Beat Stoke its 12 points.
Beat City at Etihad its 9 points.
The league is ours.
Beat City at Etihad its 9 points.
The league is ours.
Manchester City 17/18 discussion | "If you're here for the Champions clap your hands" (#6505)
- Thread starter simonhch
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
As much as I dislike Liverpool, I gotta admit that I'm really, really glad that City lost today.
The final score doesn't show the whole picture imo, they were bullied by Liverpool for most of the game and if not for Liverpool's bizarre inability to see out virtually any game, they would lost 4-1.
City've been over-hyped and over-respected all season, and it's just so great to see them brought back down a peg.
The final score doesn't show the whole picture imo, they were bullied by Liverpool for most of the game and if not for Liverpool's bizarre inability to see out virtually any game, they would lost 4-1.
City've been over-hyped and over-respected all season, and it's just so great to see them brought back down a peg.
You’re only as good as your last game.
We'll see.
Should be noted, United went to February unbeaten in 2010/11. So go feck yourself.
Agree.
Do you think Stones was rushed back too soon? His form before and after the injury is night and day.
Yep. If they’d lost early on in the season the league would look different. They’ve built up an aura of invincibility, which helps a lot. Utd fans know this as well as anyone.
Stones is shit defensively. Him being out made them better.
He'll always make at least one mistake if pressed hard.
Before the injury he wasn't being targeted as teams were over-respecting citeh, now it matters more (for everyone in the league), I expect him to be targeted every match.
They're not as good as the table suggests. No one can be. It's a freakish half season they've had rather than the norm. Sadly they are much better than us. I'm more concern about Liverpool being their closest challengers in the near future as opposed to us.
I don't know but I have a sneaky feeling he was, he looks to be moving very sluggish. I wouldn't worry about him being muscled off the ball as even at his best he's pretty weak, but his pace and inability to cover ground was shocking again today. Honestly I don't see Mangala for all his faults (and theres a lot of them) being as poor as him today.
I was one of them. Liverpool is a team specially suited to beat a possession based team like City. No other team in the league is similar with the same quality forward line. This and the away game at Old Trafford were the only ones City had to navigate to remain undefeated. They weren't able to, now they will lose a few more but they would have gone unbeaten this season had they not lost today.
I can't take anyone seriously who genuinely thinks Stones is a shit defender (you're exaggerating, wumming or not watching their games). I've watched at least half their games this season. And under the press, he has actually been excellent (pre-injury). Hence my question.
Thats not true, Wembley vs Spurs? Emirates vs Arsenal? Not to mention any team in the league can pull off a shock on any day. We'll probably lose 3 or 4 more between now and the end of the season. The issue is we don't draw enough for anybody to get back into it even if they only lose 1 or 2.
I'm basing my opinion on him from watching his whole career, not just a few months when citeh weren't even being tested.
It's my opinion that defensively he's always got a big mistake in him when pressed hard enough.
He's a soft defender as well, saw this in his first season at citeh too.
They got out of jail a few times earlier in the season...just like we got suckerpunched a few times too. If those results had been reversed, the league would be looking very different. As the cup games begin to kick in and gain greater importance in he latter half of the season, they will lose a few more. Would love them to get a few draws now to get things going.
I think the league is gone, they will atleast limp to the finish line.
But the fear factor might be going now. All the talk about the "best team in Europe" is ridiculous. PSG and Barca are much better than them, and teams like Juve and maybe even the jaded Real could give them a run for their money. I don't see them as CL winners or even finalists.
They are still better than they were last season, of course. But not invincible.
But the fear factor might be going now. All the talk about the "best team in Europe" is ridiculous. PSG and Barca are much better than them, and teams like Juve and maybe even the jaded Real could give them a run for their money. I don't see them as CL winners or even finalists.
They are still better than they were last season, of course. But not invincible.
I'm speaking about this season. That would be like me using the entirety of Lingard's career to dismiss his form for us this season.
City actually welcome the press. They weren't on top at all this game, but they would rather teams provide them the space that pressing leaves. And Stones plays because he, again, this season, has shown himself to be excellent under the press. Guardiola wouldn't start him otherwise.
Is Redcafe red again?
Their defense really is shady. When teams go at them, they look vulnerable. Therefore, I just cannot fathom why Mourinho was so defensive. When we had a go at them in the second half, it was mere margins that prevented us from scoring an equaliser.
Stones ahead of Smalling for the national team is a joke!
Their defense really is shady. When teams go at them, they look vulnerable. Therefore, I just cannot fathom why Mourinho was so defensive. When we had a go at them in the second half, it was mere margins that prevented us from scoring an equaliser.
Stones ahead of Smalling for the national team is a joke!
They will drop more points. The problem is, every side in the top 6 will drop points as well.
