That too. Ridiculous.
Varchester City 18/19 discussion
- Thread starter Bergman
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PSG? The talent wasnt there, but the work ethic certainly was. Peirera, Fred and McTomminay is quite a horrenous midfield trio on paper, but they worked their bollocks off that night.
By domestic standards of the time you were elite. But by current international standards of the PL this City side would easily run over that United side. I mean I hate to say they'd probably run over any Arsenal side but they might do
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Current City vs 93/94 United? Two different worlds, right?
Depends which era of refereeing we’re talking. If it’s with current rules, the City Front 3 + KDB would run Pallister and Bruce absolutely ragged, it wouldn’t be preety and Keane would be sent off in the first half.
If it is be played with early 90s rules and on 90s pitches then I don’t know if the likes of Sterling and Aguero could survive the match in full health.
The double is still on the table. Horrible if it happens. But I still think we need to focus on our team more than what others are doing. Unfortunately our team is in disarray and we don’t see a clear solution yet. Hopefully Ole can get the reinforcements we need.
You're reminding me of the time Wigan played the Union side Bath and won 82–6, in the first league match and then lost the Union rules game 44–19. That or Arsenal vs Stoke away.
But I do tend to think modern players would adapt quiet quickly to being kicked.
Of course, it would be nice to be able to affect these outcomes on the pitch instead of just hoping.
Still on track for 198 points in two seasons.
We didn't play well. Nervy and a bit leggy, but a win's a win even if it was tough on the ticker. Think Guardiola got the tactics wrong again pushing the full backs so high with Son and Moura running riot on the break. If anything the KDB injury helped by getting Fernandinho on the pitch.
5 cup finals left.
5 cup finals left.
twitter.com/amkpersonal/status/1119983765852495875?s=21
City already have us beat before kickoff. Look at the difference in quality. United literally have zero width. We have one or two options which are predictable and easy to nullify whereas City are unpredictably dynamic and able to attack from just about anywhere.
Lord have mercy come Wednesday
City already have us beat before kickoff. Look at the difference in quality. United literally have zero width. We have one or two options which are predictable and easy to nullify whereas City are unpredictably dynamic and able to attack from just about anywhere.
Lord have mercy come Wednesday
This season has been nuts. For City to have accumulated this many points with the fact that KDB has been out for most of the season, bearing in mind his contributions by way of goals and assists last season, along with Aguero suffering multiple injuries, Mendy out virtually all season, Fernandhino and numerous other injuries, is crazy. To come through that kind of injury list and still be competing with 86 points and 4 games to play, is amazing. If City end up with 95 points and come second, it is a testament to building and planning, more than being the best or second best side. You guys have suffered from a travesty of a total lack of long term planning and strategy for 6-7 years and not having a Director of Football is just arrogant.
In the premiership era, the highest points any team has ever totalled by coming second was 89 - which was you guys in 2011-12. You also achieved the 2nd highest total in coming second with 88 points, in the season that Blackburn won the league.
You don't really have injury crisis when you have spent to the levels which you have. The only injury to hurt you has been the loss of Fernandinho. This is really on Pep though as he should have bought a DM rather than Mahrez.
The rot set in for Utd a lot longer than 7 years ago. Our under investment in the squad when you were making £100 Mill + transfer windows the norm has led us to the position we are in. The DOF argument is a slight red herring. You can hire a DOF but that doesn't automatically mean he & the club will be a success. There are many labeling Begiristain as the best DOF at the present time. It shouldn't be forgotten that he sanctioned the transfers of both Sanchez & Fred. The fact that these players decided to sign for us when we showed an interest is irrelevant. The fact remains that you would have bought these players if we hadn't.
I agree to an extent that when you have spent as much as City have then you can't expect much sympathy when you start bemoaning injuries to players but to claim that only Fernandinho's injury has hurt us is so untrue. de Bruyne stood out as comfortably the best player in a team that won 100 points last season, that alone speaks volumes. To suggest that his absence has not hurt us is to completely dismiss his qualities. He has the best delivery in the league and one of the best in the world, easily. He'll create chances out of nothing. As good as Silva and Bernardo can be at making chances they cannot compete with de Bruyne in certain regards. We saw against Spurs how influential he can be. Mendy's injury is also a problem when your back ups are Delph and a young midfielder from Ukraine, and again Mendy has some very important qualities when he is fit.
How will these cnuts deal with the pressure of having to win tomorrow night? Usually a point away to a big rival is a good result in a title race but that could prove catastrophic for City with such little time to recover should Liverpool take advantage of it. There is huge pressure on them tomorrow and this City team, when the chips have been firmly down under Guardiola and wins are the only acceptable result, have a patchy record of getting the job done (granted, more so in Europe - but the point stands).
These blue bastards better be up for it tomorrow night and claim all three points.
These blue bastards better be up for it tomorrow night and claim all three points.
Not in the league at least. Won at home to Liverpool this season, away to Tottenham last season... They've stepped up to the challenge more often than not when they've needed to.
The challenge of needing to win out is different... But they have the quality to do it. Hoping Liverpool negates the need for them to do so.
So apparantly Pep is furious with Ole, seing Ole said City would kick us on the heels and ankles, pull us down for professional fouls high up the pitch etc, and Pep did not like it one bit, eh? Pep claiming he's never once set his team up, or instructed them to foul on purpose.
