Champions League 14/15 group stage matchday 2 (09/30 + 10/01)

So did City...just lesser players.

Don't pretend you're any different. The club you were back then is completely different to the one you are now.

Coming from the 2nd division within 10 years and mid/lower ttable within 3 years to winning the title is completely different to being a good/very good side turned into a top one!

They dont build foundations, they havent adapted with the speed of their project. You can tell because they struggle so much in the CL, once we were there regularly we never struggled at all.
 
Well earned and important point by Roma although I think they deserved to win. City had a little bit more of a ball in the 2nd but did nothing special with it.
Special mention for Roma fans, they didnt stop all night. As for home supporters, they were in their full 'theater public' force.
 
I beginning to think / hope that Yaya is past his sell by date. City were average tonight. It's amazing with all the money they've spent that they still struggle in Europe. Fully expect them to be playing Europa League football next year.
 
Chelsea really have been Mourinho'd. Typical 0-1 result away from home in Europe. Just how SAF used to do it..just get the result.

Sporting played really well. Pushed us all the way. And it's obvious we've got one eye on the weekend.
 
As commentators on my stream have said Pellegrini had a wrong setup and didnt sub Toure which he should have done cause he was again just moping lazily around the pitch..
 
Chelsea really have been Mourinho'd. Typical 0-1 result away from home in Europe. Just how SAF used to do it..just get the result.
Could have easily been 3:0, couple of very good chances missed by Costa.
 
I beginning to think / hope that Yaya is past his sell by date. City were average tonight. It's amazing with all the money they've spent that they still struggle in Europe. Fully expect them to be playing Europa League football next year.

Yet, they're so feared in the league. Says a lot about the regression of the premier league.
 
Yet, they're so feared in the league. Says a lot about the regression of the premier league.
Yeah, but watch Chelsea win the Champions League this season. I think they will.

And I wouldn't fear City if were to play them this weekend, not if they played as they did tonight.
 
Chelsea really have been Mourinho'd. Typical 0-1 result away from home in Europe. Just how SAF used to do it..just get the result.
Rui Patrício was MotM.
 
City are in trouble now. Looking forward to the game in Rome with De Rossi and Strootman back.
 
Yet, they're so feared in the league. Says a lot about the regression of the premier league.
I'd argue they aren't so much anymore, if you compare from this point last year how many have them nailed on top 2 then more people aren't so certain of them anymore.
 
Did Nani play and if so how was he?
so-so
Did a nice dribble run and the f..d up the final pass. Sporting should have also had a pen when Cesc fouled him in the box + had a placed shot in the 86min go inches wide.
 
He is right...City and Chelsea have similar histories prior to selling out to petrodollars

No we don't. In the 5-6 years before Roman arrived, we'd won 5 trophies and qualified for the Champions League on several occasions. The money just took us to the next level, it didn't turn a mid table club into a title challenger.
 
City are in trouble now. Looking forward to the game in Rome with De Rossi and Strootman back.

They'll batter City at home.

Out of the PL, they are nothing special, yet every season we hear 'could this the year City turn up in Europe'? not with this fecking team they aren't.
 
Berties should count their chickens that de Rossi and Strootman weren't in that side with the high line they played. They could easily pop a ball over the top for someone to run on to. Loads of space to expose.
 
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What a player..
 
No we don't. In the 5-6 years before Roman arrived, we'd won 5 trophies and qualified for the Champions League on several occasions. The money just took us to the next level, it didn't turn a mid table club into a title challenger.
You also didn't concede 8 goals on the last day of the previous season.
 
He is right...City and Chelsea have similar histories prior to selling out to petrodollars

It worries me that people have such a scewed knowledge of rival clubs due to media/rival bandwagons and interpretations. In the 7 years prior to RA taking over we had won 2 FA cups a league cup, a community sheild, a UEFA cup(CWC back then) and a super cup beating Real Madrid. We also finished 4 points off the title in 1999. This is whilst City were in the 2nd and 3rd divisions. The only thing RA did do was save us financially, but on footballing terms we were a very good side, not mid table or mediocre like some will have you believe.

Our history before that is quite sparse, but we werent just plucked from the lower reaches of the table like City were, theres a clear reason why City have not made their money pay as well as we did and why they struggle continuously in Europe, even before the money came in we didnt struggle like that.
 
Let himself down for the goal, though.
Possibly, but I meant in the sense that Chelsea tested him plenty of times and he had a lot of work. It wasn't the traditionally boring 1-0 away win. At least it didn't look that way to me, I was focused on Porto's stream, but had the TV with Sporting on and looked at it every now and then.
 
@peterstorey
@JazzG
@JSArsenal

Gervinho is angering me right now. I feel pity for you lot right now.

He's driving me mad

:lol: Guy really has the footballing ability to be a very good player, not the mentality though. Funnily enough one of his best performances for us was away at City a couple years ago as a false 9, guy terrorised their backline but my god every time he got into the final third the pass or shot was all wrong!
 
Was forced to watch the Chelsea game.

I thought the internet football experts had hailed William Carvalho as the next big thing? Watched him in the world cup and again tonight...he plays like someone who wandered out of a pub drunk, got whacked on the head, then woke up on the pitch during the game.
 
PSG - Barca was one of the best group stage matches I've seen in a long time.
 
It worries me that people have such a scewed knowledge of rival clubs due to media/rival bandwagons and interpretations. In the 7 years prior to RA taking over we had won 2 FA cups a league cup, a community sheild, a UEFA cup(CWC back then) and a super cup beating Real Madrid. We also finished 4 points off the title in 1999. This is whilst City were in the 2nd and 3rd divisions. The only thing RA did do was save us financially, but on footballing terms we were a very good side, not mid table or mediocre like some will have you believe.

Our history before that is quite sparse, but we werent just plucked from the lower reaches of the table like City were, theres a clear reason why City have not made their money pay as well as we did and why they struggle continuously in Europe, even before the money came in we didnt struggle like that.
City's world class players aren't good in Europe in 2014 because 15 years ago the club was in division 2? How does that make any sense?
 
City's world class players aren't good in Europe in 2014 because 15 years ago the club was in division 2? How does that make any sense?

The quicker the clubs rise from being nowhere the harder it is to adapt. I dont get the feeling they play as a team and are just a random group of world class or top players. Thats also without the fact we actually break even now and can cope with FFP comfortably. The same cant be said for the others who rushed their way up.
 
The quicker the clubs rise from being nowhere the harder it is to adapt. I dont get the feeling they play as a team and are just a random group of world class or top players. Thats also without the fact we actually break even now and can cope with FFP comfortably. The same cant be said for the others who rushed their way up.
But they've won 2 league titles in the last 3 seasons.
 
Wanted to post earlier, but had to run: I didn't watch much of City - Roma. But I have seen the extra time over there. What a pathetic crowd. It was for grabs, but no support. Amazing.