Manchester City 17/18 discussion | "If you're here for the Champions clap your hands" (#6505)

When have I ever said we don't like I said the issue is posting over the top hypocrisy.

So are you going to call United "shit housery pulling big powerful thugs"? No? Thought not, very definition of hypocrisy no?
Stop being so salty, you played an aggressive cynical game and dived like feck, we played a aggresive cyncial game and dived like feck but lucky for us we had Lukaku with 2 great assists.

There wasn't a single mention of our tactical fouling on this forum before Jose said it. Lets face it, now you are trying to make out high pressing and snapping at heals is against the rules. Yes it gives away fouls but I counted maybe 3 intentional tactical fouls from us today and at least as many from United. Even your manager said the ref had a good game bar the penalty decision (which he got correct).

Where have I said my team doesn’t engage in it? I only pointed out when we’re doing it, it’s United being thugs and destroying football but when it’s City no ones batting an eyelid.

Also, the real hypocrisy is Pep the football purist abandoning his principles and play without a striker after going ahead and run the clock down. Doing same thing for which Mourinho is criticized. It’s rather hilarious if you ask me, Pep embracing the dark side.
 
To be fair, Pep walked into a team with De Bruyne and Silva, only player of those types we have is Pogba, who Mourinho bought. And I don't need to tell you how expensive players of that quality are. Mourinho is playing catch up but he's been here 18 months now and the only one of his signings that at this stage you can describe as a flop is probably Mkhitaryan. With LVG in his first 18 months you'd struggle to pick out ONE signing that wasn't a flop. So yeah I think there should be some perspective before we start sticking the knife into Mourinho and lining the red carpet for Pep, as fantastically well as city are doing. Pep has his complete squad now, everything he asked for he now has. There is no way Mourinho has all want he currently needs or wants and that was shown by how frustrated he was with our deals in the summer.

Yeah he's exceptional at getting the absolute best out of the attacking players available to him. Even more props, probably the most impressive part of his management has been how he's managed to get the very best out of his attacking players. Great coaching.
 
Where have I said my team doesn’t engage in it? I only pointed out when we’re doing it, it’s United being thugs and destroying football but when it’s City no ones batting an eyelid.

Also, the real hypocrisy is Pep the football purist abandoning his principles and play without a striker after going ahead and run the clock down. Doing same thing for which Mourinho is criticized. It’s rather hilarious if you ask me, Pep embracing the dark side.

Pep was away at Old Trafford and when he took off a striker, we still created far more opportunities to score then you. You're now criticizing him for what many down the years would say are "Jose tactical masterclasses" as I stated earlier in the thread (or maybe another thread) about another topic, we as fans only see the negative about our own club and the positive about others. Of course United are going to get a bit more stick from neutral fans (especially of L'Pool etc...) as throughout the years you've been the team caning them and taking there titles.

In reality there are as many people saying Jose is a tactical genius as saying he's ruining football (maybe not today) and about Pep for everyone saying he's a genius there are people saying "he built a team with no physicality", "you can't win the league if you're not up for a fight". See Gary Nevilles comments last season for what the majority were saying about Pep.
 
We played exactly like we do vs every team who park the bus. We just kept the ball, let them chase and were in not too much of a panic to open them up. The change with Jesus pulling wide and Sterling drifting it was to try and pull a CB out of position. Honestly this was like West Ham again (and no offence but West Ham did it better).
Sometimes Sterling pulled a CB out but mostly he was just another option to which to pass. With that in mind, it seems like a conventional CF would have given you more threat but less control. Do you not admit at least the possibility that it is a defensive tactic? A team can't score if you don't let them have the ball.
 
Sometimes Sterling pulled a CB out but mostly he was just another option to which to pass. With that in mind, it seems like a conventional CF would have given you more threat but less control. Do you not admit at least the possibility that it is a defensive tactic? A team can't score if you don't let them have the ball.

Of course, tika taka is completely based on the opposition not scoring if they don't have the ball. It's the entire principle, offence is the best form of defence. Honestly, I saw nothing more pragmatic in our play (1st half) than in the other games where we didn't score early (Huddersfield, West Ham, Southampton. It's why you see me complaining on here and saying we look like United under LVG at times on here. When teams won't come out and go toe to toe we play exactly like that. When Jesus plays he drops as deep as Sterling, Aguero not so much but still drops into midfield against tight back lines.
 
