Stoke Vs City Post Match Discussion Thread

[John.des]

It was an awful performance, not happy with Pellegrini being happy with one point, of course we can take it as that as we were lucky not to lose because Hughes knew whats his tactic, actually he had at least a gameplan.

Mancini was found out so many times having no real gameplan just hoping our basic play and individual brilliance will do the job, but yesterday was the same.

Its not a good points away at Stoke, especially not after a horrible Cardiff tour...

If we win 3 matches away from home vs tricky opponents than 4th time against a "good" Stoke maybe a draw is not bad. But in our current form it is just another bad result.

Next 4 away league games:
Villa: they will press us and they have pace, we will struggle a lot.
WHU: we know them, we know what we can expect vs them, they will park the bus and use their strength in the air and in corners.
Chelsea: very hard match.
Sunderland: we struggle there more than at Stoke where we never win...

Based on Pellegrini's away form so far I am scared of these 4 matches, I expected more than 1 point from the Cardiff/Stoke matches.

 

[cleavers]

My grumble with the critics is they entirely miss the context? i.e The entire first choice defence out at a tough away ground

Except it wasn't the "entire first choice defence" it was half of it, and they kept a clean sheet anyway (the first choice is Zab Kompany Nastasic Clichy).

The defence is not the problem, as 3 clean sheets in 4 games proves, its the lack of midfield, both in defensive cover, and graft, and up front a lack of chances created. You'll never win any game if you don't score, and you won't score if you don't create chances, and we had more than enough creative attacking players on the pitch to do far more on that score.

Currently we are playing neither the mancini style, nor the pellegrini style, its a mess, we're not pressing, and we still lack any pace in attacking. We are badly missing cover in front of the defenders, and there is no link between defence and attack, in short we're missing a midfield.

 

[andyhinch]

My grumble with the critics is they entirely miss the context? i.e The entire first choice defence out at a tough away ground

Except it wasn't the "entire first choice defence" it was half of it, and they kept a clean sheet anyway (the first choice is Zab Kompany Nastasic Clichy).

The defence is not the problem, as 3 clean sheets in 4 games proves, its the lack of midfield, both in defensive cover, and graft, and up front a lack of chances created. You'll never win any game if you don't score, and you won't score if you don't create chances, and we had more than enough creative attacking players on the pitch to do far more on that score.

Currently we are playing neither the mancini style, nor the pellegrini style, its a mess, we're not pressing, and we still lack any pace in attacking. We are badly missing cover in front of the defenders, and there is no link between defence and attack, in short we're missing a midfield.

Stoke pressed very well, should we look at their manager:)

 

[lancs blue]

My grumble with the critics is they entirely miss the context? i.e The entire first choice defence out at a tough away ground

Except it wasn't the "entire first choice defence" it was half of it, and they kept a clean sheet anyway (the first choice is Zab Kompany Nastasic Clichy).

The defence is not the problem, as 3 clean sheets in 4 games proves, its the lack of midfield, both in defensive cover, and graft, and up front a lack of chances created. You'll never win any game if you don't score, and you won't score if you don't create chances, and we had more than enough creative attacking players on the pitch to do far more on that score.

Currently we are playing neither the mancini style, nor the pellegrini style, its a mess, we're not pressing, and we still lack any pace in attacking. We are badly missing cover in front of the defenders, and there is no link between defence and attack, in short we're missing a midfield.

I don't think 3 clean sheets proves anything about the defence tbh, we've been lucky in that Hull and Stoke are average teams with average strikers, the defence has looked vulnerable in all bar the Newcastle game. Yes that is partly down to the poor cover offered by the central midfield but I wouldn't be complacent about the defence. As much as I like the guy Zaba has had a poor start to the season and no CB combination without Kompany has looked that secure so far which is a big worry given Vinny's recent injury record.

 

[fathellensbellend]

just another boring away performance, the team and the bench must weigh in at about 400 million (cannot be arsed to work it out), and yet we couldn't create one decent opening against a team that bar the keeper have not one player who would interest us in the slightest when it comes to transfers.

credit to stoke, they played with energy, desire and with more creativity than us, we escaped with a point.

 

[Neil McNab]

My grumble with the critics is they entirely miss the context? i.e The entire first choice defence out at a tough away ground

Except it wasn't the "entire first choice defence" it was half of it, and they kept a clean sheet anyway (the first choice is Zab Kompany Nastasic Clichy).

The defence is not the problem, as 3 clean sheets in 4 games proves, its the lack of midfield, both in defensive cover, and graft, and up front a lack of chances created. You'll never win any game if you don't score, and you won't score if you don't create chances, and we had more than enough creative attacking players on the pitch to do far more on that score.

