Barcelona vs City - Live Thread

[blueboy]

First topic message reminder :

Ok, the countdown has started....less than 3 hours to KO.

What will the 'stubborn one' do tonight? 4-5-1? 4-3-2-1? .....nah, 4-4-2.

If so, then for me, the team should be this:

.........................................Hart...........................................

Zaba..................Vinny...................Mangala..................Kolorov

Navas...................TLMLF.........Fernandinho....................Milner..

............................Silva........................................................

......................................................Aguero............................

[Topdawg]

They must have hit the post 2 or 3 times and had a few 1v1s. Chuck in some worldie saves from Hart and 4-0 would have been kind to us.

We can't cross full stop. Navas and Kolarov were shite. We don't get too many chances and we can't afford to blow them away. Navas with two crosses (Aguero unmarked in the middle and crosses it to the keeper and another one behind Jimmy who is stood alone about 10 yards out) and Kolarov with numerous crosses were woeful. And we didn't put enough crosses in even though we don't have big men n the box. You just need a lucky break sometimes and we didn't even look for one. Too many times when we were out wide, we decided to pass it back wards and lose the chance of an early cross.

How many of this lot would you really want next season?

[blueboy]

5 of them:

Hart
Zaba
Kompany
Silva
Aguero

Maybe 3 on the "not really arsed one way or the other"

Nasri
Bony
Fernandinho

Milner I'd keep....but I really wouldn't be too hopeful as he can play regularly in a team that are going forwards, not backwards like we've been for the past 10 months.

[blueboy]

So looking at that.....that's shit when you think of the money spent and ALL of those players have been with us since 2011.

Awful management all round.

[Topdawg]

Zabba and Kompany are in the last chance saloon for me. For all his greatness going forwards, Silva offers nothing when we lose the ball and we need a whole lot more.

[blueboy]

I love Silva....but agree, he's a luxury player. But he would be my luxury player above anyone else. Problem is, our Manager likes 3 or 4 of them in a team of 11...that's our problem.

[Topdawg]

Silva, Nasri, Yaya. Recipe for not much running around when we don't have the ball.

[Moonchester]

to be fair on Kolarov, no fecker was in the middle every time he had the chance to drill it accross as is his best style..

[Paulpowersleftfoot]

Joe Hart has simply masked a masterclass in ineptness 
No tempo no desire and really no idea
Pellegrini has the team playing in his own image,passionless
Kolorov was hideous,makes Yaya look like Tevez,what a lazy cunt he really is
If we are ever to compete with the top sides we need to be working our bollicks off from front to back,no passengers when we don't have the ball
Mass clear out needed starting with the manager and cakecunt can fuck off with him along with the other bone-idle twsts Dzeko & Kolorov

Off to get shiitfaced

[Moonchester]

im half way there, the wife went to bed said I'm in a mood  :pp

[blueboy]

im half way there, the wife went to bed said I'm in a mood  :pp

[Topdawg]

I'm not as pissed off as I normally am after another lousy performance. I expect it now as the norm.

Can't believe some City fans on other sites are happy we restored some pride!

[Paulpowersleftfoot]

Pride?
Wow

[blueboy]

Pride?????

You fucking kidding me? Is that what they are posting?

We got beat 1-0, but in reality it should have been 5-1 at least!

[blueboy]

The art of management is to create an aura, to brainwash the players into believing that they can routinely beat a team every bit as good as Barcelona.
It is to inspire, to send Manchester City’s players into the tunnel at the Nou Camp in the minutes before kick-off and look down their noses at Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez or Neymar.
Out on the training pitches, where the real work is done, the coaches must come up with a plan to squeeze the pips out of the players over two legs in the Champions League. That is the job.
It can be done. Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp took his team to the Champions League final at Wembley against Bayern Munich; last year Atletico Madrid reached the final under their clever coach Diego Simeone. Unfortunately for Manuel Pellegrini, he has come up short.
This is no disgrace and there is no need to make his life a misery just because he cannot find a way to beat Barcelona. He just isn’t good enough.

