You've got one position out of your starting XI which is under strength and you've still got the likes of Tevez on the bench. Boo Hoo
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UEFA Champions League/Europa League 13/14/15 September *** Spoilers ***
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You've got one position out of your starting XI which is under strength and you've still got the likes of Tevez on the bench. Boo Hoo
Never said we didnt.
Lack of faith? I have already said i like Zaba and he has never let us down. He has rarely if ever played in midfield so that is why i am less confident of a win. What is wrong with that seriously.
If i was saying Dzeko and Aguero were out and we only have Tevez and Balotelli to come in and i was complaining then i can see where people are coming from but i am not.
So i am not allowed to say that we are going to be less strong with Zaba in midfield because we have Tevez on the bench?
Our bench on Wednesday will contain no midfielders. Pantilimon, Kolo, Savic, Clichy, Balotelli, Tevez and A.Johnson.
The other way Mancini might do is by putting Nasri back in CM and play Balotelli out on the wing but Nasri has been devastating from there this season.
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No what's embarrassing is you saying and I quote
Jesus christ I even forgot about the likes of Johnson being on your bench as well, for you to moaning about missing crap like Barry and Milner well -
So our best DM is injured, one of our best players this year injured and Milner also so a RB will step into midfield and i should be as confident as i would be with a player who has played in that position all his career in NDJ, a lot of times in Barry and in Milner a player who plays all across midfield.No what's embarrassing is you saying and I quote
Jesus christ I even forgot about the likes of Johnson being on your bench as well, for you to moaning about missing crap like Barry and Milner well -
Well A.Johnson has been really disappointing this year and i cant see Mancini giving him another chance for a while unless our injuries get worse.
Moaning about missing crap like Barry and Milner?
You clearly haven't watched any City games this year apart from the miniscule MOTD highlights because Barry has been top drawer this year and Milner has been great also. I forgot though about everyone's thoughts on them both because of their England performances so of course they have been awful this year and are a waste of money etc etc
I saw you lose to us, I saw fap fest that was Aguero's debut against Swansea, I saw you do your best to let an awful Bolton team back into a game you should have been streets ahead in and I saw you dismantle Spurs. Fair enough I didn't see the game against Wigan but in the games I have seen (5 of the 6 played) Barry and Milner have still be the same old **** they've always been.
Oh and your best DM? De Jong the fella you advocated selling the other day? Seriously stop now.
Caporegime
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Bizkid, please be honest, you didn't say "oh we've got a couple injuries" you said, quite specifically that you are no longer confident(of a win) against Napoli due to your thread bare midfield.
This is what we've reacted to, nothing more or less, you can claim thats not what you said however, that is what you said, people have quoted it for you several times.
Barry and Milner HAVEN'T been outstanding, they've been surrounded by quality players and so far, not that you should need this pointing out you've already played 3 relegation contenders, and a quite rubbish Spurs. You haven't had them playing exceptionally well against Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool or any good teams in Europe yet. Song looks almost like a footballer against Wigan, yet against Utd he looks like an absolute moron, thats what happens in life, play crap players, look good.
As for your list of people on the bench that aren't midfielders, Johnson is a midfielder. Zabaleta has played dozens of times in central midfield, for someone who praises him so highly you should really know that. Likewise you should be aware that Kompany is completely capable of playing as a DM, is not only capable but rather good there and it was his prefered position for a long time. You might also know Kolo has both played in central midfield, and is also decent there.
So if you played Kompany, Toure and literally ANY one of your other attacking players in the central creative role with Kompany/Toure on either side, and slot Kolo in at the back, you are pretty much playing a STRONGER team than normal.
As for the absolute horror of possibly playing Silva or Nasri in central midfield in the creative role, woe is you, these aren't Torquay players who aren't very good, they aren't going to forget how to pass if they stand in the middle. Neither do you, in a 4-3-3, absolve the wingers of any midfield responsibility, Tevez is happy to play in midfield on the left or right, and could almost certainly fill the creative central midfield role aswell.
This is all ignoring that your weakend squad is many times stronger than Napoli, in every position.
This is what we've reacted to, nothing more or less, you can claim thats not what you said however, that is what you said, people have quoted it for you several times.
Barry and Milner HAVEN'T been outstanding, they've been surrounded by quality players and so far, not that you should need this pointing out you've already played 3 relegation contenders, and a quite rubbish Spurs. You haven't had them playing exceptionally well against Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool or any good teams in Europe yet. Song looks almost like a footballer against Wigan, yet against Utd he looks like an absolute moron, thats what happens in life, play crap players, look good.
