The Official Manchester City Thread

[jellydog]

Fernandinho is a demigod. I laughed out loud at his holding off tough challenges from defenders 10 years younger. What a footballer!

[mrbojangles]

2 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Loved Fernandinho's performance today.

 

He's a wiley son of a gun.

[jellydog]

1 minute ago, mrbojangles said:

 

1)Yep

 

2) Mmm. I don't know. Stones and DIas running up gives the opposition a total headache as to how to defend

 

3) Foden is being saved for Borrussia MG 

Yeah, I reckon you are right about Foden.

 

If Stones and/or Dias give up a goal by getting forward I will hurl a shoe at the TV!

[mrbojangles]

2 minutes ago, jellydog said:

f Stones and/or Dias give up a goal by getting forward I will hurl a shoe at the TV!

 

Make it a furry, soft slipper. It will happen one day as it's the risk of the style we play. Same with Ederson. He will slip up but it's worth it

[Bredbury Blue]

9 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

This just seems to be a masterclass of game management. Lots of games to play and so only stay in the gear required to win the game. Score a goal, don't over do it and don't get injured seems to be the message.

 

As you say, game management. Early goal then try to control it. Tough nervy watch for us, and trying for the 2nd goal seems like the thing to do, but they played it out well. It wasn't the greatest performance of this run with some players not being on it (Gundog Cancelo Bernardo), but Fernandinho, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko, Mahrez (1st half) all played well.

 

Who would have thought we'd get through Liverpool (A), Spurs, Everton (A) & Arsenal (A) with 4 comfortable wins. That's some run unbeaten (25 games) we're on, doubt it will last till the end of the season, but we're enjoying it while it lasts. 

 

Enjoying watching us play twice a week during these difficult covid times - not enjoying the 3am kickoffs though - and it is certainly keeping me sunnyside up.

[mrbojangles]

16 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

- not enjoying the 3am kickoffs though - and it is certainly keeping me sunnyside up.

 

5 more weeks and i'll be in the same timezone

[Bredbury Blue]

3 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

 

5 more weeks and i'll be in the same timezone

...suffering with the rest of us here watching CL on dodgy free streams.

[mrbojangles]

[mrbojangles]

Job professionally done last night. Pretty much ran the game from the kick off. BMG will surely come at us more in the next leg.

 

Concerned with the amount of chances we aren't putting away. That could hurt us later on. Nice to see Aguero back for 10 minutes, we need his finishing but don't know how far away he is from full match fitness.

[Kadilo]

4 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

Job professionally done last night. Pretty much ran the game from the kick off. BMG will surely come at us more in the next leg.

 

Concerned with the amount of chances we aren't putting away. That could hurt us later on. Nice to see Aguero back for 10 minutes, we need his finishing but don't know how far away he is from full match fitness.

Yeah for such domination you should have won by more. 

That  Cancelo is some player. 

[mrbojangles]

1 hour ago, Kadilo said:

That  Cancelo is some player. 

 

A lot of us thought we'd made a mistake when he first came. We got him and paid 25mil for Danillo but he's turning out to be a really good buy and can play in several positions

[Kadilo]

32 minutes ago, mrbojangles said:

 

A lot of us thought we'd made a mistake when he first came. We got him and paid 25mil for Danillo but he's turning out to be a really good buy and can play in several positions

Yes, hard to see what his position is tbh. He was all over the place. 

[Bredbury Blue]

Cancelo didn't settle last season, looked unhappy and a bad buy. At some point his attitude definitely changed, that was the turning point, and now for me he's first choice RB ahead of Walker as he suits our system and can move in to midfield similar to Zinchenko which Walker struggles a bit with. Believe Cancelo is in the top 5 chance creators in the PL. He's certainly got the skills but he can be guilty of overplaying, but he is very much part of the team now. 

 

Talking of attitude, Pep's recent comments on players and backroom staff moving on was definitely aimed at moody Laporte in my opinion. Pep used the example of the 2 medical staff who moved to liverpool (what a brilliant sabotage behind enemy lines they are doing ????).

[Kadilo]

4 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Cancelo didn't settle last season, looked unhappy and a bad buy. At some point his attitude definitely changed, that was the turning point, and now for me he's first choice RB ahead of Walker as he suits our system and can move in to midfield similar to Zinchenko which Walker struggles a bit with. Believe Cancelo is in the top 5 chance creators in the PL. He's certainly got the skills but he can be guilty of overplaying, but he is very much part of the team now. 

 

Talking of attitude, Pep's recent comments on players and backroom staff moving on was definitely aimed at moody Laporte in my opinion. Pep used the example of the 2 medical staff who moved to liverpool (what a brilliant sabotage behind enemy lines they are doing ????).

Laporte looked the weakest link last night in a game you dominated for 90 minutes. 

[Bredbury Blue]

2 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Yes, hard to see what his position is tbh. He was all over the place. 

Nominally left back, but in possession he moves up in to midfield alongside Rodri and the LCB moves wide left, RCB moves central and RB stays wide right as a back 3, out of possession he goes to LB and we drop back in to a 4.

 

[Bredbury Blue]

Just now, Kadilo said:

Laporte looked the weakest link last night in a game you dominated for 90 minutes. 

Sulky...just made his Twitter account private as a City fan had a moan at him. One thing Pep likes are players who remain happy when they ain't playing (Zinchenko and Bernardo are examples he uses) and you can detect Sulky ain't happy at losing his place (he made comments as such in the Burnley presser). Pep though is doing the right thing and rotating 2 from Stones-Dias-Laporte; pretty sure at the weekend it'll be Stones (R) and Dias( L) turn vs WHU. Hopefully our only injured player Ake (back in training this week) will be back soon to give Pep 4 to rotate from.

