Team for today

CITY XI: Pantilimon, Boyata, Lescott, Nastasic, Clichy, Milner, Fernandinho, Garcia, Silva, Negredo, Dzeko

CITY SUBS: Hart, Kompany, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Navas, Marcos Lopes

Be great to see Lopes get a decent run out..he looks like the one who can make the transition to the first 11.

3 left footed defenders....hmmm

Can see Milner being vital today...crosses for the big fellas, good runs down the left/right, interacting with Silva....can see him getting on the score sheet today.

Would also imagine Clichy being given plenty of license to overlap as well....as I can't see Boyata getting too far forward on his last few performances.

Dont like Garcia, Dzeko and Boyata on the same pitch, slow the game down too much and add Lescott to that can see a frustrating game again..

We've got Navas, Yaya and Lopes on the bench that can speed things up if needed.

Fook me Michael Owens voice goes through me, the worst possible commentator on the planet.

It is grating. And so is the game. Possession but doing nothing with it. Would have liked Nasri to play for some deft touches around the box.

Well, I think we've seen once again, just how shit Garcia is.

Put the kiss of death on Milner...he's had possibly his worse game in years for us.

Good to see Negredo get the goal...that'll do his confidence the world of good...and hopefully, MP will remove Dzeko at some point and give Lopes a run out behind Negredo....as Dzeko/Negredo just doesn't work for me.

I think Bellyblue called it....slow, slow, slow in MF......it was only the last 5 minutes Boyata decided to help Silva out and overlap, which started opening them up a bit.

Garcia is fucking shite, he has given the ball away at least 3 times and not even under any pressure, he cant pass to save his life. Take the fool off and bring Yaya on ffs. Also we need Zab and Navas to inject a bit of pace into our attack.
They are getting a lot of joy down our flanks because we are getting sucked into the middle of the park, it's all too narrow and slow by City.

Yaya thank fuck for that!

But not for Garcia! Fuck off MP

Not only shit but a complete Nob

Boyata was an arse, but the ref is shite. His first yellow was for nothing at all. The ref and linos missed two easy corner decisions and what about that foul where the ref played advantage? That was worth a yellow all day long as this isn't rugby league.

Hanging on for a replay against chicken rovers, you couldn't make it up

I'm all for supporting the underdog, but the ref isn't supposed to join in. Silva was manhandled and the ref says play on! WTF

That was wank again. We looked better when Yaya came on but why do we need to make 7 fucking changes?

You really have to have either Zabba or Kompany playing.

Looks like the Abu Dhabi jolly is off then.

Everyone was pretty crap.

No excuses - too many players were nothing short of wank today.

Can't think of one single player that you could honestly say had a half-decent game - not one.

MP wants 2 players for every position - well if he doesn't by 2 or 3 more players in the window....then I'm very concerned.

Players like:

Garcia
Boyata
Dzeko
Even Nasty today
Lescott

All proved that they are simply nowhere near the standard of their counter-parts for a starting place.

If Boyata is our 2nd RB....then MP needs to take a long look at himself.

If Garcia ever wear a shirt again - MP should be officially strung up from the top of the Etihad.

Not what we needed today, another match.

Oh, and MP's backroom staff need a major kick up their arses - another managerial fuck up.....they meant to take Dzeko off and took Negredo off as they fucked up with the numbers...I mean WTF is going on?

Not surprised we drew today to be honest. There are a few back up players that need to be moved on for me. That was an opportunity for them and a few of the blew it. That team should have been good enough to get the win though and I would have started with a similar team due to the amount of games we have played recently.

Yaya for Fenandinho is just ridiculous what was MP thinking? It was clearly Garcia that should have been off. Then he brings on Zab and takes Silva off, does Garcia have some iffy photos of MP or something or is he his lovechild? I have never seen a worse passer of the ball.
Boyata is simply not good enough to play in the first team. He was half asleep when balls went past him and seemed frozen in time before reacting on several occasions. He also gave away needless free kicks and the second yellow was just total stupidity for a player already on a yellow card although i agree the first one was never a yellow, it may have been deemed a soft foul but never in a million years was it a yellow card offence.
That was one of the worse City performances i have seen for along while, the team selection was poor, the substitutions were poor and the officials were poor.
I hope that MP learned from that because he played with no width in the first half and made 7 changes to a team that were playing well together and fielded a team that were like strangers to each other, you cannot make that many changes all at once.

So what game should Pellegrini rest players for? Or is it better for all of them to be nackered before the CL and the title run in...? The back up squad isn't that good, but he had to still use them with us still challenging on four fronts

He did not need to rest so many first choice players, could have started with the players he brought on late in the game and then subbed them when the game was in the bag rather than play a team with 7 changes and they were all terrible as mentioned already.
Pants really was pants with their goal, he should have done far better with the header he had a clear view of it and fumbled it.