The temptation, in the shakedown that will follow this Champions League elimination for yet another English club, is to start over again. In the aftermath the cry now will be to send for Simeone, to send for Pep, to send for Ancelotti, or to send for someone else to have a go. The brutal truth is that it’s coming to that.
Bayern Munich’s exalted coach Pep Guardiola was here, settling down to watch his former club pass City off the park in a series of dizzying spells. Possession football is anathema to English football. City spilt their guts here, exposing the size of the task to turn the current champions of the Barclays Premier League into a team capable of living with a group of players who can change the pace of a game at will. Barcelona’s tempo is soothing and reassuring. If City want to dominate in Europe, in a way that Barcelona did when they won the Champions League in 2006, 2009 and 2011, then Pellegrini is not the man. That much is clear.
Since he arrived at City he has had four chances to beat Barcelona and has yet to even secure a draw. Team and coach are not up to it.
City need innovation, a man with stature and the confidence to redevelop the team with some clever signings over the next couple of years.

That dressing room isn’t right, it can’t be when a player of Yaya Toure’s supposed class can play as badly as this on a big night back at the Nou Camp. He gave up on his man Ivan Rakitic as he roamed into City’s penalty area and the ball inevitably needed up in the back of Joe Hart’s net. That aside, Hart was immense here.
If this is to be a slow, painful death for Pellegrini, then the job is to breathe some life into this team for the final nine games of the league season. West Brom this weekend is some homecoming.
They will need leadership in the run-in, something that was missing from the sidelines as Iniesta and Rakitic splayed the ball out to the wings for Neymar and Messi to slice their way through City’s defence. At times it was shambolic back there.
When you come up against Messi, the three-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, it is down to the coach to come up with a specific tactic to stifle his impact. Here he set up the goal for Rakitic with a ball that had a golfer’s draw on it when it pinged off his left boot to meet the Barca midfielder’s run at the back post. The accuracy was frightening.

Sergio Aguero’s miss from the penalty spot in the 78th minute is no more than a footnote because City were outclassed over two legs.
The main man in Abu Dhabi will demand answers, a natural consequence of another premature elimination in the Champions League.
To Pellegrini’s great credit, he is always unmoved by the speculation about his future, but the ball is now in Sheik Mansour’s court.
Sadly for a man of integrity and honour, he has lost his appeal.

[Guest]

All true, but the simple truth is we are miles away from Barca whatever spin you want to put on it.  Personally that was the best performance we've put in since probably before Xmas, yes we came up short but we had chances even if we should have been blown off the park, but the gulf in class is that immense.  How many of our players would even get close to that team?  I would say Hart, Silva and Aguero and all as squad players.

I make no secret I've wanted MP gone since November and my stance certainly hasn't changed now.  No it doesn't look good to change your manage every 2 seasons, but he simply is not the man for the job.

I like the sound of Anchelotti, I know some don't but I like the sound of Rafa with Veira as his Number 2.

I want the level of performance from last night for the remaining 9 games and we will easily secure second place, even give Chelsea a scare if they carry on as they are doing.

Rags have to play all the top 6 in their run in so expect them to falter, we should kick on.

Then start again in the summer, with some big changes and a new manager.  The money is sorted so there will be no excuses then.

[titbumwilly]

I have now perfected the art of clutching at straws, so after the game I believe we will end up in the top four, don't ask me why, I just do!
A top four finish will be needed to attract a decent manager for next season, and I'm hopeful that is going to happen.
I think the performances, not just in this tie, but in the group matches too, will have shown the owners that something drastic needs to be done.
The worst case scenario last night would have been for the penalty to have gone in and we scraped through with a late goal and then penalties. The useless lazy fuckers we have in our squad would've strutted around and acted like world beaters. Well, the chickens have finally come home to roost, and I for one am expecting big changes in the summer.
I don't think any pride was gained last night, but I think there was something in the second half, definitely not ability or class, maybe some resilience, that makes me think we'll salvage a top four finish.
At the beginning of the season, if someone had said to the owners that at this time all we have left is a half chance of a top four finish and fuck all else, they would not have been happy.
Therefore, this season will finally see the back of a lot of our squad, no doubt about that.

