Man City need a massive re-build and SIX of the starting XI that lost to United are among those who need to be cast out.
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Lads, it’s Man City
Yes, I know, I know. We hear it every frigging time United wins. Yes it was only City. But you can only beat the team on the pitch opposite you each week. Pity that it was such weak opposition otherwise United would be allowed to properly celebrate this victory.
Prince MNC, Muskoka, Canada
Manchester is Red
Not a sparkling performance and City are out of form, but any win in the derby is a good one and City are still capable of a good performance – suspect Pep will work it out and have them firing again soon.
This was no smash and grab performance, even if we scored both our goals late in the day, as we had similar stats of note yet we created 2 clear cut chances to their zero, and their goal relied on a huge slice of luck. I felt our defending was good and we looked fairly solid as a team, the most comfortable we have been at the Etihad in some time.
Bruno spurned a glorious chance and as time ticked on I did start to struggle to see where a goal might come from. Of course it had to be Amad making things happen, not once but twice. He is great to watch as he is brave and direct on the ball and works hard for the team. Plus he can play in a number of positions so is thriving in the new system brought in by Amorim.
It’s clear that the players are still trying to get to grips with the new formation but there are some good signs. We have had decent spells of possession for instance, although I would like to see us play our football a bit further forward but hopefully that will come in time. The output of the wingbacks is extremely important and their quality in the final third hasn’t been there yet. Whether it will come without a change in personnel remains to be seen.
Finally, it was refreshing to see Amorim draw a line in the sand with Rashford and Garnacho. The former has now had plenty of chances of redemption and is quickly running out of road. Garnacho will likely get another chance or two and I hope he gets his head right – he should look at how his hero put his head down as a youngster at Utd and became one of the greatest. Regardless, Manchester is red.
Garey Vance, MUFC
Man City need a rebuild
Honestly, I can take a bad season. It’s one out of many and based off of the last few years no City fan has a right to be too upset about a drop (more like fall) in form.
However. There are a few players who really need to be moved on (and some who maybe just reached the end of their City career)
Jack Grealish – has had a few good years, but never really looked like the player that came for £100mil. Let him go now whilst there might still be a few takers.
Nathan Ake – nothing too much against him, but he’s the weakest of many CB’s in the team.
Matheus Nunes – was a massive panic buy and one that has not worked out. Nowhere near the quality needed to be a Man City player. Honestly, he can go for less than 10mil as far as I’m concerned.
Gundogan – made sense bringing him back, but not sure what he’s really offering the team now. Maybe keep him in a coaching capacity, but he playing days have got to be over.
Kyle Walker – without the pace he had to mask his flaws he’s just not good enough. Off to Saudi for a pay day.
Kovacic – can run a lot, but what else is he really doing. Can’t pass, barely offers a goal threat, and seems susceptible to counters. Getting on as well so legs will go soon.
Bernardo Silva – pains me, but I just think the team needs new life and every year he’s rumoured to want to go, so let him. We’d most likely get good money for him still.
Kevin De Bruyne – will go down as one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen, but injuries and age have really caught up with him and he’s just not been the same. It’ll be painful, but letting him go now and finding a replacement is the best for all parties. Deserves a statue (or at least a cake).
Ederson – maybe not as soon as the end of this season, but we need to be looking at who his replacement is sooner rather than later.
John Stones – such a great player for us, can’t talk ill of him, but again injuries seem to be piling on and he isn’t getting any younger. Maybe some fresher legs to replace him.
Hopefully these players can replaced by young players with the energy the team is desperately lacking. Still keep a good core of the team in Dias, Rodri, Foden and Haaland. Give academy players like Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb chance to develop further, whilst hopefully developing Gvardiol, Doku and Savinho into quality players.
I’d be interested to hear who other City fans would like to be bought or who they’d like to see leave.
Jack (Man City fan)
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Man City psychodrama
I’m a stat nerd, and I’ve seen some good statistical analyses of Manchester City’s troubles, with injuries and tactics taken into account. But all the stats in the universe can’t explain what happened yesterday. This is psychodrama.
City were pretty ordinary against United, but they were about to eke out a win against a similarly ordinary team. It’s been done a million times. Teams have also lost from that position, it happens. And I’m aware that Amad Diallo is rapidly achieving legend status. But to lose the way they did, on two utterly elementary errors, at home no less, means their confidence is shot.
