City vs Real Madrid - Live Thread

[blueboy]

First topic message reminder :

90 mins to KO.

Should be an interesting game. Delph looks set to start today. Be interesting to see who he plays up front.

I'll plump for:

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

Sagna................Vinny...................Mangala............Clichy..

..........Fofana....................TLMLF.................Delph........

......................Sterling......................Silva....................

.......................................Dzeko..................................

[Guest]

Blueboy I have been saying this for the pas 3 years. Isco is top class and natural Silva replacemwnt.

As for the game. As Joe Hart put it we did not get anytjing out of this game.

Young defenders made basic mistakes and we hust got rwminded how shit Kolarov, Clichy, Sangna, Navas and Dzeko are.

[Guest]

Its worrying that MP still having faith in the likes of Navas, Sanga, Kolarov and co after 2 years of let down and stupidity.

[blueboy]

I agree. If he can't see it now, when we've got the opportunity to spend big, then he'll never see it.

To think we'll go into another season with those 2 as our LB's worries the fuck out me.

We could have Ramos, Kompany and Alves in our back 3, but when those 2 can't defend properly, what's the point? Kolorov was fucking useless beyond belief today.

It's time we got shot of Navas, now we've got Sterling. Get rid of Kolorov for Kurzawa and keep Clichy as back up.

Dzeko and Jovetic MUST go...and we need 2 replacements for them.

[Guest]

Agree but first we got to put up with another season of ineptitude by the manager!

I think if things dont improve he will be out in a few months...well how can they improve with shit players and crap tactict!

Oh this is not a good feel before the start of the season but I guess what did I expect! Last season I was willing the swap the stadiums janitor for MP!

[blueboy]

We can easily start the season with the following, but who can we get to fill the gaps?

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

Zaba................Vinny..............Manga..................?

Sterling..........TLMLF.........Delph.........................?

.............................Aguero..........Silva.................

I'm not sure about Delph playing wider left. Nasri could I guess, but I'd rather have a little more pace in there with De Bruyne. I can't see us playing Delph and either of the Ferdy twins. Delph out wide on the left of MF and we lose something in an attacking sense. I'd rather he dropped the Ferdy twins and played him next to 'guaranteed one' and we invested in some pace out on the left.

A left back is an absolute must.

[Guest]

This is the problem! Even our first team is incomplete lwt alone man city B! This is why we are crap in CL! Only one crap player can cost you the game in CL.

I even think we should drop TLMF and bring in DeBruyne. Plus buy 3 players on that left flank! And a decent forward for backup.

[blueboy]

I'm not allowed to be too harsh on TLMLF....I promised Dawg I'd cut him some slack for a short while.

But for me, he could still play in the starting 11, just not in this rigid formation that MP picks.

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

Zaba.................Vinny...........Manga.............Kurzawa

.................................Delph..................................

Sterling...............TLMLF..............Silva..........De Bruyne

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

[blueboy]

You could argue he could easily experiment with this:

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

....Zaba....................Vinny...............Manga.........

...............Fernandinho..............Delph...................

Sterling.....................TLMLF...........De Bruyne/Nasri..

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

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

[leopold]

Oh, come on now people!  We lost a meaningless friendly where we played kids at centre half against a Madrid forward line at full strength.  What were we expecting to happen?

There's nothing wrong with Clichy.  He might not be world class, but there's many a side would want him.  Same with Jovetic, let's see if he can recover from his injury issues, because when he's fit, he does look capable of being a game changer.  By all means, replace Kolarov and Dzeko, but let's not go mental.

Losing a friendly is hardly the time to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[skyblueoz]

a lot of rivals & pundits go on & on about ho good our squad is & we should do better because of the strength in depth. well I think tonight just showed the gaping holes in it. I would like to see Bony playing up top as I think he is strong enough to lead the line & create the space for runners like aguero & Sterling.

We do need a new right & left back. If Zabba gets injured or goes off the boil like he did last season then we are stuffed & we all agree Kolarov is a waste of space.



Leo it has been heavily reported in the  Italian press this last 24 hours that Jovetic is Inter milan bound & should be doing a medical on Monday or Tuesday. 2 million down and 1million purchase at the end of the season. My mate at work an Italian who is Inter mad is not too happy he says if they get the Jovetic that played for Fiorentina then ok but if they get the City sicknote then a waste of money. The deal has been brokered this way to show some spending is next seasons for uefa purposes whatever that may mean?

