United (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

[JackM]

out manoeuvred once again. Notice how KDB was snuffled out as soon as he received
The ball and Fernandes had acres of room when he received the ball.
I was relieved when the whistle went.

 

[oakiecokie]

Another know nowt…

Oh bless you.No wonder people are taking the piss out of you. ;)

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you think the drop off is bad this season, wait until Pep actually leaves.
The drop off will be huge and sustained. Replacing the best manager in the world is no easy task. Careful what you wish for.

A different approach might be refreshing, look at Liverpool. I don't believe we will win anywhere near the amount we have again with a different manager, but sometimes the time comes. He needs to evolve again and I can't see it in him as it stands. I do hope I am wrong but this rebuild will be next year as a minimum too. We are then back at his contract coming to an end and the same circus this season

 

[chickaroon]

He is right. Players were taking an extra touch and losing the ball. It happens when your confidence is low.

Exactly this. When confidence is high Foden scores but he takes a touch that sends him wide and then tackled. It was hard not to score with a first time shot.
We cannot play Nico at full back. He was out of position too many times. Not his fault, he is still learning.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you think the drop off is bad this season, wait until Pep actually leaves.
The drop off will be huge and sustained. Replacing the best manager in the world is no easy task. Careful what you wish for.

I fear a monumental drop off if those fans wanting the manager (pep) sacked after half a season. Its UTD level of expectancy and entitlement. I really hope were not going to go that route. I think our fanbase is better than that though

 

[Paulmcfc2703]

Expecting highest level of football, therein points, season in season out is a fantasy world. We are 5th and you acting like the world is ending

It's not even expecting the highest level of football. We are 5th because we had a good 6 weeks to start the season. The last 5 months have been abysmal.

If I had gone to you after we beat Southampton at home in October and said that for the next 5 months we would pick up less points than Wolves I'm sure you would have claimed I was in a fantasy world then too.

 

[jrb]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but if you think the drop off is bad this season, wait until Pep actually leaves.
The drop off will be huge and sustained. Replacing the best manager in the world is no easy task. Careful what you wish for.

If City keep on playing like they have been this season whilst Pep is still manager, the drop off won’t be that bad when a new manager comes in.

ATM City are 19 points behind Liverpool in the league.

And City could be out of a CL place by this weekend if City don’t beat Palace.

 

[Dazzle84]

Hopefully you are right but there are a lot of big ifs and some major doubts in that list of players.

Stones and Ake - both great players - world class in Stones case - HOWEVER - we cannt rely on either of these players - they are both so injury prone - maybe we can afford to have one very injury prone player in the squad but not two.

Bobb while I agree he looks a very good prospect he has extremely limited time in the first team (granted he would have had way more by now probably if he hadnt had that injury) - but we have seen talented players before and there is no gurantee he will make the step up.

Savihno needs to improve...lots of nice tricks and flicks but his finishing is very poor and there is little end product -but again I partially agree with you.

Marmoush is a strange one - good player no doubt but where does he fit in...he aint playing instead of Haaland and he aint a number 10 to play behind him..therefore it lokos like his best position is also outwide coming in from the left....he doesnt look like he can play the lone striker role either.

If we look at what we are losing none of them mentioned are ready to step up to anywhere near the standard of KDB, Bernardo, Gundo and Im not even talking about those players in their prime - none of those above have the required experience for a start, We need at least two central midfielders and we also need a left back and a right back....Rico Lewis aint good enough and Khusonov is a centre half

Out: KDB, Walker, Gundo, Grealish and one of Ake or Stones
Possibly out Bernardo as well

Thats a lot of talent and creativity and goals to replace right there

I think Marmoush will come into his own a bit over the next few months. We've played de Bruyne as a second striker for a lot of his appearances in the last 18 months, one that would suit Marmoush very well. Seen enough of him to encourage me a lot.

Savinho had his best spell on the left, hopefully we get to see him there more.

Foden will hopefully recover some form next season. That's an attacking front 4 sorted there with the big man up top. Goals in that system.

 

[kingn6]

A comparison with Barca e.g. is not really appropriate, is it? Most of those youngsters are products of the Barca system (DNA) and/or they all know how to fit into their La Liga/Barca system. You cannot just fill the squad with a full of inexperienced, developing young lads from other leagues and expect them to fit in and make winning contributions to the 1st team straight away, esp. in the intense, physical premier league with complex tactical nous.

So are Nmecha, Trafford, Palmer, Rogers and Frimpong etc. We could do the same we just chose not to trust them. We rather play immobile past it players than give Nico a chance. La Liga and Serie A are more tactical yet their top teams bring through talent.

PSG signed some young players and brought up some kids. They trusted them and are now reaping the rewards.

I am not saying play youth at any cost. Bur Ilkay, Foden, Kova, Kdb have been so shit this season that youth woupd have been much better..

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

I fear a monumental drop off if those fans wanting the manager (pep) sacked after half a season. Its UTD level of expectancy and entitlement. I really hope were not going to go that route. I think our fanbase is better than that though

Having standards isn't being entitled.

 

[Scareye]

A different approach might be refreshing, look at Liverpool. I don't believe we will win anywhere near the amount we have again with a different manager, but sometimes the time comes. He needs to evolve again and I can't see it in him as it stands. I do hope I am wrong but this rebuild will be next year as a minimum too. We are then back at his contract coming to an end and the same circus this season

I get why everyone is a little down after yesterday, it was awful. But, happy clapper that I am, I firmly believe there is nobody better than Pep to turn it around.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

I get why everyone is a little down after yesterday, it was awful. But, happy clapper that I am, I firmly believe there is nobody better than Pep to turn it around.

