City v Soton - Live Thread

[blueboy]

Gonna be interesting to see what formation Pep plays today, especially in defence.

[blueboy]

Team News in 15 mins.

[blueboy]

Team:

Bravo, Stones, Kompany, Kolorov, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, KDB, Sterling, Sane, Aguero

[blueboy]

Vinny back and Sane in for Nolito.....happy with that.

[blueboy]

Subs: Willy, Fernando, Nolito, Navas, Clichy, Otamendi, Kelechi.

[blueboy]

[Paulpowersleftfoot]

3 at the back should be our plan A with us having fullbacks good enough

[blueboy]

Did you mean 'not good enough'?

[Guest]

Got to give it to Pep, I like that team, crisis over

[Nijinsky]

It'll be grest news if Vinny can put in a full 90 minute shift

[blueboy]

Good looking team. Souness just said "if Kompany can stay fit, it increases City's chances of winning the PL by 10-15%.

Really would like Sane to get on the score sheet today.

[blueboy]

I can see why Vinny is cautious over his comeback, a la Barca....IF, he was to get another major injury, he probably knows that's the end of his City career. Clearly, this will play on his mind, as I'm sure he wants to stay and finish his career here.

[Guest]

Wow, where is the intensity and so many passes astray. Our confidence is shot.

[Guest]

Fuck me, didnt think our defence could get any worse. And fuck right off Quinn you crowing muppet

[titbumwilly]

I think the most damning thing for me is the fact that we are now boring to watch. Technically poor and dull.

[Guest]

This is now a crisis, devoid of ideas, shit passing, and so many errors everywhere. Cant see anybody on the bench to change it either?

[Topdawg]

What a bag of fucking shite

[Topdawg]

We're so slow, passing sideways and backwards so much. Aguero not pressing. Sane staying wide but not doing anything. Took his player on twice but over kicked the ball. Can't play with gundongan, Silva and fernandinho

[blueboy]

Wow...that was another example of the 'play out of the back' philosophy costing us, yet another goal. Poor back pass from Stones, but I'd also question Bravo's starting position if he's supposed to be a sweeper keeper, helping us to play out from the back.

As the rest of it...not sure where to start.

Gundogan, since his inclusion, has done nothing but slow our play down. I'd possibly bring him off and play Silva back in alongside Fernandinho, like he did when we started off the 10 game run. 

KDB and Silva's passing has been woeful.

Sane and Sterling haven't taken on their full backs, however, what I've noticed, is that when they both get the ball, there's only Aguero in the box being marked by 3 defenders.

The addition of Gundogan for me, is the biggest facet of our lack of attacking intent, because Fernandinho isn't getting forward either, so we've got 4 attacking players against 6 Soton players, all defending fairly easily.

It's been the poorest I've seen us play so far, especially with a significant possession stat....but not one shot on target.

Aguero going for the header cancelling out Stones goal.

It's garbage....it's been very poor to watch. Not one City player is playing anywhere near their capability.

How many more goals are we going to give to opposition teams?

[leopold]

This is poor. Gave away an easy goal thanks to messing about in our own half when a break should've been on. Only Sane and Sterling are doing anything up front, Silva can't get in, KdB can't pick a pass, Gundogan is only passing backwards and Dino is just trying to mop up for Vinny. We're slow in attack, just like a late Pellegrini side. Lots of possession, but no end product.

For me, ditch Kev and bring on Itchy.

[blueboy]

I'd bring off Gundogan, put Silva in with Fernandinho, get Navas on the right and push Sane up front with Ageuro behind him. That would give us a little height at least, because all we've done from the defence is play big balls to Aguero, being marked by Van-Dyk....and Sane is tricky, so may get behind them.

[Guest]

This is a mirror of last season now, trouble is we never got out that slump and limped to 4th. Something is wrong, you could be right about Gundogan Blue, we have lost so much intensity.

[blueboy]

I've said it for the past 4/5 games....it's an additional MF play maker we don't need. For me, it's either Silva or Gundogan, not both.

Silva, KDB and Aguero are all occupying the same space..because Gundogan is in the team. I'm not saying it's all his fault, but he slows anything down.

1st time we've not had a shot on target in the 1st half, since Feb 2015....that's how poor we've been.

[Topdawg]

I'm totally bored. We're doing fuck all

[leopold]

And now we have dancing robots. Kill me now...