[skyblueoz]

That should read Guaranteed 15 million purchase at the end of the season similar to the Negredo deal last season.

[blueboy]

a lot of rivals & pundits go on & on about ho good our squad is & we should do better because of the strength in depth. well I think tonight just showed the gaping holes in it. I would like to see Bony playing up top as I think he is strong enough to lead the line & create the space for runners like aguero & Sterling.

We do need a new right & left back. If Zabba gets injured or goes off the boil like he did last season then we are stuffed & we all agree Kolarov is a waste of space.



Leo it has been heavily reported in the  Italian press this last 24 hours that Jovetic is Inter milan bound & should be doing a medical on Monday or Tuesday. 2 million down and 1million purchase at the end of the season. My mate at work an Italian who is Inter mad is not too happy he says if they get the Jovetic that played for Fiorentina then ok but if they get the City sicknote then a waste of money. The deal has been brokered this way to show some spending is next seasons for uefa purposes whatever that may mean?

Oh bollocks Leo.....I'll the throw baby out without the bloody bathwater!! Pre-season friendlies are supposed to be getting the first team up to speed for the forthcoming season and looking at some young/new players.

Well FFS, all I've seen so far is the academy players playing more than our first team players on the whole.

Kolorov was fucking useless when he came on for Clichy in the last game and again today. Clichy gets beat time and time again outside - do we have fucking defensive coaches? I don't know how many times we have to see it happen....just show the player inside and let another defender/MF help you FFS!

Sagna...dear oh dear. Why the fuck we even entertained him and he's still here, I've no idea. Offers fuck all going forward, can't defend for his life and now has no pace....oh, and can't pass for shit.

I'm certainly not blaming Denayer and Humphrey's even though they looked like pub team players, against an attack most would find difficult - but why did the Manager play them, and then together? It was all a little embarrassing and certainly doesn't help either full back, the keeper or the defensive MF's.
It was such a defeatist approach - as if to say right from the start "if we get beat, I can blame it on the youth and inexperience".

Mangala, if he's fit, should have started with Denayer - regardless if they are both left footers. FFS, most CB pairings are right footers!

Mangala needs game time against good opposition if he's going to be our no.2 CB with Vinny, or else, he wasn't played because MP has no faith in him, which, if that's the case, get rid now and get a massive bid in for Stones - either way, it was pathetically weak management.

I didn't get the fact he decided to bring Dzeko on for 25 mins. What was the point in that? If Kelechi is the future and the 2 sicknotes are off anyway, don't bother, as we all know he'll brings fuck all to the team.

Delph was unlucky, as when he went off, Madrid started to dominate MF, where up to that point, it was pretty solid in there.

TLMLF was back to his CL performing worst - against good opposition he goes missing - like today.

Silva was non-existent as was Nasri. Sterling wasn't great, but then again, the service to the front was awful.

I don't expect us to beat Madrid when they play a full strength team, but they are 2 weeks behind us in pre-season, and it looked today like we're 2 weeks behind them.

It's time the 3 Argies and Bony get back ASAP, we buy 3 more top class players, get rid of the shit and get them together with only 3 weeks to go...otherwise, come the 5th week of the season when we're struggling, they'll be using this fact as some excuse.

[Guest]

Ok people that didn't watch the game have ni say!

Ps perfect time to baby out with the bathwater!

[blueboy]

[leopold]

Ah, I'm fed up of being the voice of reason.

[blueboy]

Ah, I'm fed up of being the voice of reason.

[leopold]

Ah, I'm fed up of being the voice of reason.

Yeah.  We lost a friendly playing kids against a full strength Madrid.  So clearly we're going to be lucky to avoid relegation while Madrid go on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, the Ryder Cup, the Stanley Cup, the Yellow Jersey and the Formula 1 championship, finishing their season off with a Grand Slam win at Wimbledon.

It's a fucking warm-up exercise.  It means nothing.  If we're going to judge our season based on a friendly, we're no better than the dippers currently rubbing it in on facebook.

