United (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

paulchapo said:
Bernardo's take.

2-0 Man City


Manchester City

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva, speaking to Sky Sports: "They deserved to win today.

"They had more energy and intention. It always felt like they were close to score and we were never there.

"We gave them what they want. They took the game to where they are good and we are not so good.

"Since I arrived here in England we have always been a very controlled team. There was a lot of things missing from us. Definitely a bad day for us.

On should Diogo Dalot be sent off: "After a day like today, I don't think we have any excuses. It was a really bad performance from us.

"I saw the challenge, it is what it is. This season the 50-50 decisions all go against us. They all go for our rivals. At the end of the day this was not the reason. I watched the clip it is a red card."

On gap between Man City and Arsenal: "It is a big gap, we won't lie and say it isn't a big gap it is. We will fight until the end."
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Pep won’t like that, the truth.
 
Rodri: "A difficult day, but of course we tried. But sometimes the opponent is better; they had more energy, more legs, more desire to win today than us, even though we didn't lose face. But at the end, they caught us on counter-attacks, two goals..."

Rodri: "Football is like this; you lose, you learn, and you move on. The young lads are doing brilliant, of course they miss experience sometimes but we need to help them because they're going to be important in the next years.

"This is the way you build teams. Sometimes you need to wait a little bit to create something bigger. And it's our reality we lost many points in the last games, but still we're 2nd or 3rd - we are there, we're going to fight until the end..."

Rodri on his current fitness: "Yeah, ready to go and I'm very happy to be on the pitch every single day. Every day I feel better, so yeah, happy and desire to help the team in all senses..." [via @mancity]
 
No excuses Utd thoroughly deserved the win, was it a red card, no doubt and var again playing the cheating game. However, defensively we are not at our strongest and although we had a few good performances by our 2 young central defenders you could see from very early on that the occasion was affecting the performance and i will add, little help from ake or Lewis who themselves are normally on the bench. I take no comfort in saying “ That performance was fuckin SHITE”
 
malg said:
I think everyone was buying into him moving into a KdB type role and he just hasn't got it in him.
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We kept being told he hates United and his track record against them is excelen
 
Stelea said:
He had about 5 or 6 occasions in the 1st half to go at Dalot but slowed it all down and passed back to Ake.
The once occasion he had the chance to shoot he delayed and got closed down by Casimero
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After the non red card Doku seemed to lose his confidence.
 
To think there are some folk out there in the transfer forum who said they didn’t want/we didn’t need Guehi. I’d have taken fucking Maguire at the back for us today.
 
chiswick blue said:
1 Lewis should never play FB for us again, if we have to keep him it's as a squad midfilder for lesser games
2 Foden is showing worrying signs that point to distraction/ lack of focus. Currently he is only a squad player and this is baffling considering his skill levels
3 Haaland having a bad patch, will score again.
4 Rordi not fully fit and needs a good 8 with him
5 Doku would be second behind Semenyo starting on the left

We have recruitment to do but things will get better with players retuning from injury
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Agreed, Semenyo has to be given that LHS start, which in a way takes us back to square one, in that we don’t have two good wide options playing in their best position.

It’s symptomatic of our scatter gun approach to recruitment over the last two years.

Still no full backs , no Rodri back up, no Haaland back up, No box to box number 8.

Lots of players that can play in different roles but aren’t best in class in any of them.

Foden is a serious worry.
 
Breaking News: Guehi won‘t join City after watching the Manchester Derby today.
 
Doc_Testosterone said:
When he was at Dortmund there was an expectation that he could be a generational player in the bracket of Ronaldo and Messi. He was elevated onto the pedestal of Mbappe, but it clearly shows he lacks very far behind him in terms of ability and in presence in games when it matters.
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I wouldn't go that far, Mbappe is more versatile in the sense that he can play on the wing and get involved. Haaland won't do that.

We need to create a play style that suits him or accept that he's not going to be involved for large sections of the game in order to put the ball in the back of the net. Difficult one really.
 
It’s the manner of the defeat today.

When we start slow it’s easy to be pessimistic but that one today was a concern right from the team selection. Injuries forced our hand somewhat but to start that back four was appalling and to add the cart horse version of Rodri with zero available protection was a disaster in waiting if our attackers had an off day… which they did, horrifically.

The tactics were appalling as well, you don’t play a high line with a make shift back four, it’s utter suicide.

The fact we came out of there only losing by 2 is a miracle. Which when you consider how shit they are and the fact Michael Carrick is their manager is almost comical.

At least the media will be calling him the natural successor to Bacon Face after this one game.
 
eyalluvitt said:
I would have preferred we signed Cathy Barry at the time
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BlueNomad said:
Out hustled everywhere on the park, except between the sticks! Thank goodness for Gigi, Rodri & Khus or that could easily have been worse than the Sick Swan!

We look like we are LITERALLY devoid of any attacking threat at the moment, and some of that is the fact that we have such a lightweight midfield with (Lewis,) Semenyo, Bernardo, Foden & Doku playing as a 4/(5) ahead of Rodri.

Hard to know where we go from here, because Pep and the team look bereft of confidence and energy, with the early nerves and scares at OT not helping.

It’s weird. We can look like world beaters given an inch of space, but when a team puts it up us, we are constantly backpedaling to find the open CB or Gigi to recycle, recycle, recycle.

If we are going to play a back three, we need someone to sit in alongside Rodri…and that can’t be Bernardo or Rico. Hugo needs to get on the blower to Forest and do his magic, because it’s clear to every team, every pundit, every commentator and every fan that we are completely wide open at the back ANY TIME we are camped inside the opposition 30.

I’m all for having an attacking 5, and even a 6th as long as they have recovery pace, but the kamikaze tactics of having the right back crowding out your #10 on the edge of the box, then watching him give up on their break, is a bit galling.

Pep loves his “squad” of 16, but it’s killing us! We need 19 or 20 “first team players” because injuries have killed us for the second season straight, and much as I love seeing an Academy player get on the field, I’d prefer it be to play out a comfortable win, rather than come on to give a rest to Tuesday night starters by saying you have given up the game!

I’m sure the media will have a field day and I’m sure Carrick will be crowned the Second Coming of Baconface, while City will be deemed to have given up the title. Excellent journalism, I’m sure!

Pep & Pep need to get their head around who the Back Four will be (Nunes Khus Guehi NOR) for the next month or so, with Alleyne, Ait Nouri and Ake filling in only as needed. From there, we need to solidify the midfield by playing a double DM at times, sacrificing an attacker.

At present, the 3 and 1 look like Semenyo Cherki & Doku, with Haaland up top…or Foden as a false nine breaking out of the pack.

Gigi - 9
Lewis - 2
Khusanov - 7
Alleyne - 3
Ake - 4
Rodri - 8
Semenyo - 5
Bernardo - 6
Foden - 3
Doku - 6
Haaland - 3

O’Reilly - 4
Cherki - 7
Air Nouri - 3
Reijnders - 4
Mukasa - 3
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Rodri 8, what exactly for, or you watched the game in some parallel universe?

If L'Equipe marked this game, every single City player would get 0, apart from Donna, Khusanov and Doku, althought the last two would probably be like 0.5.

If we were a Serie A team, the team would be confronted at the parking lot by our Ultras for that abomination they've been served.
 
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