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All purpose football thread 20-21 season II

It isn't just about the PSG game though. Generally speaking, our first team is Ederson, Zinchenko, DIas, Stones, Walker, Rodri, Bernardo, Gundo, Foden, KDB and Mahrez. The only change to that was Sterling playing for Rodri.

Personally, I don't think it would have made a difference. Any team finds it difficult to play against a disciplined, organised defensive unit. When it comes with such quality players as Kante, Reece James and others, it is a tough ask. Normally, City find a way but it wasn't to be.
One critical note is the rolling around of the Chelsea players was so disappointing, to me. It is cheating and needs to be irradicated from the game. Generally, I thought the referee handled it quite well, however.

Tonight’s not the night for arguing, City have been resting players since they qualified, look at Dortmund line up, 3-4 changes - KDB isn’t a false No 9 as he was this evening
 
Good watch for a neutral. MOTM for me was Reece James and Kante was Kante. They stopped City from playing their game and Pep had no plan B. Did Aguero get a touch?
 
I still find City's habit of making niggly little fouls to thwart an opposition break somewhat disappointing. It is cheating and needs to be eradicated from the game but they continue to get away with it.
Knew you’d be along out of your crypt tonight.
City Had great teachers in Scholes, Keane and all the other cheats that made it an art form at your club.
 
I think that Chelsea performance was typical of what Tuchel has brought to the club.
Commiserations to City fans but I think Chelsea edged it on the night.
Kanté absolutely immense and without a doubt MOM.

He was and is a great player. They edged it, it is as simple as that.
 
Said all along Chelsea were favourites.

Nobody believed me...

Congrats to Chelsea and as has been said by others, hopefully enjoyed by Jack Barron and can help give him a lift.

Can't comment on the game because I didn't see much of it since I was working but hey ho.
 
Pep tried to make himself look like 'the special one' and made a mess of it plain and simple.

De Bruyne needs to be deeper and act as the quarterback - playing him as a false 9 or whatever his position was negated him.

BBC Sport analysis puts it perfectly:

Guardiola's strategy was high risk and the outcome suggests it was fatally flawed. He cannot escape scrutiny on his own part in a desperate night for City.

He is one of the great coaches and managers who has shaped the way modern football is played, influenced so many other coaches, but this was a night when the old questions about over-thinking were asked again.

It is hard to criticise a manager who has won the Premier League for three of the last four seasons but he tried a line-up he had never used before in arguably the biggest game in City's history after a season of domestic domination.

Rodri and Fernandinho have figured in 60 out of 61 games for City this season, either individually or as a pair. Why change the strategy so radically and use this system in a match of such huge significance? Even seasoned, experienced operators such as Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, seemed uncertain of what their actual roles were.

Guardiola's plan failed and he will have to accept the criticism that will inevitably come his way.

 
But there's hope for MC. Last year Pep (whom I adore) was too smart at the Lyon quarter final, yesterday it was the final, maybe next year he'll postpone this to the cup lifting.
 
Tinker man Pep got it wrong.
What has he done to Raheem Sterling ?

Am hoping Gareth goes with some of exciting young newbies rather than stale looking Sterling & Rashford
 
In my view, the comments about tinkering are not warranted: he has lost to Chelsea 3 times on the run; if he'd have done the same thing then he would have been criticised for that. In a one-off game against an organised, skilled opponent, anything can happen, and it did.
 
Not sure I understand the grief directed at Pep. At the end of the day, it was one game. Chelsea managed the city press in their previous two meetings, that he tried something different should be expected. It didn’t work, but that one error surely doesn’t take him from hero to zero.
 


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