[shakencity]

Tbh, i didn't really see aright lot in the 2nd half that made me feel a whole lot better about things than the 1st.....maybe i just saw things differently to a few on here. I though Barca still dictated the play, had the vast majority of possession, had all the chances (bar the penalty) and City continued to struggle to create anything, as they couldn't string 3 passes together.

The gulf in class and willingness from both sets of players was there for all to see....at times it was embarrassing tbh. My mate sent me a text in the middle of the 2nd half that simply said "fuck me mate, are you watching this from behind your sofa?"....kinda summed things up really.

[Topdawg]

Barca's front 3 didn't really track back at all which is what helped us in the 2nd half. We pressed harder and higher to win some ball back but we could do little with it ourselves.

When they attacked with just 3 or 4 players to our 6 or 7 defenders, they cut us to pieces and they always had a pass on. When the boot was on the other foot, they smothered us.

We need a new manager, that much is clear. We also need to get rid of the plonker making the transfers unless he can come up with some barn stormers this summer. We will have £100M to spend and much invest it wisely.

I said last season that we were giving long contracts to older players that were on the wane.

[Topdawg]

We need to move on Mancini's players that are past it. Maybe Kompany should be shown the door as well. I'm not sure because I don't see him train and don't know his injuries to guess whether he'll be back to his best again. If he won't, then we can still get a nice few quid from him and move on.

[TMG]

My mate texted me saying Barca are playing with City like a cat plays with a toy. He's a scummy rag but I couldn't argue

[leopold]

It's hard to put together a dissection on a phone, but for me we couldn't pass and we still can't score from a corner. Also, Bony is yet another poor signing, he looked every bit as bad as Benjani.

[blueboy]

Barca's front 3 didn't really track back at all which is what helped us in the 2nd half. We pressed harder and higher to win some ball back but we could do little with it ourselves.

When they attacked with just 3 or 4 players to our 6 or 7 defenders, they cut us to pieces and they always had a pass on. When the boot was on the other foot, they smothered us.

We need a new manager, that much is clear. We also need to get rid of the plonker making the transfers unless he can come up with some barn stormers this summer. We will have £100M to spend and much invest it wisely.

I said last season that we were giving long contracts to older players that were on the wane.

I think I may have stumbled upon why we've given those players the longer contracts. It's down to amortisation. It actually works out cheaper per season under FFP to give them a longer contract. I cam across this article about Chelsea having an extra £40m to spend due to the contracts they gave to the likes of Hazard - higher wages, longer contract means they actually pay less under FFP.

...............................................

Jose Mourinho has the green light to spend big as Chelsea will have access to over £40million in extra Financial Fair Play cash this summer.
Chelsea manager Mourinho is free to throw off some of the shackles of the one in, one out policy he has operated under since returning to Stamford Bridge thanks to the £200m Yokohama shirt sponsorship, the fact Fernando Torres will no longer be a financial burden on the club and Eden Hazard’s new contract.

While £40m may not seem like a huge figure in comparison to what clubs pay on transfer fees, it is extremely significant in terms of FFP costs.
Mourinho could comfortably afford to buy Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba under Uefa regulations, while an extra £40m in FFP leeway would account for just over 75 per cent of the freedom a club would need to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

