This isn't actually true. They really struggled when opponents managed to play at high intensity and press them high well. Teams back then just didn't have either the stamina or tactical sophistication to pull it off in more than short bursts. Mourinho's fine tuned anti-barcelona strategy was just that: high intensity high press bursts followed by periods of rest in a low block. And Barcelona seriously struggled to deal with our press in those periods. Liverpool and city do that normally and face teams that are also much better at it
Champions League Semi Finals (26th Apr - 4th May)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Cant look past a routine City win sadly.
We need them to stop Pool, they’re our only hope.
We need them to stop Pool, they’re our only hope.
I think if City get the first goal it's probably done. They normally control games from a leading position. Madrid scoring first would make it very interesting.
Ahahha i love Evra 
Just said "you need people who don't shit themselves" on live tv
Just said "you need people who don't shit themselves" on live tv
City cannot win the CL, much rather Liverpool who already won it before. Let City be that plastic club without a Champions League
Evra and Seedorf messing around with our players during the warm up
Kroos starting again? Yeah Real are about to get cooked differently.
Moments FC to take the lead and frustrate Process FC for the rest of the game. Pep gonna Pep.
I’m shouting for Madrid tonight!
Benzema headed a free header too high.
Disagree totally, and the Mourinho thing is the worst example. Take the Inter victory in the Champions League. Inter hardly had the ball and were content that way. It was all Barca in possession, there was no mix of high press and low block, it was all low block and counter.
Barca were the team that used to do the energetic high press and once they won the ball back you never saw it again. The key thing about that Barca team was that every player was comfortable on the ball and the midfield especially so. I think they were definitely a better team than current City.
It's all kicking off
State of Laporte, dickhead
Laporte raises his arm
Laporte...what a wanker.
Handbags baby
Get up, Laporte, you fanny! Modric not taking crap from anybody.
Should be a red surely
How was he not sent off
Spanish footballers who are actually French are embarrassing.
Laporte slaps Modric and falls over
Footballers really are an embarrassing bunch
Ref head butted Walker
How did Casemiro not get booked?
Laporte slaps Modric as he pretended to get hit. Where's VAR for this stuff?
Laporte lucky there
Laporte
Getting fiesty
As much as I don’t want city to qualify these w@nkas play awful diving football. Hope city batter em
Teflon
Isn’t that an automatic red?
Laughable that var seems unable to give him a red there when he slapped modric and then dropped to the ground himself.
McManaman trying to hide his glee at the prospect of City having a CB sent off.
Seriously, why is a former Madrid and Liverpool player co-commentating on this?
Seriously, why is a former Madrid and Liverpool player co-commentating on this?
Laporte, what a total wanker
Laporte a fecking iditot, he will get targeted and pick up a second yellow.
Meh, better to have at least some counterweight to the normally super patriotic bias you get everywhere.
Laporte is an embarrassment
He's ex-City as well.
And City
Any Leeds connection and he's the perfect super villain