City v Steaua - Live Thread

[blueboy]

Guess we'll see tonight, some new faces from the weekends game.

For me, he'll throw a curve ball and start Joe Hart (just read an article that claims and insider at City has said Pep will sign no more players - the windows closed for him, but will want to sell players to get them off the wage bill - TLMLF, Bony, Mangala and Nasri all costing City approx £750k pw in wasted wages).

Hart
Zaba, Stones, Otamendi, Angelino
Fernandinho, Delph
Sterling, Silva, KDB
Aguero

[blueboy]

Team News:

Willy
Zab, Ota, Stones, Kockorov
Fernandinho, Silva
Nolito, KDB, Sterling
Aguero

[blueboy]

Subs:

Hart
Sagna
Clichy
Fernando
Delph
Kelechi
Navas

[blueboy]

So...let's see this amazing Willy distribution. (guess there's a pun in there somewhere!!)

[TMG]

Kinda hope Willy makes a big fuck up coz I really don't think we should be selling little Joe

[blueboy]

I totally agree Tony. Just had my tweets read out on Drive Time and I asked; when do you hear that Neuer at Bayern and Bravo at Barca make those teams tick and without them, they wouldn't be able to function as a team? If Messi, Iniesta, Enrique and Buffon all think he's world class...why is he suddenly being treated like this?

One City fan called up and said "it's as if Pep is making a statement - and there's no need to do it over Joe Hart - especially as he's a far better keeper than Willy Caballero - too many changes in such a short time" 

I agree with him.

It's bollocks for me....I'll be watching Willy's distribution very, very carefully tonight to see what he does different to Joe and different to what he's done for the past 2 seasons. He better play one-touch passes very quickly and not kick a long ball or kick it out - as that seems to be what Pep is intimating.

I'm all for Pep...I'm happy to trust in his judgement, but he BETTER BE RIGHT on this one - as many won't forgive him in the short term if he's wrong and it'll take trophies to convince many fans he's made the right call.

[TMG]

I know Harts distribution is shit but he can improve on that Think more, throw it rather than hoof it etc...
I'm not mad keen on goalies as ball players or dribbling it out It often ends in tears even with better keepers

I just think Joe has done nowt wrong & shd be given a chance by Pep. FFS there are other players like Kolorov & Navas who are a far greater liability than Joe

[blueboy]

Agree again Tony.

Maybe it's Pep's way....make a big statement of intent! 

I like what he's done to Nasri, TLMLF and Bony....but FFS, 'the liability' that is Kockorov?? Really?

Let's wait until he can't be arsed to track a winger tonight and leave it all down to Stones and Otamendi to be dragged out of position...then see how much Pep rates him - as we've seen him do this 100x more than Joe has made mistakes.

I don't remember ANY game, when we've said "Phew, without Kockorov, we'd have lost that game"

[blueboy]

So...3 silly mistakes in 10 mins by Willy.

Aguero...2 missed pens. 

Aguero to Newcastle tomorrow? 

These are fucking shite! 5-0!

[blueboy]

Sterling looks a totally different player....Den?

[TMG]

Kin L Sergio !!!
Yep Willys distribution had been piss poor so far

[Topdawg]

chance after chance after chance

[Topdawg]

what a great move

[Topdawg]

Aguero slots home

[Topdawg]

This tie should be well over tonight

[Topdawg]

shit ball from sterling there

[Topdawg]

willy passing it well now

[Topdawg]

I only saw the last 10 minutes or so and we could have scored 6 or 7 in that time. Hit the bar, keeper saves, half chances and a well taken goal by Sergio

[Topdawg]

What's the chances if we carry on like this, that we'll see a kid or two in the 2nd half?

[Topdawg]

But Steaua look so poor.

[blueboy]

Sterling has been excellent Dawg...best player on the pitch.

Nolito - I'll say it again - not impressed so far.

Willy? Hmm...seen nothing of these 'special' things that Hart can't do.

Aguero will be kicking himself...could've had a hatrick and a rest for the weekend.

Can see Kelechi coming on for him if we get another goal.

[Topdawg]

From what I saw, Nolito doesn't look any better than several players, even those left behind in Manchester. Always wanting to cut in on his right foot. Nasri is far better than Nolito.

[Topdawg]

Not convinced Sterling has turned the corner yet. Some very good play and some poor play.

[Topdawg]

Too easy

[Topdawg]

looked offside, but fantastic pass from KdB

[Topdawg]

3-0 up, away from home and Pep still isn't happy

[Topdawg]

Aguero should have hit the target there. Off day for him.

[Topdawg]

Could've got a red card for the hand off there.

[TMG]

Sterling MOTM for the 2nd game running???

[TMG]

Cracking goal !

[Topdawg]

Sergio again. Get him off and rested now

[TMG]

Think Pep wants him to get a hat trick to spare his 1st half blushes

[Guest]

Just caught 2nd half so far, I know they are poor but this is a great workout for the team. Boy we look excellent. Sounds like it should be double figures

[Topdawg]

Easy for Sergio

[TMG]

At least we can now play the kids, Mongola Yaya Fat boy etc... In the home leg

[Topdawg]

Putting aside how poor Steaua were, we purred along nicely. Lots of nice play and so many good chances. We could really hurt teams this season if we continue in this manner. Pep won't let them drop off if the game is won either, which is good for the fans.