Currently we are playing neither the mancini style, nor the pellegrini style, its a mess, we're not pressing, and we still lack any pace in attacking. We are badly missing cover in front of the defenders, and there is no link between defence and attack, in short we're missing a midfield.

I don't think 3 clean sheets proves anything about the defence tbh, we've been lucky in that Hull and Stoke are average teams with average strikers, the defence has looked vulnerable in all bar the Newcastle game. Yes that is partly down to the poor cover offered by the central midfield but I wouldn't be complacent about the defence. As much as I like the guy Zaba has had a poor start to the season and no CB combination without Kompany has looked that secure so far which is a big worry given Vinny's recent injury record.

You're right, 3 clean sheets does mean nothing. You defend as a team, if a wonky back four puts our attacking players and attacking game as a whole on the back foot or secondary to defence then clean sheets are quite possible, one effects the other, the same as if we pose no threat and give the ball away the defence has more work to do. Both our left backs are suspect, Zabaleta is fine when playing along side better players, he's been effected badly by the short comings in the middle. The main problems I see are in midfield, we are going to miss Barry because what I've seen in the middle has been woeful, we've added out and out pace with Navas but don't play the style of football that will utilise that , we have no players that will run with the ball or beat a man. Forget winning things for two years and give this manager time to get it right, my expectations for this season are very low and I can see a lot of coming and going over the next two seasons, it's a shame his signings were of an age for instant impact because I think were we're 3 years off being a force. Our attacking players are all too old as a squad, vibrance, youthful fearlessness and imagination very lacking.
FA Cup run and top 4 all this lot will manage.

 

[tonea2003]

Except it wasn't the "entire first choice defence" it was half of it, and they kept a clean sheet anyway (the first choice is Zab Kompany Nastasic Clichy).

The defence is not the problem, as 3 clean sheets in 4 games proves, its the lack of midfield, both in defensive cover, and graft, and up front a lack of chances created. You'll never win any game if you don't score, and you won't score if you don't create chances, and we had more than enough creative attacking players on the pitch to do far more on that score.

Currently we are playing neither the mancini style, nor the pellegrini style, its a mess, we're not pressing, and we still lack any pace in attacking. We are badly missing cover in front of the defenders, and there is no link between defence and attack, in short we're missing a midfield.

I don't think 3 clean sheets proves anything about the defence tbh, we've been lucky in that Hull and Stoke are average teams with average strikers, the defence has looked vulnerable in all bar the Newcastle game. Yes that is partly down to the poor cover offered by the central midfield but I wouldn't be complacent about the defence. As much as I like the guy Zaba has had a poor start to the season and no CB combination without Kompany has looked that secure so far which is a big worry given Vinny's recent injury record.

You're right, 3 clean sheets does mean nothing. You defend as a team, if a wonky back four puts our attacking players and attacking game as a whole on the back foot or secondary to defence then clean sheets are quite possible, one effects the other, the same as if we pose no threat and give the ball away the defence has more work to do. Both our left backs are suspect, Zabaleta is fine when playing along side better players, he's been effected badly by the short comings in the middle. The main problems I see are in midfield, we are going to miss Barry because what I've seen in the middle has been woeful, we've added out and out pace with Navas but don't play the style of football that will utilise that , we have no players that will run with the ball or beat a man. Forget winning things for two years and give this manager time to get it right, my expectations for this season are very low and I can see a lot of coming and going over the next two seasons, it's a shame his signings were of an age for instant impact because I think were we're 3 years off being a force. Our attacking players are all too old as a squad, vibrance, youthful fearlessness and imagination very lacking.
FA Cup run and top 4 all this lot will manage.

really? seriously?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

My seafood terrine was delicious, although I was a bit pissed off that my seat was five, possibly even ten centremetres to the right of the halfway line.

Exactly the sort of analysis and contribution we need.

How did you find the peasants? Smelly at all? And would you rather have been sat in the manor playing bridge with the golf club boys?

The peasants were revolting.

I don't like golf. Boring game for boring people. Bridge even more so.

 

[blueinsa]

My seafood terrine was delicious, although I was a bit pissed off that my seat was five, possibly even ten centremetres to the right of the halfway line.

Best poster on here by a mile atm :-)

 

[squirtyflower]

My seafood terrine was delicious, although I was a bit pissed off that my seat was five, possibly even ten centremetres to the right of the halfway line.

Exactly the sort of analysis and contribution we need.

How did you find the peasants? Smelly at all? And would you rather have been sat in the manor playing bridge with the golf club boys?

The peasants were revolting.

I don't like golf. Boring game for boring people. Bridge even more so.

I saw you quite clearly from my pauper's position

the man in black eh?