Manchester City 2-1 West Ham Utd (28/11/21)

[Aceface]

What we might finish like middle to top 6 position and have good runs in cups.

Don’t think Brighton have won since September and they’re still top 8. Shows we’d have to really let the arse fall out of it to not at least be in touching distance with the European spots come season’s end.

[Aceface]

I don't think Johnson was as bad as some are making out. Was far from his best game but he's young and will be inconsistent. He did a brilliant goal line clearance in the first half.

His defensive work is always pretty good. But like Fredericks his ability to find a teammate isn’t (yet) on the same level as the rest of the squad. Doesn’t mean he can’t get there because his crossing is often good.

Might be yet another reason he might be better suited right now to a third CB. It’s an experiment that might be worth attempting against Dinamo Zagreb.

[steps]

Well at least it’s out of the way, the last thing we would of needed was the game called off after kick off and having to play it again later in the season.

Didn’t see the game but saw Lanzini’s goal via an online video clip and it was brilliant.

[Aceface]

Pep very magnanimous again. Boring, prefer Klopp’s salty bitching.

From about 2:50 in his interview

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59363477

[DasNutNock2]

You’d sell a kidney to win the things that we have and play football the way we do.

Really twatty post, Jim.

[Ethanadict]

It’s not that long ago we were in the habit of losing 5~0 against this lot and we were a pushover. That’s not us any more.

I always thought we’d have a truer picture of our rightful position once we got this run of games out of the way from Liverpool to Chelski, with Citeh in the middle. Two of the big three played and we are still 4th, and, one of only four teams in the Premier League in positive goal difference. Fantastic.

We never seem to have an easy game v Brighton but hopefully we can return to winning ways. I’m really up for the Chelski game. They are playing well but we are still massive.

[Monkey Mike]

Really twatty post, Jim.

Agreed. Used to be a decent poster but an air of unpleasantness these days.

[Absolutely Hammered!]

Hard to compete against a team that don't let you have the ball and then press you like they do when we have it. Thought we contained them well for the most part and I didn't feel we were bombarded like years gone by... just a shame we conceded when we did.
My 2 key observations...
- Johnson is excellent defensively but needs to improve his attacking game and general ball retention.
- Declan Rice... he showed again that he is world class.

[JonG86]

I don't get, after beating Liverpool playing 4-2-3-1 and imposing our game on one of the best teams in the world, we've changed the system and been absolutely **** in the last two league games.

When we played 3 at the back, Masuaku was a legit outlet for us to counter. He's now really poor and we're still trying to use it and we then have absolutely no outlet when we get the ball.

Against Liverpool, Fornals was the out ball and he did it perfectly. Against Wolves and now Man City we haven't had one. Rice even gestured into the middle of the park where there was no one when a break was on.

Baffling.

[alski]

Agreed. Used to be a decent poster but an air of unpleasantness these days.

, his Mrs is obviously noshing off his brother and half of didsbury - the biter twat

[Hammer_Time1]

City deserved their win no doubt, but they are a cynical niggly (cheating?) side. Lots of cynical fouls breaking up our counter attacks. I can see why they do it obviously but it does take the shine off their brilliant football. Dias did well to avoid a yellow.

I'm still not sure why Masuaku started. He was nowhere near cutting the cross out for their 1st goal (which I presume was the reason why he was on anyway?) and he didn't offer much going forward. Benrahma was wasteful. Bowen and Coufal should have started. The positives are that Lanzini scored brilliantly and played well, and the away support (as ever) were class. The Etihad really is a library at times. Onwards and upwards, let's beat Brighton for once

[e17]

I’ve always liked Jim. Shame to see him go the same way as his club.

Nero - hope you’re alright and recovering fella. Love ya mate. And AEW is ****ing brilliant this days

[JustJoe85]

Not sure if there is any truth in this but it feels like on the last couple of games we have had a much deeper line of engagement.

That might well be down to tiredness or down to the quality of the opposition but I'd like to see us push 10 yards up the pitch.

What I love is that I genuinely felt like when we did that (first and last 15) we can really give the likes of Man City a good game. T

They are a good side though and the other hour we barely had a kick. Bit more aggression wanted against Brighton or they will pass us all over the pitch as well

[sendô]

That was a bit **** all round. The weather certainly did not help. City are good and make it hard to string passes together as it is, so when you've got a blizzard blowing in your face and your toes are like ice blocks it's even harder.

We really never did get going. City weren't anything special. It was a bit of a weird attritional game. Still, bad weather or not, that's two games in a row now we've looked flat and lacking a plan B. Have teams worked us out? Two games in a row now Antonio has looked isolated, and two games in a row Fornals has barely got into the game.

Johnson seemed to have a mare today too. Nothing went right for him, other than the fortunate offside for his deflected clearance.

Rice running the ball out and then chucking a snowball in frustration summed the game up for us I think.

Lanzini looked decent when he came on though.

Still, losing narrowly away to Man City wont define our season. Look at it this way - we were pretty poor but City barely beat us, were swapping attacking players for defensive ones and trying to keep the ball in the corner from a corner kick near the end against little old West Ham. That speaks volumes.

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

Edit. Mare with quoting on phone, will try again.

Was what it was I suppose. Won’t complain too much. Man City away in awful conditions, could have been worse. I do think not playing Bowen was a mistake and that was an issue on the right hand side.

Agree with others. Time to get Coufal back in. Bowen recalled and maybe Lanzini deserves a start. Diop also.

[Tipsextra]

For all the good things mentioned about young Johnson we really need to get Coufal back in the line-up. The crosses from Coufal is such a vital part of our attacking play we can't afford to be without it. Johnson will get there but he isn't yet.

I also think we need to rotate a little bit more. There really isn't anything Benny or Pablo did today that Vlasic couldn't do.

[sendô]

There really isn't anything Benny or Pablo did today that Vlasic couldn't do.

I thought Fornals was awful. I thought he'd been subbed until I saw him mosey into the screen near the end.

[El brooko79]

I don't get, after beating Liverpool playing 4-2-3-1 and imposing our game on one of the best teams in the world, we've changed the system and been absolutely **** in the last two league games.

When we played 3 at the back, Masuaku was a legit outlet for us to counter. He's now really poor and we're still trying to use it and we then have absolutely no outlet when we get the ball.

Against Liverpool, Fornals was the out ball and he did it perfectly. Against Wolves and now Man City we haven't had one. Rice even gestured into the middle of the park where there was no one when a break was on.

Baffling.

We played 4-4-1-1 to me. Benrahma was central behind Antonio.
But as always when you drop deep the wide midfielders drop in to help

[Tipsextra]

I thought Fornals was awful. I thought he'd been subbed until I saw him mosey into the screen near the end.

Good to the left. good in the middle but not so good on the right. The last two games after becoming a father hasn't been too good. Mind somewhere else?

[War Pony]

You’d sell a kidney to win the things that we have and play football the way we do.

I’m stuck on a train at Manchester Oxford Road of all places. Good match so far?

You'd sell a kidney to be a cockney the way you go on, you aint. Jog on back up north you plastic cockney