What Is lacking?

[B\connellblue]

What does pace do against a deep back 5 , 2 holding and a deep 3 forwards, think the bt graphic showed 17 m between the defenders and forwards, pace with no space for it isn’t how to break down an organised deep defence.

It stops them running through our midfield at will, pins them back more.

 

[Berts Neck]

Two different styles..almost like playing a much more effective Burnley..we seem to lack some physicality and clearly a striker which I am sure will be addressed..it will be interesting to see how this next transfer window pans out..rumours of Raheem and Mahrez going..gutter press bollocks as far as I can see. We all love Fern and am sure he will perform well next season, but any new player seems to need a season to bed in, so a potential problem for the future..guess the Covid effect on finances will have an effect on deals.The KdB/Gundog axis does not seem to work well either,one or the other.. Any way,,PL and Carabao enough for me.

 

[Trojan1962]

A DM ( the lad at Brighton looks very good) and a striker preferably Haaland but Kane will do. It’s not my money so not worried about no sell on value.
id move Raheem on
cancelo ( poor attitude and rolls around the floor like a tart)
Doubts about Rodri - overweight and too slow for this league
Everyone else I would keep apart from Mendy who through injury is finished at this level

 

[B\connellblue]

What does pace do against a deep back 5 , 2 holding and a deep 3 forwards, think the bt graphic showed 17 m between the defenders and forwards, pace with no space for it isn’t how to break down an organised deep defence.

If we had more of it we could change the way we setup and play deeper. we don't move forward quick enough against deep defences. It would be handy to combat the 2 pass attack that we struggle against.

 

[Pubteam Lomas]

We lack pace at the back, Walker aside.
It means teams that sit and use pace on the break hurt us.
Chavs have done it 3 times now. Scum do it every time and even Leeds did it with Rafinha.
Stones and Dias are not slow but they are not quick either.

 

[Gundog’s Gundog]

Dont over complicate in big games. The quad was on this season but for some bizzaaaaar reason we played the second string v Chelsea in the FA Cup semi and tossed it off. Then tonight the only question we all wanted to know was Dhino or Rodri, and we end up playing neither and our most out of form player Sterling is in the team. WTF ????!!!!!!?...

Wrong wrong wrong.

Pep makes many complicated decisions in big games that don’t receive excessive scrutiny and abuse because guess what ..... we win most big games

The FA Cup semi was 3 days after a gruelling, mentally and physically draining 2nd leg at Dortmund, we had a tough away game at Villa coming up which had we lost it could’ve seen the rags move uncomfortably close to us and we had a cup final the following weekend. The least important game therefore was the FA SF so Pep was right to rest players.

We all know Raz has been shite for so long and should be moved on but in a one off game his pace and his work ethic in tracking back against a team who break quickly are useful. 2 months ago Rodri would’ve started but his form has nosedived and the recent sentimental Fern wankathon can’t disguise the fact that he’s not near to the player he was. Pep’s decision was understandable.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

The manager doesn't have the strength of his convictions and stick with what's working, he has to tinker to "find something better" when it isn't there.

Twice in a big CL game in Portugal he's picked a team that the fans and players have no faith in and so both have given up and lost. Until he listens, he'll never learn. There are big players that the rest of the side depend on being in the team in big games and until he learns we'll lose. Kante ran the show and he was unopposed because Pep left our Kante on the bench. We went for control but with no base to build on so Chelsea could pick us off at will.

Pep thinks he's smarter than he is. Tuchel, Solskjaer et al. just play the same trick and we continually fall apart.

Think last sunday was the closing chapter because as genius as this guy is, the 10% that fucks him time and time again he's never going to fucking learn. Like Chelsea have found, the high profile manager can win you league titles but you need a jammy git to win the CL. Ferguson, Klopp, Tuchel, Zidane and even Di Matteo are all lesser tacticians but in a big game knew how to set up their teams to beat teams like us by being jammy gits. We squander and spurn and get done. The closest we came to mastering jammy gits was Dortmund and PSG and playing poorly but stealing 2-1 wins, then Pep threw the CL winning formula that had been presented to him out with the golden goose, the baby and the bath tub.

Dortmund and PSG was literally the footballing gods showing him the way he could win the CL here, and he ignored them. He'll never learn and it'll be a far more unremarkable manager who wins City their first CL.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Better DoF. Tuchel has not spent a penny and won the European Cup.

Ridiculous assessment. Of course he hasn't, he's not had a window, but those before him and abramovic sure did.
If Pep left tomorrow and a new manger came in , he wouldn't have spent a penny either technically.

 

[Berts Neck]

Fuck it.. had enough analysis.. will finish the swill from yesterday and bask in 12 years of glory

 

[yerwot?]

They unsettled our defence with lay-offs on both flanks and we just could not deal with it after losing our focus. And as the game was approaching the end of the first half our possession was steadily going down to 50:50 and we were positionally all over the place. We did not know whether to press or to defend deep, so we were caught in between. I just don't understand Pep did not react whatsoever, the third game in the last two months the made us look so stupid!!!! They've been doing the same thing to us over and over again and we didn't react. This defensive lack of discipline definitely crept in at the end of the season, but their goal was just disgusting.

Mendy dinks to Chilwell, Riyad in mid of nowhere and look at Kyle and Stones where they are.

View attachment 18250
Lay off Chilwell to Mount, Kyle relies on his speed and takes himself out of game, Gundo presses the ref and Stones is completely oblivious what is going to happen - he forgot he gained his place after the same thing happened to Laporte against Spurs.

View attachment 18251

Stones defending Walker who's running back covering nobody, Gundo not covering a single passing line and ZInch who plays his Chelsea player in offside position is suddenly asked to cover the whole of MF after Ruben goes after Werner keeping Chelsea onside.

View attachment 18252

cannot argue with any of that, no cohesion or fluidity, no rhythm, players looking lost, ponderous and slow decision-making. Over-thinking by Pep is default criticism in the media,, i think it's more like the team being unable to implement his 'vision' . What-ever, the outcome is the performance we got last night, and sadly i no longer expect half-time to be a game-changer. Far from TT 'schooling' Pep, he played a fat sam / pulis m.o. 9 behind the ball and rapid breaks, why City fall for it baffles me....i have to say even if we had 'nicked' it last night it would still be a major disappointment on one of the biggest occasions in club football.....