Was it deer in the headlights? Lack of mental sharpness? Or just a bad day at the office?
Seri's gift of a pass for the first goal. Anguissa's woeful pass on the 4 v 4 break in the second half. Mac also had a picture perfect pass, to the Citeh midfielder. Odoi let alone 3 other players standing and deciding to not be bothered for the 3rd goal.
I know it's an away game for a newly formed side against the Champions, and they outclassed us, but we are much better than this.
In the end I am pleased it was just a 3 goal defeat. If City didn't have Europe on their minds goodness knows what the score could have been. We looked a side who had come to look at the stadium and just never became involved in the game. A few long range efforts were all we could expect. Not happy with their second goal either. If we had scored it we would have been penalised for handball. But so outclassed and without any real inkling of how to make a game of it.
Not surprised by the scoreline just the line up and attitude. As if we really didn't fancy making a game of it at all.
There's not much you can do about being out classed, we have to take that now and then. But the City players did the basics better than us, much better. Closing down, chasing back, pressing the ball, not backing out of a 50/50 challenge. You don't have to be world class to do those things, you just have to put in a bit of bloody effort. Really disappointing from some of those players. Sess was, at least, trying
Thing that irks me is that Slav takes the team away and says they spent a week working on stuff but then decided to not use the actual left back and more athletic CDM against the best team in the country, and instead used players who went off on international duty and weren't part of this supposed planning. Also can we please not persist with Odoi any longer, I keep seeing comments around him not making any mistakes, and that's purely down to the fact he's not given the ball away or anything like MLM who's seeming turned into a scapegoat for some of the mods, yet Odoi has the worst positional sense of anyone in our defence, he just goes walkabout and leaves massive gaps which when you've not got world class full backs is a bit of an issue.
Not going overboard with the criticism because City are very good but there have been some weird tactical choices today which didn't really help us.
Our passing was sloppy. Let alone the first goal it was poor for the entire game.
Suprised we started with mcdonald and Johansen in midfield who've hardly had any game time and we're put in against the top team in the league. Suprised Odoi was put in when the only obvious mistake MLM has had so far was when he was played out of position.
Know the championship you don't have to turn up for half a season and tweak as you go and then get promoted but this is the premiership.
I think Slav got today wrong in all honesty.
Giving away goals in the first minute of each half doesn't help.
Five matches gone and we are still looking for a settled defense, suspect it may take until Christmas.
Bet Deeney and Gray of Watford are looking for a nice day out at the Cottage next week.
Quote from: General on September 15, 2018, 06:02:11 PM
Suprised we started with mcdonald and Johansen in midfield who've hardly had any game time and we're put in against the top team in the league. Suprised Odoi was put in when the only obvious mistake MLM has had so far was when he was played out of position.
Know the championship you don't have to turn up for half a season and tweak as you go and then get promoted but this is the premiership.
I think Slav got today wrong in all honesty.
With all due respect, Kmac has played the 3rd most amount of mins out of all our players only behind Seri and Mitro. So to say hes hardly played isnt correct. No need to be too worried we were always going to struggle today, but there are still plenty of teams worse than us.
I don't think this can, or will resolve itself, until Ream is match fit. Then the choices will be made. Cheer up filham we could still be in the Championship!
Quote from: General on September 15, 2018, 06:02:11 PM
Suprised we started with mcdonald and Johansen in midfield who've hardly had any game time and we're put in against the top team in the league. Suprised Odoi was put in when the only obvious mistake MLM has had so far was when he was played out of position.
Know the championship you don't have to turn up for half a season and tweak as you go and then get promoted but this is the premiership.
I think Slav got today wrong in all honesty.
Maybe Slav had written the game off already/experimenting and saving Anguissa, Bryan, Marchand, Fosu-Mensah, until TC came back for Watford? Seemed like it.
Quote from: The Rock on September 15, 2018, 08:05:40 PM
Quote from: General on September 15, 2018, 06:02:11 PM
Suprised we started with mcdonald and Johansen in midfield who've hardly had any game time and we're put in against the top team in the league. Suprised Odoi was put in when the only obvious mistake MLM has had so far was when he was played out of position.
Know the championship you don't have to turn up for half a season and tweak as you go and then get promoted but this is the premiership.
I think Slav got today wrong in all honesty.
Maybe Slav had written the game off already/experimenting and saving Anguissa, Bryan, Marchand, Fosu-Mensah, until TC came back for Watford? Seemed like it.
I think Slav knew that even a draw would be difficult, so he tinkered more with the lines. He'll know soon enough what his starting 11 is, he did this with us the last 2 seasons as well. Tinker and then BOOM all the sudden it works
Disagree with those claiming Odoi's inclusion was a misjustice. MLM gave away two goals with sloppy passes while Odoi hadn't done much wrong in his games this season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the evidence before today's game backed up the team selection in central defence.
I think it's becoming more obvious that Ream and Mawson will become our first choice pairing .. and that the former's return from injury can't come soon enough!
There's a lot of expectation on Ream for when he comes back. Let's hope he is given some time to get up to speed before the knives come out.
Slav played as many of last seasons team as he could, not sure why, but seems a bit of a coincidence. Seri had an off day but for me, setting up 4.3.3 as we normally do, exposed our full backs and City ripped us apart out wide. Sess was given no protection and the ball inside the full back allowed Sterling to take advantage of all the space, Sess had no chance. Very very strange by Slav. He must have been the only person that thought that was our best team for today. I know and reluctantly accept he will not change his style, but it's rather silly to think we can out play City. Maybe he wanted the players to see how they play as this is the level he aspires too, I really can't work it out.
