Inside the first 5-10 minutes, I knew that Chelsea would win that game. City faced a brick wall in our attacks, and pushing men forward in order to try and stretch Chelsea, we left ourselves open to the counter. It was only Chelsea’s poor finishing and missed chances that resulted in us being only 1-0 behind at half time.
The occasion didn’t get to the players. The occasion got to Pep. The one person who should have been the most experienced and level headed person from both sides.
Pep didn’t play his best team again Chelsea in the FA cup and the league. Both of those were understandable.
But pep didn’t play his best team last night either. And that is an absolute joke.
If we had gone with the team and system that has served us so well this season, then we may still have got beat, and had that happened, then last nights result would have been so much easier to take.
But we didn’t do that. Pep tinkered, and went for it against a team that is set up to defend and exploit on the counter. And that is exactly what they did.
It makes it so much harder to accept, knowing that we set up on such a way that played right into Chelsea’s hands. They had Kante, who was superb. Did exactly what you want a holding midfielder to do. Close down, break up attacks, and then, in possession set the attacking players on their way.
We didn’t have that last night.
Pep can come out after and say this will make us stronger. But that’s just a sound bite. He can come out after and sat we will be even hungrier next time, but that kind of comment is so frustrating. We should have been hungry enough last night.
I love what Pep has done for us. But he messed up last night.
Did we beat ourselves last night?
posted on 31/5/21
comment by Blarmy (U14547)
posted 3 hours, 7 minutes ago
You looked most threatening when you had runners through the middle
I didnt feel much threat when the crosses came in tbh, our defenders had the measure and were first to pretty much on all of those
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I thought they looked most threatening when WE had a corner or free kick outside their box. They kept clearing it 1st time and countered with such speed.
Crazy how in the last 10/15 minutes of the game they started hoofing/long throws everything into the box.
posted on 31/5/21
comment by meltonblue (U10617)
posted 13 hours, 35 minutes ago
comment by Devil (U6522)
posted 5 minutes ago
It did seem like losing to Tuchel recently got to him I ain't gunna lie. When I saw that line up my thought was he's banking on City scoring the 1st goal, cos if we open up (in search of an equaliser) the rotation of movement in that line up would rip us to pieces. But having no destroying DM with Werner & Havertz on the break was always gunna create a void as Stones/Dias dropped back to accommodate their pace. One against two is fine, 2v2 and there's a problem.
It shows if nothing else even the smartest tactical minds can overlook the simplest things under pressure. Somewhat ironically Lampard had HUGE issues with this very problem when he didn't play a DM.
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Our issues weren’t because of a lack of a dm though, it was because of the space we left on the flanks not the middle. The latter is a consequence because we didn’t do the first bit right.
We don’t want a destroying dm against a Havertz and a Werner, we’ve never done that. We want to stop the ball even getting there in the first place or making it as long a ball as possible. Where we messed up in that was allowing either full back to be free, not anyone in the middle. What we needed to do was keep Sterling and Mahrez wide and leave your centre backs to it and try and force the out ball up the middle.
I get what Pep was trying to do in doing it, the issue was the knock on consequence to the back line. That and the lack of a Fernandinho was more of a hindrance attacking wise more than anything.
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That was also a problem, but having Fernandinho in that central space was necessary insurance you didn't have considering our attacking weapon was pace. If we'd started Giroud (which wasn't gunna happen) that would've lessened the need for that insurance.
Basically he created a situation where if the wing backs were able to push up giving Werner/Havertz the freedom to drift in-field, Stones & Dias had to drop off as they were outgunned for pace with no backup & the defensive shape becomes elongated. And at that point you're essentially f@cked with one quality ball, which is exactly what happened.
It's not about cutting off attacks at source, most top teams will attempt to do that as a matter of course, it's about covering all the bases. Guardiola's innovative & tactically aggressive but he still wants balance, he's not Bielsa
posted on 31/5/21
I don't think it's about insurance, balance etc - Fernandinho is your best midfielder in my opinion. He should have started. Gundogan and Bernardo Silva offered very very little. He should have changed it at half time.
posted on 31/5/21
He's also a very good player, that is true
posted on 31/5/21
It wasn’t about dropping off though, it was movement to the side that did us.
It’s a shame you can’t embed pics in a comment as it would make it a lot easier to explain! The chain reaction was the fullbacks though, not the central midfield.
posted on 31/5/21
Werners run
posted on 31/5/21
comment by meltonblue (U10617)
posted 10 minutes ago
It wasn’t about dropping off though, it was movement to the side that did us.
It’s a shame you can’t embed pics in a comment as it would make it a lot easier to explain! The chain reaction was the fullbacks though, not the central midfield.
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Training ground move. Stretch the left, make space in the centre and the right winger runs into it.
posted on 31/5/21
comment by Xiu (U6109)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by meltonblue (U10617)
posted 10 minutes ago
It wasn’t about dropping off though, it was movement to the side that did us.
It’s a shame you can’t embed pics in a comment as it would make it a lot easier to explain! The chain reaction was the fullbacks though, not the central midfield.
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Training ground move. Stretch the left, make space in the centre and the right winger runs into it.
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Yes - movement opened city up and 3 of the City players were caught flat-footed. City also had similar plans - Ederson's fabulous pass to put Sterling through was probably the only time we were really opened up and left one-v-one - luckily a combination of luck, good defending and poor control saved us.
posted on 31/5/21
comment by Xiu (U6109)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by meltonblue (U10617)
posted 10 minutes ago
It wasn’t about dropping off though, it was movement to the side that did us.
It’s a shame you can’t embed pics in a comment as it would make it a lot easier to explain! The chain reaction was the fullbacks though, not the central midfield.
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Training ground move. Stretch the left, make space in the centre and the right winger runs into it.
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Yep. What would have stopped it is keeping Sterling and Mahrez wide so Walker didn’t have to step up. Even with that though, I did think Zinchenko was slow to react to the goal.
posted on 31/5/21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4mQUbwx9Q0
Good tactical breakdown