and worse - I think our team are shit scared - is this Pep's anxiety seeping through the team on big nights..aside from Haaland..He's made of different stuff..what was he thinking 9.5 year contract no get out clause
 
City Raider said:
We bought players to address the obvious issues we have and didn’t start any of them. Yet Pep seems surprised that the thing that has happened 5 or 6 times, happened again.
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We bought 3 inexperienced Centre Backs (who Pep was never gonna play) when we had 6 Centre backs at the club already and no specialist RB, LB, DM or a winger that scores… Deserve all we get, idiotic strategy!! We've lost the plot…
 
Never seen a team score so many sweaty goals against us as Madrid. Time to get Khusanov and Spanish Nico in the team if only to give chance for players to get some time to get fit. Too many midfielders not looking to pass forwards - Stones was our best midfielder and he's a broken centre half. Need to stop wafting lazy passes to our own players getting them in trouble.

Didn't expect to win this tie but to give up 3 goals from 3 errors is disappointing.
 
ysmsa said:
Newcastle are not Madrid.

Madrid can't be gifted more goals in a 2 legged match surely.

We scored a brilliant team goal, won a deserved penalty, despatched.
And our keeper made some very good saves which is why his error is more gauling.

Need some luck with injuries and fitness mind.
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Let's be honest here m8,,i love yer positivity but tek yer blue specks off watch the game again and ull see they could of had 6 or 7
 
Our mentality is completely shot.
We have absolutely no belief we can hold a lead and as a result we play our football full of anxiety and fear.

It's a vicious cycle. We are terrified we can't see out a victory and everyone now knows it, they see our fragility, they feel they always have a chance and come at us hard. Our fear becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and we blow it once again, continuing the downward spiral.

I don't know how we fix this.
 
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