We'll leak a few goals with this system on free kicks and playing it out from the back but this draws teams in trying to win the ball back and we end up with so much space for our forwards to do their thing.

Quietly impressive.

[Guest]

He has not put Yaya, Bony or Mango in the CL squad, only 21 named for this I think? Must get to name more for groups

[blueboy]

Thought Nolito was better in the 2nd half...

Sergio - what can you say? KDB looked more like himself, Sterling was excellent tonight as was Silva.

Surely we can play some of the fringe players now next week...Yoyo, Angelino, Maffeo, Sane...dare I say that awful keeper we have - Joe Hart?

Just don't get this whole argument over Hart v Bravo v Willy. Didn't see ANYTHING tonight or on Saturday, that suggests Hart can't do what Willy did - and he's by far a better shot stopper.

Maybe it's all a rouse....and it's MP v Hart v Pants all over again.

Thought Zaba did well tonight - might not be as quick as Sagna, but his reading of the game and passing is better for me.

Still....I had 5-0 in my bet.....happy tonight - even though they were SHITE!!

[leopold]

Yes, Steaua were poor, but we never dialled it down, never settled for a two goal cushion and were ruthless to the end. 5-0 is a great result, but we could've scored twice that and it wouldn't have flattered us.

[blueboy]

He has not put Yaya, Bony or Mango in the CL squad, only 21 named for this I think? Must get to name more for groups

The squad had to be named by 23:00 last week...just for these group games. A whole new squad can be named for the proper rounds.

[blueboy]

Yes, Steaua were poor, but we never dialled it down, never settled for a two goal cushion and were ruthless to the end. 5-0 is a great result, but we could've scored twice that and it wouldn't have flattered us.

It was summed up in the 90th minute when they had the ball in their RB position and Nolito, Aguero and Delph/Fernando were surrounding their player....under MP, we'd have given up at 3-0 and Aguero would have been off.

BT just made a good point. If you were Aguero, would you want to be rested next week? Lineker said "no way. get my goal co-efficient up against a team I've just scored a hatrick against and missed two penalties"....I think Pep may just to say to him...."just crack on and score as many as you can".

[ManCityMan]

Ok Steaua were crap and we could have had 7 or 8 but the team played well at a good tempo with good passing and defended well enough against a limited threat. It seems everyone got a mention except Kolarov, i know he gets stick off certain people but credit when its due, i thought he did as well as any one else.

[blueboy]

Ok Steaua were crap and we could have had 7 or 8 but the team played well at a good tempo with good passing and defended well enough against a limited threat. It seems everyone got a mention except Kolarov, i know he gets stick off certain people but credit when its due, i thought he did as well as any one else.

I think the fact that none of us have slated him is enough MCM - don't push it!

Agree though - tempo was excellent for 92 mins.

[ManCityMan]

I like Alex and he's great at carol singing too 

[blueboy]

Guess he has to be good at something - bet Chappy wants him to stay!!

[Topdawg]

We're lucky with the opposition we played rather than, say, Roma who we could have been up against. it gives our players another game under the new system before we have tough opposition in the PL, such as Stoke away this weekend. I've no doubt teams with better quality will punish us for some of our errors at the back, and all PL teams now have enough quality to punish us, but I see us getting better and better at this system.

I hope we are well up to speed for the 1st match after the international break...

[leopold]

Yes, Steaua were poor, but we never dialled it down, never settled for a two goal cushion and were ruthless to the end. 5-0 is a great result, but we could've scored twice that and it wouldn't have flattered us.

It was summed up in the 90th minute when they had the ball in their RB position and Nolito, Aguero and Delph/Fernando were surrounding their player....under MP, we'd have given up at 3-0 and Aguero would have been off.

Very true. Only Pellers would've told them to sit tight at 2-0.

[blueboy]

Yes, Steaua were poor, but we never dialled it down, never settled for a two goal cushion and were ruthless to the end. 5-0 is a great result, but we could've scored twice that and it wouldn't have flattered us.

It was summed up in the 90th minute when they had the ball in their RB position and Nolito, Aguero and Delph/Fernando were surrounding their player....under MP, we'd have given up at 3-0 and Aguero would have been off.

Very true.  Only Pellers would've told them to sit tight at 2-0.

Yeah, Aguero, Sterling and Silva off - Fernando, Delph and MDM on to make sure we got through!

[shakencity]

Yeah, but at 3-0 up, would you have slated Pep afterwards if Serge n Silva got knocks and were out for the next 6wks?

[Topdawg]

We'd have grumbled about it for sure. But, on the other hand, so many games just petered out when we got 2 or 3-0 up. I much prefer that we keep going for it all game long. If someone gets injured, so be it. Do you really think Aguero wanted to come off against Newcastle after scoring five goals?

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