Manchester City 22/24

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Edit: I looked it up and it seems to be an even worse thing - it's a wildly priced, elitist matchday VIP 'hospitality experience' where you have to dress up nice and pay up to £700.





"Executive cash bar"? WTF?



FUCK MODERN FOOTBALL.

I'm pretty sure that's a different thing - there's an 1894 fans group and then there's the corporate hospitality stuff. I presume because 1894 was when the club was founded.

 

[pbsmooth]

yes.

this is the fan group: https://twitter.com/weare1894?lang=en

 

[nobody’s houby]

City just bought it all and cheated even then. Liverpool were robbed and Madrid will twat you.

You are Little Jimmy Corkhill and I want my £100

 

[Humberto]

I did once call Sinbad a blert.

 

[twistedAM]

Well, that was all a bit unexpected.
And we even managed to win a game without Rodri playing.

 

[RD2003]

Well, that was all a bit unexpected.
And we even managed to win a game without Rodri playing.

If it hadn't been for that period starting with Chelsea away, where we drew four, won one and lost one of six league games, we'd be well clear by now.

Iirc, we'd lost the lead in most of those draws as well.

(Just noticed we're on last season's thread )

 

[twistedAM]

(Just noticed we're on last season's thread )

Kinda deja vu innit? Fearing we might have hit the front too early this time.

 

[stavros]

I couldn't see a thread for this season, but Pep out?

 

[Humberto]

What's going on with the defence?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

What's going on with the defence?

Simple answer: Rodri really is that good, anyone would miss the best player in the world when they disappear for an extended period.

More complex answer: with Rodri, City play a 4-1-4-1 out of possession, knowing that his defensive positioning is enough as a screen in front of a narrow back 4. It's only in possession that they move up to a 3-2-4-1 as either Stones from CB or Lewis from RB provide the extra man that gives them their numerical overload and extra passing options.

Without Rodri, Kovacic doesn't have the same defensive nous even if he is an excellent player in his own right. Yesterday's game was a much more rigid formation, keeping the 3-2-4-1 out of possession to give Kovacic that defensive help from Lewis; the trade off is that Gvardiol and Walker were then part of a fixed back 3 so didn't have their usual cover when either went forward - high pressing and quick counter attack from Brighton the order of the day and it worked.

Plus injuries of course - as well as all the tactical elements, instead of being Ruben Dias (or John Stones, or Akanji), the lad in the centre was a 19yr old. Had a good game I thought, but obviously without the aura that the big names have.