As for your list of people on the bench that aren't midfielders, Johnson is a midfielder. Zabaleta has played dozens of times in central midfield, for someone who praises him so highly you should really know that. Likewise you should be aware that Kompany is completely capable of playing as a DM, is not only capable but rather good there and it was his prefered position for a long time. You might also know Kolo has both played in central midfield, and is also decent there.
So if you played Kompany, Toure and literally ANY one of your other attacking players in the central creative role with Kompany/Toure on either side, and slot Kolo in at the back, you are pretty much playing a STRONGER team than normal.
As for the absolute horror of possibly playing Silva or Nasri in central midfield in the creative role, woe is you, these aren't Torquay players who aren't very good, they aren't going to forget how to pass if they stand in the middle. Neither do you, in a 4-3-3, absolve the wingers of any midfield responsibility, Tevez is happy to play in midfield on the left or right, and could almost certainly fill the creative central midfield role aswell.
This is all ignoring that your weakend squad is many times stronger than Napoli, in every position.
Caporegime
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We were going to walk the league but now that Cleverley's out for a bit we might as well write it off 
Caporegime
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Barry and Milner are VERY average at best. Plus they both look like players from a foosball table. Probably about as effective too.
Have you had to turn your ranting towards Biz and City now that everyone else on here is mirroring what you've been saying about Arsenal for the past few years?
To be fair to Biz, it's a little odd to be missing Barry, Milner and De Jong at the same time. We have 4 players for the two main midfield positions, and 3 of them are out. Though I can't say I would be too upset about having Zab there in the middle, it's not our usual M.O. Anyone would be worried about upsetting a balance we've clearly got very right for the opening games of the season, though I suspect it's more CL debut nerves talking than anything. I do expect Napoli to put up a much tougher fight than anything we've faced in the league so far though. Their attack is very good, and have the skill to punish some of the silly mistakes we've gotten away with in the league. Defence will have to be on top form.
In many ways given the occasion it wouldn't be at all surprising to see a bore draw as we potter forward too scared to concede, though I guess we didn't against Spurs so it's anyone's guess!
Well your past thoughts on them are clearly clouding your mind because they have been great this season. End of. Not on the same level as Phil Jones, Smalling, Cleverley and Anderson of course but who is?
Yes he is our best DM. So what if i said if we got De Rossi we should sell him. At this time he is our best DM or does he not count if i think we should sell him?
I love De Jong as i have said many times and i have De Jong on my shirt and even the same boots that he wears.
I said I was less confident of a win not I wasn’t confident of one at all.
As confident not “not confident”. Read it properly.
Yes they have been, they were average to bad last year and now they are playing very very well.
Johnson is a winger not a CM/CDM which is what we need alongside in Yaya and what we have used this season in NDJ and Barry. He hasn’t played dozens of times at all. He has come on a few times and slotted in there but I can never remember him once starting there but if you want to go hunting for stats then please do.
Yes lets take our best CB out of defence and put him in midfield where he hasn't played for nearly 2 years in one of most important games this season.
Oh ok, Put a guy who hasn’t played for 6 months and barely kicked a ball in one of our most important games this season? He hasnt even played reserve football.
Why not put in Hargreaves and Bridge as well? or even Stuart Taylor. Throw in Onouha for good measure
I already said that Mancini might move Nasri to CM but move Silva? Our best player this year and practically the only reason we have won games.
So what if we are stronger in every position they are a good team and are capable of beating us.
ALL I AM SAYING IS THAT I WOULD BE MORE CONFIDENT GOING INTO THE GAME WITH NDJ, BARRY OR MILNER INSTEAD OF ZABA. WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THAT?
I am not too upset with him. I am not upset at all but i just think we would be stronger with NDJ etc in there in such a big game. All i came on here was to say that we are running on bare for midfield and so we are a less likely of a win. If we took out Dzeko and Silva and put in Balotelli and Tevez it would be the same thing.
Well according to DM we should move our best CB and a reason why we have barely conceded this season to midfield against such a top attacking force and play Kolo and Lescott together, both having barely played together and Kolo not playing at all for 6 months.
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Caporegime
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Actually thats just it, you didn't say you were less confident of a win, you say you were no longer confident(of a win I'm assuming). Which again, has been quoted for you on several occasions, you've lost the argument hands down, everyone including you agrees, because instead of arguing your point you keep pretending you said something entirely different.