And that has to come from the top. Somehow Pep Guardiola, who has put together one of the most steely winning machines in football history, has lost his mojo. Maybe once you no longer believe you’re invincible, you become helpless in adversity.
This has very little to do with football per se. What we’re seeing is just humans being human. (That sound you hear is a thousand Psych doctoral candidates drafting out thesis proposals.) But it’s rare for the effect on a football club to be so drastic.
I can only think of one recent parallel: when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced José Mourinho at Manchester United. The team became utterly liberated, and swept to a series of remarkable victories that couldn’t be explained solely by tactics. Eventually they fell back, which was predictable. But can it happen in reverse? Can a team that drops so suddenly recover itself under the same manager? I’d be very surprised if they did.
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA (I still love stats)
Is Pep being clever as always?
Ageing squad, possibility of points deduction, expiring contract. Signs an extension, makes dubious comments about the club, turns in terrible performances, continues to play Walker…
He just wants a better pay off surely?
Dave (yet Arsenal so do not take advantage) Bracknell
…Just a thought on the current state of City. Is there a chance Pep’s doing this on purpose?
Maybe he genuinely believed that the financial dodgy dealings were rubbish and the higher-ups in the club convinced him that was the case.
This summer he realises that was a load of tosh, he’s been played, and will be made to look a fool.So signs a big fat two year extension, with the full intent on tanking the team, getting the sack, and a huge payout.
Then he jets back to his family in Spain for a rest, leaving someone else to carry the can when the judgement drops?
Maybe the players feel the same way too – could explain how the whole team is suddenly pants.
Ta muchly,
Dave (or maybe he was always just a bald fraud PVFC
Arsenal: Rubbish
Sorry to disappoint Stewie but we were s*** and Arteta’s excessive pragmatism is very visible to see on the pitch (who needs 10 men running back against Broja?!?!). It’s making low blocks so simple against us because when we get the ball back our whole team is back in our half so you have ages to reset.
It makes us look so boring and predictable because we are right now. He’s right, at the moment we are devoid of attacking threat through 2/3 of the pitch and look clueless if our usual ploys dont work. No excuses, Arteta, currently, is not getting the most out of this team. The players are not as bad as he is making them look and this is a serious problem. Its a shame we chose this season to be rubbish but that’s life.
It’s also a shame Stewie can’t perform some analysis to go with his tirades otherwise he might not quite as polarising (I guess that’s what he’s going for though). I would argue that scoring 88 and 91 goals in the last 2 seasons doesn’t qualify for “can’t coach an attacking team”. He wasn’t emailing in and calling Havertz an ashtray when he was scoring for fun. The midfielder who can’t finish netted 8 last season so…he can. But Arteta this season has got it all wrong.
He’s early in his career, he will make mistakes, will he learn from them? The donut of shame we had when he started he overcame, I think until recently his substitutions were better which was my previous gripe. Now he needs to finish the balance between pragmatism and attacking threat against low blocks, maybe he can change it, maybe he cant. Let’s find out together without all the hyperbole of ashtrays and Brazilian bums please
Rob A (its not really talked about but how interesting/exciting is this season? It feels like the most competitive for ages) AFC
Oh and…
I don’t think, in all my years of reading this site, I’ve even replied to Stewie Griffin, an absolute abomination of a contributor but today’s “Arteta is lucky Moyes ain’t still around” comment is beyond stupid. I give you last season, West Ham 0 Arsenal 6.
Please f*** off now.
Mark Jones, LFC, Liverpool
In response to Lee about Szo
Listen, I get your frustration with Szo but there’s a top player inside that work machine. Problem is you’re blinded by your Xenophobic tendencies it seems. Jones contributes to goals so much more? 1 goal more? Phewwww wow! Firstly Szo works harder than anybody in that midfield with the press. Did you see him against City? He was our best player. Didn’t get the award but most would agree he was deserving of it.
Secondly, I agree he can be frustrating with the ball at times but he’s improving under Slot. You talk about Jones like he lights the league on fire. We need two balls when he plays. One for him to hold on to all day and the other for the rest to play the actual game. I don’t hear you criticise your other English boy , Trent. Hits 1 out of 10 ridiculously hard and dumb pass attempts and he’s lauded when he should be bashed! Constantly gives up possession. One thing that he has improved under Slot is his defending but not hard to go from being a training cone to a Sunday league, at best, defender.
