Basket case FC vs the Petro State Cheaters and the World (A match thread)

I like Boly, but he's pretty terrifying with the ball at his feet. We'd miss murillo massively for his passing, that everyone is now taking for granted.

Agree. Murillo will be perfect for a top club that is under the cosh less. And that’s where he will end up.

Not taking it for granted at all. His passing was pretty crap yesterday though.

I think you are right. Although we were quite caught out when Haaland came in, KDB dropped into the “hole” and no one thought “we shouldn’t be giving that kind of space to one of the best players in the world”. Especially with Rodri and Kovacic behind him and Silva and Alvarez either side. For the goal, his shot just beforehand and an earlier move, we were pretty exposed.

I think Nuno reacted slowly (again?). Neco’s injury, Murillo’s injury, Haaland coming on with Alvarez and de Bruyne getting more space. And they made a change at half time (reflecting how well we played first half?) They had more control as a result. Much as I love MGW and Danilo, they are not a match for Rodri, Silvia, Kovacic and De Bruyne. Incidentally, Postecoglou did the same in the Spurs game (Hojlund and Bentancur) with a similar result. In both cases, you could tell within a few minutes that the game had changed. It’s where we miss Mangala and why Sangare should have been the answer.

Look, we were playing against one of the best teams in the world with a genius of a manager. I would have taken 2-0 as damage limitation before the game. But we need the same intensity and commitment vs Undead, Burnley and Chelsea with better finishing and a bit of luck.

The plan looked to be for Boly and Niakhate to push into midfield to fill the gaps as needed but was always likely something was going to give there.

Compared to his usual standards, maybe. But he still hit some passes yesterday that our other centre halves wouldn't be capable of,and it is often him that starts the counter attack.

Has Ola Aina signed a new contract yet? I hope he's with us whatever league we're in, but I suspect he won't be with us if we go down.

Contact extended by a year, I recall

Enjoyed the game a lot more than I expected to. The performance has changed my mood to such an extent that having previously declined a ticket for Sheff Utd, I've now decided to go.

If anyone hears of a Blades ticket being available please do let me know. I've not been able to get one. Currently investigating the home end but that isn't looking promising either.

Pep credits dry pitch.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/68917094

Smoke that, Chic.

You'd be lucky! It was incredibly hard to get one even as a member. What sort of incompetent organisation announces season ticket renewals on the evening before away tickets go on sale, this ensuring that it is chaos getting onto the ticket site? Forest of course.

Yes. By far the best I've seen us a against City in the four matches we've played. The first was awful. The second was definitely one for the purists as we sat deep and nullified the game (although it was our most successful of course). The away game this season was again one for the purists until Rodri went, basically allowing City to piss around with the ball outside our box and trying to block them from creating chances. Yesterday we gave it a go and ultimately failed, but if we had taken our chances we could have got something.

Just watched MOTD2. Shows the difference between how the big 6 are treated -if we’d bitched about the grass being too dry I am away game, it would be treated as a joke. City do it and it’s taken as a serious concern.

Can they define ‘dry’?
I’m about 4 miles away from the CG and it was friggin torrential rain here all through Saturday night and right up until about 2pm on Sunday. My back lawn is still underwater….

So we get hammered for pointing out that refs are shit but Petrowankers with 115 charges still hanging over them are not happy at winning 2-0? I've never had particular beef with Citeh - I remember being delighted about the AGUERRRROOOOO moment that denied Man Ure the title, but I knew that one day I would be sick of them. In the same way that originally Mourinho at Chelsea was a breath of fresh air between the Wenger / Ferguson hegemony, but by the time he left he was more tedious than the 2 of them put together.
I think I'm increasingly falling out of love with football. We can't win and even when we lose to the red hot favourites they piss and moan.