Derby poser

So, how does Pep approach the Derby now?

Does he still rest players as suggested previously, or does he play a full strength team half thinking the CL game's more or less over?

Personally, I'd stick with his original plan and hope to God we do something magical next Tuesday.
I'd start with Jesus up front and bring Serge on (If fit) for the last 30....as imo, Serge has to start in the 2nd leg.

I’d go balls deep for the derby. Worse thing that could happen would be to get beaten by the rags. The players have to get themselves up for these games.

If Mendy is fit, give him some minutes. Play the team that he should have played against Liverpool and destroy the rag bastards.

yes, give united a kicking, then try to carry that high now to the second leg as we can do it...
kids can go out against spuds the following week if we get past these next 2games now.

If we finish the season poorly (lose against Liverpool, rags, Liverpool, spuds) then I’m sure we’ll carry some of the scars into next season. We’ve got to get back winning immediately.

Best possible team for the rags...fuck the resting and rotating - look at last night. Laporte at LB in such a big game - fucking awful. Gundogan - TLMLF Mark II, lumbering around the MF as the game just passed him by.

Never have I seen a City duo get scores of 1 & 2 off Stu Brennan.

Laporte - 2
Gundogan - 1

Don't wish to see Gundogan in ANY big game again. Needs binning in the summer. I can forgive Laporte, as he's not a LB and new to the team.

More pissed off with Pep this morning.

It does beg the question why he played Laporte there when he had both Delph and Zinchenko on the bench....did he really trust him more than the others?
If he did, he really can't think too much of Delph and Zinchenko then.

We really do have to bounce back with a win over the Rags, might just be the lift we need going into Tuesday.

Probably thinking Delph will play against the rags (only just back from injury)...but Danilo at LB would have been better up against Salah.
Not sure it mattered much...the MF just allowed LFC players to run at will with the ball in that first half. None of the back 4 covered themselves in glory last night - and if 4 of your defenders are not at it from the first minute, at Anfield in a QF of the CL...you're gonna be fucked either way.

Add to that a non-existent MF player - it's 10vs11....then your big players decide to have their worse game all together. 

Absolutely no positives from last night....except, maybe....they'll have had such a fucking bollocking that they'll be up for it on Saturday.

blueboy wrote:Absolutely no positives from last night

Well, you say that, but I think I may have found something we can cling on to.

• When we lost to Shakhtar, we beat the rags in the next game and then went on to stick 4 past Swansea, Spurs and Bournemouth.
  
• When we lost to Liverpool, we gave Newcastle a slapping in the next game, then did Bristol to get to the league cup final
  
• When we lost to Wigan, we gave Arsenal back to back hammerings and won a cup in the process
  
• When we lost to Basel, we dominated Stoke and then gave Everton a much needed thumping
  

After every competitive defeat this season, we've beaten the next two teams to come along.

Also:

• When we lost to Shakhtar in the CL, we beat the rags in the next game and then won the following game 4-0 - a carbon copy of what we need to do now. Granted, that time it was only Swansea, but I'll cling on to any glimmer of hope!
  
• When we lost to Basel, the second game after was against a scouse outfit we'd struggled with in the last game, which we won easily. Second game up this time is a scouse outfit who we've struggled with in the last game.
  

Relax, we've got this!

Bloody hell...you're clutching at straws there Leo! 

But I'll take anything right now.

Just get back to our regular side Pep and stop fucking about with a winning team:

Ederson
Walker, Vinny, Ota, Mendy/Delph
Ferdy
Sterling, KDB, Silva, Sane
Aguero

If that team plays anywhere near to it's ability, they'll batter the Rags and give Liverpool one hell of a scare....here's hopin anyway.