Like I say, ditch Kolarov and Dzeko, because they can't cut it.  But unless we've got replacements lined up right now, there's precious little point going much further than that because they just won't be ready in time.  Like Mango last season.

[blueboy]

Ah, I'm fed up of being the voice of reason.

Yeah.  We lost a friendly playing kids against a full strength Madrid.  So clearly we're going to be lucky to avoid relegation while Madrid go on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, the Ryder Cup, the Stanley Cup, the Yellow Jersey and the Formula 1 championship, finishing their season off with a Grand Slam win at Wimbledon.

It's a fucking warm-up exercise.  It means nothing.  If we're going to judge our season based on a friendly, we're no better than the dippers currently rubbing it in on facebook.

Like I say, ditch Kolarov and Dzeko, because they can't cut it.  But unless we've got replacements lined up right now, there's precious little point going much further than that because they just won't be ready in time.  Like Mango last season.

Dawg does call me DipperBlue though.

[leopold]

I'm starting to see his point 

[blueboy]

I'm starting to see his point 

2 fuckwits together then.

[Topdawg]

Wasn't it PPLF that started it? If you're calling us all fuckwits...

[blueboy]

No...you started it. He made a comment, you made the name. Don't go blaming PPLF.

[Topdawg]

I'm not so clued up to come up with that, however good it is. I'm not so fussed about the pre-season friendly game and you are slitting your wrists already along with TBW!

[blueboy]

I'm not slitting my wrists...not yet. There's Stuttgart to come.

[leopold]

I'm not so clued up to come up with that, however good it is. I'm not so fussed about the pre-season friendly game and you are slitting your wrists already along with TBW!

Don't bother trying to be reasonable, Dawg.  They're all fucking suicidal.  It'll just be me and you here come August!

[blueboy]

I'm not so clued up to come up with that, however good it is. I'm not so fussed about the pre-season friendly game and you are slitting your wrists already along with TBW!

Don't bother trying to be reasonable, Dawg.  They're all fucking suicidal.  It'll just be me and you here come August!

Twit and Twat on the Bluemoon Forum.

[Topdawg]

[Topdawg]

[Topdawg]

[Topdawg]

[Topdawg]

[Topdawg]

[Guest]

Its all good as everyone it entitled to thier opinion and we agree with most points anyway but to think that these games that cost the club an arm and a leg are just stupid meaningless games is a bit naive.

Just take a chil pill we are marely stating facts.

Fot those who watched the game our defenders bothe senior and rookie made basic mistakes after 2 weeks of preperation. 

Now if they cant be asked to concentrate or pup in a shift because it is a friendly then what is the bloody point! Some of our players were not there hut to concede 4 goals even from a friendly will have a negative effect when they meet them in the CL and it will have a positive effect for Real. The players are just Human. Well some of them anyway!

[blueboy]

I like that last one.....

[blueboy]

I'm with you PGsus..........but couldn't help but post this after reading your last post. Is this you?

[Topdawg]

We have to accept that we are still quite a way short of Barca and Madrid, even after our massive spending of the past few years. Unless we develop our own talent, or nick players before those clubs want them (Silva and Aguero), it will ever be thus.

We've 3 weeks before the season starts so I'm not overly worried about this drubbing. We can still see that when great teams attack, they do so with lightning speed and top players. We aren't at that level.

My biggest concern is those full backs. We should never have got Sagna and should have been in for Clyne this summer. Kolarov should be ushered out and Clichy should be backup to a top LB.

I still think we make a mess up of transfers. Maybe Stones was a bit young last year, but we blasted £30-£40M on Mango when we may have got Stones for £20M. Clyne could have really challenged Zabba, and taken over after two years for sure so we could have had 3 of England's back 5.

Whatever, let's hope we get de Bruyne, Dzeko and Jovetic leave and we get another player with fantastic pace and touch up top.

[Topdawg]

I can't help but think back a few years and we could have had Hazard and Isco in our midfield....

[Paulpowersleftfoot]

Hopefully Pellegrini was watching the same as me and has finally realised kolorov is utter dogshit and rather than concentrate chasing round after yet more midfielders,the left back position is critical if we are to win back the title.Best left back at the club is Zabaleta 

Liked the look of Delph in the short time he had on the field,we looked much more competitive when he was there and I think Stirling will be a great buy,he looks a class act

[blueboy]

Agree PPLF.