Torres has hit Chelsea for just over £18m-a-year in FFP costs and this summer is the first in which the Blues can budget for not having the Spaniard on the books.
The permanent move to AC Milan that allowed Torres to join Atletico Madrid on loan saw Chelsea accept an £18.72m Financial Fair Play hit on the striker this season in order for him to be wiped off next season’s books.
Financial Fair Play accounting dictates that players are valued annually, which is calculated by adding the amortised transfer fee to the annual wage.
Chelsea paid Liverpool £51.5m for Torres in January 2011 and handed him a five-and-a-half-year contract worth £175,000-a-week. That means, in terms of FFP, his fee was amortised to £9.36m a year, plus £9.1m a year in wages – making his annual cost £18.46m.
Once a player is sold, even if there is no fee involved, his entire ‘book value’ is calculated within FFP accounting. When AC Milan made the Torres move permanent, the £9.36m that would have been applied to the 2015/16 books reverted to this season’s accounts – meaning his total cost this year was £18.72m as Chelsea were no longer paying his wages.
As explained to Telegraph Sport by Jake Cohen of LawInSport, Chelsea have also saved themselves money on FFP by handing Eden Hazard a new contract, even though they have increased his wages to £200,000-a-week.

Hazard’s annual FFP cost after joining Chelsea from Lille was £16.02m, but that figure will go down to £13.31m from this summer due to the fact his remaining book value is now spread over the next five-and-a-half years.
“It is not widely known outside football accounting that clubs can actually save themselves money in terms of FFP costs by giving their players new contracts, even if they are earning more,” said Cohen.
“Although Hazard’s wages have increased from approximately £9.62m a year to £10.4m annually, his FFP ‘book’ value has gone down. That’s because his £32m fee was amortised at £6.4m a year over an initial five-year contract.
"That deal had two-and-a-half years left to run, so the remaining £16m in ‘book’ value was spread out over the new five-and-a-half-year contract Hazard signed in February, decreasing his annual FFP cost from £6.4m to £2.91m.
"So even with the increase in wages, Hazard will cost Chelsea £2.71m less a year in FFP money from this summer.”
The Yokohama shirt sponsorship that was signed at the end of last month is worth around £40m-a-year, which is £22m-a-year more than Chelsea have been receiving from Samsung.
Even without factoring in any further player sales, new contracts, commercial revenue or the increase in television money for Premier League and Champions League clubs, Chelsea have already freed up more than £40m in FFP cash through Torres, Yokohama and Hazard’s new contract.

Mourinho has claimed Chelsea cannot afford to sign Messi, who is best friends with midfielder Cesc Fabregas and was in London last week, even though Chelsea could potentially find the money to meet the Argentine’s FFP costs.
Messi’s Barca buy-out clause is set at £180m (250m euros) and over a five-year contract that fee would be amortised to £36m a year in terms of FFP. The 27-year-old’s annual wage at Barca is £16.3m, making his total annual FFP cost £52.3m.

Chelsea could sign Pogba without any FFP problems. The player’s agent has set his value at £74m and the former Manchester United youngster would no doubt want parity with Hazard’s £200,000-a-week wages, meaning Pogba’s annual FFP cost over a five-year contract would be £25.2m.
Mourinho has operated with a smaller group of senior players to pick from than his Premier League and European rivals over the past two seasons to meet FFP regulations, but can now boost Chelsea’s first-team squad without having to make major sales.
“There is no doubt Chelsea have the freedom to spend big money this summer,” said Cohen. “Unlike the last two years, Jose Mourinho does not have to rely heavily of significant player sales to fund incoming transfers and meet FFP rules.”

[Topdawg]

I think Melton mentioned this last year. Just to satisfy FFP we've lumbered ourselves with past it players on long contracts that no-one else will ever match. Who on earth is going to offer Yaya £200K per week?

Yet again, if we want to move players on, we'll have to sell them on the cheap, keep paying some of their wages or loan them out.

Who the fuck is running this shambles?

[shakencity]

So not only are Chelsea gonna win the PL this season, they're gonna have a shed load of money to spend on new players to strengthen their team for next season too....kin el.

[Topdawg]

Can you imagine if they get Pogba and Varane?

[meltonblue]

We'll have as much, if not more, than chelsea in the summer. The advantage to FFP only looking at the p&l is that we can now buy big again.

We seriously need to. What worries me though is signing Bony, to me, was an incredibly stupid transfer. I don't trust they'll get it right in the summer either.

