UEFA Champions League/Europa League 2/3/4 October *** Spoilers ***

Rather than commenting on City, I would like to praise Dortmund who were absolutely sensational. Reus looked twice the player Bale is, Ledanowski (sp?) Was permanently in space, Goetze likewise.

Every player in that that team was relaxed and incredibly skilful on the ball. The midfield three perfected the balance of creativity and destroying City attacks.

The finishing was not all that bad, Hart was just really good. Hart's reactions and positioning as well as his decision making was top notch; everytime Dortmund played through the defence , Hart was already in position and blocking out the goal.

For me that was the great footballing performance of the last 3 or so years.
 
Disappointing performance all round last night, as bad as Gervinho was i will have to reluctantly say he was by far our best player. Podolski was totally isolated all game and AOC was appalling, didn't do anything right and was actually further forward than Gervinho when we conceded leaving Jenkison all alone vs 2. Cazrola was pretty poor and missed a sitter.

Thought Walcott improved us quite a lot, was very direct and took his man on and won most of the time. Nice header from Giroud to set up Ramsey. Are we more shakey at the back because Mertesaker isn't playing? Just seem all over the place since he stopped playing.

We really need to improve for saturday.
 
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Snax said:
Rather than commenting on City, I would like to praise Dortmund who were absolutely sensational. Reus looked twice the player Bale is, Ledanowski (sp?) Was permanently in space, Goetze likewise.

Every player in that that team was relaxed and incredibly skilful on the ball. The midfield three perfected the balance of creativity and destroying City attacks.

The finishing was not all that bad, Hart was just really good. Hart's reactions and positioning as well as his decision making was top notch; everytime Dortmund played through the defence , Hart was already in position and blocking out the goal.

For me that was the great footballing performance of the last 3 or so years.
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Dortmund were good (or City were bad one or the other) but I do think you're going a tad OTT. For all Hart's saves none we really spectacular, he just made a lot of good saves so you can either credit Dortmund for constantly getting their efforts on target or criticize them for not being more clinical and tbh given the miss by Lewandowski and the amount of one on ones Gotze missed it's probably more of the latter.

Apart from Gotze I didn't see anyone in a Dortmund shirt that I thought would be great in another team so maybe like Kagawa who I've been mainly unimpressed by since we signed him these players suit Dortmund rather than being true world class players in the making....

To balance things up though I did enjoy watching them last night and hope they do make it through the group and into the latter stages of the competition if for no other reason than to add something new rather than the usual names still left in after Christmas
 
I was pretty underwhelmed by Lewandowski after facing him in every bloody match online in FIFA13, mind you could have just been one of those matches they couldn't score, didn't they tank munich 5-2/3 or something in their cup final?

Also Hart got a hand to the goal did he not? Probably should've saved it.
 
love the benzema goal, and ronaldo looks like he is worth 500k a week.

City in crisis. They only just fluked the title last season and this season they look very average for 80mins of a game. Some of the passing is top notch but in my eyes they look tired.
 
Not sure why Tevez didn't feature. Was he injured?

I think he would have made a big difference in pushing the Dortmund back 4. Do people think the City penalty was soft? It looked like it hit his arm rather cleanly from the replay I saw... a handball doesn't have to be deliberate to be a penalty.
 
CliffyG said:
Disappointing performance all round last night, as bad as Gervinho was i will have to reluctantly say he was by far our best player. Podolski was totally isolated all game and AOC was appalling, didn't do anything right and was actually further forward than Gervinho when we conceded leaving Jenkison all alone vs 2. Cazrola was pretty poor and missed a sitter.

Thought Walcott improved us quite a lot, was very direct and took his man on and won most of the time. Nice header from Giroud to set up Ramsey. Are we more shakey at the back because Mertesaker isn't playing? Just seem all over the place since he stopped playing.

We really need to improve for saturday.
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Playing better opposition, nothing more or less really. We were woeful defensively against Liverpool, and Montpellier, just weren't punished. Mertesacker would have been even worse than the current partnership. Don't forget Kos has been the player involved when we conceded with Mert or Verm involved, and Kos probably deserved a red card last night as well.

Walcott was potentially better, but not much, I think a lot of that was just tiring team that travels badly getting worse, AOC would likely have done a bit more had he come on later. Walcott can be an effect sub for that reason, pace against what is fresh players who aren't much slower isn't as good as pace against a tired left side, especially with a player like Walcott who is usually pretty lazy.

I said during the game AOC is getting a tad worrying. His "break out" performances after xmas last year he was direct, he produced crosses, passes, and a few goals, cup, champs league and league but not long after he started playing in the league he seemed to drop off. He stopped being so influencial and its pretty much gone the same way since then. The more games he puts in like that where he really produces very little, the further away he seems from someone who genuinely adds to the team rather than wastes the ball.
 
fez said:
Not sure why Tevez didn't feature. Was he injured?

