Sunderland vs City - Live Thread

[blueboy]

Live streams for those who need them:

http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links/index.html


Possible team?

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

Zaba................Sagna................DeM.................Clichy...

.....................Fernando................Fernandinho...............

Milner..............................TLF.........................Nasri.......

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

[Topdawg]

I'd be happy enough with that line up. Best we've got at the moment.

[Topdawg]

Hart
Zabba, Boyata, Demichelis, Clichy
Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Nasri
Jovetic, Aguero

[Topdawg]

He's sticking with Navas. I'd rather have had Jimmy.

Boyata gets the call over Sagna.

[Topdawg]

Subs: Cabellero, Angelino, Sagna, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Pozo.

Good to see Angelino and Pozo there. Can't see either playing unless there is an injury or we are well up.

[Strange Blue]

Generally happy with the lineup, but would have preferred Sagna over Boyata. I'm 100% sure we will see Milner in the 2nd half & would be surprised if he doesn't start against Everton

[Nijinsky]

Thank god for Sergio

[Guest]

To be fair the goal was unlucky, but you are right, the boy is immense

[Topdawg]

brilliant run by aguero

[blueboy]

He's a genius!

Think Nasri needs to run at their defenders a little more. Everything is too slow when he gets on the ball.

Still, a dominant display after conceding to poor defending.

Good finish from Jovetic...but what a flick from the master.

He's getting better and better each game....wonderful player to watch and so thankful he plays for us.

[Guest]

Good half, fluke goal and great coneback. Need to keep it up they are simply a flat back 10. If they get stretched could get a hatful.

[ManCityMan]

The run from picking the ball up in his own half and running past several their players before getting into the box and getting a shot off was brilliant. Not much of a shot but but hardly surprising, he was knackered after his amazing run.

[ManCityMan]

We need to watch Wickham and Fletcher running off our back line onto through balls and beating the offside. They obviously practice those moves on the training ground to beat us on the counter.

[blueboy]

The run from picking the ball up in his own half and running past several their players before getting into the box and getting a shot off was brilliant. Not much of a shot but but hardly surprising, he was knackered after his amazing run.

Just an absolute pleasure to watch.

[Topdawg]

missed the first 20 minutes but we have looked very very good

[Topdawg]

Am I allowed to say that?

[ManCityMan]

Their goal was a fluke against the run of play but we need to watch the set plays and try to avoid conceding corners or free kicks close in. They nearly scored from a corner in the last minute and without VK in there i am worried.

[blueboy]

Not yet....go away and come back in 45...

[ManCityMan]

Give over dawg that was way too positive for you, are you on the happy juice?

[ManCityMan]

Next thing is Blue will be stating what a cracking game Yaya is having. 

[Topdawg]

Can't let this slip now. Get a couple more

[Guest]

Zabba doing a sergio! Quality finish

[Topdawg]

Another one!!!

[Topdawg]

Hat trick please Aguero. Let's make up a little for those last 4 years.

[Guest]

Good move, save him. Another hoodoo ended, 2 in 2 games! Another bogey team to batter on sat too. They say they come in threes :-)

[Topdawg]

Very professional performance.

[ManCityMan]

Quality performance top class finishing too, loved Zabba's goal (his second one lol)

[blueboy]

Great performance. The whole back 4 were excellent apart from that goal.

Fernandinho was excellent tonight.

[meltonblue]

Looked like close to our best last year tonight, particularly considering who is still out. 

Very very good week.

[blueboy]

Agree...it's been a massive 7 days and we've come through scoring 10 goals and conceding 3 against:

Bayern Munich
Saints away
Sunderland away

Can't really ask for much more....and the attacking play seems to have come back.

Thank god for that little genius.

[Topdawg]

Puzzles me why we haven't been playing like that all season. Tremendous display against our bogey team. We've just got to keep it going now as Chelsea don't look like stopping anytime soon.

[Guest]

Told you we would kick on after Bayern!

[meltonblue]

"Puzzles me why we haven't been playing like that all season."


Few different reasons for me. Fernandinho and Zabaleta in particular suffered after the world cup - one through lack of confidence and the other just looked knackered. Mangala and Fernando getting up to speed in the PL. Injury to Nasri as he was continuing his form from last season (very underrated but pivotal for us and retaining possession). Toure struggling, which Pellegrini decided to play him through and it looks like it has now started to work. Jovetic trying too hard. Hint of arrogance and going off the boil that comes with being champions. Over reliance on Aguero, when he doesn't take his chances like against West Ham, we didn't have a plan b that worked. 


That's essentially it, the three big differences are the fullbacks playing higher up again, Fernandinho and Toure clicking again in midfield and dominating even when up against three and Nasri coming back in and getting to full fitness. 


Winning away in Roma is the next big step. 

[Topdawg]

I think we've got by this season so far, largely thanks to Aguero and bit part performances from a few others. 

The last two games, I've seen players look like they actually want it more than the other team. Players putting in a real shift for each other. Some of the pressing tonight, even at 4-1, was impressive.

I think we have put down a marker. Teams will see what we've done to Southampton and Sunderland and feel uneasy and go on the defensive when they play against us rather than really have a go which causes us some problems.

Let's take each game at a time and beat Everton to start with.

[meltonblue]

Agree with all of that Topdawg.

[Guest]

And just think the little Spanish Maestro is still to come back 

[skyblueoz]

Told you when I get to go to a game live we win. 2
games out of 2 now for my daughter both 4-1 score lines. you can thank us later for ridding us of the hoodoo!!!!!. thought Boyata had a really good game considering the lack of confidence been shown in him. Great gesture from pants at the end you'd have thought he still played for City.

[blueboy]

Yeah, thought Boyata did really well. Left Wickham for the goal, but apart from that, the defence looked very solid.

Even thought Clichy looked good at the back and going forward.

The biggest change for me was the way we hunted them down, harried them, even at 4-1 up.

[ManCityMan]

I agree with much of what has been said, we looked more up for it and pressed all over the park and it's been a while since we can say what a good performance from every player.

[skyblueoz]

was spiderman really the missing sunderland forward? I heard that's what they found when they got his mask off.

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