Soulless…automatons…machines…interchangeable parts!
What people don’t understand is the genius of buying and developing FOOTBALLERS and insisting they remove mistakes from their game to help their fellow footballers. Then, placing them into a system of playing football (tactics) that exploits those talents to expose the weaknesses and undermine the strengths in other teams, to the maximum extent possible.
We are so good at it when we play like we did last night that EVERYONE CAN SEE where the next pass is, but they simply can’t do anything about it…because the QUALITY AND PRECISION OF THE FOOTBALL IS OF A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THEY'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
Opposition players openly admit it after games…”couldn’t get near them” and “couldn’t touch them.”
People used to say “LIKE a well-oiled machine.” We ARE that machine.
The thing is, we don’t just play OUR GAME, we set out to BEAT THEIR GAME…nullify the strengths they thought they had, while highlighting the footballing talent we have.
It is simple in theory but borders on the almost impossible ideal in practice. To nullify so many moving parts, while your own moving parts exercise extraordinary competence and precision is almost never seen when the opposition is much vaunted. We did it. We made the team that was 7 games ahead of the pack a few weeks ago look like relegation fodder. We made TOTY candidates look like they’d forgotten how to play. We made our football look easy while making their football look amateurish.
It is the curse of City that in exhibiting the complete dominance in control of the game and the outcome, the philistines can only see how poorly the opposition played.
They lack the mental sophistication to see that Plan A is “Stop them from doing what they do well by overpowering their ‘good’ with our ‘better,’ then dominate them into mistakes, opportunities, goals, and a win.”
Pep has repeatedly stated it is the QUALITY OF THE PLAYERS that is revelatory, not him. Yet pundits and journos seem to lack the depth of introspection required to see it is their mindset that needs changing to appreciate what they’re seeing, not the quality of the opposition!
We have beaten Arsenal 3 times this season. THEEE TIMES! The two League wins were a combined 7-2. No-one else has hardly put a glove on them this season. Your takeaway from that stat will shape your feelings on both teams.
Last night, we made it look like we had “programmed” that performance, because it was so well executed. Sadly, people can’t see the YEARS OF TRAINING it takes to reach that level of understanding of both a system of play and the quality needed to execute it.
So, what LAZY narratives emerge?
“The opposition played poorly, didn’t get out of first gear, didn’t play their usual game, lacked quality, XYZ had an off game, etc, etc, etc.” Pffft!
Non-biased players, and those with the nous to get over their bias to appreciate what they’re seeing, are the ones using the superlatives about OUR PERFORMANCE, OUR ability to neutralize their threats, OUR ability to exploit their weaknesses, OUR ability to put the current league leaders to the sword.
It’s a simple phrase that is often overused and under appreciated because of it’s simplicity:
Game recognizes game.
Anyone who simply dismisses what City did last night, and has been building towards this entire season, didn’t, doesn’t and never will have game…or the honesty, impartiality and INTEGRITY needed to take off their red-tinted specs to acknowledge it.
Last night was an absolute masterclass in control and exploitation on the sporting stage. Domination began in the first few minutes and didn’t let up until the final whistle. There was not a single period of the game where Arsenal were on top. Not one. The “best team in the league” were dominated for the entirety of the sporting contest.
If people put that down to “machine,” it’s because they either lack to vocabulary or understanding of the game required to explain what they were (and are) seeing.
In an attempt to help the simpletons out, instead of “machine,” perhaps the phrase “We are playing chess, while the opposition is playing checkers!” Same board, same number of pieces, different games played on a different mental and physical level.
Or, for those of an American persuasion, the old “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight!” usually helps highlight the gulf in quality we have seen recently and displayed ruthlessly last night.
Let’s not let lazy journos and biased pundits detract from THE BEAUTIFUL GAME OF TOTAL FOOTBALL we are being treated to.
Some people are happy with gristly hamburger, some people appreciate Wagyu. We are being spoiled on Wagyu, let’s enjoy it while we just smile and nod as we pass them the ketchup!