@padr81
I just think today you set out to keep possession and not necessarily to attack, just like you did against Chelsea. I was talking about it in the match thread a day or so ago. I saw how you had an extra guy in midfield against Chelsea by going 3-3-1-3 against their 3-5-2 and wondered how you could get an extra man against us. The solution I came up with was false nine. I know against other teams you've had to be very patient but I think that here it was an intentional tactic, rather than something you had to which you had to resort. Against Chelsea you didn't start being dangerous until they started pressing you very aggressively and I think that you might have been waiting to do that here.

And I disagree that Sterling played just the same as Jesus has. Jamie Carragher pointed it out in commentary that he was dropping into midfield. I think Sterling's position was significantly deeper than Jesus and why? To keep possession for defensive reasons. Pep is pragmatic.
 
The league is 99 per cent done. They are the best team in the country by a long way. Two worries now:

1, They win the Champions League
2, They go all season unbeaten in the league

Either would be a nightmare; both together would be a total disaster.

We need them to lose some games.
 
@padr81
I just think today you set out to keep possession and not necessarily to attack, just like you did against Chelsea. I was talking about it in the match thread a day or so ago. I saw how you had an extra guy in midfield against Chelsea by going 3-3-1-3 against their 3-5-2 and wondered how you could get an extra man against us. The solution I came up with was false nine. I know against other teams you've had to be very patient but I think that here it was an intentional tactic, rather than something you had to which you had to resort. Against Chelsea you didn't start being dangerous until they started pressing you very aggressively and I think that you might have been waiting to do that here.

And I disagree that Sterling played just the same as Jesus has. Jamie Carragher pointed it out in commentary that he was dropping into midfield. I think Sterling's position was significantly deeper than Jesus and why? To keep possession for defensive reasons. Pep is pragmatic.

Yeah but thats no different really. By the way I'm not having a dig at United but honestly our strikers always drop in when there is no room in the box from defensive numbers, then we simply pass, pass, pass and wait for defences to tire.
 
The league is 99 per cent done. They are the best team in the country by a long way. Two worries now:

1, They win the Champions League
2, They go all season unbeaten in the league

Either would be a nightmare; both together would be a total disaster.

We need them to lose some games.

Neither of those are happening.
 
They have to keep winning now, it's all about momentum. Remember the season we lost an 8 point lead, if they lose a game the pressure builds. The key thing is we keep winning and keeping the heat on.
 
Yeah but thats no different really. By the way I'm not having a dig at United but honestly our strikers always drop in when there is no room in the box from defensive numbers, then we simply pass, pass, pass and wait for defences to tire.
I think Sterling was a little different today but I guess we can agree to disagree. And don't see it as a dig so it's fine.
 
The league is 99 per cent done. They are the best team in the country by a long way. Two worries now:

1, They win the Champions League
2, They go all season unbeaten in the league

Either would be a nightmare; both together would be a total disaster.

We need them to lose some games.

Don't mind them going unbeaten to be honest, at the very least it will annoy some Arsenal fans.
 
The league is 99 per cent done. They are the best team in the country by a long way. Two worries now:

1, They win the Champions League
2, They go all season unbeaten in the league

Either would be a nightmare; both together would be a total disaster.

We need them to lose some games.

I didn't get the feeling they were the best team in the country by a 'long way' today if I'm honest. They created as much as United for all their dominance of the ball. They play eye catching football and retain possession brilliantly but they still look pretty vulnerable to me and I genuinely think with Pogba in the side United would have got at least a point today.

By the last 10 minutes City were clinging on to the ball and running down the clock in the corners without a centre forward on the pitch.
 
I didn't get the feeling they were the best team in the country by a 'long way' today if I'm honest. They created as much as United for all their dominance of the ball. They play eye catching football and retain possession brilliantly but they still look pretty vulnerable to me and I genuinely think with Pogba in the side United would have got at least a point today.
Actually with Lukaku not plating Secret Santa for them today they would have lost all 3 points....o well
 
I think it safe to assume it would annoy some United fans too.

Loathsome, detestable and ungodly football club that they are.

Yeah it would be annoying to us regardless, but least we can takes some solace in the annoyance of others.
 
To think if Kyle Walker hadn't been an idiot against Everton, they'd probably have an 100% record in the League right now. Can't see even Fergie's best teams competing with that.
He did nothing wrong in that Game. Clanger from the ref.
 