A simple little "I meant to say less confident" would have put it all to bed, but as so often happens on here, some people just change the argument and pretend it never happened.
A top attacking force, lololololololol, the Italian league is pants, gets battered frequently, and rarely has great games, yes you'll say "but Inter won the CL not long ago", and they surely did. Was it with great attacking football, or even great football, or the only "top" manager who plays anti football in such a way that they'll win the odd competition like that, and have since become half the damn team after a few years playing in that way.
Napoli aren't very good in the grand scale of European football, your best CB, is almost exactly as good at DM, which is the first and probably most important role to a solid defence. Kompany has been brilliant at CB, as has generally most of the defence in huge part due to how good De Jong has been, but ignore that to make your point.
Whats stronger, Kompany at the back and Zabeleta in midfield, or the combination of Kompany in midfield and Kolo at the back...... anyone whose not arguing a losing side would agree the later.
Also, as has been repeated by just about everyone in here, almost everyone on here universally would be more confident with Kompany, or Zabaleta in midfield over Barry, so I doubt many people would agree with that point, however that is your opinion and you're entitled to it.
Honest to god, no matter what team you put out it should be a comftable win baring some fluke.
I've said Kompany is fantastic for, 4 years, the reason you have barely conceded this season and the reason Barry has looked competant............ IS YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED ANYONE REMOTELY GOOD YET!!!! Even saying that, you dropped 2 to Bolton didn't you, who have been downright abysmal so far.
THe same way its laughable to suggest that Arsenal were on course for the title by mid Feb, because over 4-5 weeks we played 6 of the bottom 8 I believe and points wise looked very good, its nuts to pretend you've been beyond brilliant by, also playing 3 relegation contenders and Spurs who had a very very poor game.
Then shall we get down to the last point, your midfield 5, and no matter how you want to pretend wingers do nothing in midfield, no one will agree with you, will likely be......... Yaya, Nasri, Silva, Kompany/Zabeleta in some combination, maybe a Aguero or Tevez on the wings with Dzeko upfront, maybe one of those two upfront and others on the wing, who knows. Bare minimum, its a pathetic statement, bare minimum would be 4-5 awful players who could cost you a game, not 4 of the best players in the world and possibly one great CB/DM or possibly ONE not completely brilliant player in Zabaleta....... hence the boo hoo's.
Bare minimum with 3 injuries, name 3-4 squads in a better situation than you after 3 injuries, Barca..... thats about it, you could argue Utd, even Real.
When Barca/City/Real/Utd fans complain about having 3 injuries and how bad off they are and being bare minimum, they should be slapped, simple as that. You really mean to say you don't have 14 backup world class midfielders to play 3 games a season..... welcome to the real world.
A simple little "I meant to say less confident" would have put it all to bed, but as so often happens on here, some people just change the argument and pretend it never happened.
A top attacking force, lololololololol, the Italian league is pants, gets battered frequently, and rarely has great games, yes you'll say "but Inter won the CL not long ago", and they surely did. Was it with great attacking football, or even great football, or the only "top" manager who plays anti football in such a way that they'll win the odd competition like that, and have since become half the damn team after a few years playing in that way.
Napoli aren't very good in the grand scale of European football, your best CB, is almost exactly as good at DM, which is the first and probably most important role to a solid defence. Kompany has been brilliant at CB, as has generally most of the defence in huge part due to how good De Jong has been, but ignore that to make your point.
Whats stronger, Kompany at the back and Zabeleta in midfield, or the combination of Kompany in midfield and Kolo at the back...... anyone whose not arguing a losing side would agree the later.
Also, as has been repeated by just about everyone in here, almost everyone on here universally would be more confident with Kompany, or Zabaleta in midfield over Barry, so I doubt many people would agree with that point, however that is your opinion and you're entitled to it.
Honest to god, no matter what team you put out it should be a comftable win baring some fluke.
I've said Kompany is fantastic for, 4 years, the reason you have barely conceded this season and the reason Barry has looked competant............ IS YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED ANYONE REMOTELY GOOD YET!!!! Even saying that, you dropped 2 to Bolton didn't you, who have been downright abysmal so far.
THe same way its laughable to suggest that Arsenal were on course for the title by mid Feb, because over 4-5 weeks we played 6 of the bottom 8 I believe and points wise looked very good, its nuts to pretend you've been beyond brilliant by, also playing 3 relegation contenders and Spurs who had a very very poor game.
