Sporting CP (A) | CL | Post Match Thread

[Grassland Blue]

Was excellent first half. Not so good the second but still in the game more than Foden, Bernie or Sávinho.

Foden the goalscorer - that guy?

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Just watching the match back now. A couple of remarks.
Both before and after Gyokeres's goal in the first half, we dominated them thoroughly. There's no two ways about it. We were good, and it is utter bollocks to say we were shit right through the match. But I've been watching Kova closely, concentrating on him. Now Kova is a good defensive midfielder. But he is defensive. He's very good at breaking up play, and playing square balls that keep the game ticking over. But he really doesn't have much of an attacking pass in his locker. This is where you see the huge difference with Rodri. Rodri will seem to be doing the pretty ordinary bog-standard duties of a defensive midfielder that I've just described, and then, on the turn of a sixpence, he will produce a raking pass through the midfield or out to the wing that puts the opposition in all kinds of difficulty. He in fact lulls the opposition midfield asleep. Kova, with a fully fit De Bruyne beside him, would be perfect. Will we see that De Bruyne again? Who knows?
Gyokeres's goal really got me thinking. Because it is downright eerie how it is a pure Haaland goal of his first season. You would swear it's the Erling of 2022-23. Time and again, he would hang on the shoulder of the defender, and then go. After that devastating first season, every coach and his little dog cottoned to it, and nobody plays that kind of line against City any more. They just don't dare to do it. Erling doesn't have anything like that kind of space of thirty yards to run into any more.
Finally, Savinho. I'll say it: his first touch is Mahrez level. No sweat. Simply, he needs to get a fair bit cannier about when he is really in a position to try a shot, and when it's not on and he should put the ball over.

 

[chickaroon]

I’m just not sure how we solve our midfield issues with the players we have. Defensively we need to get the back 4 stable again and fit, but without Rodri and seeing the demise of Gundo and how ploddy Kovacic is, I just struggle to see what we do.

I really believe that Rodri makes Kova and Gundo look better than they are. Kova started the season well with Rodri next to him and Gundo didn't get the chance to build that partnership again. We have to buy a DM in January.

 

[willipp]

I really believe that Rodri makes Kova and Gundo look better than they are. Kova started the season well with Rodri next to him and Gundo didn't get the chance to build that partnership again. We have to buy a DM in January.

Yeah I normally agree with not buying in Jan, but we do need someone with legs in there. Not sure who, but we just need to make it happen.

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

Last night we began well and we did dominate the game for half an hour but even then there was a warning break from Sporting which should have produced an equaliser but for a terrible finish. We have been vulnerable to such breaks all season but fortunately teams such as Ipswich, Brentford, Southampton and others have not seen enough of the ball and have not been able to defend well enough to make us pay the full price. Against Spurs and Bournemouth, however, and again last night we lost and the opening goal at Spurs and Bournemouth was eerily similar to Wolves's opener (and even WHU's equaliser) with a ball through our back line and a ball in beyond a retreating (but too slow?) defence. Last night their equaliser and their two penalties resulted from passes through our back line and/or their players simply running at or through us.

It is arguable that these problems result from an injury crisis and we can all reel off a list as long as our arms of players missing and I think injuries are a major cause of our difficulties. But I was horrified last night at how quickly and completely we crumbled in the face of a competent opponent who seemed to have done little more than realise that we were incapable of defending balls through us or players running through us. I was convinced our defence was much more solid, but it wasn't, and they got no cover from our midfielders.

It is to be hoped that the return to fitness of our absentees will bring a speedy remedy, but unfortunately Rodri, who is absolutely vital, is out all season, Kyle Walker looked way short of match fitness on Saturday and we need those players who are good at keeping the ball, Jack especially. Unfortunately Savinho and Doku take a few too many risks at the moment. And boy, do we need a fully fit KdB.

Patience! - but I'm not looking forward to Brighton on Saturday.

 

[Eaststander1]

Couldn't quite believe what I was seeing to be honest, we had dominated that game until Sporting got their first penalty, and we probably should have been three or four goals up by that point ..... after that penalty though, and thanks to some kamikaze schoolboy defending straight from the second half kick off, we were just a complete and utter shambles .... and the longer it went on the more useless and inneffective we appeared to look.