[Guest]

Our biggest problem is getting them to Manchester.  If there is an offer from London most will go there first.

Bony looks shit scared to me, he needs a goal and lets see how he starts next season.  Would still rather see him up top than lazy arsed Dzeko.

[Topdawg]

Bony hasn't looked anything special since he joined us. He doesn't move around more than Dzeko which is a massive disappointment.

How much do you reckon we'll have to spend Melton? If we get CL footy next season, that's an extra £30M. If they Etihad deal increases to £80M, we'd have another £40M. A few other sponsorships, tour matches and those extra 6,000 seats should bag us £10M easily. Add that to our pot of £60M and that's serious money. Selling a few players could see us with over £200M to spend.

I'd like us to start forming a new spine to the team, starting at CB and CM. If Varane is available for £30M and Pogba for £55m, we should be pushing for them. If Sami Khadeira is still a good enough player, and available, why not him as well? We'd still have enough money left for Bale and then supplement these new players with our kids that need a chance to show what they have.

[meltonblue]

"How much do you reckon we'll have to spend Melton? If we get CL footy next season, that's an extra £30M. If they Etihad deal increases to £80M, we'd have another £40M. A few other sponsorships, tour matches and those extra 6,000 seats should bag us £10M easily. Add that to our pot of £60M and that's serious money"

So if we bring in an extra £75m in revenue, we could bring in five players worth £40 million each and on 5m a year wages and it would be covered and fine in the profit and loss.

30m and on 5 year contracts, we could bring in 7.

Thats before anyone leaving and any further reductions in amortisation through renotiating our existing contracts.

[Topdawg]

We've certainly got enough money but it's about getting the right players. For £83M we could have got Fabregas, Costa and Matic. It's easy in hindsight though.

[shakencity]

So i guess we're back to an original question....would you trust MP and the background 2 to spend all that money again in the close season?

[Topdawg]

No.

Given that we hung out for Fernando and paid £12M when Matic was available for £21M. Given that we've eventually got Bony for £26M when Costa was available for £32M and that we kept Yaya after all his bullshit tantrums when  Fabregas was available for under £30M.

I'm not saying any or all would have  come to us but we'd have had half a chance being champions or 2nd (the previous winter for Matic).

[Topdawg]

Looking at Barca's transfers recently, they do go for really big signings supplemented by some cheaper stuff.

2009/10 - Ibrahimovic (£56M) and Villa (£34M)
2010/11 - Mascherano (£18.5M)
2011/12 - Sanchez (£30M) and Fabregas (£30M)
2012/13 - Neymar (£75M)
2013/14 -
2014/15 - Suarez (£75M)

They've consistently bought one or two top class players every season for several years. Players that will get into their first team. We've just not done that since we bought Aguero, Silva and Yaya.

[TMG]

We've bought plenty of players for vast sums They just haven't been good enough 
Fernandinho Fernando Nastasic Navas Mangala Jovetic Bony Dzeko Kolarov Sinclair 
If just 3 of those had been world class along with Joe Sergio Yaya lampard Silva Vinnie Zabba Milner Nasri  & Clichy we'd be far better off than we are. If 5 or 6 were world  class we mite actually have done something in the CL

[Wensdi]

The CL is club football's premier competition. There are sides that have much more experience than City, both collectively as a team and individually as players. Arsenal have more experience yet despite being the competition since it become the CL, have failed to win it. English football's greatest and most dominant modern day manager - Ferguson - won it twice in over 20 years - the first time after being in the competition since its re-branding for 7 years (this is City's 4th season). No team has ever managed to win the competition back to back. No matter how great or historically significant they are.

City are up against teams who have competed in it for far longer than we ever have. Going out to Barcelona (twice in the four years we've been in the competition) is no disgrace. Finishing 2nd in the group stages to Bayern Munich (twice) is no disgrace. Getting 10 points in the group stage in our first season (losing out on qualification to Bayern and Napoli) is no disgrace. All in all, City have had one very bad season in their four year history in the competition, when they finished the group stage bottom, attaining a measly 3 points in the process.

