Spurs (A) | PL | Post-Match Thread

[mancityscot]

When it comes down to things like our dressing room I don't rely on suspicions and this smoke and fire thing you mention. You seem to be getting a bit over excited - drop in form 'Oh, there must be some drama going on.' You're entitled to your opinion but you have zilch/zero/no idea of the state of our dressing room. Every great team in history has poor runs - we're going through ours. And it's all relative - 21 games in and the table doesn't lie - every team is exactly where they deserve to be. We're second - we deserve to be second. Arsenal have played out of their skin - they deserve to be top but no medals are handed out on 6 February.

Clearly something not right behind the scenes mate. It’d be too much of a massive coincidence for it just to be a ‘drop in form’

 

[ysmsa]

Agree. I don't know what's going on in the clubhouse. Certainly with Ferna gone and two popular players choosing to leave (Gabby, Zinny), this could be having a negative impact. Particularly as it relates to rallying players.

The big concern for me is that Pep seemingly does not know how to get the ball to Haaland. He had none or close to no touches in the box today. Teams have adapted. They put two guys on him and say, "try and get the ball". Our game is possession. But it is seemingly now too methodical. It lacks any sort of pace or urgency. Teams that have possession in our final third should be open to a Haaland run in transition.

Our back four should have been Walker-Dias-Laporte-Ake. Why Dias and Laporte can't get on the card on the regular is very confusing.

Spot on with the back line from available players, fuckin madness how Pep is pissing about with the defence.

Should be bedding in a settled back 4 for the run in and CL, use the other lads to see a game out as subs or whatever.
All this tinkering is not yielding clean sheets, we don't score more than 1 then we lose!

 

[Dave El Magico]

There is no doubt in my mind that Pep is one of the best managers in the World and I will always support his teams. However, I am becoming concerned at the way he experiments and makes changes for certain important games. The Tottenham game gave us a great opportunity to put pressure back on Arsenal after their result yesterday. It was obvious how Tottenham would play and our team selection should have been based on this. For me, Dias and/or Laporte should have been in with Ake covering left back. Lewis tried hard but he is clearly not left footed and was too close to Rodri at times. For me, some players are struggling with the concept of the inverted fullback system too. Kevin needs to play every week to get the best out of him and he always shows a lack of match sharpness after a period out of the team. However, he is one player who knows how to play Haaland in and can offer some spark in our midfield. Bernardo has been a fantastic player for us, but I do think that he has already got his mind on pastures new. I feel that Pep is focusing on the Champions League this season and that we will see him pick our preferred and successful team for this competition. Hope we can all pull together, get behind the team and make Villa pay for it next week.

 

[Weavers run]

There is no doubt in my mind that Pep is one of the best managers in the World and I will always support his teams. However, I am becoming concerned at the way he experiments and makes changes for certain important games. The Tottenham game gave us a great opportunity to put pressure back on Arsenal after their result yesterday. It was obvious how Tottenham would play and our team selection should have been based on this. For me, Dias and/or Laporte should have been in with Ake covering left back. Lewis tried hard but he is clearly not left footed and was too close to Rodri at times. For me, some players are struggling with the concept of the inverted fullback system too. Kevin needs to play every week to get the best out of him and he always shows a lack of match sharpness after a period out of the team. However, he is one player who knows how to play Haaland in and can offer some spark in our midfield. Bernardo has been a fantastic player for us, but I do think that he has already got his mind on pastures new. I feel that Pep is focusing on the Champions League this season and that we will see him pick our preferred and successful team for this competition. Hope we can all pull together, get behind the team and make Villa pay for it next week.

Yet this best manager in the world can’t see that momentum and a settled side is more beneficial than pissing about. Sick of him now, he’s stunk the place out all season and after several digs at us fans and horrendous decision making Id happily part ways. He manages the current champions, he brought in the best striker in the world to that champion squad and took them backwards. Awful

 

[blue_hawk]

Lets scrap this 3-2-4-1 system, and play a more conventional 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with overlapping FBs. Gomez is shite defensively, so would need some defensive cover from midfield, but at least our wingers would get more support, and Haaland would receive more service in the box. Last time we played with attacking FBs, 4-0 vs Chelsea in the fa cup:

 

[Scott mcfc]

Just got back after long arse drive back,3 of us in car bin rackin our brains for last 4 an half hours thinkin wtf is goin on,ive just watched highlights an yess we shud of scored an they do defend well all 8 of them in a low block,but we only played them 2 weeks ago pep knows how they play,dont agree with dias on bench hes our leader and is needed big time,debryne benched was bizzar,and why the fuck no one passes a fuckin through ball to haaland is beyond me the guy is startin to get pissed off,theres obviously more goin on that meets the eye,if we dont get our shit together an fast this season could end pretty quickly,im actually worried about leipzig now,who are actually doin good and fast counter attackers,its also like weve forgotten how to press its weird,and ask for the comments about exhaustin to go london it takes 4 hours is bizzar from pep,they live an good life and reep the benefits also fly alot of aways,must just be us then that do 13hr round trips to london an back then up at 6 in morn for work,come on man give ur head a wobble and get a fuckin grip of that team

 

[simmo]

We look a shadow of the team that destroyed United earlier in the season.

Defence struggles to play from the back these days. The build up is so slow and has become predictable. We seem to get caught on the ball far too often.

Disappointing as I expected us to put in a decent performance. Too many seem out of sorts and was again the case today. Yet certain players can’t even get on as a sub.

