Soldato
Arsenal's Invincible record lives on for another year!! 
Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [1st - 3rd January 2019]
- Thread starter Cosimo
- Start date
Don
MOTM = Woodwork
Caporegime
Well that was alright wasn't it.
I've never seen City work that hard to win the ball back. Mane, Salah and Firminio didn't get close to anyone when they usually get so tight from the front and I can only assume it's because they didn't have support from midfield.
I've never seen City work that hard to win the ball back. Mane, Salah and Firminio didn't get close to anyone when they usually get so tight from the front and I can only assume it's because they didn't have support from midfield.
Caporegime
How long before Madrid are in for Van Dijk to replace Ramos?
Caporegime
Arsenal's Invincible record lives on for another year!!
I doubt it will ever happen again. The league is about 10x stronger than it was when Arsenal went on a drawing rampage to clinch that honour.
They can have Lovren
Soldato
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Best team won.
Probably best supporting somebody else then. I'm so glad I don't post during games because some of the nonsense people come out with is remarkable. We've gone away to one of if not the best footballing side in Europe and people expect us to play open expansive football. For all those complaining about the midfield, I'm sure you weren't paying attention when City's winner comes as a direct result of us taking Milner off and going to a 4-2-3-1. City switch the play quickly and Trent's overloaded, leaving Sane free to run through on goal.
Yes we could have played better collectively and individually but we've lost by one goal in our toughest game and it was only by a very fine margin too. We're 4 points clear at the top of the table with our record points total and least goals conceded partially down to these players you don't want to see play again for us. A bit of perspective is needed.
Caporegime
Go on then, what do that midfield offer us?
Caporegime
I don’t know how anyone can defend Lovren, he’s had nothing to do with Liverpool being where they are this season and is always a disaster waiting to happen.
I do think that Lovren is probably our worst defender currently, not because of lack of skill necessarily but because of lack of consistency, one match he can be really good and another he can be a liability. Just a shame about Gomez injury really as the partnership he was striking up with VVD was looking the business
Caporegime
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A he basically didn't touch Salah, who then threw himself down as if broken and rolled around a bit. He got a fair yellow for a dangerous tackle. It didn't set any kind of tone because the game didn't follow that decision with constant horror tackles nor simply lots of smaller semi bad yellow card style tackles. It didn't have any effect on the game at all except gave liverpool a freekick and a chance.
Also the first bad tackle that was let go where contact was actually made was where Sterling had his foot stamped on, then Fernandinho ran into Robertson who stopped in his path then from being shoved in the back went down holding his face as if punched.
Neither of which really effected the tone of the game either.
Meh performances all around really, City better than Liverpool, Fernandinho better than all. Sterling, Sane and Aguero should have scored another 3-4 between them, Liverpool only really created chances for one or two goals they really should have scored.
I feel like the game would have gone Liverpool's way if that brief spell they came into it after a poor start resulted in that crazy near own goal. Saved by a fraction of a centimetre and City calmed down a little shortly after that and always felt the more likely to win after that.
Didn't the 2nd goal show you what? How many times did City play through us when we had that 3 in midfield? I genuinely can't think of any clear openings. It was a midfield set-up to stop City doing what they do best and that's playing through sides, getting overloads in wide areas and generally tearing teams to bits. They could and should have done more once we got on the ball but the main job was to stop City. You only have to look at the amount of times City played through us after we switched to a 4-2-3-1 to see that.
There is a difference between playing open expansive football to just doing a basic tackle or press.
None of the midfield tonight did that, it only improved once fabinho came on he managed to get our full backs into the game which helped massively.
Sane was doing well from the get go. Lovren couldn't clear a basic ball, half the time he had time to do so. That has nothing to do with city having an amazing team which they do
I said it before the game, the midfield was too similiar as expected Henderson did nothing, didn't press them, didn't do anything going forward.
Wnjaldum has played as defence midfielder better than him in past few weeks.