Spurs (H) - Post-Match Thread

[blue whippet]

The difference yesterday was what happened when the two teams were on the ball. We passed and took three fuckin' touches, passed it back to the person who passed it to him, and then onto the wing where two or three defenders queued up to negate the move, whereas Spurs took one touch and pass and the speed of play was too good for us. We used to play like that and carve people open, and then they got wise! And Pep is still at the drawing board.

Yes, this is infuriating. We don't often break with pace anymore, the ball is always passed back giving the opposition time to regroup and build that defensive wall. We often take two or three touches when one will suffice. Just watched the EDS do similar, except on the second goal, first time strike and goal.

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

City's high line seems tailor made for Spurs and Kane, in particular, playing very much the role Pep hoped he would be playing for us. Dias, Laporte and Rodri had as uncomfortable days as anyone can remember and were chasing shadows as Spurs ran from midfield. A very disappointing day.

It is, however, as well to remember that, just as no trophy was handed out over Christmas as Liverpool and especially Chelsea stumbled, nothing was decided yesterday. Those who seem to believe that the title race shifted decisively in Liverpool's favour might be advised to remember that there is still 1/3 of the PL season left before the title goes to the team which has take most points from 38 games, not 25. Teams may be able to compete over 90 mins, even give City a drubbing, but competing with us, and getting the better of us, over 38 games has been very difficult in Pep's time here. And it must be remembered that Liverpool are in second place because they have not proved as effective as City at amassing points.

City lost yesterday because they failed to deal with Spurs' counter attacks. No team seems to have the ability of an on-form Kane and Son and dealing with the counter is not a new problem for City and Pep. He has paid more attention to it than to any other problem and I suspect things will be tweaked to deal with it.

 

[CityPar]

Spurs have played this way the last few times we've played them and most of the time recently they've walked away with the points. Pep may be a genius a lot of the time but there are others where he never seems to learn. Playing the ridiculously high line we did was asking for trouble and Spurs look like they could score anytime. We had all the ball but a combination of walking about with it, misplaced passes and at times lack of movement we never really looked like winning. Annoying as while the title is still in our hands it is now also in Liverpools. Looking at our set up yesterday they will be rubbing their hands about the visit to Etihad.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

It was a plan he said they worked on and that they knew of the danger Spurs posed. Do you really think Pep, the coaching team and the players didn't talk about it and plan to deal with it? Come on you're old enough to know they would have. As I said in my earlier post, knowing about a threat and stopping it are two different things. Every team would get a result against us if it was that simple.

Spurs played their best game of the season yesterday and a lot of our players were poor. Even so with a bit more luck we could also have won. A draw was a fair result and we had that until idiotic play and mistakes by some of our out of form players criminally cost us. Shit happens that's the first time we've lost since October.

I'm not saying that they wouldn't have been aware, say last Thursday, of the threat that Spurs posed, but anyone looking at the pattern of play, and the 'ease' with which Spurs were able to repeat their one and only attacking option smacks of an A6 piece of paper, PLAN, squarely written at the top, which was then shoved into a back pocket and forgotten!

 

[PistonBlue]

Really bad day at the office, terrible defensively throughout the whole team. It happens, but to get the equaliser and then let them in for the winner is criminal and could cost us dearly, hopefully it won't.
A team that came here to defend have scored three goals and could/should have had more, and that tells the tale of how bad we were.

 

[citymad]

I might be wrong but I think we need to sign a forward next transfer window.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I don’t get paid to play football but I certainly pay to watch it. I cannot agree with Peps assessment of the game at all. All three goals were defensive shite imo

The mortal sin lies not in allowing one defensive error to let the game slip away, but THREE, nay, FOUR, and then to gift the third goal-scoring chance after scraping yer way back with barely seconds to go. Yer can just imagine Dippers watching that game when we got our pen, and then . . . . . . !

 

[Norman kneejerk]

Having summoned up courage to watch the highlights on the City site, what was obvious is that Kane will never score two easier goals, he was given a free run for his first goal and he hardly had to jump for what turned out to be the winner. Both our full backs were poor, as were our centre backs. The line up v Sporting looks like our strongest, left back remains a conundrum. As for no recognised centre forward, it’s fucking us up. We haven’t come close to replacing Sergio.

Just done the same and at last watched it back. Have to get Stones back in I agree for his passing too. Whole back 4 were poor but Walker looked really all at sea, not in picture for first, and third easily beaten, weak tackling efforts on some others. Think we also need to get a bit more out of Foden for a player of his ability he seems a bit stiffled by the system. .

 

[The perfect fumble]

Ain't that the truth....

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Really bad day at the office, terrible defensively throughout the whole team. It happens, but to get the equaliser and then let them in for the winner is criminal and could cost us dearly, hopefully it won't.
A team that came here to defend have scored three goals and could/should have had more, and that tells the tale of how bad we were.

Same in the Palace game. Two games against teams that stake their ninety minutes on stopping us scoring and gleefully take away 6 points after scoring five goals between them. I hoped that the fiasco of the Palace game, admittedly where we were down to ten, would have written another defining chapter in Pep's coaching manual, But a few games later, and at home, we offer up a worse repeat! The programme yesterday should have read City V Palace (Rpt)!