 

[chaddblue]

Opportunity completely wasted, a point would've been decent in hindsight but this result has given Arse a massive lift.

This is the most annoying and frustrating thing

A win today would have put the fear of god into
Arsenal but now they can forget that defeat, no harm done, and just push on as if it never happened

 

[Dave El Magico]

Yet this best manager in the world can’t see that momentum and a settled side is more beneficial than pissing about. Sick of him now, he’s stunk the place out all season and after several digs at us fans and horrendous decision making Id happily part ways. He manages the current champions, he brought in the best striker in the world to that champion squad and took them backwards. Awful

That’s your opinion of a manager who has won 4 premier league titles and 5 cup competitions in the last 6 years?? I’d like you to find another manager who will get near this. Who would you be bringing in? Having watched City for over 40 years now, I have seen some poor teams and bad managers. I agree that some of his team selections have been strange, but it Is obvious that some players have not been putting the effort in. What I would say to you is be careful what you wish for.

 

[eyalluvitt]

I’d say he’s 5th choice. Stones, Laporte, Dias, Ake…. Then Akanji

And if Alan Kernaghan was still around, sixth

 

[JewelZee]

It's easy to blame our change on Haaland, maybe it was a catalyst but we have played shit without him in the team and Alvarez up top as well. In truth, Pep has had a mare in the second part of this season. We aren't stable, we don't have any first 11 and we are over crowding the midfield but not using width like we have done previously to create spaces. We've a guy up top whos begging to get in the game, he's not just there to run in behind and get on the end of things. However he is the best in the world at that, and we're not even using that, so wtf are we doing?
Today was a chance to measure how much we were up for the challenge this season, in the past we have shown that we have the bollocks but it looks like a lot of these guys aren't up for the fight. Maybe pep has already seen that in training, tried to remedy it with tough love and it's backfired. It's his responsibility to pressure his mates in the boardroom into moving guys along but getting someone in to replace, we need a huge overhaul as it stands.

But why is it OK to assume players who have come good for us too many times to count have all either gone to shit ability wise or become problematic personalities all at the same time? I'm not saying it's all on Pep, but how exactly is he blameless? Does anyone really believe that throwing so many champion players under the bus is going to make other top players come here?

 

[eyalluvitt]

Leipzig(who’s unbeaten in something like 16 matches) at 4 to 1 to qualify sire does look tempting at the moment.

They look on fire , young, hungry, passion, power, pace and of course they have a left back

 

[super_city_si]

When it comes down to things like our dressing room I don't rely on suspicions and this smoke and fire thing you mention. You seem to be getting a bit over excited - drop in form 'Oh, there must be some drama going on.' You're entitled to your opinion but you have zilch/zero/no idea of the state of our dressing room. Every great team in history has poor runs - we're going through ours. And it's all relative - 21 games in and the table doesn't lie - every team is exactly where they deserve to be. We're second - we deserve to be second. Arsenal have played out of their skin - they deserve to be top but no medals are handed out on 6 February.

Good post. We look very jaded. Look at the dippers? Are they having disgruntled issues behind the scenes? No, theyre fucked. So are we but the difference is we have a better squad and better manager so we do better In adversity.
this is a season too far. We arent ready for 3 on the bounce.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Spot on with the back line from available players, fuckin madness how Pep is pissing about with the defence.

Should be bedding in a settled back 4 for the run in and CL, use the other lads to see a game out as subs or whatever.
All this tinkering is not yielding clean sheets, we don't score more than 1 then we lose!

I agree with what you're saying but fitting 5 CBs into 2 is difficult (Stones injured at present, excluded). Both Ake and Akanji have done well but Pep needs to start playing Dias and Laporte soon or they'll both want out, and neither deserve to be asking Pep the question of why they aren't playing. A difficult situation Pep is paid shit loads to sort out and to appease all our 5 CBs, not easy.

 

[eyalluvitt]

When one, maybe two players get pass marks in pretty much every game and the rest are dreadful, it’s amazing we are as high as we are

 

[JewelZee]

Clearly something not right behind the scenes mate. It’d be too much of a massive coincidence for it just to be a ‘drop in form’

This is no drop in form. That is much too convenient of an out to explain this unrecognizable team.

 

[Ted_Bovis]

Had to be against us that Mr personality gets his club record.
The VTs at the end of the game by sky made it look like he died.

We all knew what would happen here. Disappointed but not surprised.

One consolation is that no matter how many goals the mumbling sir Harry has scored for Totspurts they’ve won absolutely nothing in the same time frame.

 

[wolviedinho]

Attacking players are creating fuck all. The defenders have the ball too long and we end up doing nothing with it.

Jack, Mahrez, Gundo, Bernardo, Foden, Alvarez all need to pull their finger out as so far they don’t deserve to play for city. Kev gets a pass as he has plenty of credit and dips/age happens.

Creation is shite and the transitions from back to front is shite. Build up passing is awful, players look like a busted flush. Time we say thanks and bin a few.

 

[JewelZee]

But I didn't say "won't", I said "can't".

Not many thought we'd win the cup match either, and NOBODY thought Everton would beat them.

No one can say we can't. Unless they mean we "can't" playing this way along with Pep acting like a looney toon...

 

[Shaffer92]

People overate league form and how it translates to CL.

Totally different.

People on this sub(not you) also are seemingly completely overlooking Leipzig, who is one of the hottest teams in Europe with a great squad. If we don't pick up our form and fast, they will absolutely make us sweat or even get through.