I'd like to think because we had already qualified the intensity of our performances over the last 2 games has suffered .. but both have been dour, and totally lacklustre. Fingers crossed its a minor hiccup, but worth noting how fkn poor we are without Bellingham in the middle of the park.
It’s Guardiola’s fault to be honest. He was an exciting winger at Villa, Man City bought him for £100 million then Guardiola turned him into the most one-dimensional ‘ball-retention’ winger ever. He’s coached the flair and risk-taking out of him. What’s even weirder is this summer he signed Doku who is fast, direct winger who dribbles at defenders.
Think I might have to watch it through other means in the future. I can't face listening to that **** again.
Grealish himself criticised his lack of want to drive at player. He did it miles more last season and looked miles better. Doku has the most dribbles completed in the league by far so it’s not Guardiola. Same with wingers in our team, they get loads of space to 1v1, Philogene does others would just go backwards hence the noticeable difference
I didn't think our performance was all that bad, up against a niggly team that just tried to stop us playing. Yes, we didn't create as much as we would like, but it was a changed team, so just lacked a bit of cohesion. Lewis has a good debut, never a penalty, but responded well. Foden was very good again, but we finish the year unbeaten, in pot 1, now just look forward to the draw. P.S. I am trying to decide what irritated be more, the ref who was awful and liked to be the centre of attention, or Dion Dublin who seemed to speak more than the actual commentator, and obviously likes the sound of his own voice.
I would much rather have gone out in the group stage/first knockout round in the last 3 tournaments if it meant spanking **** teams like Malta and N. Macedonia 7-0 like we used to. Southgate needs to go, his performance in friendlies and qualifiers is dismal.
souness on grealish: Jack Grealish could not have played in any of the teams I did at Liverpool. The way he plays, it would not have been accepted. He takes too many touches and does not see the picture early enough - he slows the team down. Put it this way, I can understand why Pep Guardiola is picking Jeremy Doku ahead of him for Manchester City. Grealish has become very predictable. He takes his full-back down the line before checking inside and playing it square. There is no threat, no end-product. He has not scored in his last 30 appearances for club and country and has only two assists this season, so there you go. He’s a forward! Ask 10 full-backs if they’d rather play against Doku or Grealish, and I think it would be Grealish every time. Defenders don’t like pace and players who are direct. The way it is today, you dangle a leg and that’s a penalty. Grealish isn’t showing any intent to get by defenders. He is, for me, at a crossroads in his City career. Doku is 21 years old and is only going to improve. Jack is 28. He needs to have a close look at himself. He should be in his pomp. Between 26 and 30 you have the knowledge, you’re physically and mentally stronger. He will not be getting any better. This should be his time. So, if I was him, I would be very concerned. I’d be sitting in front of the manager and asking him, ‘How do you see it for me? I’ve won all these trophies with you but the new guy is the go-to player in my position.’ With the Euros coming up, and World Cup beyond that, he cannot afford to be sitting on the bench as a bit-part player. Only he can decide if he’s happy to be that. It’s not something I would have tolerated. I wanted to start every game and I did, if I was fit. But my criticism of Grealish has always been the same, and it comes back to the time he spends on the ball. I thought he was the same at Aston Villa, by the way. I don’t go along with the idea that Guardiola has coached the individuality out of him. He plays the same for England, too. My football education was all about taking as few touches as you possibly could and being accurate with your passing. What that basically meant was, if you’re taking all those touches, you’re not seeing things as quickly as a top player does. The whole game is based on getting the ball to the guys who score the goals as quickly and as accurately as possible. They are the people in the team who matter most, because they put the ball in the net. They need time and space. The longer you spend on the ball, the more it denies them that. I still believe my education was right then, is right today and will be right in 100 years’ time. No coach would tell a player to linger on the ball like Grealish does, and that is why he’s found himself out of the team. They paid £55m for Doku, a little over half of the £100m they paid for Grealish. That shows you the premium there is on Premier League players. There are no bargains to be had in England, they are overvalued. And if you’re City, spending £100m, it’s not for a squad player. It’s for someone who gets in the strongest XI and makes a difference in every game they play. Jack is not that, and I’m not sure he ever will be. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/foo...s-to-have-a-close-look-at-himself/ar-AA1kR1QL