Pellegrini has overcome the group stage in both his seasons at City, losing to Barcelona in the first knockout stage on both occasions. Again, no disgrace.

The problem isn't the coaching, or Pellegrini's "lack of tactical nous". That kind of comment is just unsubstantiated rubbish. The problem is trying to overcome teams who are simply better than we are. City are not, historically or currently, at the level of the likes of Barcelona. Not many are.

Sometimes we should just remember that. Instead of trying to find faults and criticisms that ultimately only really end up being dismissive of the opponents, these are the kind of experiences that have to be endured in order to learn and ultimately progress. Something which takes time.

Finally, you say you can't think of a single player signed or change made that have improved City. You can't think of any, but trust me, they do exist. City last season, under Pellegrini, were a joy to watch domestically. This season it has been hit and miss, but it happens. It's all about perspective at the end of the day. People are coming to the conclusion that Pellegrini is a dead man walking, but only because the high standards that City have met (domestically) haven't been reached this season. That happens however. To every single club. Always has done. Always will.

A very good article - obviously only relating to the CL - we were still shit against Burnley.
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[Topdawg]

Tactical nous isn't really required to play 5 in midfield against Barca. How many times has Pellegrini played 442 against them?

Getting out of the group stages of the CL should be a given for the champions of England. Hard work required, but we should really be doing that with the squad we've assembled.

How many clubs have gone far into the competition with little experience or resource?

We've a 2 CL winners in our squad (Yaya and Lampard) and two world cup winners (Silva and Navas), world cup finalists ( Aguero, Zabba, Dimi), a world cup semi finalist (Fernandinho) and a host of players that have won the FA Cup and one or two league titles.

A CL game is a football match. We've plenty of players with experience of playing football matches at the highest level.

We've had plenty of time to build us into a better European force (PSG have managed it) and plenty of time to sort out domestic stuff out too.

[Wensdi]

I think the whole point of the article (not mine as I said) is that many teams have competed in the CL far longer than we have.  Even old purple face didn't get any joy for several years.  We have had the distinct disadvantage of drawing the same teams for the last few years - while Arsenal, Chelsea etc., have had an easier ride and have still failed this year to get any further than we have.

[leopold]

That's very pertinent, Wensdi.  Chelsea are considered to be THE team to beat this season in the PL and are expected to walk it.  Arsenal have overcome their shaky start and are now breathing down our necks.  And yet both sides have been hoofed out of the competition in the same round by sides who are more or less in the same boat as us:  PSG and Monaco.

We got beaten by Barca, one of the very best sides in Europe.  No shame in that, even if the performance wasn't up to it.

And let's not forget the mighty Liverpool, with their five European cup titles, couldn't even get out of their group.

I know there's expectation on us.  But then there's unrealistic expectation and to expect us to get further than we have in such a short space of time is unrealistic.

[meltonblue]

It is a fair point Wensdi, and you are right in saying only linked to the CL.

There is absolutely no shame in going out to Barcelona, particularly this year with a resurgent Messi in them. If they are on song, then they are simply a better team than us regardless of what tactics we use.

I do get Pellegrinis reasoning every time to be honest, the only thing that has had me completely baffled at times has been some of his subs. Even then, I watch the game back and can then see what he is trying to achieve.

I do differ with how I assess how managers do though. You cannot be a poor manager and get to where Pellegrini has in the game (and you can't be poor tactically and overachieve at clubs like he has done in the past).

If something is obvious to a fan watching a game, then it stands to reason that the manager has seen that too. The question then becomes why do they do what they do, as they will be making a far more informed decision than us as fans ever can.

Thats not to say therefore they can't be criticised, just that sometimes I think it can be misguided or overdone.

One thing I will say is that, and I've said this for three seasons now, I think the strength of our squad and even our first team is overrated.

