Spurs (H) | PL | Post Match Thread

bobbyowenquiff said:
I think Cherki is a great player and of course Rodri is world-class but the balance in the team is wrong. We don't have enough pace, especially in the back line. Kusanov needs to play for starters. It's a shame Savinho has not worked out because he would have helped.
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Did we have enough pace in the back line in the Treble season?

Our fastest defender was mostly on the bench in the final months, displaced by Akanji (weird, right?). We conceded just 5 goals in 13 CL games. In front of the defence were Rodri and Gundo, hardly famous for their pace either.

Also, we had Grealish and Bernardo on the wings, clearly slower than Marmoush, Doku, Savinho and maybe Bobb as well.

The current team has more pace than the Treble winners, except for Lewis.

People love to explain our problems with lack of pace, which also was behind the criticisms of Gundo and Rodri several years ago, and last season too (replace Rodri with Bernie). This is a bit simplistic, especially after 9 years of Pep Guardiola, the manager who favours technique and intelligence over physicality. (Maybe this is also the reason why some think Pep is finished when the results aren't there: we seem too slow...)
 
alexmcity said:
Did we have enough pace in the back line in the Treble season?

Our fastest defender was mostly on the bench in the final months, displaced by Akanji (weird, right?). We conceded just 5 goals in 13 CL games. In front of the defence were Rodri and Gundo, hardly famous for their pace either.

Also, we had Grealish and Bernardo on the wings, clearly slower than Marmoush, Doku, Savinho and maybe Bobb as well.

The current team has more pace than the Treble winners, except for Lewis.

People love to explain our problems with lack of pace, which also was behind the criticisms of Gundo and Rodri several years ago, and last season too (replace Rodri with Bernie). This is a bit simplistic, especially after 9 years of Pep Guardiola, the manager who favours technique and intelligence over physicality. (Maybe this is also the reason why some think Pep is finished when the results aren't there: we seem too slow...)
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Akanji was fast then as were Stones and Ake. And we also had Walker. All if them got older and slower. You need some balance. Sterling and Sane were both quick. De Bruyne was never the fastest but was not slow. Foden is fast and has to start. I agree that technique is more important but you need some players who can cover ground as well.
 
pudge said:
We annoyingly had practically fuck all pre-season so it's not a surprise tbf

Those lack of matches are gonna bite us on the arse the first half a dozen league games or so
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I agree it didnt help but some things were alarming. Bernardo who only came on was left dust a couple of times.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Akanji was fast then as were Stones and Ake. And we also had Walker. All if them got older and slower. You need some balance. Sterling and Sane were both quick. De Bruyne was never the fastest but was not slow. Foden is fast and has to start. I agree that technique is more important but you need some players who can cover ground as well.
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Ake aside, I don't think any of the other defenders has gotten slower. Also, we have Nunes who is one of the fastest players in the league (if we trust those data about speed).

Our main problem vs Spurs wasn't speed (Lewis aside) but ability to beat their press, which is down to technique and positional awareness. Given that both Gonzalez and Reijnders are relatively new to the league and Pep's way of playing, we should have tried more long balls to Haaland.

The best to play from the back and beat the press are Rodri and Bernie. If we play a big game tomorrow, those two have to start. The new players will have to learn it, but it takes time.
 
alexmcity said:
Ake aside, I don't think any of the other defenders has gotten slower. Also, we have Nunes who is one of the fastest players in the league (if we trust those data about speed).

Our main problem vs Spurs wasn't speed (Lewis aside) but ability to beat their press, which is down to technique and positional awareness. Given that both Gonzalez and Reijnders are relatively new to the league and Pep's way of playing, we should have tried more long balls to Haaland.

The best to play from the back and beat the press are Rodri and Bernie. If we play a big game tomorrow, those two have to start. The new players will have to learn it, but it takes time.
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Agreed. I think the inverted fullbacks has run its course as a tactic. Teams just play long diagonals into the space behind the fullbacks. Pep needs to change. We looked better when a half fit Rodri came on with Foden. I am still optimistic. Pace is not the total answer. United have lots of very fast headless chickens and look at the state they are in.
 
alexmcity said:
Ake aside, I don't think any of the other defenders has gotten slower. Also, we have Nunes who is one of the fastest players in the league (if we trust those data about speed).

Our main problem vs Spurs wasn't speed (Lewis aside) but ability to beat their press, which is down to technique and positional awareness. Given that both Gonzalez and Reijnders are relatively new to the league and Pep's way of playing, we should have tried more long balls to Haaland.

The best to play from the back and beat the press are Rodri and Bernie. If we play a big game tomorrow, those two have to start. The new players will have to learn it, but it takes time.
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We were much better than people are talking about in the first hour of the game. Even our build up is fine for a large portion of that period before Bernardo comes on. We go long and create chances, and we play through the lines and create chances.

Spurs were more aggressive than us in moments, but that felt like a fitness/rhythm thing to me. When Bernardo came on the team got demonstrably worse because he lost three or four duels and gave the ball away. Team didn't really recover until Pep brought Foden on and shifted Bernardo out to the right wing.