If I were a city fan, I wouldn't have worried about Emirates or Wembley. I think it's natural as a fan to be cautious but as a rival fan, I could see that City had created an aura of invincibility which was crushing most teams without a ball being kicked. Jose and Klopp are the only managers with the balls and teams good enough to overcome that.
I agree that over the course of his career, he is not a great defender - shit if of course going overboard. He is soft, not very strong, looks a little slow and always has a mistake in him. Is that three mistakes of him directly leading to goals since the return from injury? If that was Smalling...
The league is over.
Only positive is if it removes the cloak of invisibility.
They stumble to the title and next season looks more competitive.
Only positive is if it removes the cloak of invisibility.
They stumble to the title and next season looks more competitive.
Not with that defense they won't. Daro nahi
Well, Lingard's whole career should be taken into account when talking about him being a first team starter for us - and I love the guy.
But would you be happy going into next season with Lingard as our main player in his position? Likely no, and that's because he needs to show that this is the regular for him, and not just a great run of form.
Stones is a defender, which makes any kind of patchiness in form far more costly than if he were a creative player. And further still, he's a first team starter as CB.
But all throughout his career he's been the same - good on the ball to a point, and then he over-estimates himself and ends up flailing. A soft defender and a player who mistakes can be forced out of.
A good 2 months in a side that I believe were being over-respected won't change that for me.
I know you're a great poster and you do know a lot about footy, so I respect your opinion to disagree, but that's just my opinion on Stones. I guess the next few months we'll see more and it'll become more clear with him one way or the other.
I really don't think we'll stumble to the title, still expect to win it comfortably
Liverpool are not good defensively which they again showed today. Also lower placed clubs play klopp better. Guys like pep and klopp prefer other coaches to play according to them as that would mean.more.open spaces and more chances of scoring. City today were poor and Liverpool took their chances. I can see Jose getting an irritating 1-0 or 2-0 against klopp this March, especially if we sign Sanchez.
Why I used "if".
Still expect you lot to win by +10points.
They were absolutely shambles in defense today. Ederson could have done better for all 4 goals.
No words. Utter self destruction.
Bad day at the office, shades of last season except the rally at the end which was positive. On the plus side we need only 33 points to get the job done mathematically and in reality probably around 24.
Looked awful today. You can say Liverpool pressed them but doesn’t excuse passing it directly to Liverpool players time and time again.
Ederson is a joke. Always suspected it was a bit emporer’s new clothes - almost seemed a bit too cocky which was fine when you’re wining 5-0 against a team who don’t want to leave their half. He’s been protected by an excellent team unit which has prevented too many difficult scenarios for him.
Anyway, this should take the wind out of hair sails a bit. No title race in sight yet but could see their season fizzling out a bit which, if they have to win the league, would be the best scenario. Another non-event City league win that no one cares about, exactly like 2014.
Ederson is a joke. Always suspected it was a bit emporer’s new clothes - almost seemed a bit too cocky which was fine when you’re wining 5-0 against a team who don’t want to leave their half. He’s been protected by an excellent team unit which has prevented too many difficult scenarios for him.
Anyway, this should take the wind out of hair sails a bit. No title race in sight yet but could see their season fizzling out a bit which, if they have to win the league, would be the best scenario. Another non-event City league win that no one cares about, exactly like 2014.
That was just Liverpool, mate. They do that against relegation fodder on a bi-monthly basis.
You got utterly bullied, completely found out, and can go to bed a well beaten side.
I hope by now every manager will realize how to play against City -- you just can't sit deep (like what we did) but instead attack them as if they're a lower league team. Their (shaky) defense and goalkeeping will always give you a chance.
Just like how the league figured out how to play against Ranieri's Leicester and Conte's Chelsea, we'll soon see the same with Pep's City. The EPL has the best managers in the world so the adjustment period is very quick.
Just like how the league figured out how to play against Ranieri's Leicester and Conte's Chelsea, we'll soon see the same with Pep's City. The EPL has the best managers in the world so the adjustment period is very quick.
The methods of beating City is surfacing fast. Started from that Xavi interview to Bristol City and now Liverpool.
Other teams will take note and this will be an interesting development for the rest of the season.
Other teams will take note and this will be an interesting development for the rest of the season.
Yeah it's that easy. That's why it's taken 23 league games to finally lose.
And who knows what is next for them. They had to lose at some point and thank feck it was in January. Theyve been squeezing out results for weeks now and this could just be the game that little doubts start to creep in.
The methods for beating City were known long before the Liverpool game, it's just that Liverpool are the best placed team to enact said methods to their fullest - a combination of fitness, pressing and countering. If anything teams should look more to City's games against Huddersfield, Southampton and West Ham as the blueprint in which to have more joy when facing City - becuase the margins in those games were much finer.
It's why there was such dismay at our approach in the derby - because we played precisely into City's hands and didn't execute our own approach (long balls / countering) with any degree of belief or indeed success.