The way I see it is this:

Last season in particular, we all saw that we needed a seriously good LB. Our defence was average at best, due to all sorts of reasons. Vinny out of form, Manga being new to the PL, swapping and changing our CB's/LB's. The only real constants were Hart and Zaba.

Funny how during the last 6 games when Vinny was injured and DeM and Manga played together, we looked more solid. That's not any slight on Vinny, just an observation on what a settled back 4 can do.

As mentioned, our LB position has been subject to endless debates and scrutiny. Clichy has had spells where he's been great, but then equally poor. Kolorov on the whole, is never a LB. Half-decent LMF at best. He just doesn't defend properly as today showed for Pepe's header. Granted, Clichy got done YET AGAIN, on the outside...but he at least tries to be in the right position, unlike Kolorov. So, the answer is simple. For 18 months we've all commented that a new LB is a must, yet still, the manager and the board have done absolutely nothing about it.

I get your point on Clyne Dawg, especially at the price, however, he wouldn't take Zaba's place this season, so would be a second choice, albeit, a 100% improvement on that dog of a player Sagna. So, he wouldn't have moved to us anyway. I'm not too concerned about Zaba for this season coming, but in time, we'll need to be looking at a serious replacement.

We're still looking at our CMF area. Last season we all witnessed TLMLF basically giving up the ghost in there.
He's come out an made his usual pre-season statements, but lets see when it comes to December, whether he still wishes to stay until he's 40.

I like Delph, and as mentioned, for the first 18 minutes when he was on the pitch, the MF were hassling Madrid and spaces for them to play were few. I think if fit, he'll be a similar player to DeJong for us. But that really doesn't solve the problem in our MF. Yes, he can play on the left of MF....but Milner played there and did really well last season, but the problem still existed.

The only answer I can come up with is to get TLMLF out of there and further forward, where he becomes our luxury player in addition to Silva - and I know who'd I'd have as my luxury player every day of the week.

I just think the manager could have used the academy players sparingly on this tour, letting them all have 15-20 minutes each during the games and playing players in positions that they will occupy in the coming season. The likes of Pozo, Humphrey's, Maffeo, Zuculini and Unal are not going to be in our PL squad, so why so much game time?

Kelechi should have started today. Why Sterling as a striker? He did what he needed to do, but try letting them two players linked up with their pace, not play them at separate times during a game. Who knows, the way it's going, they may end getting more real game time if Sergio gets injured.

So, another LB, better cover at RB, 1/2 more strikers as Dzeko is nothing short of pathetic, and some young legs in De Bruyne in MF...and get them together ASAP before we start the season.

[blueboy]

And I'm not blaming the kids in any way. We've all called to see more of them and rightly so.

But as I said before KO when I saw that defence, "this could get messy"

Benzema, Bale and Ronaldo 

vs

Sagna, Humphry's, Denayer and Kolorov

Really? We were lucky is was only 3-1 at half time.

[Topdawg]

The damage was done in 30 minutes after Delph got injured. We had to change our set up and I don't think we had a like for like replacement for Delph.

[Guest]

That was the only positive dawg Delph looked good and didnt mind doind TLMF defensive duties. ...

Blueboy how did you find out! I do my best I promise!

[blueboy]

[Guest]

I didn't watch as mad busy at the moment, but I've never been arsed about pre-season.   Our manager is a clueless chump but I'm not slashing my wrists.   We will be better come WBA that is all I can guarantee.

[blueboy]

I didn't watch as mad busy at the moment, but I've never been arsed about pre-season.   Our manager is a clueless chump but I'm not slashing my wrists.   We will be better come WBA that is all I can guarantee.

See my discussion with PPLF. Will we?

As it stands, if we are to believe the rumours about the players, this is how we could line up against WBA:

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

Sagna..............Vinny....................Denayer..........Clichy/Kolorov

..........................TLMLF...........Fernando.......................

......Sterling........................Silva............................Nasri

.......................................Bony......................................

Instead of what we were hoping:

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

Zaba.....................Vinny............Mangala/Den...........Kurzawa

.........................................Delph......................................

Sterling.............................TLMLF..........................De Bruyne

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

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

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