[Topdawg]

Can't play gundogan, Silva and fernandinho in the same team

[Topdawg]

Itchy on

[blueboy]

Kelechi on for KDB.....that's a fucking odd one.

[Topdawg]

Kev off?

[leopold]

Kev off for Itchy. Just call me Pep

[Topdawg]

Fuck me

[Guest]

Fast passing with intensity and we are 1000 times better. Just need Serg to score now and we are back. Its all confidence

[Guest]

Too little too late, sorry we still have no real plan B, confidence proper shot, got to play our way out of this

[blueboy]

Sorry, but Gundogan brings as much to this team as TLMLF would do.

I'm gutted...I really thought he'd bring far more, but he's been ordinary. No energy, slow build up, all passing sideways.

Good finish by Kelechi....thought Sterling was excellent in the second half..Sane apart from his assist, wasn't great.

I think we're too slow up front. Aguero was much better in the second half, but we need some pace in behind him. I just think there's very little movement at the moment up front, as Sterling and Sane played most of the game on the touchline....Aguero is left to make all the movement himself. It helped when Kelechi came on - but I'd honestly drop Gundogan and play Silva with Fernandinho in front of the MF, and possibly Sterling with KDB behind Aguero. Sane and Nolito out wide.

Sterling was excellent when he took up that No.10 role.

Still, top of the league again....Soton were decent today, but we gifted their goal AGAIN....

We just look a little slow in MF....and I can only put that down to a slow Gundogan.

[ManCityMan]

Passing by Stones is fecking awful at times he has created a few unnecessary problems at the back from what should be simple balls in the last 2 games now.

[blueboy]

I thought, apart from the pass back, which I also blame Bravo (as the sweeper keeper, for being stuck on his 6 yard line), he made some great tackles, interceptions and blocks.

Now, if Bravo had done what DeGea has just done in the first 30 secs for United......he'd be slated. Let's see what the commentators say about that!

1-0 - 0.30 mins....Chelsea, Pedro rounds DeGea!!!

[skyblueoz]

Was really pissed off with that 1st half performance. I don't understand why we bother to have sane & sterling in wide positions if all we do is go sideways & backwards we need to get them on the ball quicker to get in behind the full backs. we were so pedestrian in the 1st half it was a throwback to last season. Definitely added a bit of intensity in the 2nd half when we went 442. Thought Vinny did ok in his comeback glad to see he lasted well. Sterling definitely picked it up 2nd half. I just wish he would use his speed to run at players more and anticipate the play better. Twice Aguero skewed shots which went across the face of goal with Sterling looking on. Make a move to the far post & give the full back something to think about.

[blueboy]

Think more than Sterling were culpable of that...but agree.

[Topdawg]

First half was truly abysmal. Don't blame Bravo for that goal as I think Stones played a short backpass. He, and one or two others, are sometimes far too casual with the ball, making blind passes. Sane was on the touchline and didn't budge at all for practically all the game. he didn't make runs or help out whoever was on his side. He's got skill and has shown that now and again. I'd much rather he took his man on and failed than pass it backwards. We played it sideways and backwards so often today it was frustrating. Bravo is too slow to pass it out when a man is on. No-one really put a shift in first half, but I'm sure there was a rocket at Ht because they came out meaning business.

Why can't we start games with incredible intensity and try to blow teams away early?

If this was an MP performance we'd really be effing and jeffing on here. It was that bad.

[blueboy]

United....

[Guest]

Its just confidence, its been knocked, tabloids aren't helping. We are still top and it could be worse we could be United! What odds Maureen not lasting the season

[Nijinsky]

Missed the game, had to go out with the in laws, seems like I didn't miss much

Looks like we'll have a good chance to rebuild some confidence mid week against the rags

[ManCityMan]

I thought, apart from the pass back, which I also blame Bravo (as the sweeper keeper, for being stuck on his 6 yard line), he made some great tackles, interceptions and blocks.

Yes i dont have a problem with those aspects of his game, it's some of his passes and other unnecessary over elaboration in dangerous areas that puts his team mates and the team in trouble. Bravo started the problem when he threw is straight to Ferdi who was quickly closed down by two players and he had to get rid  quick but the situation was under control by the time it came to Stones who had a number of options and chose a shocking one.

Gundogan also gives us very little and slows things down, we are overloading in key areas with Silva and  KDB and Sterling all trying to run into the same space.

[blueboy]

agree MCM.

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