I can't seem to find it at the moment, but I seem to remember a certain team talk being highlighted from their City documentary on Amazon where him or one of his staff repeatedly told the players to be quick to foul and kick the opponent to win the ball back. Why does the media not react to this?
Pep: "I've never said this"
Media: "Weeeell, there's this, this and this."
Pep : "feck"
I can't seem to find it at the moment, but I seem to remember a certain team talk being highlighted from their City documentary on Amazon where him or one of his staff repeatedly told the players to be quick to foul and kick the opponent to win the ball back. Why does the media not react to this?
Pep: "I've never said this"
Media: "Weeeell, there's this, this and this."
Pep : "feck"
I'm sure he's just trying to use OGS' words to fire up the City squad.
It's annoying that these twats are going to get the most opposition wins at Old Trafford in the PL (7). They're currently joint 1st with Chelsea with 6 anyway.
Probably and likely, although it's not the first time I've heard him claim his innocence on this subject, even when it's pretty clear on the pitch
my god the lack of insightBeing that a referee jogged halfway across the pitch to overturn a lino’s offside decision in their favor a month ago, I’d say that’s rather doubtful.
Is the transfer ban talk all just swept under the rug?
Ha well he's hardly going to admit to it in a press conference.Probably and likely, although it's not the first time I've heard him claim his innocence on this subject, even when it's pretty clear on the pitch
I do think the "tactical foul" argument is slightly overblown to be honest. Yes teams that press high will tend to kill off potential breakaways at source more than other teams. But a foul is a foul for me, I don't see so-called tactical fouls as more egregious than any other type of foul. Of all the City players, Fernandinho clearly has the worst reputation for tactical fouling, but he's only tied 24th for most fouls in the PL this season. So it's not like he's a one-man fouling machine, but he's clearly clever sometimes in committing fouls early enough in a move that they are not yellow card-worthy/last ditch.
I think we agree on most things. I don't either think tactical fouls are the worst, but how they separate for me is their premeditated, while if you make a challenge, genuinely going for the ball and miss out, that's also fair enough. The reason he's tied 24th for most fouls this season is (to me atleast) pretty obviously because you average 65-70% possession, so you don't need to call upon him as often.
He is indeed clever in his tackling, he is a fantastic footballer at the end of the day. I do feel he does get away cheaply a lot though, cynically tackling someone without trying to get the ball should be an automatic yellow, he seems to get away with loads of these cynical fouls.
Pep
I never told my players to make tactical fouls, not in Man city not Munich, not even Barcelona
I never told my players to make tactical fouls, not in Man city not Munich, not even Barcelona
It’s so blatantly obvious that City do, and are told to do, tactical fouls.
The officials let it pass - that is the only reason their card and foul count isn’t higher.
They are good at disguising fouls, doing it out of the line of sight, making it look accidental etc.
It SHOULD be constantly highlighted, because it’s horrible to watch. Only 1 team is allowed to play.
Pep is an utter hypocrite. Goes mental if the opposition do it.
He can fekk off.
If only the media had thrown this straight back at him when he bare face lied to them. They were disgusting in the 2nd half against Spurs with their tactical fouls and diving. Sterling in particular was acting a massive prick in that game. Was hoping someone would run in and take his jaw off the little gobshite.
Pep is never going to admit to instructing his players to carry out tactical fouls, why would he? Though the way he reacts to the accusation is always amusing. "Who, me!?"
Every foul Foulandinho make breaking a promising counter attack should be a yellow card, Referees are so shit and does not have the balls to book him for tactical fouls, they use "the spirit of the law".
There is an article about it in F365 (usually a very pro Pep/pro City site)
Dirty City? Solskjaer was right to call Man City on tactical fouls…
https://www.football365.com/news/dirty-city-solskjaer-was-right-to-call-man-city-on-tactical-fouls
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....but but he changed football, talks in a whispery latin way, xavi iniesta messi etcPep
I never told my players to make tactical fouls, not in Man city not Munich, not even Barcelona
A whole 0.16 fouls per minute more than United. Criminals!!!
That's 1 extra foul per 90 minutes or full match out of possession. Considering one team plays a high press and tries to get the ball back while the other (well I dunno what they do) I'd say its acceptable.
If anything that link puts to bed the argument high pressing teams like City, Spurs and Liverpool foul much more often and cynically than other sides.
That's still not really accurate. Even those figures don't take into account that a high press will more often than not win the ball back quickly by forcing a mistake and without even needing to make a tackle. When the initial press hasn't worked, that's when City's instructions become clear.
That in itself is some crazy numbers!
That is fouls per minute though, we foul just under every 3 minutes, United just over every 3 (without the ball). We obviously foul much less per game as we have so much ball. I'm also under no illusion that City don't tactical foul, of course we do.
But we don't do it to the level spouted first by Jose, quickly followed by it becoming a thing on the Caf and now by OGS. We miss a tackle we make a foul, just like every other team. Of course we foul higher up the pitch because its where we defend but we're no more cynical than any other team.
I disagree and I don't think its a City thing. It's a Pep thing. At Barcelona he had that little prick Busquets doing it.