West Ham United (A) | Post-Match Thread

[cibaman]

Well both Villa and Wolves have nothing to play for really, okay Gerrard will try and help his former team, but don’t really think their players gonna really give a fuck. Pretty much on the beach. Last time we draw against villa was in 2015 and before that lost in 2013. So we have a good record, fans will be up for it. Lets win this blues!

They won’t be on the beach.

Before the Brighton match 5Live had on an ex Palace player who played in their 3-3 draw with Liverpool. He spoke about how players love these sort of matches. Their players didn’t care whether City or Liverpool won the title, they just wanted to be instrumental in who won it. And they were under no pressure to get a result. It seems that professional footballers are natural party poopers.

They’ll be playing in front of a huge television audience. They’ll relish it.

 

[JTFactsPlz]

Jesus was not injured at all during that period.

He was. He returned from the January international break with an injury. As you're apparently not properly informed on this, I'm attaching this City Xtra article dated Feb 18 2022. Couple of quotes:

"Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is expected to return to training next week after having missed the past few games with injury, according to a new report."

"Gabriel Jesus has missed his side's last four games after coming off the bench in their 1-1 draw with Southampton prior to the recent winter break. Having made a bright start to the campaign, a muscle injury stopped the in-form Brazilian in his tracks..."

I believe the period prior to Feb 18 falls significantly inside the period of "NYD to 10th April" you mentioned. Pep then reintroduced him after injury gradually, as he tends to do with all players where possible.

 

[domalino]

He was. He returned from the January international break with an injury. As you're apparently not properly informed on this, I'm attaching this City Xtra article dated Feb 18 2022. Couple of quotes:

"Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is expected to return to training next week after having missed the past few games with injury, according to a new report."

"Gabriel Jesus has missed his side's last four games after coming off the bench in their 1-1 draw with Southampton prior to the recent winter break. Having made a bright start to the campaign, a muscle injury stopped the in-form Brazilian in his tracks..."

I believe the period prior to Feb 18 falls significantly inside the period of "NYD to 10th April" you mentioned. Pep then reintroduced him after injury gradually, as he tends to do with all players where possible.

He was only out of the squad for 10 days, so he can't have been injured for "a significant chunk" of that time. For the rest of the time Pep wasn't picking him he was on the bench or getting 5 minute cameos at the end of games.

Not starting a league match for 3 months...real gradual return from injury that one.


I know people like him, I like him, but he doesn't want to play striker, and is 3rd choice RW at best, before Haaland and Alvarez come in which means whoever has been playing false 9 is going to move elsewhere on the pitch. He's nto going to play, it's time for him to go.

 

[JTFactsPlz]

Grealish on the Mahrez penalty miss:




I'm not looking to dig Mahrez out for the miss, but I rewatched it on MOTD and it's very noticeable that he LOOKS right at the spot where he's intending to shoot just before he kicks the ball (the TV picture was taken from behind the goal). If the TV audience could see it on the replay, the keeper could definitely see it before the pen was taken. So the save wasn't quite as lucky as it might have first appeared. The nerves got to Mahrez and that's why he forgot not to look. Understandable in the circumstances, but annoying none the less.

 

[Doctor Jimmy and Mr Jim]

Some 'interesting' takes on this game and the game next week. So was that one point won or two points dropped? Yes we could have won it with the penalty and given the timing we should have won it, but my life .....we could so easily have lost it. Before we equalised WH could have been 3-1 up if Antonio (Edit:....it was Bowen, greedy git!) had pulled it back from the byline to a WH player in our box instead of shooting into the side netting. Then there was the blocked shot which spun past our post, Antonio again when he missed his chip.....so it's a point gained for me. Title is still in our hands. A loss would have been a disaster.

Now...next week. I see 'flapping' season has come round again. Cibaman is correct, Villa won't be on the beach. Forget the Gerard aspect, they'll want to be party poopers in their own right. Fine. One thing we have to do is have absolute trust in these players. They're not stupid. They have the skill, drive and most importantly, the intelligence, to beat whatever is put in front of them. Leave it in their hands.

 

[JTFactsPlz]

He was only out of the squad for 10 days, so he can't have been injured for "a significant chunk" of that time. For the rest of the time Pep wasn't picking him he was on the bench or getting 5 minute cameos at the end of games.

Not starting a league match for 3 months...real gradual return from injury that one.


I know people like him, I like him, but he doesn't want to play striker, and is 3rd choice RW at best, before Haaland and Alvarez come in which means whoever has been playing false 9 is going to move elsewhere on the pitch. He's nto going to play, it's time for him to go.

Fine, we get it. You don't rate Jesus. I've proven you wrong in your assertion re the lack of injury but rather than take the L you've doubled down on your agenda (again including inaccurate information, but I can't be bothered to keep arguing back and forth). I'll just do us both a favour and stick you on ignore. Be well.

 

[twosips]

I like Jesus too, and I get the sentiment in here right now. Ultimately though, I think he's one we'll all very quickly forget about when we're watching Alvarez and Haaland bag a shit tonne of goals. I'm sure he'll do elsewhere but something would have to go catastrophically wrong for any of us to think 'we made a mistake'.

 

[Prophet of Doom]

They won’t be on the beach.

Before the Brighton match 5Live had on an ex Palace player who played in their 3-3 draw with Liverpool. He spoke about how players love these sort of matches. Their players didn’t care whether City or Liverpool won the title, they just wanted to be instrumental in who won it. And they were under no pressure to get a result. It seems that professional footballers are natural party poopers.

They’ll be playing in front of a huge television audience. They’ll relish it.

For every Crystanbul there are 20 games where opposition hasn’t bothered turning up on the last game of the season against the Champions elect.

 

[cibaman]

Are you sure?


View attachment 43379

“On paper” that City line up should have been comfortable mid table

 

[JTFactsPlz]

I don't know man... Gerrard will set his team up for an upset to compensate for his slip. Probably start two ex LiVARpool players who will be hungry and the rest of them + fans will be hungry to screw Grealish over. They'll probably try to and get him as far away from a title as possible.

A good portion of the Villa fanbase will definitely be hungry for Grealish to be screwed over by City not winning the league, but there's a difference between that toxic part of the fanbase and the team itself. Grealish still has a number of close friends in that team. Not saying for a minute that those players will be looking to do City any favours but they won't be out for personal revenge against Jack either. I expect Villa to turn up professionally against City like they did against Liverpool recently, but it's an eminently winnable match for City.