It didn't look any better even after the four pints of Guinness that I had!

I can't recall their keeper even making a save in the 2nd half ...... that second half non-performance of ours was a throwback to the countless embarrassing capitulations in games that we used to suffer during the barren decades before the takeover.

 

[chaddblue]

Couldn't quite believe what I was seeing to be honest, we had dominated that game until Sporting got their first penalty, and we probably should have been three or four goals up by that point ..... after that penalty though, and thanks to some kamikaze schoolboy defending straight from the second half kick off, we were just a complete and utter shambles .... and the longer it went on the more useless and innefective we appeared to look.

It didn't look any better even after the four pints of Guinness that I had!

I can't recall their keeper even making a save in the 2nd half ...... that second half non-performance of ours was a throwback to the countless embarrassing capitulations in games that we used to suffer during the barren decades before the takeover.

He didn't make a save but we did miss a penalty

I'm convinced that if Haaland puts that away we go on to get at least a point

 

[zandvoort blue]

Rico needs to grow a pair otherwise he's going to fade away. Gets in great positions attacking wise and then shirks responsibility.

 

[Gumzy97]

I really believe that Rodri makes Kova and Gundo look better than they are. Kova started the season well with Rodri next to him and Gundo didn't get the chance to build that partnership again. We have to buy a DM in January.

Kova looked brilliant at Chelsea, because he had Kante next to him. Looked very good at the start of the season because he had Rodri.

Kova is very good at bringing the ball forward , dribbling etc you see the best Kova when he has a ball winner next to him.

Honestly if we had a ball winning dm next to him he’d look very good again. We desperately need a ball winner/Interceptor we don’t have one.

 

[chaddblue]

Kova looked brilliant at Chelsea, because he had Kante next to him. Looked very good at the start of the season because he had Rodri.

I don't disagree with the point you're trying to make... but in actual fact Kovacic and Rodri haven't played a single minute together this season

 

[thismeansfour]

Kova looked brilliant at Chelsea, because he had Kante next to him. Looked very good at the start of the season because he had Rodri.

Kova is very good at bringing the ball forward , dribbling etc you see the best Kova when he has a ball winner next to him.

Honestly if we had a ball winning dm next to him he’d look very good again. We desperately need a ball winner/Interceptor we don’t have one.

So much shite in here. He has barely played with Rodri this season, if at all. You could argue playing with Rodri however would help and make any player look better.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

It was a peculiar game that as we looked like we could thrash them 5-0 at one point and end up getting thrashed ourselves.

I don't know why but Pep saves this "fuckin hell" moments for the CL - Liverpool, Real, Lyon, Monaco, Chelsea and now Spotting Lisbon. It seems that if you can get under our skin for a couple of minutes we will absolutely, totally and utterly capitulate. I don't know how or why but it's pathetic.

I know we have a LOT of players out injured and we're missing Ridri but surely we should have some players coming up who can play roughly a DM position? It's not like Pep has just rocked up we've been playing his way for nearly 10 years now. In all honesty if there's no one in our U21 etc team who can't step up what's the point of keeping them?

Our penalty should never have been given and it summed the night up when it slapped the bar. The ones we gave away were utterly pathetic and showed our brittle we were. Nunes is absolutely nowhere near good enough for us and needs to go.

Overall a bad night and normally once we hit "rock bottom" in a season then Pep seems to wake up and does the necessary. I think we will go on a monster winning streak now!

 

[Father Paul]

You have no need to apologise whatsoever. In fact, quite the opposite and I thank you for a considered, measured, well thought out post.

The recent recruitment as you say has not been as successful as it should have been. The sales of some talented players who could have taken us forward such an Alvarez and Lavia have also been errors. Nevertheless, none of that calls for some of the hysteria that we see on here. Txiki and Pep have been brilliant for us, though. Sure they have made some mistakes, but they deserve more respect and appreciation than they are getting in a bad, injury ravaged run. Txiki is ready to go and a new era will begin with Hugo Viana. Hopefully Pep feels like he is ready to at the very least begin the rebuild.

