Interesting picks from Pep. The guy just can't stop tinkering with his team. Perhaps, it may yield results in freshening up the team, or their defence will produce another shocker.

Their attack still scares me though. Plenty of players there who could cause us trouble and options on the bench.

Castor why the negativity always? Are you secretly a Cheltenham Town supporter.

The guy is still playing players out of position as well

For sure, City are there for the taking. If we weren't absolutely maddening sometimes in how passive we when the opposition are passing out, we'd be able to disrupt their build-up play today. The likes of Bravo, Kolarov, Clichy, Fernando and even Yaya will make tons of errors if you can squeeze the play like Spurs did against them.
But Ozil and Iwobi aren't the kind of players who you'd expect to press with any real energy and conviction.

Second issue would be breaking quickly, using the width and getting runners into the box. Iwobi spends far too much time faffing around with it in predictable patterns and poses very little goal threat.

Pre match Match Thread comments certainties:

Castor Troy will predict a bad result
Someone will say Monreal will get roasted today.
The opposition line up will be called "awful" and "far better than us" within a couple of comments of each other.
People will bemoan whatever wide players are chosen.

People will bemoan whatever wide players are chosen.

Well there is our real problem....

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 3 minutes ago
Pre match Match Thread comments certainties:

Castor Troy will predict a bad result
Someone will say Monreal will get roasted today.
The opposition line up will be called "awful" and "far better than us" within a couple of comments of each other.
People will bemoan whatever wide players are chosen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lol! To be fair, pre-empting it doesn't make it any less true.

I'm worried about the prospect of Monreal vs Sane and/or Sterling today - he does struggle against pacey direct widemen, and we've seen it numerous times already this season.

And tbh, people will bemoan our wide players because the options aren't particularly fantastic - namely, we have no-one who looks particularly comfortable down the left.

This ordinarily shouldn't be a must-win - I mean, it's facking Man City - but too many other disappointing points dropped, plus Chelsea's annoying unstoppable form, plus Man City's glaring vulnerabilities makes this a must win.
Problem is in games like this, we at times seem more like we're waiting for something to happen, rather than making it happen: case in point are games at Old Trafford last season, Everton recently, Spurs at the Emirates, Chelsea home and away last season when they were struggling etc.

We need to show the belief we can win these high pressure games when the odds favour us.

comment by jollygood (U10469)
posted 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
Have to win. I'd start iwobi over chamberlain as his ball retention is better and that will be important as since we won't dominate possession we need to not be wasteful when we do have the ball. Hopefully we put in a similar counter attacking performance to when we beat them 2 years ago.


Wenger took my advice

I'm going for a 2 0 win in similar counter attacking style to January 2015

Been thinking all week we would win and then I see their team on paper and wondering where my confidence came from

I would have swapped Ox for Walcott and Gibbs for Monreal.

Pep has more respect and admiration for the way Wenger gets Arsenal play than our own idiot fans <laugh.

People will bemoan whatever wide players are chosen.
--------------------------------------------------

Why wouldn't they? Our wide options all have massive deficiencies.

Disappointed Gabriel starts instead of Holding. Can't see us keeping a clean sheet.

I'll go for a nervy 2-1 win

comment by citrenoogeht (U13932)
posted 2 seconds ago
I would have swapped Ox for Walcott and Gibbs for Monreal.
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My thoughts exactly

we have to play the Leicester tactics. Press them high up and winning the ball in their half early.

Been thinking all week we would win and then I see their team on paper and wondering where my confidence came from
------------------------------------------

Was delighted when I heard Fernandinho, Gundogan and Aguero would all miss this game. Then I remembered Yaya, Sterling, Nolito, Sane etc plus Silva and De Bruyne can still do major damage. Our inability to keep clean sheets only makes it worse.

If one team has to win this I hope you counter attack the *** out of those thugs .

Funny how Pep now needs Yaya to save his bacon.

comment by BO$$™ (U6401)
posted less than a minute ago
Funny how Pep now needs Yaya to save his bacon.
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Because Yaya is Muslim?

Oh crap, Gundogan died?????

Imagine if we did what city were doing with Gunogan lol. Every week a different name.

City players wearing their jerseys back to front

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted less than a minute ago
Oh crap, Gundogan died?????
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wtf

link?