Carabao Cup - Semi Finals ** Spoilers ** [5/12/13/20 January 2022]

Man of Honour
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Very poor performance really, we shouldnt have to rely on other teams leaving themselves open for us, we should have the ability to unlock a defence, if we do not have that ability then we need to get it, whether thats by a different tactical plan that can be used or by having new players who have the ability to unlock defences.
 
Caporegime
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Can’t blame the players for that, they tried doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over again as instructed but it just didn’t work. Arsenal did the bare minimum to get the result, sit deep and take the draw.
 
Don
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I've had better 95 mins than that :o

I really don't like the Jota, Firmino, Minamino front 3. All 3 want to play centrally and none offer anything in behind. Hopefully we try something different at the weekend or it could be another struggle.
 
Soldato
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Very poor performance really, we shouldnt have to rely on other teams leaving themselves open for us, we should have the ability to unlock a defence, if we do not have that ability then we need to get it, whether thats by a different tactical plan that can be used or by having new players who have the ability to unlock defences.
Coutinho would do that :/ games like this make me wish we brought him back either for his worldie goals or that perfect threaded ball
 
Caporegime
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Liverpool didn’t really cause us problems until the last 10 mins when they started playing down the wings and whipping balls in. I don’t know why it took them so long to realise that was the better option than trying to thread the ball through a 3 man CB defence.
 
Soldato
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Really hope Mo wasn't watching that, if he was I expect his agent to ring up in the morning and demand 4 million a week because without him Liverpool just haven't a clue, the problem is the midfield is very workmanlike but nobody can hit them, the Arsenal defence weren't exactly worried when Henderson or Milner were lining them up were they?

TAA was really poor all game and it showed when Nico came on, how many corners did TAA fluff I lost count?
 
Soldato
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pretty standard for us this past 18 months against teams that stick everyone behind the ball. Trent had a poor game, but a midfield of Fab/Hendo/Milner doesnt offer anything going forward, add the front 3 that were chosen today and we were always going to struggle to breakdown a packed arsenal back line.

Liverpool didn’t really cause us problems until the last 10 mins when they started playing down the wings and whipping balls in. I don’t know why it took them so long to realise that was the better option than trying to thread the ball through a 9 man CB defence.

fixed that for ya.
 
Soldato
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Liverpool didn’t really cause us problems until the last 10 mins when they started playing down the wings and whipping balls in. I don’t know why it took them so long to realise that was the better option than trying to thread the ball through a 3 man CB defence.

I said before the game we need to give the full backs licence to do what they want because we have no width. Pro ref and a pro manager.


Second leg should be good at least.
 
Caporegime
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pretty standard for us this past 18 months against teams that stick everyone behind the ball. Trent had a poor game, but a midfield of Fab/Hendo/Milner doesnt offer anything going forward, add the front 3 that were chosen today and we were always going to struggle to breakdown a packed arsenal back line.



fixed that for ya.
You can hardly blame us for playing like that with 10 men at Anfield can you?
 
Caporegime
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pretty standard for us this past 18 months against teams that stick everyone behind the ball. Trent had a poor game, but a midfield of Fab/Hendo/Milner doesnt offer anything going forward, add the front 3 that were chosen today and we were always going to struggle to breakdown a packed arsenal back line.

If Arsenal are going in for Tielemans we should be too. He'd be great
 
Caporegime
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Most teams would stick everyone behind the ball at Anfield, great defensive performance from Arsenal, showed how bad pool are without Salah and Mane.
Salah and Mane have played in most of the games we've struggled to break down teams that defend deep, it's the lack of goal threat or options when those two don't score that's our issue.
 
Don
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This thing about us failing to score against teams that sit deep is massively exaggerated. Teams have been defending deep against us for the past 4 years and we find a way to score almost every game. This was just the 2nd time we've failed to score this season. Man City, the side most will say is the most creative in world football have failed to score 4 times this season. Other than last season, where everything that could go wrong for us did, there's been no noticeable difference in our failure to score in games than there's too.

The problem for us is because of the way we play, with typically a workman like midfield and relying on our fullbacks for creativity, when we don't break teams down it's really not pretty. Everything becomes very very scrappy and desperate.

I get that most supporters want and expect perfection but at some point you have to realise that's not possible and there are consequences for everything. What makes a team very good in one aspect means they're not going to so good in another. Part of the reason why City are so creative is because they don't play with a number 9, the consequence of that is there will be times where they create but just don't score. Part of the reason why Salah, Mane & our fullbacks are so effective is because we don't play with a wide open, creative midfield.
 
Soldato
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Gives us a chance in the 2nd leg, however thanks to calamity Xhaka we’re really going to struggle the next few games in midfield given the absentees - no control like in the FA cup game and we saw what happened there.
 
Man of Honour
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17 Aug 2007
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This thing about us failing to score against teams that sit deep is massively exaggerated. Teams have been defending deep against us for the past 4 years and we find a way to score almost every game. This was just the 2nd time we've failed to score this season. Man City, the side most will say is the most creative in world football have failed to score 4 times this season. Other than last season, where everything that could go wrong for us did, there's been no noticeable difference in our failure to score in games than there's too.

The problem for us is because of the way we play, with typically a workman like midfield and relying on our fullbacks for creativity, when we don't break teams down it's really not pretty. Everything becomes very very scrappy and desperate.

I get that most supporters want and expect perfection but at some point you have to realise that's not possible and there are consequences for everything. What makes a team very good in one aspect means they're not going to so good in another. Part of the reason why City are so creative is because they don't play with a number 9, the consequence of that is there will be times where they create but just don't score. Part of the reason why Salah, Mane & our fullbacks are so effective is because we don't play with a wide open, creative midfield.

So the gist of what you are saying is, that our problem is that we dont have a plan B? Or are you saying that its something that we just have to accept because its unavoidable ? What would be your solution to it, would you suggest that to avoid a repeat of tonights situation you'd come up with an alternative tactical gameplan which could be used and thats what we lack (and thus its a training/coaching issue) or would you suggest that there is a certain type of player/s that we lack and should sign (and thus the wallet needs opening and transfers made) or are you saying that its just one of those things that can happen and theres no way to prevent it and so we should dismiss it as an issue to resolve?
 
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