Match Day Thread 2016/17 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

I think Astro knows that you can't be offside from a ball that comes off an opponent. But to be fair to TurdDevil, it appears that Charlie Nicholas and BBC Salford 5L share his ignorance on that one.

 

Dean is incompetent plain and simple. I just wish he'd get the same negative attention when he demonstrates his incomtence in other games as he does today. The refereeing this season has been poor. I do believe standards have fallen. I remember thinking Uriah Rennie stood out like a sore thumb when he reffed, because those around him were so much better.... but he would probably blend in quite well with the current crop.

Having said that, I do try to look at it from the ref's point of view. They see everything in real time and have a split second to make a judgement based on what they've seen or what their other officials are telling them. For example the Vardy sending off, I thought the ref (who'd blundered against Rojo days earlier) made the right decision based on what he saw in that Leicester game.

 

Whooooooooosh!

 

If Spurs beat Chelsea (big if), then only 7 points would cover the top 5 and we've gained a point on the leaders. If they lose then we've gained a point on 5th place and a draw is no change #perspective

 

No matter how we try to sugar the pill, it is really 2 points lost. Of course you are right but 3 points would have put us in a much better position should Chelsea drop points. A draw would have been great for us gaining in Chelsea as well as putting some distance from spurs.

 

Of course it's 2 points dropped and it's frustrating, but we can't win every game and it's just a case of how we respond.
So far this season we've come back well enough after poor results. We need to keep that up.

 

How mard is Pep, he is talking about retiring because he isn't top of the league and other teams won't let him win

Never rated him as a manager but now don't even rate him as a man.

 

Surrounded by yes men, he needed someone to see he's having a #meltdown and advise him to hide from the press, like Mourinho does

 

Guardiola came across like Mourinho in that interview. He has hit a new low

 

It must be an Iberian thing

 

The ball is in Tottenham's court now to blow the tittle wide open, otherwise,Chelsea are going to run away with it.

 

Pep has always been ungracious. Whenever anything has gone wrong he acts like a petulant child. It's just the spanish media loved him so there was no criticism and in Germany he didn't have any competition with that Bayern squad of his.

Just glad he's being found out and he's showing his true colours. Now that he doesn't have the most dominant squad (bayern) and doesn't have the worlds best players + refs at barca and his players can't dive their way out of trouble.

 

the press hack was extremely rude to him and he just gave it right back. he started off a bit sanppy but there is no excuse for a professional to started anwering back and i nthe old says brian clough would have told the "young man" to go back to school and learn manners

Guardiola has always has the absolute best team but the reality is the fruits of his ruination of bayern are coming home to roost. he's never repeated the barca trick has he?

My view is that city team is barely half a team and all he's done so far is made it worse by bringing in bravo who is ****.

 

We'll have to wait and see how pep gets on in a year or two before passing judgement.

The squad he inherited is weaker than Conte's.

 

its an shambles....

theres no a decent defender or midfielder there. gundogan injury was his season gone. he knows it.

with silva and debruyne and aguero up top they can get top 4 but the midfield and defense

 

Overall they still have better players than us(more expensive I should say). I think their management is the problem.

 

Debateable. I actually think the Citys squad isn't bad, before the start of the season:

- Costa was toast and rubbish <<< Aguero the only WC forward in the league
- Michy good in the french league, unknown in PL === Ihnacho had a great goalscoring record last season
- Hazard was looking crap last year back to his best this year === KDB a great am if not WC. Still they are pretty similar in quality (hazard better dribbler, KDB a bit more all action)
- Pedro was a total flop last year (i had faith though) === Sterling not brilliant but maybe on same level
- Willian had a good season last year. Solid player >> Navas biggest 1 trick pony in the world
- Matic has been pretty rocky. Solid player == Fernandino been a bit off form recently but hes still a good solid player
- Fabregas Great passer, so 1 paced its unbelievable << Silva still a great little playermaker
- Alonso Pretty slow but solid in our formation, pretty average though == Clichy average defender

Anyway i'm getting bored now so:
- Azpilicueta great,
-Luiz great (but everyone thinks hes a clown)
- Courtous Great
- Cahill Solid

at the start of the season it was ivanovic and terry who are both old and slow.

vs City

- Bravo (pants) but really should be joe hart who is pretty solid
- Otamendi is solid enough
-Stones is pants
- Kolarov isn't that bad but isn;t a CB
- Sagna is solid enough
- Dunno why they got rid of mangala as he looked like he was progressing

I haven't mentioned Kante who is class and Moses who everyone thought was pants. On the other hand City also have Nolito and Sane and Gundogan who all look pretty good and tricky.

I don't see how you could say that City squad is not as strong if not stronger than ours. The only difference is Conte has us playing greater than the sum of our parts whereas Pep is trying to get stones and co playing tiki taka which isn't working.

 

otamendi, kolorov zabaletta, clichy, sagna... total pile of poo poo. add Fernando and fernandiho to that pile.

 

Interesting

I would say

costa wanted out and was isolated by his previous managers and that hurt due to lack of pace. conte has get him back in the fold and got players close to him o he can do his thing i nthe box.
hazard also wanted out. he's been pushed forward so his lack of work is not a factor
Pedro got injured a lot.
willian was you best player by a mile last year
Matic was disasterous last year and stabbed mourinho in the back
Fabregas never tried a leg
azpil is a brillinat defender

Right now conte has got all of the players onside and working in a first 11. he's not had much to do to rotate it

ON the othe rhand city really have a front 3 IMO and the rest are not great are they? seriously once gundogan went down pep knew the game was up.

IIMO cheslea have an 11 that works and city do not. we can talk warm bodies all we like but cheslea's first 11 function well and are organised too. Pep hasn't got the players he wanted no 1 and no 2 he can organise them.

 

That's my point though MITO. Apart from Costa (even that was debateable before this season) and Hazard none of our players are exactly world beaters. We have a bunch of very good players (dave, luiz, kante, Fabregas etc) and solid players who are functioning well as a unit.

Have to disagree with your assessment on the City players:

Kolarov - Defensively iffy, good going forward be a great WB solution which pep seems to shoehorn anyone in when he plays with 3
Zabaletta - poo because he's old
Clichy - solid enough if not a world beater
Sagna - solid defender
Otamendi - at same stage Luiz was at, making stupid mistakes but pretty competent defender
Fernando - big pile of poo
Fernandino - pretty good midfielder although he's just got another stupid red card