Then shall we get down to the last point, your midfield 5, and no matter how you want to pretend wingers do nothing in midfield, no one will agree with you, will likely be......... Yaya, Nasri, Silva, Kompany/Zabeleta in some combination, maybe a Aguero or Tevez on the wings with Dzeko upfront, maybe one of those two upfront and others on the wing, who knows. Bare minimum, its a pathetic statement, bare minimum would be 4-5 awful players who could cost you a game, not 4 of the best players in the world and possibly one great CB/DM or possibly ONE not completely brilliant player in Zabaleta....... hence the boo hoo's.
Bare minimum with 3 injuries, name 3-4 squads in a better situation than you after 3 injuries, Barca..... thats about it, you could argue Utd, even Real.
When Barca/City/Real/Utd fans complain about having 3 injuries and how bad off they are and being bare minimum, they should be slapped, simple as that. You really mean to say you don't have 14 backup world class midfielders to play 3 games a season..... welcome to the real world.
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WTF are you going on about now.
I said
Does that say i am not confident? or that i am not longer AS confident as i was. Last week i thought Barry/ De Jong was playing so i was buzzing because they alongside Yaya are likely to nullify the threat of their attacking force before reaching the defence. Zaba and Yaya will probably also do well but having De Jong there would make me more confident of it happening. As an Arsenal fan are you as confident going into the Dortmund game with Frimpong etc in midfield then Ramsey?
I am now less confident because we are now likely to use a player who hasnt played in midfield for a while. What is so hard to understand about that?
I dont have to say i "meant less confident" because i already said that by saying "i am no longer as confident" so that would suggest before what has happened i was confident. No?
Why cant you read properly?
Regarding Kompany, Kolo, Zaba and Barry etc i am not even going to bother posting anymore because i have already said it earlier in this thread and i am not going to repeat myself all the time.
I will say it one last time:
Why are we going to move Kompany into midfield when Zaba can do a job there? and he has played so well with Lescott especially when he is by far and away our best CB. Kolo has yet to kick a ball so why put him in our most important game this season?
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I'm not quite sure what your point is about United's players? Presumably you're having a dig at them and you dont rate them yourself?
As for the De Jong part if you rate him as highly as say you do I would just of assumed you'd be less flippant on the prospect of selling him let alone selling him to bringing in someone older and with absolutely zero experience outside of Italy
Getting back to Milner and Barry, pretty much everyone shares the opinion that they're average run of the mill players I would have assumed seeing them and seeing Silva it would be most apparent to a City fan more than anyone else. Guess not.
I'm looking forward to the Barca V Milano game and I'm also quite interested in seeing how City do in Europe and to how they line up.
Think United v Benfica has the potential to be a good game too as well as Villareal v Bayern
Think United v Benfica has the potential to be a good game too as well as Villareal v Bayern
Fergie's already confirmed we'll be rotating for this so I suspect something similar to this;
---------------De Gea---------------
Fabio----Smalling----Jones----Evra
Valencia---Fletcher---Giggs---Park
---------------Berbatov
------------------Hernandez
Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Carrick, Anderson, Nani, Young, Rooney
I'd wrap Ferdinand in cotton wool for the Chelsea game and with Cleverley injured I suspect Carrick will play in that game as well so no need for him to play against Benfica either. Looking forward to seeing Fletch play, seems like a life time ago since he last played for us. I'm assuming Evans is injured also.
Toughest game of our group by far, if we win we could have qualification wrapped up by match day 4
---------------De Gea---------------
Fabio----Smalling----Jones----Evra
Valencia---Fletcher---Giggs---Park
---------------Berbatov
------------------Hernandez
Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Carrick, Anderson, Nani, Young, Rooney
I'd wrap Ferdinand in cotton wool for the Chelsea game and with Cleverley injured I suspect Carrick will play in that game as well so no need for him to play against Benfica either. Looking forward to seeing Fletch play, seems like a life time ago since he last played for us. I'm assuming Evans is injured also.
Toughest game of our group by far, if we win we could have qualification wrapped up by match day 4
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Good to see Valencia, Fabio and Fletcher back... and Berba has a chance to score a goal in europe for like 3 years?
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Caporegime
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I really hope he doesn't rotate that drastically. Benfica are a good team and I wouldn't want that many changes. Is Valencia actually fit now?
Caporegime
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Did anyone read Sidney Sam saying 'Who the **** are Chelsea?' 