Not sure that Mancini's quite got his head round the Champions League, yet. City look like a different team in the competition and it's definitely not an improvement.
PNP,do you remember our scores in the CL last season? They were a lot better than our scores in the PL weren't they? With City it seems to be the other way around. Scoring and winning in the PL but not the CL. Same with Chelsea to a lesser extent. It often happens that way as in FA Cup when some relegated teams reach the final of it. I'd give Liverpool a good chance of winning now. You said the CL could be a factor.
I'll be well sick if City bow out of the CL. It'll mean because of this ridiculous rule, they'll come into the EL, and suddenly, assuming we're still in it, they'll be shorter odds to win it than us. I now think the game against Pool will be a draw, having reconsidered the matter. Which as long as we win v WBA, will be nice enough result.
The other way to look at it is that they may well face a backlash, TMT. City will be furious that they've let qualification for the next round slip out of their grasp and into the hands of others. They have to depend upon Villarreal, who have yet to win a single point. Mancini was apparently told that his minimum target was getting through the group. Wonder what that means for him now?
Could be PNP could be. I can't see Naples losing to Villareal so I would say that City are out and joining us in the EL. I also don't know about Mancini's future. Christ PNP,you don't half bring up some damned difficult points to think about sometimes. I'll have to think hard about those.
It's a bit of a double edged sword. If city drop out of the champions league they will put all their efforts into the league, which won't be good for us. Although would love to see them fail in the Champons league where we were successful last year. Would be interesting if we fielded our reserves against them in the Europa, just to rub it in.
I think they might get a bit frantic WY what with their petulant players. They'll be so desperate to do well that mistakes will be made. Their team under Mancini has been built up too quickly in my opinion and lacks firm foundations. We've yet to see what happens when they lose in the PL. I think they will crack.
City losing is a fantastic thing. it's the first loss on their way to making it a habit <oK> As for Fu Mancini, his job will be safe if he delivers the EPL title this season.
To think that a fan of another team can have the audacity to come on here and profess the arts of defending...we await the Benfica match appraisal! ...just how deep is that hole your digging Luke?
Of course I do. A lot of yours has gone, though. Neville, van der Sar and Scholes, for a start. Brown and O'Shea were also useful squad players with a lot of time at the club. The remaining players with a lot of experience all appear to be past their best, too. Giggs and Ferdinand are both well beyond putting in 100% performances on a weekly basis, for example. Your Champions League experience doesn't appear to have helped you negotiate an extremely easy group so far, either. I'm sure that you'll still qualify, but there are echoes of Arsenal's campaign from last season about it.
By the way - and slightly off topic - I can heartily recommend the Le Roselle 2003. A superb wine! Anyway, as you were...
Even your own manager is amazed how you won it with statistically one of your worst seasons, it was widely reported he had no idea how you were top around Christmas last year. Everyone was stuttering last season, including you...fukin landslide! . You must have watched a different season to me then.
PNP,Luke was leading you there knowing exactly what your answer would be to the point that he already knew you agreed with.
Surely even if Villarreal beat Napoli,City still have to beat Bayern as Napoli have the better head to head against City if they end up on the same points.
Luke - Don't start becoming a Mickey Mouser ( or a ! ) trotting out warped historical facts that ultimately mean nothing.
Bayern have nothing to play for now though, Pat. They'll field a second string. The same applies to Villarreal though, of course.