[Bredbury Blue]

6 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

Job professionally done last night. Pretty much ran the game from the kick off. BMG will surely come at us more in the next leg.

 

Concerned with the amount of chances we aren't putting away. That could hurt us later on. Nice to see Aguero back for 10 minutes, we need his finishing but don't know how far away he is from full match fitness.

Didn't think we were that great but we didn't need to be. Another Floyd Mayweather performance.

 

When these big chances fall to Jesus and Sterling in particular you just expect they will kcuf it up! Sterling scores plenty but give him a chance with time to think and he'll screw it up. 

 

Didn't really think anyone stood out last night, maybe Cancelo?

 

Have to admit I was (happily) bored watching our last 2 games.

 

[Kadilo]

17 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Sulky...just made his Twitter account private as a City fan had a moan at him. One thing Pep likes are players who remain happy when they ain't playing (Zinchenko and Bernardo are examples he uses) and you can detect Sulky ain't happy at losing his place (he made comments as such in the Burnley presser). Pep though is doing the right thing and rotating 2 from Stones-Dias-Laporte; pretty sure at the weekend it'll be Stones (R) and Dias( L) turn vs WHU. Hopefully our only injured player Ake (back in training this week) will be back soon to give Pep 4 to rotate from.

You will need your top team out to play the mighty Hammers ????

[Bredbury Blue]

3 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Yeah for such domination you should have won by more. 

That  Cancelo is some player. 

He's what you'd call a False no.2 or a False no.3 ????

[Bredbury Blue]

Every Premier League-winning team, ranked: from the Invincibles to the treble winners

 

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/every-premier-league-winning-team-ranked

 

To save you reading it, City's Centurions were ranked no.1.

 

[jellydog]

You would have never thought it at the beginning of the season, but you could make a case that City's most effective players over the past two months have been Gundogan and Cancelo. They've really upped their game.

[jellydog]

Car park at Maine Road. 1969. City players I am told.

[Bredbury Blue]

5 hours ago, jellydog said:

You would have never thought it at the beginning of the season, but you could make a case that City's most effective players over the past two months have been Gundogan and Cancelo. They've really upped their game.

I posted a few weeks back that it was the non-star players, the forgotten men, the scapegoats (Zinchenko, Cancelo, Stones, Rodri, Gundogan, etc) who were starring, but now everyone has upped their game...even Mahrez ????

[Bredbury Blue]

3 minutes ago, jellydog said:

Car park at Maine Road. 1969. City players I am told.

L-R: Looks like Alan Oakes, it is Mike Doyle, ?, Franny Lee diving, Tony Book, Tommy Booth. I think it's the carpark back of the North Stand but could be wrong.

[Bredbury Blue]

On 2/25/2021 at 6:39 PM, Kadilo said:

You will need your top team out to play the mighty Hammers ????

Worst half of football since Cheltenham. Why? Just like that game, too many changes, PLUS too many rusty players brought in (Aguero, KdB, Torres), frontline that's never played together. Too much Pep. WHU loving it. Pep won't change it, we know Pep too well, and it's not going to go well today if he doesn't.

 

Antonio: what a handful.

 

[owl sees all]

17 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Worst half of football since Cheltenham. Why? Just like that game, too many changes, PLUS too many rusty players brought in (Aguero, KdB, Torres), frontline that's never played together. Too much Pep. WHU loving it. Pep won't change it, we know Pep too well, and it's not going to go well today if he doesn't.

 

Antonio: what a handful.

 

The two form teams in the EPL.

 

In last ten games: City 30 points; WHU 23.

[Bredbury Blue]

48 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

The two form teams in the EPL.

 

In last ten games: City 30 points; WHU 23.

 

Yep the two form teams but you'd never have guessed we were until we made the 2 subs. We were carrying too many players not on their game. We didn't look like 'recent City' until about the 70th minute. We were poor, we couldn't handle WHU, who were more than a match for us, we just looked all wrong. It just shows how changes can unbalance you. Jesus and Foden immediately made us better.

 

We got out of jail today but I'll take. 

 

Picking a MOM isn't easy, few candidates, but Zinchenko was excellent today and it'd probably be between him or Stones.

[owl sees all]

5 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

 

Yep the two form teams but you'd never have guessed we were until we made the 2 subs. We were carrying too many players not on their game. We didn't look like 'recent City' until about the 70th minute. We were poor, we couldn't handle WHU, who were more than a match for us, we just looked all wrong. It just shows how changes can unbalance you. Jesus and Foden immediately made us better.

 

We got out of jail today but I'll take. 

 

Picking a MOM isn't easy, few candidates, but Zinchenko was excellent today and it'd probably be between him or Stones.

At full time, I think City deserved it. I only listened to the commentary though. I can see the Irons getting top 4.

 

As for City; I don't see any team in the EPL taking points until they go to craven cottage in a couple of weeks. United, Saints and Wolves will all be put to the sword IMO.

[jellydog]

An excellent game of football that I thought. Two well drilled sides going at it. I thought City had the best of it and deserved winners, but take nothing away from West Ham. What a great job Moyes has done separating the wheat from the chaff within that squad.

[mrbojangles]

Difficult game that but we knew it was going to be. As BB said, way too many changes and ring rusty players to be nice and balanced.

 

2 CB's scoring our 2 goals sort of tells a story