That same team that started on Saturday will take someone apart big time in the next couple of months. They're really not that far away. People talking about pace and high lines just feels like the same boring cliches we've had throughout Pep's time at City.
 
BillyShears said:
We were much better than people are talking about in the first hour of the game. Even our build up is fine for a large portion of that period before Bernardo comes on. We go long and create chances, and we play through the lines and create chances.

Spurs were more aggressive than us in moments, but that felt like a fitness/rhythm thing to me. When Bernardo came on the team got demonstrably worse because he lost three or four duels and gave the ball away. Team didn't really recover until Pep brought Foden on and shifted Bernardo out to the right wing.

That same team that started on Saturday will take someone apart big time in the next couple of months. They're really not that far away. People talking about pace and high lines just feels like the same boring cliches we've had throughout Pep's time at City.
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Football is simple and if the vast number of blues think we played a terrible game, most likely we did. The match stats show that City's xG was 1.51. Spurs looked very comfortable to me.
 
Marvin. said:
Football is simple and if the vast number of blues think we played a terrible game, most likely we did. The match stats show that City's xG was 1.51. Spurs looked very comfortable to me.
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I disagree wholeheartedly. Football is and will always be framed by the result. It's normal that most people's perceptions of the match on first watch will be incredibly negative. Having watched it back, City should've been leading by two goals by the time Spurs score their first. They should have had a nailed on penalty early in the second half. They should've scored with the last corner of the first half too. So no, it's not that simple.
 
BillyShears said:
We were much better than people are talking about in the first hour of the game. Even our build up is fine for a large portion of that period before Bernardo comes on. We go long and create chances, and we play through the lines and create chances.

Spurs were more aggressive than us in moments, but that felt like a fitness/rhythm thing to me. When Bernardo came on the team got demonstrably worse because he lost three or four duels and gave the ball away. Team didn't really recover until Pep brought Foden on and shifted Bernardo out to the right wing.

That same team that started on Saturday will take someone apart big time in the next couple of months. They're really not that far away. People talking about pace and high lines just feels like the same boring cliches we've had throughout Pep's time at City.
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We weren't poor, but we couldn't control the game. We didn't dominate them, as we struggled with their press.

Bernardo wasn't in form vs Spurs, mostly in advanced positions, but he has shown he's more press-resistant than most players.
 
BillyShears said:
I disagree wholeheartedly. Football is and will always be framed by the result. It's normal that most people's perceptions of the match on first watch will be incredibly negative. Having watched it back, City should've been leading by two goals by the time Spurs score their first. They should have had a nailed on penalty early in the second half. They should've scored with the last corner of the first half too. So no, it's not that simple.
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Correct
 
alexmcity said:
Ake aside, I don't think any of the other defenders has gotten slower. Also, we have Nunes who is one of the fastest players in the league (if we trust those data about speed).

Our main problem vs Spurs wasn't speed (Lewis aside) but ability to beat their press, which is down to technique and positional awareness. Given that both Gonzalez and Reijnders are relatively new to the league and Pep's way of playing, we should have tried more long balls to Haaland.

The best to play from the back and beat the press are Rodri and Bernie. If we play a big game tomorrow, those two have to start. The new players will have to learn it, but it takes time.
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Agree all that and would just add the best out ball seemed to be to the left where Marmoush was but he couldn't take advantage. Day a really good winger could have enjoyed.
 
alexmcity said:
We weren't poor, but we couldn't control the game. We didn't dominate them, as we struggled with their press.

Bernardo wasn't in form vs Spurs, mostly in advanced positions, but he has shown he's more press-resistant than most players.
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Top form Bernardo/peak Bernado was totally press resistant. I'm not sure the one we've had for the last 12 months I would characterise as press resistant. Still got legs and can run in bursts but the physical side of the game, especially against teams as big and aggressive as Spurs, will be tricky for him.
 
BillyShears said:
We were much better than people are talking about in the first hour of the game. Even our build up is fine for a large portion of that period before Bernardo comes on. We go long and create chances, and we play through the lines and create chances.

Spurs were more aggressive than us in moments, but that felt like a fitness/rhythm thing to me. When Bernardo came on the team got demonstrably worse because he lost three or four duels and gave the ball away. Team didn't really recover until Pep brought Foden on and shifted Bernardo out to the right wing.

That same team that started on Saturday will take someone apart big time in the next couple of months. They're really not that far away. People talking about pace and high lines just feels like the same boring cliches we've had throughout Pep's time at City.
Click to expand...

BillyShears said:
I disagree wholeheartedly. Football is and will always be framed by the result. It's normal that most people's perceptions of the match on first watch will be incredibly negative. Having watched it back, City should've been leading by two goals by the time Spurs score their first. They should have had a nailed on penalty early in the second half. They should've scored with the last corner of the first half too. So no, it's not that simple.
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Should haves and could haves don’t win games of PL football.

It was wank. Sugar coating it doesn’t change that.
 
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