I didn't get the feeling they were the best team in the country by a 'long way' today if I'm honest. They created as much as United for all their dominance of the ball. They play eye catching football and retain possession brilliantly but they still look pretty vulnerable to me and I genuinely think with Pogba in the side United would have got at least a point today.

By the last 10 minutes City were clinging on to the ball and running down the clock in the corners without a centre forward on the pitch.

I did. At least they were a level above what we can play right now. They came to Old Trafford and completely dominated. And they did that against the best organised defensive team in the country. Even when we had a paltry share of possession, it was under extreme duress like being attacked by a swarm of gnats or mosquito's.

I find it very humbling to say it, but City have a better team than we do right now: its in a more advanced stage of evolution and has had more spent on it.

The massive question for the future is can Mourinho beat Guardiola if they have the same resources.
 
I did. At least they were a level above what we can play right now. They came to Old Trafford and completely dominated. And they did that against the best organised defensive team in the country. Even when we had a paltry share of possession, it was under extreme duress like being attacked by a swarm of gnats or mosquito's.

I find it very humbling to say it, but City have a better team than we do right now: its in a more advanced stage of evolution and has had more spent on it.

The massive question for the future is can Mourinho beat Guardiola if they have the same resources.

He can and he will.

Getting thoroughly outplayed by your biggest rivel, in your own back yard no less, does have a positive side. If ever the board needed proof as to how significant the gulf in class between City and United has become, they need only watch that game in its entirety. The difference between us is gargantuan.

If the board truly wish for us to compete with City, at least to a comparative level, then they need to grant Jose whatever he requires in order to achieve that. Feck the debt, feck the loan repayments, feck it all, just give Jose the resources he needs to purchase the kind of players that will give this City team a run for their money.
 
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He can and he will.

Getting thoroughly outplayed by your biggest rivel, in your own back yard no less, does have a positive side. If ever the board needed proof as to how significant the gulf in class between City and United has become, they need only watch that game in its entirety. The difference between is gargantuan.

If board want us to compete with City, at least to a comparative level, then they need to grant Jose whatever he requires in order to achieve that. Feck the debt, feck the loan repayments, feck it all, just give Jose the resources to purchase the kind of players that will give this City team a run for their money.

I strongly agree with you: it's currently an unequal battle, our investments can only ever be relative to other teams. During SAF's era, we almost always had the most resources - must have been infuriating for opposition teams, as we are finding now.

And in the brief years we didn't, we often lost the league. Eg: Blackburn, Chelsea, Man City.
 
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You are trying to blame a team who went defensive against United at Old Trafford. Time wasting, yes? but we did it on the pitch and with the ball in play. If United had a bit of verve they could easily have won the ball back but they stood off and did feck all except let the clock run down. You're just salty, yes we were negative last 20 minutes, we out Jose'd Jose. Our time wasting was brought on by United complete lack of urgency and all on the field of play, not lying down over the sidelines like the teams we've played.

The response of somebody with their head up guardiola. "Yeah we time waste and cheat but only cos you did. Oh and don't dare try it against us". I made a separate stand alone point nothing to do with us based on your manager berating teams week in week out for offences of his opinion of himself and how he thinks he plays the game, but the fact is he sets teams up, for his entire career to dive, harrasss refs, time waste and cheat. It has nothing to do with any team that's something he's responsible for all by his adult self.

Speaking of adult if i wanted to talk to somebody who calls people "salty" I'd go find a teenage girls YouTube channel. Typical of this place right now to have a city fan hovering around a United forum immediately after full time beating united away. Though you probably just never deleted your account from when you were a United fan
 
The response of somebody with their head up guardiola. "Yeah we time waste and cheat but only cos you did. Oh and don't dare try it against us". I made a separate stand alone point nothing to do with us based on your manager berating teams week in week out for offences of his opinion of himself and how he thinks he plays the game, but the fact is he sets teams up, for his entire career to dive, harrasss refs, time waste and cheat. It has nothing to do with any team that's something he's responsible for all by his adult self.

Speaking of adult if i wanted to talk to somebody who calls people "salty" I'd go find a teenage girls YouTube channel. Typical of this place right now to have a city fan hovering around a United forum immediately after full time beating united away. Though you probably just never deleted your account from when you were a United fan

Blimey!....I thought we were the bitters! :lol:
 
With Delph not playing Secret Santa in reverse we'd have won 2-0. For every chance Lukaku gave up so did Delph.
:lol: So in your eyes. Delph gave us two goals and missed and equaliser:lol:

Your nose is making pinnochio proud.. ...


