City v WBA - Live Thread

[blueboy]

First topic message reminder :

OK...big 3 points needed and probably a good performance too by some fringe players.

Watching the press conference, I get the feeling Nasri may replace Silva. TLMLF will no doubt play, so the team for me will be:

Hart
Zaba, Ota, Manga, Kolorov
TLMLF, Delph
Navas, KDB, Nasri
Aguero

[Topdawg]

aguero is carrying a knock. he's been kicked about today.

[Topdawg]

kolarov greedy bastard with the shot again.

[Topdawg]

he'll be ok for PSG

[Topdawg]

90 seconds to go and we are trying to score!

[Topdawg]

lucky again.

[Topdawg]

scraped home there. nasri played really well.

[Guest]

Thank fuck, shit game massive 3 points

[Topdawg]

It will be great if Samir and Kevin can play at that level for the rest of the season.

[Topdawg]

Is that the first time we've won back to back PL games since October?

[blueboy]

yep, back to back...3 points - makes no difference how we got it, we did.

However...what the fuck is this manager thinking of AGAIN playing that Bony Idle fucker?

Jesus, thank fuck he's leaving at the end of the season...he's nothing short of pathetic.

Thought Nasri looked good today, though he tired towards the end and didn't track back.

Kelechi....please, go and see the Manager and tell him he's a cockwomble. It's ridiculous. I'm sure I heard the City fans giving Bony some jeers today. 

The quicker Pep gets here the better.

[Topdawg]

Moans and groans I think. Nasri ran his socks off. Kolariv was decent going forwards only. 
Next league game us important against Chelsea. They all are. 2 points behind the arse. 4 behind the tats. Draw between them and utd pls.

[TMG]

Be better if the Spuds win wouldn't it
Only 2 points behind Arse is good Hopefully they'll continue their normal end of season bottle

[skyblueoz]

That Linesman was the same one that Flagged for Joey Barton to be off in the famous QPR game.

[Wensdi]

Seen that linesman in League of Gentlemen.
YaYa made a difference today as did Kev - and glad that Nasri is back to form.  Fingers crossed for Tuesday.

[Nijinsky]

Great see Nasri back, we did what had to be done today. 3 points with the hammers only picking up 1 and the rags in for a stuffing tomorrow.
all is good

[Nijinsky]

Wensdi...league of Gentleman is my favourite tv prog ever!

I thought it was only me that had that sick sense of humour....your my wife now Dave

[Wensdi]

What's all this noise in here........ this is a local shop for local people................

[leopold]

Thought Nasri looked good today, though he tired towards the end and didn't track back.

So did I.  He was worth the MOTM award, he worked tirelessy, almost never gave the ball away, found some cracking passes and even got on the scoresheet thanks to making the effort to be in the box.  He didn't look like a player who's been out of action with a serious injury / operation for months.  I'd forgotten how good he could be and, on the back of that, he must've got Pep's attention.  As for tiring, I can't blame him.

That Linesman was the same one that Flagged for Joey Barton to be off in the famous QPR game.

Was he?  So what happened, did he get shit or did the FA tell him to forget the offside rule?  Or that shoving players in sky blue shirts is now permissible?

What's all this noise in here........ this is a local shop for local people................

Oh, come on Hilary, I only want a little bit of your special stuff!  Please!

[Topdawg]

Nasri was on 95% pass success and 100% tackle success.

[leopold]

I'm surprised it was as low as 95%, to be honest.

[shakencity]

Great 3pts against a determined and hard working West Brom team...it's all about results and not necessarily the performances at this stage of the season.

On the playing side of things, i'd only like to make one remark.....MANGALA IS FUCKING SHIT.

[skyblueoz]

I don't get what you see den. mangala wasn't great today admittedly & could've given away a penalty. sure I saw that but I also saw 3 top interceptions & two good clearance headers when under pressure. I saw otamendi put in a couple of superb tackles & two rash challenges one almost cost us big time. It is easy to single out the players but on a really difficult soaking wet pitch Mangala played no worse than the others in the back. Kolarov was probably the best of the 4 only for his forward runs , but twice he left Mangala to cover for him. zabba had some good moments & a couple of nervy clearances. At the beginning of the nseason the 1st b5 games Mangalea looked great alongside Kompany then when company got injured it was mango & demi as oatamendi had just signed then injury to mango . no consistency and full backs that leave the centre backs exposed 2 often.

[shakencity]

Perhaps it's just me Oz, but i've never rated him....he really does remind me of Lescott. Everytime he has the ball, he fills me with dread. He looks utterly clueless as to what to do with it, and more often than not he just gives it away or loses it. Ok, so he wins a few headers, but he should do he's a 6'3" CB afterall.
He's been here nearly 2yrs now and imo still hasn't improved since the day he signed. There was no excuse for that challenge that should have led to a penalty yesterday, he wasn't tight enough to the forward and thus made a clumsy challenge trying to atone....we could so easily have lost 2pts.

I know it's easy to single out 1 player, but he does nothing to make me ever change my mind....a bit like Sterling

[blueboy]

If we all judge a defender by one tackle or one or two passes over 90 minutes, then judged the rest of the players on the same criteria, there'd only be KDB who would come out of it with any credit.

We get super-critical as fans - me especially, when we judge individual players. I guess we tend to focus on the bad elements of their game without remembering the good.

For me, Mangala was probably up there as our best player against PSG. 

As Oz said, he made 2 or 3 vital headers and a few last ditched tackles as well against WBA, but yes, his jump on Sandro could have resulted in a penalty.

If we are being super-critical of the goal for WBA...why is Kolorov turning himself sideways and lunging out with a leg, that ultimately the shot went through? Why is Joe Hart allowing a shot from 20 yards on an angle, beat him at his near post?

None of these issues were Mangala's fault...but I know what you mean Den. We all have our players that just don't do it for us. I think if Kompany would have been fit and Mangala played alongside him regularly, they would possibly have built up a good partnership.
Otamendi on the other hand, fills me with dread every time he goes to tackle a player and when he comes running out beyond the MF's to make a tackle...though he is decent in the air and possibly a better passer of the ball than Manga.

[shakencity]

Fair post Andy .

[Topdawg]

Mangala can't even pass water...

It may be unfair to focus on mistakes made by the keeper of defender, but those mistakes cost you games. They are magnified due to the consequences. I've seen Mangala play half decent a few times. But half decent now and then isn't good enough.

[blueboy]

Mangala can't even pass water...

It may be unfair to focus on mistakes made by the keeper of defender, but those mistakes cost you games. They are magnified due to the consequences. I've seen Mangala play half decent a few times. But half decent now and then isn't good enough.

We could point the finger at Sergio in games like Norwich where he missed chances and say "if he would have scored one or two of them, chances are we would have rolled them over"...but if the defence make a mistake, we slate them.

I think we've still got the 4th best defence in the PL...so where really, should the blame lie - the defenders or the strikers/MF's for not scoring enough goals to win/draw games?

[shakencity]

Ok, the manager.....for signing Mangala and no forwards of any class to help the overworked Serge out

[blueboy]

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