I hope you are right, repeating the same mistakes all season makes me think otherwise. The fact this rebuild will last another season at least makes me question is he the man to lead it, if he isn't intending on sticking around for the next 5 years or so.

 

[Stoned Rose]

So are Nmecha, Trafford, Palmer, Rogers and Frimpong etc. We could do the same we just chose not to trust them. We rather play immobile past it players than give Nico a chance. La Liga and Serie A are more tactical yet their top teams bring through talent.

PSG signed some young players and brought up some kids. They trusted them and are now reaping the rewards.

I am not saying play youth at any cost. Bur Ilkay, Foden, Kova, Kdb have been so shit this season that youth woupd have been much better..

Which youth would have played?

Show us the 11 you’d have started with?

 

[Stoned Rose]

I hope you are right, repeating the same mistakes all season makes me think otherwise. The fact this rebuild will last another season at least makes me question is he the man to lead it, if he isn't intending on sticking around for the next 5 years or so.

He did pretty well with his first rebuild.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

He did pretty well with his first rebuild.

With a KDB, Fernandinho, Kompany, Siva and albeit an ageing Yaya all to hand. We only really have Haaland and Rodri in that kind of category and possibly Foden but this seasons Foden doesn't look promising. This rebuild is miles bigger than the first one and it makes it more frustrating that we allowed it to get to this level.

 

[Stoned Rose]

With a KDB, Fernandinho, Kompany, Siva and albeit an ageing Yaya all to hand. We only really have Haaland and Rodri in that kind of category and possibly Foden but this seasons Foden doesn't look promising. This rebuild is miles bigger than the first one and it makes it more frustrating that we allowed it to get to this level.

The price for 4 in a row mate.

 

[Houseman]

He's way more skilful and a better finisher. But Alvarez trumps him for pressing. However thought Omar ran his socks off today covering for the immobile Kev.

Alvarez it's not the greatest dribbler out there, yet he is doing it more often and he is great attacking gaps when those are open with quite a bit of pace, Omar "way more skillful" it's kind of silly.

A better finisher? clearly not, even Alvarez playing all over the pitch, still has better numbers than him in his carreer (in more demaning scenarios too) and has a knack for important ones and tends to be at his best (even not scoring) against big rivals or scenarios. In fact his ratio in CLs so far it's quite great among literally anyone.

Sometimes I think the desire of fans to see a player that we like to triumph gets a bit too over the top. It's true that Julian it's no born crack/phenom a la Kun, it's no Tevez, yet people didn't quite get that he never was fully utilized in the best possible way. He could have been City's Muller, Villa, (players talented that are so intelligent that maximize their best traits and improve with time). I remark INTELLIGENCE, too many dorks in City since time and an asset not few times overlooked because of some feint, or skill (Doku).
City kind of loose sight of what they had in their hands, he is not a player also that would wait there and deal easily with the Grealish treatment. I dunno what Pep was thinking there, he clearly looked really pissed off when he got noticed he'll leave (dunno how much this played in not replacing him inmediatly like City should have done). He'll be a pro, yet he has blood in his veins, he won't be waiting as a sub for ethernity.

In his first season he had to steal balls in order to score half the times (or even more, anyone seeing every goal from him in City, he barely had great service, lots of his goals came after him hustling, rebounds, strikes out of nothing, etc).
He ran into channels constantly without receiving a single ball after for instance 5 of those (too much ball sobbing even in the best of times with City style) and an excessive focus on Erling as the receiving end (while Elring on contrair liked a lot to play with him, he clearly liked Alvarez direct style).

The mids and wingers where the ones not taking advantage of Erling's and Alvarez best trait of going to space with pace. When City still was winning it didn't bother that much, every moment the team got worse, those "bad traits" of not risking the ball, of the oldies passing it between themselves, of those dropping form, etc, ended in this current situation.

At the end of his stage in City, Alvarez was indeed a lesser, tired (because of the abusive quantity of matches under his belt in thsoe years) and a kind of frustrated version of his best self and that it's the main reason he left, yet he never surrender and still produced and didn't moan, he needed some fresh air that I think City could have provided that, yet was harder to do it.

I don't think either Aleti it's the perfect scenario for him, in fact he gave all in these last crucial matches against the top dogs, yet his team let him down. He would be right now a better suit for a team like Barca with more ball involvemente yet at the same time, quite assertive and direct like nowadays Barca can be. So at the end of the day, to imply that a less proven player like Omar, already has a better carreer, a better finisher and way more skill, it's kind of an over the top apreciation of current and past Omar and involves quite a lot of demeriting what Alvarez already achieved as a player and did so far.

This is not a diss on Omar, far from it.

 

[Mcfc1.9.8.0]

I fear a monumental drop off if those fans wanting the manager (pep) sacked after half a season. It’s UTD level of expectancy and entitlement. I really hope we’re not going to go that route. I think our fanbase is better than that though

I get there is a drop off but trying the same thing with the same bad players game after game is down to pep. We bought 4 players in Jan for £150m+ and only for Haaland was injured those 4 players would have started on the bench

 

[Bluemanc100]

I get there is a drop off but trying the same thing with the same bad players game after game is down to pep. We bought 4 players in Jan for £150m+ and only for Haaland was injured those 4 players would have started on the bench

He does love square pegs in round holes our Pep... Just to make sure we play his way

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Wear a firm arch support to lift tension off the facia and it should feel a whole lot better. No bare foot walking.

I had it and yes it is very painful. My poditarist gave me two exercises , the one that seemed to have the biggest effect, was to stand on the bottom step of a set of stairs. have something to hold onto. Stand on the step with just your toes and lower your heels doen as far as you can, without slipping off, for a count of 5 secs. repeat for a small number of times . gradually increasing the repetitions each time you carry out the execise. Cured mine within 10 days and it has never come back.

Thank you both!!