We have become used to very high standards, but it is better to be patient, calm and measured about our current situation as we end this current cycle.

As I see it we have had only a couple of poor seasons over the last 15 years.We have seen unimagined success and some memorable days. The law of averages dictate the liklihood of a dip after 4 immense seasons. Could we have done better in the transfer market over the last 2 window's? Of course. But you can't get it right all the time. Hopefully we will arrest this slump and get back on the horse. A workmanlike draw at Brighton on Saturday evening would mark a good start.

 

[Father Paul]

I really believe that Rodri makes Kova and Gundo look better than they are. Kova started the season well with Rodri next to him and Gundo didn't get the chance to build that partnership again. We have to buy a DM in January.

Rodri did not start the season for us.

 

[paulchapo]

You look at this goal and we look like statues. They're not exactly moving the ball quickly but our players look like whoever recorded it slowed them down. Just awful.

 

[uwe rosler 28]

10 mad mins and 2 brain farts cost us on another night we r 4 up after 30 mins and score 6 or 7 overall. The defence is definitely missing a fully fit walker and I'd like to see josko moving inside and ake back to full back. Also concentration is killing us sloppy passes then not reacting quick enough to the ball inside the full bk and center bk to run on too. It will be sorted quickly by pep I'm sure of that I'd like to nunes move alongside kova too for more legs.

 

[chaddblue]

So much shite in here. He has barely played with Rodri this season, if at all. You could argue playing with Rodri however would help and make any player look better.

Not even barely... they've not been on the pitch together for even 1 second

 

[Eaststander1]

He didn't make a save but we did miss a penalty

I'm convinced that if Haaland puts that away we go on to get at least a point

Yep, with only around 20 minutes left he HAD to score that, and it would have put us on the front foot to push for an equaliser ( at least) ..... he should have taken more care to place the ball past the keeper I reckon, and not just blaze it wildly at goal.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Last night we began well and we did dominate the game for half an hour but even then there was a warning break from Sporting which should have produced an equaliser but for a terrible finish. We have been vulnerable to such breaks all season but fortunately teams such as Ipswich, Brentford, Southampton and others have not seen enough of the ball and have not been able to defend well enough to make us pay the full price. Against Spurs and Bournemouth, however, and again last night we lost and the opening goal at Spurs and Bournemouth was eerily similar to Wolves's opener (and even WHU's equaliser) with a ball through our back line and a ball in beyond a retreating (but too slow?) defence. Last night their equaliser and their two penalties resulted from passes through our back line and/or their players simply running at or through us.

It is arguable that these problems result from an injury crisis and we can all reel off a list as long as our arms of players missing and I think injuries are a major cause of our difficulties. But I was horrified last night at how quickly and completely we crumbled in the face of a competent opponent who seemed to have done little more than realise that we were incapable of defending balls through us or players running through us. I was convinced our defence was much more solid, but it wasn't, and they got no cover from our midfielders.

It is to be hoped that the return to fitness of our absentees will bring a speedy remedy, but unfortunately Rodri, who is absolutely vital, is out all season, Kyle Walker looked way short of match fitness on Saturday and we need those players who are good at keeping the ball, Jack especially. Unfortunately Savinho and Doku take a few too many risks at the moment. And boy, do we need a fully fit KdB.

Patience! - but I'm not looking forward to Brighton on Saturday.

The high line is the major problem for me and yet pep seems completely against doing anything about it.

We have been cut through time and time again this season and yet here we are, Rodriless, shipping chances and yet still setting up exactly the same way every game. Every game is dejavu even when we play relatively well.

Couldn’t we be a bit more cautious while we have no players? Would that not make sense?

 

[Roachy]

The high line is the major problem for me and yet pep seems completely against doing anything about it.

We have been cut through time and time again this season and yet here we are, Rodriless, shipping chances and yet still setting up exactly the same way every game. Every game is dejavu even when we play relatively well.

Couldn’t we be a bit more cautious while we have no players? Would that not make sense?

Pep clearly thinks it's the way to go but we're getting found out. I don't know why we turned to complete shit in the space of 15 mins, it was bizarre. The most important thing now is to halt this slide and for me that starts with dealing with our porous defence.