Anyway, I think we are improving and we are still ahead in the league. We need to replace Robertson as he’s starting to look like a major weak link lately. That and a proper number 9 and we look fantastic. Shout out to Ryan too. Dropped his level a little from the start of the season but he’s still been nothing short of amazing. Kinda crazy how Klopp didn’t see this player in him.
Alex
Villa v Forest, referees and stuff
So Villa lost to Forest in the last ten minutes of the match. Not hugely surprising, we were forced to play the same team as Tuesday night in the Champions League (still weird even typing that tbh) due to injuries in key areas that we don’t have much depth and you could tell we were flagging when they came back at us after going 1-0 up. Kudos to them, no complaints there. Definitely need a right back so Konsa can move back into the middle and some attacking wingers to cover for Bailey and others (Philogene is not my winger…).
F365 were right, the Martinez save was a thing of mad beauty, a ’no look’ save? Bonkers.
Really my motivation for writing in was, predictably, the refereeing. Now, the offside only the Almighty can know for certain. VAR fell in our favour this time, was a coin flip to me. This line thing is absolutely the worst and the semi-automated at least FEELS quicker and better even if it’s no more accurate. It’s an actual disgrace that other leagues use it and we don’t…. This is example one of referee’s being let down by those above them.
Next the pull on the arm of Morgan Rogers for a penalty and the incident before Forest’s winner. I thought they were both fouls. Seemed pretty obvious to me. I’ve been watching the game long enough, seen less conspicuous actions awarded free kicks in that very game. Now neither were deemed fouls by the referee or VAR.
So, I do what I normally do in these situation and thought to myself…. “Andy, you are the idiot. You do not know the rules. The commentators are saying words like ‘fleeting’ and ‘allowing contact’. They also say VAR should be following the on-field decision. You are the problem here, not the rules or the professional referee”.
So, this morning I decided to go and educate myself. Did you know there is an official guidance handbook that is meant to explain these ‘interpretations’? Me neither! Why? The PGMOL decide to just publish this thing and then let commentators, presenters, tabloid football writers and (the worst) ex-professionals communicate these things to us. No offence – well a little bit – these are ‘entertainers’ not the finest or most educated of minds capable of digesting and giving us the facts rationally. The ex-referees are just as hopeless as they come across as having no idea either when asked. I checked to see if there was a YouTube video or the like that could be used as an explainer with clear examples, but no. Nothing. Just a pdf.
Looking at it I can almost (but not quite) see the Rogers one. The hand book does state that if both players are holding at the same time it is not a foul – understandable. Rogers was holding his shirt a few seconds BEFORE he was pulled back in the box. The guidance says if the holding impedes progress is should be a foul. Which it did.
The handbook does say the guidance for VAR is that they go with the referees decision unless there is a significant mistake made. The problem with their winner is he did make a significant mistake (I would argue barging violently into an opponent who is off balance and sending them to the floor is compromising player safety somewhat) AND he could not make a decision in the first place as Morgan Rogers was standing in his way and could not see it.
We lost, we deserved to lose. Fair play. I’d just like more transparency and education from PGMOL, Premier League and anyone else as to what the rules actually are. Not just publish them and rely on others to translate them to the average fan. More transparency is needed to stop me feeling like I’m being gaslighted every time I try to understand decisions. Not to mention newcomers to the game, such as my wife, clearly not understanding either. Can they not put together ‘an idiots guide’ for people like…. Well, me?
Funstar (The word ‘fleeting’ is not in the guidance at all…) Andy
Serie A: Pants
Ben asks why Premier League rejects are doing so well in Italy; it’s quite simple Ben, Serie A is rubbish these days.
Those of us of a certain age, like myself, get all misty-eyed thinking about James Richardson holding up a copy of Gazzetta dello Sport with the lank haired, Argentine striking god Batistuta on the front page, but it is all sadly nostalgia. That’s not Italy anymore. It’s closer to Ligue Un than the Premier League.
Lukaku as player of the year? Ashley Young and Matteo Darmian as title winners? McTomadona? You saw Scamacca at West Ham, right? Or Joshua Zirkzee now?
These things often move in cycles, so hopefully one day the lustre will be back and there’ll be a fresh generation of Maldinis, del Pieros, Tottis and Pirlos.
Lewis, Busby Way