Quote from: cookieg on September 16, 2018, 07:40:03 AM
There's a lot of expectation on Ream for when he comes back. Let's hope he is given some time to get up to speed before the knives come out.
definitely keep the knives in the writing pockets for a few games please.
Jokanovic got it wrong today. He needs to find his best defence quickly.
Quote from: Mince n Tatties on September 15, 2018, 06:43:51 PM
Giving away goals in the first minute of each half doesn't help.
+1
Quote from: Milo on September 15, 2018, 08:54:44 PM
Disagree with those claiming Odoi's inclusion was a misjustice. MLM gave away two goals with sloppy passes while Odoi hadn't done much wrong in his games this season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the evidence before today's game backed up the team selection in central defence.
I think it's becoming more obvious that Ream and Mawson will become our first choice pairing .. and that the former's return from injury can't come soon enough!
Agree with all of this 100%
Because Mawson favours the LCB role, that leaves Chambers and Odoi as his CB partner. MLM will have trouble coming in, if Mawson is to continue at LCB.
Odoi is doing alright, considering the huge step up.
A bit different perspective being at the game, when you don't have as good an overall view as on TV, but more of a sense maybe, of the effort and commitment of the players - which I didn't think we lacked, though obviously shot ourselves in the foot with poor passing and defensive errors.
I thought we came into the game more in the second half, and certainly kept going, creating opportunities, though not having many actual shots on goal, right up to the final whistle.
The fans at the game certainly seemed to think the team gave their all, making a good noise all game, and cheering them off the field, with the players coming over and showing their appreciation, especially Sess and Betts, who both had good games, I thought.
City looked more confident and more of a team than us, while I think we aren't quite a team yet, with so many new players, and also are probably overawed by teams like city, and giving away such a cheap early goal certainly didn't help - like a kick in the guts when the game had hardly got going.
But we live to fightanother day.
COYW!!!
Quote from: Facts Not Fiction on September 16, 2018, 10:06:08 AM
Because Mawson favours the LCB role, that leaves Chambers and Odoi as his CB partner. MLM will have trouble coming in, if Mawson is to continue at LCB.
Odoi is doing alright, considering the huge step up.
It's an interesting conundrum. I agree with you that Odoi is doing ok, but Mawson and Ream are probably our two most capable CB's. The challenge will be how we develop them as an effective partnership?
I was as surprised as anyone with the choice made - particularly Christie and sess, but they both did ok under the circumstances. The bigger problem was that we were overrun in midfield, too slow and could not keep possession. With hindsight we could have played Frank from the start, and dropped Seri to the bench, which would have been brave. Alternatively changed shape to put an extra man in midfield, which Slav is reluctant to do. Overall it was an education against the best team in the country, and I think we can give them a decent challenge back at the Cottage.
I think that Slav had a gameplan in mind, but that kind of goes out the window when they score in the first minute. Was always going to be a struggle after that.
Moving on to Watford.
Quote from: Twig on September 16, 2018, 11:00:45 AM
Quote from: Facts Not Fiction on September 16, 2018, 10:06:08 AM
Because Mawson favours the LCB role, that leaves Chambers and Odoi as his CB partner. MLM will have trouble coming in, if Mawson is to continue at LCB.
Odoi is doing alright, considering the huge step up.
It's an interesting conundrum. I agree with you that Odoi is doing ok, but Mawson and Ream are probably our two most capable CB's. The challenge will be how we develop them as an effective partnership?
As I understand. It Mawson does not necessarily favour the LCB role . He is right footed and played at LCB for Swansea in order to accomodate Kyle Naughton who is right footed and preferred that position
Quote from: Milo on September 15, 2018, 08:54:44 PM
Disagree with those claiming Odoi's inclusion was a misjustice. MLM gave away two goals with sloppy passes while Odoi hadn't done much wrong in his games this season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the evidence before today's game backed up the team selection in central defence.
I think it's becoming more obvious that Ream and Mawson will become our first choice pairing .. and that the former's return from injury can't come soon enough!
+1 (for the first paragraph at least .. reserve judgement on the first choice pairing)
Ream and Odoi together against Man City and we'd still have most likely lost. I have no illusions otherwise. That team is a juggernaut. Silly money can do that for you. Having said that, I still believe Ream's absence is felt. People say he doesn't have the foot speed to be a starting CB in the Prem. I don't agree. John Terry, for instance, wasn't fast. He had fast fullbacks around him. And Odoi's got good wheels. Ream's presence changes the way the team plays. A CB who can possess the ball, not just boot it blindly up the pitch. Who can lay smart passes up, one after another, to the right people and the right moment with the pace called for. Like turning on your car and instantly putting your team on its way. Throughout last season, he tinkered and adjusted--they all did--and went on a crazy unbeaten run of games. Timing, spacing, playing smarts, anticipation--more important than simple footspeed. You can only control the ball up to a point at full speed. Tim is fast enough if he and his teammates are in synch with one another. We hear he's still out over chronic back pain. Hard to put a time table on the spine. Could be tomorrow, could be another two weeks.
Quote from: HV71 on September 16, 2018, 01:04:02 PM
Quote from: Twig on September 16, 2018, 11:00:45 AM
Quote from: Facts Not Fiction on September 16, 2018, 10:06:08 AM
Because Mawson favours the LCB role, that leaves Chambers and Odoi as his CB partner. MLM will have trouble coming in, if Mawson is to continue at LCB.
Odoi is doing alright, considering the huge step up.
It's an interesting conundrum. I agree with you that Odoi is doing ok, but Mawson and Ream are probably our two most capable CB's. The challenge will be how we develop them as an effective partnership?
As I understand. It Mawson does not necessarily favour the LCB role . He is right footed and played at LCB for Swansea in order to accomodate Kyle Naughton who is right footed and preferred that position
Ah ok. Thanks.