[leopold]

One thing I will say is that, and I've said this for three seasons now, I think the strength of our squad and even our first team is overrated.

Oh, absolutely. And it gets more skewed with each passing season and transfer window. Not because of the estimation of the team, but the fact we seem to be weakening it with each signing.

Chelsea have by far the best squad. They have the squad that Pellers aspires to: Two strong players in each position. But they're not carbon copies either, but subtly different types of player, meaning Maureen has options to not just change personnel, but to alter the approach, without changing the overall layout.

And we don't have any of that. And nor will we if we keep splurging vast sums on players who are patently not worth it.

I still maintain the team we had in 2011/12 would be faring a lot better on all fronts this season. No, we'd still not have beaten Barca, but we'd be a lot closer to Chelsea and probably still in at least one domestic cup.

[Topdawg]

That 2011/12 team wouldn't have lost at home in both cups and offered us some of the shocking performances we've seen this season.

I can understand what he does at times, but he is doing it far too late for me when we are chasing games or desperate to score. He isn't getting enough out of certain players for whatever reason.

There has to be a major clearout this summer whether he stays or goes.

We're far too predictable and rely on an early goal to open teams up to allow us to batter them. Teams are just happy to play the first half on the back foot and make sure we don't score and then hit us in the 2nd half as we start to flag.

I'm sure Sean Dyche said something similar after the Burnley game.

[blueboy]

I think MP's main problem is his 4-4-2 formation. I know we have won with it in the past, before anyone points that out....but we've all said before, the team is older than 2/3 seasons ago, we've brought in lesser quality players for the one's we've let go, so it's not like for like.

We started last season with a 4-4-2 and Negredo playing with Aguero. This season, we just chopped and changed the additional striker - Dzeko and Jovetic who were both useless.

I would have liked to have seen the manager make a tactical change to the formation, rather than stick with some tried and tested formula that suited 12 months ago...that's what's frustrated me about him.

To go with Dzeko against Barca at home? That was just bizarre. It's the first leg, not a one-off game...for me, that was tactically naive and poor management.
He did the same against Liverpool away from home....and Burnley.

Why start the game being solid - a la Chelsea do, then reassess at half time. It seems MP does the opposite...waits for us to be tactically struggling, then try to solve the problem by changing formation and personnel...when it's too late.

I agree with what's been said about his credentials....but for me, he a 'reactive' manager rather than a 'proactive' one...and just because it work one season, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for another, or at another club in another league.

The PL is fluid...and it requires a fluid approach week in week out in my opinion.

[Wensdi]

I don't profess to have a good "footballing brain" like you guys do and I am hopeless at looking at formations and deciding if it's tactically spot on.  I just enjoy football and love to read what you guys think.  When I see a good article or a shit article (like some published recently ala Robbie Savage) - then I like to discuss them with you guys.

I do feel like the wheels have fallen off somewhat with City though - and we are either not playing to our potential or lacking motivation.  I hope that our core players are retained and that we add to our pot as Chelsea has done and I agree with most that some of our buys have not been very astute.  As with everything in life - we should learn from our mistakes.

[Topdawg]

Reading some stuff on here, it should be obvious that some of us don't possess a 'footballing brain' either

It's all about opinions.

[Wensdi]

I forgot to mention - I watched the game v Bayern and v Roma the night before the Barca game.  Nasri and Zab were outstanding in the Roma game and - the whole team stepped up against Bayern.  When I saw the attacking line up of Iniesta, Neymar, Messi and Bucky Beaver - such world class - they were always going to prevail whether we played with one up front or two.

[blueboy]

We just like to sound like we know what we're talking about, when in fact, as Melton said, I'm sure the manager see's what we see.

Problem is - we ALL seem to say exactly the same thing as the likes of Gary Neville, Carragher, Souness, Hoddle etc....so I guess what I'm trying to say is this:

WE KNOW MORE THAN THE FECKING MANAGER!!

or we all think we do.

[Nijinsky]

Bucky Beaver

[TMG]

Must be a US Football quarter back !

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