THE Manchester Derby 16/17

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

U WOT M8

When i have seen him he wasn't i bow down to you on this subject however

LMAO and we all had to bow down to Pep on this subject. We were constantly like "Rafinha AGAIN?!". But the little poison dwarf proved us all wrong

Rafinha was a flop at Genoa.

Not surprised to see a Serie scrub boss it at Bundesfodder.

M99 wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:


When i have seen him he wasn't i bow down to you on this subject however

LMAO and we all had to bow down to Pep on this subject. We were constantly like "Rafinha AGAIN?!". But the little poison dwarf proved us all wrong

Rafinha was a flop at Genoa.

Not surprised to see a Serie scrub boss it at Bundesfodder.

He was fine but annoying at Schalke. When he was bought at the arrival of Jupp we were moderately satisfied with the transfer since full backs were a perennial problem, basically always a problem where Lahm did not play.

Jupp actually started his first season (of that stint) with putting Lahm back at left back and Rafinha as left back.
We were shit.

Thankfully, Jupp made the decision to drop Rafinha, put Lahm ar RB again and install Alaba, finally.
We clicked and this was the moment Jupp made his term susscessful IMO.

So when Rafinha was back in the starting line up 2 years later with Pep arriving we were not that enthused. He did well.

M99 wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:


When i have seen him he wasn't i bow down to you on this subject however

LMAO and we all had to bow down to Pep on this subject. We were constantly like "Rafinha AGAIN?!". But the little poison dwarf proved us all wrong

Rafinha was a flop at Genoa.

Not surprised to see a Serie scrub boss it at Bundesfodder.

We were surprised he was not at all a liability as we were fearing (I mean, dropping Lahm and all) but he was actually solid, which is all you can ask for a fullback with nowadays' talent levels.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

urbaNRoots wrote:Despite de Bruyne's performance today, I can see Pep bench him in the long term. Too Fabregas-ish for him, an attacking midfielder who struggles in every other position does not suit Pep's way I feel.

I think that's possible eventually, not this season though as he'll need a different type of player to justify it.

Mind you i would have thought the same about Muller, he's completely anti-Pep i would have thought.

I had thought Robben would never fit in Pep's ways but he ended up arguably the best player of the three years of Pep's Bayern.

No one to really blame. Wanted Mkhitaryan (in place of Mata) and a fast player to start(preferred Martial however over Lingard any day). So cant really fault Mou for going with this lineup. Fellaini was clearly a wrong player for a game like this. But it was unfair to drop him after the form he's been in. The only player who should have been dropped was Rooney but sigh, its a lost cause for us United fans to expect that to be happening these days.

Fair play to City. Even amid the second half improvement City clearly deserved the win. Zlatan is a great player to have against fodder clubs but against genuine quality teams I dont think he he's good enough. Wasted far too many chances.

Jose saying two clear penalties were missed by Clattenburg - from Otamendi and Bravo...

Glory wrote: Zlatan is a great player to have against fodder clubs but against genuine quality teams I dont think he he's good enough.

What makes you say this? he was your most dangerous and threatening player whenever he got service imo.

Also he was the reason the hoof and knockdown stuff towards the end was even effective.

Can't think of anyone else who was any better anyway.

RealGunner wrote:Jose saying two clear penalties were missed by Clattenburg - from Otamendi and Bravo...

And the theme is set for the rest of the season.

Players letting him down, refs afraid to make the right calls

Guardiola, though, insists Bravo had a fantastic game.

"What Claudio Bravo did was one of the best performances I've ever seen,"

Pep NEVER talks badly about one if his players.

Jose critical of Bailly - indicates he and others felt pressure, "dimension of occasion"

Honestly not surprised by Black Nasri's performance. Needs an Alonso or a Marchisio or a Pirlo to carry him or he's going to continue to produce putrid performances like today.

I was somewhat shocked seeing Mourinho's starting lineup due to which it wasn't surprising to me that City dominated the first half so completely. Bravo's clanger and Ibrahimovic took his goal well. The big Swede missed one or two good chances though. What did surprise me was Pep Guardiola making a defensive substitution and then in the last fifteen minutes or so a Guardiola team actually played what looked so much like parking the bus.

At the end of the day City won the away derby and thus couldn't have asked for more. Heard that this is now the personal score between these two elite football managers (will have to check though).

Guardiola (9) - Mourinho (3)

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

Glory wrote: Zlatan is a great player to have against fodder clubs but against genuine quality teams I dont think he he's good enough.

What makes you say this? he was your most dangerous and threatening player whenever he got service imo.

Also he was the reason the hoof and knockdown stuff towards the end was even effective.

Can't think of anyone else who was any better anyway.

He missed like 4 clear cut chances that another player would have converted. Towards the end of the 1st half there was a Bravo blunder and he was caught out with just Stones at the post. Zlatan could have walked the ball into the net easily. But his shot was tame.

Rashford offers a lot more tbh. Ideally both should start with Zlatan as a deep lying cf/pseudo 10 role. He can do the job more than rooney. But with the golden rule nowadays that rooni will never be dropped from the lineup however bad he plays, its wise to expect someone else to drop out and that someone should be zlatan if its between him and Rashford (in big games).

Sushi Master wrote:Pep NEVER talks badly about one if his players.

Which is the right thing to do, even if it's obvious he's not being sincere

Firenze wrote:Guardiola, though, insists Bravo had a fantastic game.