Remove the secret santas from the game and you dont score a single goal for all your dominance of possession. You infact lose the game by Lukaku taking a certain goal scoring chance.

You won the game last night and fair dues for that But dont try to hoodwink us into believing it was because you lot were "different class". You were different class the entire first half of your last league visit to OT. Not yesterday. Even your manager's subs are proof. Pep never makes defensive changes very early in games he is far ahead of an opponent in quality during a game. Yesterday after Lukaku's second christmas gift he immediately added a defender and went to a 6 man midfield. He never did anything like that at Stamford Bridge for example...
 
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Really hope they draw Real Madrid tomorrow but seeing how lucky these cnuts are they are pretty much guaranteed to get Basel.
 
I didn't get the feeling they were the best team in the country by a 'long way' today if I'm honest. They created as much as United for all their dominance of the ball. They play eye catching football and retain possession brilliantly but they still look pretty vulnerable to me and I genuinely think with Pogba in the side United would have got at least a point today.

By the last 10 minutes City were clinging on to the ball and running down the clock in the corners without a centre forward on the pitch.
Me neither. If you're looking for a game where they genuinely looked the better team by a country mile, you need to go back to last year's 1st half at OT. It was absolutely nothing like that yesterday. 3 mistakes, 3 goals with us being the ones who made 2 of them and thus losing.
 
Guardiola articulated one of the worst kept secrets, Kompany cannot be counted on. Think that clearly means they will reinforce in winter, even if only with a short term cover for depth via a veteran
 
Absolutely thrilled about the result and with the performance,we are the best defensive side in the league and the best going forward.
 
Surprising response by many for me but maybe it is a heat of the moment thing. I saw it as a game where City had not to lose and United had to win. As a result the teams to an extent nullified each other but this was more to City's advantage than United's. Led to less than thrilling encounter.

The idea that City should play to a different set of rules because they are rather good at the moment is a bit silly. All teams commit fouls and all teams waste time. Roy Keane, Michael Essien and Patrick Viera were all guilty of the odd cynical challenge if i remember correctly. If we added up all the time wasted by Huddesfield and West Ham in City's last two games we would probably get an extra half, it's frustrating but it works both ways.

As a post script I am not sure the race is over. City still being in all competitions are only an injury or two away from a bad run, United hovever probably have to go on a double digit winning streak though.
 
Mathematically, there remain 66 points to play for and anything is possible. Probable? Not very IMHO, I thought this even before the derby. Only things that can change matters at this point are key injuries or complacency and the latter is virtually as improbable as squandering an 11 pt lead. Injuries, these are unpredictable
 
I’m sure if they come under pressure their constant diving, whinging, fouling and feigning injury will see them through. Horrible cheating shithouses.
 
Who is more important, KDB or Silva? Silva was the stand out player yesterday, magic.
 
First time watching them this season. Very impressed by their possession and build up play but they were a bit toothless. It took two lucky goals for them to score.

I think if they face the bus tactic all through the season they'll drop points. They already would have if it wasn't for more lucky late winners.

Mind our goal was lucky too but we were shit so that's irrelevant.
 
I didn't get the feeling they were the best team in the country by a 'long way' today if I'm honest. They created as much as United for all their dominance of the ball. They play eye catching football and retain possession brilliantly but they still look pretty vulnerable to me and I genuinely think with Pogba in the side United would have got at least a point today.

By the last 10 minutes City were clinging on to the ball and running down the clock in the corners without a centre forward on the pitch.

Is this even for real? They have won 15 games out of 16 so far, 46 out of 48 points. They have made the league almost a formality and we aren't even mid-December yet. I understand bitterness as I used to cringe when my own fellow fans acted delusional (and still do), I dislike everything that plastic club stands for, but then there are some people with blinkers on.

Even a point against their rivals who are unbeaten in 41 games at home would have been a success and youre lauding it as the best United could have done(!) and then saying oh but they aren't the best. Who, pray tell, are then?
 
I strongly agree with you: it's currently an unequal battle, our investments can only ever be relative to other teams. During SAF's era, we almost always had the most resources - must have been infuriating for opposition teams, as we are finding now.

And in the brief years we didn't, we often lost the league. Eg: Blackburn, Chelsea, Man City.

To be honest not really, atleast with me. United made all their money fair and square. No sugar daddy pumped your club with cash.