He has to rest players, but you can't rest too many. I'd probably have started with Navas, maybe even Nasri as well.

Agree Melton.   We had enough talent (apart from Garcia) in the first 11 to win against a mediocre Championship side.    FA Cup though - and all the teams are up for it.  We'll see 'em off at home.

It was almost the right team to rest players but Garcia and Boyata just simply are not good enough even as backup. I know there isn't anybody else for RB and that seriously worries me.

The Garcia situation though is beyond belief. If MP cannot see what we all see game after game after game then surely he's not up for the job? Shop Window conspiracy theory and all that but there really comes a time when enough is enough.

We need a really good back up RB as Boyata is not good enough, Richards is a crock and Zab is the only decent RB we have at present that i would be confident in playing.
Demichellis is another that is regularly injured and not good enough as back up in my opinion, Nasty is not the completed package yet either and gives sill free kicks away in dangerous areas. We need to look at a decent RB and CB in this window if nothing else.
I don't think this result means it is time for panic stations but it does highlight the deficiencies in the squad that need to be addressed. Garcia and Boyata should be moved the other way or Boyata on loan.

"Pants really was pants with their goal, he should have done far better with the header he had a clear view of it and fumbled it."

I agree with that.

I just feel like we (and I mean this cross forums) seem to be almost over critical of the team and Pellegrini this season. Any game where we don't play free flowing football and a hatful of goals, the criticism he gets seems to be huge, despite the fact no team has ever sustained that in every game and played the best team in every game for a whole season.

Added to that the fact that it is still his first season and his first time playing in a lot of these competitions with a team that still has remnants of a previous style of play and who dont suit the way we play either now or in the future, I just struggle with it at times.

I'm not sure if it was down to the way Mancini was sacked or not, but we just seem to be more demanding and impatient than ever.

It may just be me though, and if so I apologise!

I agree that his team was pretty much what we had to rest key players...but it only highlighted that 2 or 3 players are just not good enough as back-up players.

Answer me this:

Come Feb/March...if we are in the final of the CC.....get through the Barca game and are still in the top 3/4 of the PL, with maybe a QF of the FA Cup.....would you be confident of resting key players for the one's we saw today in the PL, against the likes of Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal, United etc....with a next stage CL/FA game coming 2 or 3 days later? That's the scenario we may be faced with at some point next month and March.

And if we are supposed to rely on some of the dross we saw today to go to the swamp, Emirates, WHL.....then very quickly, we could be out of cup competitions, out of the top 4.....we've seen how it can unfold very quickly against a team with 1 or 2 weeks of poor performances.

Garcia is simply a very poor player.
Boyata is nowhere near good enough and he could have cost us the game....that was nothing short of ridiculous what he did...in a game whereby he wasn't hardly showing MP that he can take his chance in the first 11.
Unfortunately, Dzeko, after doing quite well against Palace, was back to how we know he usually plays...woeful. He can't pass, he can't hold the ball up.

Nasty just seems to make too many silly errors that fortunately, don't seem to be costing us - but they will at some point if he continues like he is doing.

Milner had a very poor game today by his standards.

Like I said, nobody played well today - we started off slowly.....but whenever you watch games that Dzeko and Negredo start, and whenever Garcia starts.....they are always identical. We are slow, lethargic, little movement up front...the passing is at walking pace, the MF take 2 or 3 extra touches......now if MP thinks what he has as back-up, is going to get us through the PL season and 3 cup competitions, then I just can't see how we can rely on 2 or 3 of them....as it's the same old same whenever they play.

When was the last time we have said that either:

Garcia
Boyata
Lescott
Nasty

have had great games?

Nasty was a long time ago, last season....Lescott, it's been a while, Boyata has had the odd OK game and Garcia once or twice in 3 years.....now that's 4 players we are relying on to back up our strongest 11.....and that's not good enough.

I agree blueboy, but it takes time to rebuild a squad, particularly now FFP is in!

If you compare Negredo and Dzeko, then they were equally poor. Negredo continues to escape criticism even though he was heavy footed, missed some chances.

Melton, in some of the PL games like Villa or Sunderland i might agree because he was new and implementing a new style of play and i was willing to be patient. However, after the dross i watched today there comes a time when even the most patient among us lose it.
There is no justifiable reason that i can think of for why Garcia should be starting a game, nor can i think of one for why 2 of our best midfield players were substituted while he remained on the pitch!!
Boyata was a red card waiting to happen yet MP waits until he is sent off before bringing Zab on, ridiculous! When Boyata was getting turned inside out and then booked, deserved or not he should have been replaced, he wasn't and it almost cost us the game.

I agree...but the remit was a decent run in the CL...well we've got out of a fairly easy group and now face Barca. Beat them over 2 legs...and who knows.

