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What just happened to Bravo is what I fear will happen to Hugo on a weekly basis. This 'pass it out from the back' system is about as risk-free as when Russia decided to place missiles in Cuba.
 
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What just happened to Bravo is what I fear will happen to Hugo on a weekly basis. This 'pass it out from the back' system is about as risk-free as when Russia decided to place missiles in Cuba.
There's a time and a place. Sometimes it's just bloody stupid to try it.
 
I think English teams are continuing to fall behind in the CL.

Most PL teams look to play a high energy, pressing game. Players have little time on the ball. Pace, power & stamina are more important than skill. When our teams come up against teams who can keep the ball for long periods, pass accurately and have a bit of guile, we tend to look clueless.
 
I think English teams are continuing to fall behind in the CL.

Most PL teams look to play a high energy, pressing game. Players have little time on the ball. Pace, power & stamina are more important than skill. When our teams come up against teams who can keep the ball for long periods, pass accurately and have a bit of guile, we tend to look clueless.

I'd say that the gap between the PL big guns and the likes of Barca, Real and Bayern has grown over the past few years - largely due to the sustained period of poor player/manger recruitment at Chelsea, United and to a certain extent City. But outside of Europe's top 3 or 4 sides, I think the PL still very much holds its own.

Celtic showed everyone how to deal with Barca. I appreciate that their level of physicality is very hard to pull off at the Nou Camp where the ref tends to have the whistle permanently stuck to his lips, but ultimately Pep's arrogance is costing him. Bravo looks an utterly pointless replacement of one of City's most popular players, he failed to mitigate Kompany's deteriorating physical condition, and still has an ageing squad full of has-been mercenaries to deal with. He inherited the team that just scraped 4th on the last day of last season, and it shows.
 
What just happened to Bravo is what I fear will happen to Hugo on a weekly basis. This 'pass it out from the back' system is about as risk-free as when Russia decided to place missiles in Cuba.
Lloris has Alderweirald ,Vertongen, Rose, Walker and Dier in front of him. Even when one of them messes up the others get them out of jail. City's defence is not as skilled or as quick as ours.
 
Lloris has Alderweirald ,Vertongen, Rose, Walker and Dier in front of him. Even when one of them messes up the others get them out of jail. City's defence is not as skilled or as quick as ours.
I thought he was talking about rushing out of the area and stopping the ball with his hands, not much the defence can do about that.
 
Not sure if anyone noticed last night but I think the Spurs Twitter indirectly hit City/ Bravo with a bit of banter, literally within a minute or two of Bravo's cock up, Spurs posted this:
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As for the game, men against boys, it's scary how far in front Barca are compared to anyone in the Prem. I'd say we have the most competitive league with more "good" teams than any other but Barca are miles ahead in terms of talent and play. They made what is essentially the best team in the country look completely average and you could even say Barca weren't at their best.

Not that I've just decided it but for me Messi is certainly the best ever, there's great arguments from Pele, Maradona, Best, Zidane, R9 Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristiano amongst others but the guy is just on another planet. In an age where footballers are much more advanced both technically and physically, he still annihilates defences with ease, it's jaw dropping at times.

And as if having Messi was bad enough, the MSN trio has also surely got to be up there with the best trio of players to ever play together? Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho would put up a good case and I'm sure there's others I just can't think of right now but you're talking about the the number 1, 3 and 4 players in the world combining with one another - and so effectively - it's mad.