In the first half was it the City fans (who created decent noise) singing about the shit atmosphere at the Etihad (I forget the actual chant)?
"Is this the Etihad" was the chant. Presumably taking the mick out of our atmosphere and theirs simultaneously.
I chose not to watch the game. Listened to it while I was walking the dogs instead. Which of course is a different kind of football happiness. But I'd love to see the game for the Murillo and Milenkovic keeping Haaland out of the game.
They did a good job but City just couldn't get the ball to him, so when you watch the televised version of the game, he's hardly in it. His only chance came when Wood miskicked/miscontrolled to him on the edge of our area (and imagine the reaction if Taiwo had done that).
He had another one in the first half as well - he missed the ball on the edge of the box after a pullback I think. But yes, you're right he really didn't touch the ball much, and despite his aerial abilities, City were never just going to start slinging crosses in even with 2 mins to go.
It crosses my mind that others think of us as a one trick pony. Nuno has slowly built in a lot of tactical nuance around our style of play. From the initial 4-2-3-1 to the 5 - 4 - 1 to the 4-3-3 to the 4-4-2. And 3-4-3 as well. Everyone knows their jobs in each structure. That's pretty damn good management.
Amongst the “pundits” (all of whom seem seems to have played for one of four clubs) there is an extremely lazy narrative around Forest’s tactics this season.
...I bet it's stats based.
The stats being % possession, Sels clean sheets and xGa.
I was discussing with my brother during the game on Saturday that, really, doesn't Haaland get bored? I know he's earning a shit-ton of money and all that, but he's won everything that he can with City - and now he barely touches the ball. Just strolls around upfront. I think he'd enjoy playing football much more at another team.
Maybe he's just staying humble.
FTFY.
Peps process driven approach is largely a graveyard for actual footbally footballers (see Grealish,etc.). They know what they are getting when they go there. Which is wonga, silverware, and reinventing football into a risk and enjoyment free exercise in relying on being better than everyone else. When that needs specific match tweaking, or they turn out not to have clear water on teams they are playing, it generally doesn't go very well.
Because they are tediously milky spanish dancing cheats.
I think for some, when sides at the top of the table contest a football match it has to be a goal-fest - otherwise they've done it wrong and the purists are disengaged (or whatever). The newer breed of Manchester City fans want to see goals, innit.
Games at the top end are seldom like that if both teams are well set up and it's a fascinating tactical battle. But each to their own, I guess.
One man's purist is another man's Man City fan apparently.
Just watched a replay of the goal and had completely forgotten what transpired in the seconds before. It really makes fascinating watching as it seems the Milenkovic short pass and the Sangare slip gives City a false sense of confidence so Aina’s almost-last-ditch tackle sets them up for the sucker punch from MGW and CHO.
That pass though, innit? Great stride adjustment from CHO to take the pass, to boot (literally).
[Edit] When MGW controls it and sets up the cross-field ball there are four City players within a few yards, not really marking anyone and just watching him. And Haaland strolling back onside. Ha. Nobbers.