"What Claudio Bravo did was one of the best performances I've ever seen,"

Said the same thing about Valdes after he conceded an early goal in the 3-1 win. Bravo kept playing the same way and with bravery, you can't ask for more. It wasn't as bad as people are making out. The goal was a mix up between him and Stones, he shouted but obviously he can't speak English. He is the reason City were able to get numerical superiority and avoid duels in both their goals so...

Glory wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

Glory wrote: Zlatan is a great player to have against fodder clubs but against genuine quality teams I dont think he he's good enough.

What makes you say this? he was your most dangerous and threatening player whenever he got service imo.

Also he was the reason the hoof and knockdown stuff towards the end was even effective.

Can't think of anyone else who was any better anyway.

He missed like 4 clear cut chances that another player would have converted. Towards the end of the 1st half there was a Bravo blunder and he was caught out with just Stones at the post. Zlatan could have walked the ball into the net easily. But his shot was tame.

Rashford offers a lot more tbh. Ideally both should start with Zlatan as a deep lying cf/pseudo 10 role. He can do the job more than rooney. But with the golden rule nowadays that rooni will never be dropped from the lineup however bad he plays, its wise to expect someone else to drop out and that someone should be zlatan if its between him and Rashford (in big games).

I don't remember that tbh, but fair enough. I agree Rashford should be starting games mind you.

jibers wrote:

Firenze wrote:Guardiola, though, insists Bravo had a fantastic game.

"What Claudio Bravo did was one of the best performances I've ever seen,"

Said the same thing about Valdes after he conceded an early goal in the 3-1 win. Bravo kept playing the same way and with bravery, you can't ask for more. It wasn't as bad as people are making out. The goal was a mix up between him and Stones, he shouted but obviously he can't speak English. He is the reason City were able to get numerical superiority and avoid duels in both their goals so...

He had a bad game.

Obviously still a huge reinforcement for City and the right choice.

Dint think Poop would make such a sizeable impact immediately after becoming City coach but credit where it's due. There are a lot of positives for City to take from the first month compared to their previous teams/managers.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Jose saying two clear penalties were missed by Clattenburg - from Otamendi and Bravo...

And the theme is set for the rest of the season.

Players letting him down, refs afraid to make the right calls

So now we can say Jose Mourinho is well and truly back. The last bit of the charade of good behavior he has been trying so hard to exhibit for a year or so is about to be discarded for good.

S wrote:Dint think Poop would make such a sizeable impact immediately after becoming City coach but credit where it's due. There are a lot of positives for City to take from the first month compared to their previous teams/managers.

While I am not the biggest fan of Pep's Bayern I had no doubt that with him in charge ManCity will play their best football and reach their greatest heights, better than anything they have shown us in the last few years especially in Europe.

S wrote:Dint think Poop would make such a sizeable impact immediately after becoming City coach but credit where it's due. There are a lot of positives for City to take from the first month compared to their previous teams/managers.

I didn't either, mainly because they had key players who were not available and still don't to an extent.

Tactics thing is a factor as well obviously and most seemed to have adapted quickly. but it doesn't really help 4 or 5 players, who you will imagine will be important players were or still not available.

All teams go through this obviously but i expected a slower start because of it.

It's positional dominance, it's not surprising to see given that it's pep.

They are not quite there yet, but pair that with the shambolic organization of united supported by a two man midfield which is highly incompetent, it wasnt so surprising

sportsczy wrote:Pogba should have stayed with Juve.  The style Mourinho has his CMs play is such a hack job.  It's the same everywhere he's been.  It'll never change regardless of the profiles or talents of the players there.

Got the lineup completely wrong to start the game.  Then went to a 433 where it was punt and run.  

How about working on passing and building up from the midfield?  Looking for Pogba to dribble past 2-3 guys in order to create any kind of room for himself is not building up.  They'll just hold and foul him every time they can... if they don't take the ball away.  He'll just burn himself out trying high risk, low reward type plays in a portion of the pitch that brings no danger anyhow.

I completely agree with what you said. This is something that was said in the summer as well that Pogba should not go there to play under Jose Mourinho. Xabi Alonso was reduced by Mourinho to a bully. Under Guardiola he became a footballer again. I saw the starting lineup and said to myself that Pogba is being asked to be a Maradona here with hardly any creative (or even defensive) support for him.

Ah, you guys must be talking about the game between Blue and Red I watched this morning? Have to say it was an entertaining game.

The Red team tried their best in the end to get a draw, even bringing on an attacker, for a defender which you expect, but dont always see from the away team.

Blue looked like a team that had some ball skills and I assume the trainer spends time on that sort of thing in practice. It looked like the Red team only practiced wind sprints and throw ins, must be a new trainer? Hasnt had time to do the balls skills, running into space , passing etc drills.

I thought Blue looked good for the 2-0 lead, but Red got some momentum by getting the goal at the end of the half, that always helps you at half time. But that keeper looked like it was his first time playing for blue, he was really trying too hard to impress.

All I can say in the second half, is if that bearded lady was not so tired ( and come on, women dont have the stamina men do) they might have got a draw. That balding guy is a bit of a bitch though. Alwys crying for fouls and claiming hand balls when it was clearly a chest or an arm behind someones back, which was absolutely unintentional.

I think that Albino guy for blue has potential.

RealGunner wrote:Silva is immense. 2nd best CAM in the league easily

David Silva has been such a fine player but there's been something missing in his career. I would say it's the big moment(s). He spent the WC 2010 victory on bench. Was a steady performer in three Euros but rarely spectacular. His best has probably come in some league games for ManCity, even a few of the big games, but what he now needs to do is really show himself in UCL and then maybe in WC 2018 as well.