I think he would have made a big difference in pushing the Dortmund back 4. Do people think the City penalty was soft? It looked like it hit his arm rather cleanly from the replay I saw... a handball doesn't have to be deliberate to be a penalty.
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Mancini is trying to alter the entire team, formation, starting line up, to win the champs league. He's clearly terrified of not doing well in the champs league, knows whatever he's done before hasn't worked so is randomly trying to change the team into what he THINKS can win the champs league without any regard for the fact that, he has no idea how to get a 5-3-2 playing well, he doesn't have the players for it, and he's killing the team in the process of going after a pipe dream.

To win the champs league, you get the team playing as well as possible, there is no winning formation or line up, best performance they can muster, full stop. Last seasons team with a few improvements and another year player together would improve as a team, instead he's making them worse.

Me wonders if there is a minimum expectation in the champs league clause in his contract or something, if they crash out early they can fire him for half the cost or something else stupid. He's destroying a team in pursuit of a magic new formation for the champs league.

he's never really seemed like a motivational manager, unlike Mourinho, the later can pump the team up for one game, or a bunch of cup games, Mancini has never seemingly been able to do that.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Playing better opposition, nothing more or less really. We were woeful defensively against Liverpool, and Montpellier, just weren't punished. Mertesacker would have been even worse than the current partnership. Don't forget Kos has been the player involved when we conceded with Mert or Verm involved, and Kos probably deserved a red card last night as well.

Walcott was potentially better, but not much, I think a lot of that was just tiring team that travels badly getting worse, AOC would likely have done a bit more had he come on later. Walcott can be an effect sub for that reason, pace against what is fresh players who aren't much slower isn't as good as pace against a tired left side, especially with a player like Walcott who is usually pretty lazy.

I said during the game AOC is getting a tad worrying. His "break out" performances after xmas last year he was direct, he produced crosses, passes, and a few goals, cup, champs league and league but not long after he started playing in the league he seemed to drop off. He stopped being so influencial and its pretty much gone the same way since then. The more games he puts in like that where he really produces very little, the further away he seems from someone who genuinely adds to the team rather than wastes the ball.
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I'm not sure who is best out of Mertesaker or Kos, it just seems that Verm plays better alongside Mertesaker. I thought Kos was awesome last year but no where near as good this season.

I think Walcott was quite a bit better and i reckon that he should start with AOC replacing him later in the game. I do agree that AOC is worrying at the moment. I think he got hyped too high too quick, he has had a couple of standout performances at Arsenal but not recently. He needs to be eased into it again rather than playing poorly time after time.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Mancini is trying to alter the entire team, formation, starting line up, to win the champs league. He's clearly terrified of not doing well in the champs league, knows whatever he's done before hasn't worked so is randomly trying to change the team into what he THINKS can win the champs league without any regard for the fact that, he has no idea how to get a 5-3-2 playing well, he doesn't have the players for it, and he's killing the team in the process of going after a pipe dream.

To win the champs league, you get the team playing as well as possible, there is no winning formation or line up, best performance they can muster, full stop. Last seasons team with a few improvements and another year player together would improve as a team, instead he's making them worse.

Me wonders if there is a minimum expectation in the champs league clause in his contract or something, if they crash out early they can fire him for half the cost or something else stupid. He's destroying a team in pursuit of a magic new formation for the champs league.

he's never really seemed like a motivational manager, unlike Mourinho, the later can pump the team up for one game, or a bunch of cup games, Mancini has never seemingly been able to do that.
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The way we won the title would suggest otherwise. After the Arsenal loss the players were on the floor and we pulled back an 8 point lead. Unprecedented against a team like utd who are the self named "kings of the comeback". I guess your going to say that it was all the players and nothing to do with Mancini?

As for the rest, very easy to say in hindsight. Had we played 352 last night and played like Dortmund we would have been lauded as the best team in Europe at the moment and Mancini is a tactical magician. It didn't work so now he is a man who is terrified and is going to lose his job and City are in crisis.

For the record I don't think 352 is working for us right now and we should be sticking with 4231 with the same team as last year but I maintain that we have the players to be able to do it, just a matter of getting it working and until we start playing the way we did last year we don't change from 4231.
 
Good evening from Athens! Our starting team tonight is: Lloris, Walker, Dawson (c), Caulker, Vertonghen, Huddlestone, Dembele, Dempsey, Lennon, Bale and Defoe

Subs: Cudicini, Gallas, Sandro,
Townsend, Falque, Mason and Sigurdsson

another strong line up. i like us taking this comp seriously but i fear this could nacker us in the prem if we progress far.
 
Off to St James to watch the Toon, first time this season do having a few beers to lubricate the lungs then off to scream and shout, win or lose :p
 
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