The PL is a must this season after £95m spent in the summer. Another cup would be great, but will bring in little money.

So what we are saying is that we have to win the PL, a cup and get past Barca to progress in the CL....with this squad?

I personally hate it when pundits say we have the strongest squad in the PL.....I don't think our squad overall, is anywhere near as strong as Chelsea's.

MP has been told by Khaldoon that there is money top spend....so he'd be very foolish not to spend it and at least give him, the club and he fans, the best possible chance of winning something this season.

Surely Melton, you have to admit that Garcia and Boyata are nowhere near good enough, Rodwell, Richards and Jovetic are always injured......there's 5 players....+ DeM.....makes 6 players.

Do you really think our squad is that good?

Top players in our squad:

Hart
Zabba
Kompany
Yaya
Fernandinho
Navas
Milner
Nasri
Silva
Negredo
Aguero


Those that might still make it if not injured etc.

Nasty
Jovetic
Micah

For me, the rest can do one.

Topdawg wrote:If you compare Negredo and Dzeko, then they were equally poor. Negredo continues to escape criticism even though he was heavy footed, missed some chances.

I said earlier in this thread that Negredo needs a goal for his confidence, as I think he's been average lately...but partnered with Dzeko...no wonder, as we lose an extra attacking MF when he partners him...and I'd have Negredo as a lone striker, over Dzeko...every day of the week. Problem also, is when MP deploys Garcia and Boyata.....Garcia means we slow down dramatically in MF....and Boyata hardly makes any over-laps, which means limited pull-backs, crosses like Zaba does.

Boyata pulled one cross back today which Silva should've scored...but that was it.

Negredo at least tries to make things happen, but agree, he gets less stick than Dzeko....maybe that's because of his effort and 15 goals already this season..

While I do agree with Melton in some respect it's just we are either sublime or frankly quite poor. We can't seem to find a middle ground of not quite sublime but better than very poor.

Yes I agree we should have had enough to beat a mid table championship team today.

When we change so many players ala Palace or today it simply does not work. If this is MPs thinking going forward then it needs some serious work. I personally think it needs a different formation, lose the 2 holding midfielders and go a little more attacking.

No I don't, but I don't think Chelsea's is either. What I don't expect is for him to be able to change the squad in one window. He won't spend the money, Begiristain will and the last thing I would want is us blowing money on players for short term gain. We didn't spend as much as people think in the summer due to amortisation and players leaving and that was down to FFP. We will not have the type of investment we had a few years ago in one or two transfer windows ever again.

It isn't about immediate success for me, it is about setting us up to compete for the next ten years and we are not there yet, in fact a long way from it. We have started though.

I think we lost the plot today playing 2 strikers.

The game was crying out for someone like Silva or Nasri to play off Negredo and have some extra width....the 2 up front and sometimes Silva playing high, meant with the slowness of Garcia in MF....there were huge gaps out wide for them.

"Surely Melton, you have to admit that Garcia and Boyata are nowhere near good enough, Rodwell, Richards and Jovetic are always injured......there's 5 players....+ DeM.....makes 6 players."

And yes I do agree with that, by the way!

meltonblue wrote:No I don't, but I don't think Chelsea's is either. What I don't expect is for him to be able to change the squad in one window. He won't spend the money, Begiristain will and the last thing I would want is us blowing money on players for short term gain. We didn't spend as much as people think in the summer due to amortisation and players leaving and that was down to FFP. We will not have the type of investment we had a few years ago in one or two transfer windows ever again.

It isn't about immediate success for me, it is about setting us up to compete for the next ten years and we are not there yet, in fact a long way from it. We have started though.

We brought in Navas, Negredo, DeM and Jovetic in the last window.....and 2 out of the 4 have made us a better team....why not buy one or two more if the right players come available?

Let's just say Ramos comes available this month. Would he not seriously improve our defence and squad for the now and the long-term?

I'm not saying we buy 5 or 6 more players, what I'm saying is 2 or 3 are simply hindering the squad at the moment and with 2 or 3 of them always injured......is there really any alternative other than sitting back and hoping it'll all come good in the next 3 -5 years, because if we win nothing this season other than a Capitol One Cup....that'd be a massive let down IMO.

If they are available, then I'm sure we will blueboy. January is always difficult though

Luckily I was underground throughout the duration of the game, so only got the match report when I came out, so I was spared some of the pain that people are expressing.
However, and I know this is in hindsight, but I think I would've probably gone with that starting line up.
They should've been good enough to win that game! It wasn't MP's fault that they let him down, and I think results like this will aid us in the long run. MP is still finding out about players (and yes, I agree, he should have sussed Garcia by now), and this was another opportunity to test our squad strength.
At the end of the day, we are still in the competition, all is not lost. And (my head is ducked) I would start those same players in the replay, with the warning that it's the last chance for several of them.
The season is long, and I am still optimistic.

