Stoke (a) 20/08/2016 - pre-match thread

[yeah whatever !!]

Come on City,play to your strength lads and we will get sommat today...

3 points please.

 

[the plasterer]

Going to be tough that's for sure, can't be anything like last seasons dire showing can it??

 

[ws01]

Caballero
Sagna
Stones
Otamendi
Clichy
Fernandinho
Silva
De Bruyne
Sterling
Nolito
Aguero

City 2
Cold Wednesday Night at the Britannia 1

 

[Ethan23]

I'm pretty confident we won't lose, but I'm still stuck with the same mentality as last year. At least this year we'll try

 

[mosssideblue]

Bearing in mind our results at Stoke recently and it is a lot of a graveyard for us.

I just hope we go there play well and get a result, however if it's only a point then that is more than we usually get.

Obviously I hope we rock up and smash them 4-0, but I'm trying to look at the game without my blue tinted specs.

Are you sure? I thought we have a decent record against them.

 

[mosssideblue]

I think tomorrow will tell us more about our progression under Guardiola than the two previous games combined. I'm nervously excited about it.

Me too Ric, just hope the weather isn't a factor

 

[yeah whatever !!]

Me too Ric, just hope the weather isn't a factor

Its not called weather in Stoke..its called constant.

 

[Ric]

Are you sure? I thought we have a decent record against them.

Only one win in our last eight league visits to The Britannia:

http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Opponent.aspx?id=43

 

[Josep]

Looking at Pep interviews & what he has done so far, it is quite clear how much he was stifled at Bayern. Not just because Bayern is FC Hollywood, but also because of the circumstances. All the Bayern players (almost all) were superstars and he couldnt drop any or point out mistakes in any of them - coz they were treble & WC winners, so they were assumed to be perfect. For example, the first CL semi-final against RM, most of the goals conceded were by individual player mistakes in set-pieces. Sure Pep said he got it tactically wrong as well but Pep could not talk about individual mistakes or pull these superstars off or bench them at will. All mistakes were on Pep. Neuer, Muller, Lahm, etc could do no wrong. Yet he could motivate these superstars every year and achieve what he did.

At City I feel, finally Pep is getting the freedom to completely imprint his vision on the club. Even at Barca it was constrained a little becoz of the politics at the board level. Its far more benign environment in City (nevermind the scum media which is present everywhere). And here he seems to have total command of the sporting decisions. So I expect him to be more relaxed becoz of the environment provided and hence, even more energetic & motivated to succeed. I dont want to get ahead too much but knowing the perfectionist that he is, I cant contain my excitement at what he is going to achieve. One game at a time. The journey is more important. The titles are just a consequence. Bring on Stoke. My seat-belt is firmly fastened :)

 

[mosssideblue]

Only one win in our last eight league visits to The Britannia:

http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Matches/Opponent.aspx?id=43

Might be me Ric, but I only see one loss there which was last season. Nonetheless, if the weather isn't an equaliser, then I think we will be too savvy for them today