Live Match Discussion 2016/17

[Jabbawolf]

Sterling has been utter gash.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Seems very weak minded since he first broke through at Liverpool, seemed to have plenty of self confidence back then but now he never looks sure about what he wants to do, more tentative trying to beat players, think that earlier miss when he combined well with Aguero to get behind Blind has killed him for the rest of this game.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Luke Shaw's been on the Ben Marshall Jan-Feb diet again.

 

[Tredman]

Christ, Utd are really boring.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Christ, Utd are really boring.

Fellaini is their Edwards, clatters around all game but any attacking moves end as soon as he gets the ball.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

This game is a turd.

City having all the ball and taking zero risks with it, United sitting everyone but Rashford within 40 yards of their own goal and watching City do nothing.

This is the sort of game that makes me dislike Pep, if a team is content to just sit deep in numbers then the onus has to be on his side to try and force the issue, they can't just pointlessly dominate possession in the hope that the opponent surrenders something.

 

[Tredman]

Having 10 players in your own penalty area most of the time doesn't help with attacking either.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

And Fellaini loses his shit.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Utter, utter melt.

 

[PuntsWolf]

He's not very intelligent

 

[Tredman]

What a dick. Still makes a change from using his elbow.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Tbf it's a bit of a joke how Aguero was going in to square up and the falls over. Gamesmanship/cheating

 

[MARKakaJIM]

The second freekick is such a non-event as well.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I just cannot understand the behaviour by Fellaini, though Aguero made the most of it. Just pathetic really.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Great call lino on the disallowed goal.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Does Pep enforce some stupid rule where his players aren't allowed to cross the ball unless they've beaten a man first? They're so fucking slow getting the ball into the box when they've got it out wide to someone in space.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Does Pep enforce some stupid rule where his players aren't allowed to cross the ball unless they've beaten a man first? They're so fucking slow getting the ball into the box when they've got it out wide to someone in space.

Sounds like LvG's "attackers must take a touch before they shoot" stuff...

Not a good game. Fair to have a go at United for their approach - though their priority lies elsewhere you feel and they also have the excuse of injuries galore - but City needs to accept their share of the blame, too much pedestrian crap going nowhere. I don't know what Yaya is supposed to be giving them in that role for a start, waste of a shirt.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Toure's a waste now, he's just a slower version of Fernandinho who doesn't tackle, hasn't got the legs to go on the beasty runs anymore and takes no risks with the ball at all these days, just lumbers round playing needless 1-2s with centre halves or his midfield partner.

Both City's wide players were shit, neither really had the beating of anyone all game but still seem to persist with that choice rather than just delivering the ball early when they were getting on the ball in acres of space constantly, you'd think an early cross would be useful for the likes of Aguero too when he's actually got some space to attack rather than trying to beat bigger blokes in the air. Was really unimpressed with Aguero too, don't think he does anywhere near enough for the team, Neville was creaming himself over the drifting wide to find space but he just seems incredibly selfish, even when he drifted around he just ended up trying to run it towards goal himself rather than linking up with anyone to create something. Thought his first touch and close control were very ropey at times too, didn't really look like he'd be able to negotiate his way through the tight/crowded spaces he kept getting himself into.

Think there was precious little flexibility in there from Pep, something that's been seen quite often before when teams set up like this against them, I'm not sure if it's that he's being too principled and refusing to budge from his preferred way or whether it's a bit of arrogance that he doesn't think that sort of 'anti-football' can stand in the way of his style. I've never been his biggest fan though so perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, but I do think at times his teams look like they have very little freedom to do their own thing, especially in those situations, players just relentlessly doing the same things over and over again that have barely caused their opponents to break a sweat all game.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He is arrogant, always has been, there's always been a sense that he tries to show how clever he is rather than just picking the simplest, most obvious solution which will probably produce results, there's also the thing where he doesn't practice defending set pieces and all his teams are insanely vulnerable to them. Imagine Real knocking in corners to Ramos against this lot, he'd be on for a hat trick all the time.

He'll be ok for now but they haven't won anything this year, not even that close really and for all that the board pursued him and for all his reputation, he needs to change that next year. All of the full backs and keepers should be gone as well as Yaya, Navas, Otamendi, Fernando, Mangala, Bony, Delph etc.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

United set up for a draw, as they did at Anfield, and they got exactly what Mourinho wanted.