This cannot be a good thing either for MP....the replay is the week the squad were going to Abu Dhabi for some R&R.....fucked that up now haven't they?

I agree, you would have looked at that 11 and said, with Silva, Negredo, Dzeko, Milner etc.....we should win comfortably and I know it's the FA Cup and Blackburn were really up for it....but at 1-0, we just didn't create any chances to put the game to bed....and the MF just didn't work all game.

I think taking off Fernandinho was the right decision.....but just to add Yaya next to Garcia...didn't, in any way shape or form, change our formation or strategy at that time....it was just like for like, same for same.....it needed a formation change at that point.

Garcia and Fernandinho could have sat and bringing off Dzeko/Negredo for Yaya was what we have done in the past...and we have gone on to be far more effective.

Until Aguero is back.....I hope MP does away with this 4-4-2 and 2 strikers.....we are far more effective with an extra playmaker in MF like Nasri.

I mean Jesus, he had the perfect player on the bench as well who can play in the hole - Marcos Lopes. He's another Silva/Nasri type player.

If MP doesn't know how shit Garcia is, and how he becomes a liability on the team by now....then god help him and us. Whenever he has started, we have been pretty much the same as today - frustratingly poor.

"This cannot be a good thing either for MP....the replay is the week the squad were going to Abu Dhabi for some R&R.....fucked that up now haven't they?"

We had a friendly out there as well didn't we blueboy? Might actually be a blessing in disguise!

"At the end of the day, we are still in the competition, all is not lost. And (my head is ducked) I would start those same players in the replay, with the warning that it's the last chance for several of them.
The season is long, and I am still optimistic."

I thought the same about the players to be honest

meltonblue wrote:"This cannot be a good thing either for MP....the replay is the week the squad were going to Abu Dhabi for some R&R.....fucked that up now haven't they?"

We had a friendly out there as well didn't we blueboy? Might actually be a blessing in disguise!

Hmmm...not sure the owner or the Chairman will see it like that....or the players getting away for a bit of sun for a few days rest.
None of the 'big' players would've played anyway....but now, I guess MP will have to use players that week that would otherwise, be soaking up some sunshine, resting.....so no, in no way will it be a good thing Melton...unless MP decides to send out the EDS team, which quite frankly, would have shown more effort and class than that lot today...at least they would have been hungrier to impress the boss.

There are far more comments and criticisms on here when we draw instead of win.  We haven't lost many under MP - and he is new to the Prem.  Frankly, there weren't half as many postings when we smacked Arsenal and Spuds as there are when we draw.  TBF we have only drawn away from home - much better than when we were losing away from home last season.

We are still in the FA Cup, the League Cup, the CL and second in the Prem.  Not counting any trophies yet, but so far so good I think.  I know we are carrying some dead weight - but we are still making progress.

I'm with you Wensdi, and Melton and others. I'm just making the point that some feel we have this super squad, and we don't. Apart from the Bayern game, when we've fielded a team that is without the likes of Zaba, Nasri, Yaya and Aguero...playing 2 up front with the likes of Garcia starting...we've been nothing more than average at best.

This goes to show how our squad is seriously lacking real quality in all positions.

With now and extra game jammed in between all the other massive games coming, to think we may rest players and field a first 11 with some of those who played today against better PL opposition, as we have to rest players because of so many crocks we suddenly have incorporated within our squad...then I'm sorry, it doesn't bide well unless we get everyone back fit or we get rid of one or two awful players that MP keeps having faith in.

Because make no bones about it....our fixture list and game-importance has been nothing, compared to what is about to come...and with what we have currently, and after the performance again, today, of some of the squad players...we could be seriously looking vulnerable to dropping points in the PL, out of the CL or the FA cup...if we honestly think that some of the ones on show are anywhere near good enough to step up to the plate.

I don't care about FFP....fuck it. This season we are potentially on the verge of the PL, Capitol One Cup and the opportunity to progress in the CL and FA cup...let's go for it....not gamble on some of the dross we have as back up.

I always want enough 'stronger' players to get the job done and then bring on the others.

We were crying out for Zabba or Vinny marshalling the defence and Nasri or Navas instead of Dzeko.

See Lezza has hit back at some of the City fans today on Twitter.

He tweeted: "Can only apologise for not showin apperception after the game but some comments I heard from a small group of our fans were unnecessary

"Won't go into what was said but it was none footballer related & uncalled fore. Apart from that your support is always welcome."

That was copied from Twitter and certainly not my spelling!

Whoever went; did you hear anything about what was said?

If it was non-footballer related, then it must have been directed at Lezza .

Did it go along the lines of "no fucking wonder you can't get in the team?" Or "why the fuck do you take 5 minutes to think about what to do with the ball....only to give it away anyway?"