Unusual for Pep to make changes at HT but it worked.

comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 6 minutes ago
Unusual for Pep to make changes at HT but it worked.
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100% , I fully expected him to wait to the 89th minute. For once he made the changes we could all see were needed.

Funny enough The plan to isolate Cancelo worked to an extent because Cancelo got the ball in lots of space and had Cucurella potentially on toast, but being Cancelo he either shanked it or made the wrong pass. He is in awful form but he was not alone. KDB was deplorable, Foden can’t even win second balls or keep possession and Haaland just doesn’t look fit. Even Bernardo just seems off it and you never see that at all. Didn’t think Walker was that bad but Rico is just better at the moment.

Once Rico came on, it freed up KDB, and our best player this season Rodri just ran the football match. Most fans were questioning the decisions not to play Foden but Pep is rarely wrong about his players and their form.

Just need to grind through this period as we are several levels from where we need to be. Only 6 players playing at their normal level Stones, Rico, Rodri, Gundagon and Ake and Ederson. Then you have Grealish and Mahrez who have deserved their recent selections but can still get up another gear or 2.

The rest are playing garbage even Akanji who is only playing because of the injuries to Dias and Laporte.

Tricky period at the moment.

The turning point was cucurella giving the ball to you even more than normal. A great tactic by him to fully sabotage. Mission complete

comment by bomdia (U13941)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 6 minutes ago
Unusual for Pep to make changes at HT but it worked.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
100% , I fully expected him to wait to the 89th minute. For once he made the changes we could all see were needed.
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Hoddle summed it up perfectly, Pep doesn’t make changes if the team is controlling the game. And because the team controls most games that’s why he would rather wait for the slow patient stuff to lead to a goal. Thought it was a poor game against a poor opponent who has lots of problems.

We never attempted to get Foden in the game in the first half, the ball went right pretty much every time. We seem to have stopped rotating the front 5. I understand that there is logic in leaving Haaland to play striker but the others can still rotate, which in the 2nd half KDB did, but he seems to be missing that sharpness that makes him the best in the PL. Maybe the Belgium debacle is having a lasting effect on him?

comment by bomdia (U13941)
posted 8 hours, 2 minutes ago
We never attempted to get Foden in the game in the first half, the ball went right pretty much every time. We seem to have stopped rotating the front 5. I understand that there is logic in leaving Haaland to play striker but the others can still rotate, which in the 2nd half KDB did, but he seems to be missing that sharpness that makes him the best in the PL. Maybe the Belgium debacle is having a lasting effect on him?
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I'm sorry to say... you are making excuses for foden. He was poor. Its on him, right now he's not in our best team.

Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?

comment by Nickasaurus (U9257)
posted 9 hours, 25 minutes ago
The turning point was cucurella giving the ball to you even more than normal. A great tactic by him to fully sabotage. Mission complete
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Bollocks.

We struggled to get past Cucurella in the first half and he was lumping balls into our box.

I can’t see why he’s being singled out for criticism

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 59 minutes ago
Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?
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Nope. We will be ok making money from winning stuff..

comment by Blue_mooning (U12093)
posted 32 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 59 minutes ago
Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope. We will be ok making money from winning stuff..
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Interesting. How much profit have you made in the last decade?

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Blue_mooning (U12093)
posted 32 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 59 minutes ago
Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope. We will be ok making money from winning stuff..
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting. How much profit have you made in the last decade?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Enough to buy your village and build some toilets

comment by Blue_mooning (U12093)
posted 2 hours, 51 minutes ago
comment by bomdia (U13941)
posted 8 hours, 2 minutes ago
We never attempted to get Foden in the game in the first half, the ball went right pretty much every time. We seem to have stopped rotating the front 5. I understand that there is logic in leaving Haaland to play striker but the others can still rotate, which in the 2nd half KDB did, but he seems to be missing that sharpness that makes him the best in the PL. Maybe the Belgium debacle is having a lasting effect on him?
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I'm sorry to say... you are making excuses for foden. He was poor. Its on him, right now he's not in our best team.
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This

Foden was struggling to do the basics although I must say KDB was equally bad. Think the game on Sunday will be harder as Chelsea have some good youngsters but it will give us an opportunity to see the state of our squad players and assess players like Cancelo and Walker.

Think we have a big problem with Canceló but let’s see, could just be a form issue. A few injuries at CB but Ake can come in.

We have a creativity issues when KDB is not on it. We need to find ways to make Foden , Gundo and Bernardí more effective.

comment by Sky-blue (U22529)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Blue_mooning (U12093)
posted 32 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 59 minutes ago
Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope. We will be ok making money from winning stuff..
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting. How much profit have you made in the last decade?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Enough to buy your village and build some toilets
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, but roughly how much profit have you made in money terms during the present owners tenure?

Cancelo seems to have been studying at the Jesus Navas school of crossing, I don't think playing him on the wing ahead of Bernardo, Alvarez or Mahrez was Pep's most inspired tactical ploy tbh. To push everything through him and watch him lump it 15 yards over the heads of any attacker was driving me mad. I agree that Foden isn't in any sort of form but the ball down the left wasn't even tried in the first half.

Whether it is some sort of post WC slump for some of the players I don't know but have to say we got a bit lucky last night. I hope that the kids play better than that at the weekend and suspect that they might if there are a few like Ake and Stones to give experience. I suspect Gomez will be given another chance so Ake alongside him would help, Palmer and Rico will be fine and maybe Foden can rediscover some form and Alvarez get a start up front.

Ortega
Walker or Rico, Stones, Ake, Gomez
Phillips
Foden Bernardo
Grealish Alvarez Palmer

Judging by the way this season has gone and Peps comments that Rico who has rear view and side mirrors makes others better, our defence in the latter stages of the season will be

Rico, Stones, Dias and Ake

we will pretty much play this narrow defence and the width will have to come from other players mainly Foden, Grealish and Mahrez.

I would like to see a front 3 of Foden, Haaland and Alvarez against tough opponents. Just press higher and see what comes out of it.

Think we will beat United away and Spurs at home. Trust Pep to come up with a tactical switch that will floor ETH or Conte but I'm not confident away at Arsenal. A draw there will be a great result.

Need to get the job done against Chelsea and the Saints in the cups. Don't care how ugly it is, just get it done.

Despite the iffy performance, many things to like about this group of players.
1) Anyone notice how Cancelo came onto the pitch hugging everyone despite being hooked off at half time.
2) Rico laughing and smiling throughout his second half performance. Does anything phase this kid?
3) KDB realising he is having a stinker but pressing and harrying in the 89th minute.

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 2 hours, 12 minutes ago
comment by Blue_mooning (U12093)
posted 32 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 59 minutes ago
Perhaps a visit back into the transfer market is needed to freshen things up?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope. We will be ok making money from winning stuff..
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting. How much profit have you made in the last decade?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Loads

Yeah, but roughly how much profit have you made in money terms during the present owners tenure?

3) KDB realising he is having a stinker but pressing and harrying in the 89th minute.

Yep, spotted that - the stuff champions are made of.


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Oh, I see you "made" £126m in 2019/20.

The club is now worth £4bn, the owners paid £600m

Think the club cost £210 million. Not sure if it was a bargain in 2008 but considering FSG buying Liverpool for £300m in 2010.

And I dont think either City or Liverpool are worth 4bn. Nobody would pay that. Think United could go for about 3.8bn.

Liverpool and City should be closer to 3bn.