IgnisExcubitor 678 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 9 hours ago, LFCMike said: City's next 3: Arsenal h, Everton a, Chelsea h. They're still big favourites in all three of course, but it's not ideal for them having to play in the week before they play Chelsea City are still the favourites for the title for me, but those next three matches looking really interesting. Especially Chelsea with Higuain. Also, maybe it's just me but their squad looks less motivated for the league and more interested in the UCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ 5,360 Posted January 30, 2019 Subscriber Share Posted January 30, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True Blue 971 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Hope Happy Blue is okay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Blue 1,899 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 3 hours ago, IgnisExcubitor said: City are still the favourites for the title for me, but those next three matches looking really interesting. Especially Chelsea with Higuain. Also, maybe it's just me but their squad looks less motivated for the league and more interested in the UCL. Liverpool are favourites now for me, we look fatigued already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Artful Dodger 1,831 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Happy Blue said: Liverpool are favourites now for me, we look fatigued already You have the ability to compete for everything, but do you think there is an eye on Champions League this year, especially if Liverpool widen the gap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,501 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 All we heard was that the title is in the bag because KDB is back, they actually lost more games since he returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Blue 1,899 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Just now, The Artful Dodger said: You have the ability to compete for everything, but do you think there is an eye on Champions League this year, especially if Liverpool widen the gap? Think the league is always our main target and we set out to win every game, we could shift focus to the CL but cant see Pep allowing them to play anything less than 100% in the league regardless how big the gap gets, it's not in his DNA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,501 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, Happy Blue said: Think the league is always our main target and we set out to win every game, we could shift focus to the CL but cant see Pep allowing them to play anything less than 100% in the league regardless how big the gap gets, it's not in his DNA You have a better chance then Liverpool in the CL, for some reason this season Liverpool have been really poor in away games in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Blue 1,899 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 minute ago, MUFC said: You have a better chance then Liverpool in the CL, for some reason this season Liverpool have been really poor in away games in Europe. We have been sloppy too in some games, think Pep is over working them and we have struggled this season when games have been close together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverted 1,776 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 My opinion personally has always been that City are much better set-up to win the league than the CL. They're set up better than anyone else on earth to break down low blocks, which is what you need the most to win the Premier League, but they're tactically and mentally a level below the likes of Barcelona and Juventus when it comes to navigating two-legged knockout games. And even a much inferior Liverpool side exposed them last year. Liverpool were dire in their group but I think they'll welcome a return to two-legged football, which Klopp has basically become the European specialist in, alongside Allegri. I don't fancy City for the CL any more or less even if they do shift priorities away from the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,501 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, Happy Blue said: We have been sloppy too in some games, think Pep is over working them and we have struggled this season when games have been close together You do seemed of rotated a bit more then usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Gonzo 8,184 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 13 hours ago, LFCMike said: City's next 3: Arsenal h, Everton a, Chelsea h. They're still big favourites in all three of course, but it's not ideal for them having to play in the week before they play Chelsea They’ll win all three comfortably IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Blue 1,899 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 10 minutes ago, MUFC said: You do seemed of rotated a bit more then usual. That little injury crisis we have just got over could be a result of over working them too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True Blue 971 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 27 minutes ago, Happy Blue said: We have been sloppy too in some games, think Pep is over working them and we have struggled this season when games have been close together Perhaps another 500 mill summer is needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Blue 1,899 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 minute ago, True Blue said: Perhaps another 500 mill summer is needed We have a young team now ...we never need to spend more than 400mill a year from this point on wards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil-Dick Willie 3,253 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 27 minutes ago, Inverted said: Liverpool were dire in their group but I think they'll welcome a return to two-legged football, which Klopp has basically become the European specialist in, alongside Allegri. Shame he doesn't become the specialist in best of 1 football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverted 1,776 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 21 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said: Shame he doesn't become the specialist in best of 1 football Don't think that's anything you can really specialise in, same with Allegri. Two-legged rounds are more of a tactical battle with chances for game-management and adjustment. Can also be seen with Simeone's run with Atleti. Finals themselves are largely a matter of nerve, experience, and technical quality. Great managers can get all kinds of teams to finals but on the day the team with more pedigree and more control will almost always win out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUFC 1,501 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 38 minutes ago, Happy Blue said: That little injury crisis we have just got over could be a result of over working them too I want to massage Agueros tree-trunk thighs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry 1,437 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 14 hours ago, RandoEFC said: There's been a lot written and said about Guardiola having a tendency to 'burn out' a football club because of his ridiculously high level of intensity. There's a lot more pressure on City to win the league than Liverpool. Liverpool have just been that good that if they keep it up for the rest of the season and City ended up close to them it would be forgivable to come second, even if really they have no excuse for anyone in the country to outdo them with their squad and resources. That's not the case anymore though, they've lost enough games that they'd be under pressure at the top even in a normal season when you don't have a rival with the ridiculous consistency Liverpool have shown. Assuming Liverpool and Spurs both win tomorrow, City would be 7 points behind 1st and only 2 points ahead of 3rd place. No league title and no Champions League would make this season a poor one for Man City and there really isn't an excuse for it, even if they won both domestic cups which looks a solid possibility. If Liverpool do restore their 7 point lead tomorrow it might be time for Pep to make that tough choice and go all out in Europe even if they have to play a couple of weakened teams in the league as a result. I love the idea of how ballsy that would be. I actually think it would help their players to have that kind of statement made. Line up against arsenal playing your league cup side (still probably good enough to win on the day btw). Shift the media narrative to the champions league and build some much needed expectation on the CL. 1 hour ago, Inverted said: My opinion personally has always been that City are much better set-up to win the league than the CL. They're set up better than anyone else on earth to break down low blocks, which is what you need the most to win the Premier League, but they're tactically and mentally a level below the likes of Barcelona and Juventus when it comes to navigating two-legged knockout games. And even a much inferior Liverpool side exposed them last year. Liverpool were dire in their group but I think they'll welcome a return to two-legged football, which Klopp has basically become the European specialist in, alongside Allegri. I don't fancy City for the CL any more or less even if they do shift priorities away from the title. That sounds like the pedigree/heritage argument. How do city actually change these shortfalls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFCMike 3,009 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said: They’ll win all three comfortably IMO. You'd certainly expect them to but then you'd have said the same about the other games they've lost this season. They're playing a lot of games. I wouldn't expect anything from Arsenal or Everton but that Chelsea game becomes that bit more difficult with it being their third game in the space of week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverted 1,776 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Harry said: That sounds like the pedigree/heritage argument. How do city actually change these shortfalls? I don't think it is purely pedigree/history though. Of course there is a mental edge to being a historically significant CL club like Barca or Juve, but there's a definite tactical element to it. City stylistically are designed to tear apart teams that sit deep and that's what they face 90% of the time. Players like De Bruyne and David Silva are not what you would call controlling midfielders in the mould of Kroos, Modric, Pjanic, or Verratti. They're more oriented towards being direct goal-getters and assist-makers. The issue is that when it's the CL and everything goes to shit and anything can happen, City aren't built to kill games and strangle a tie in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero 5,267 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Pep can spend billions, but he won't ever replicate what he's done at Barca. Why? Three words. Xavi. Iniesta. Messi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverted 1,776 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Cicero said: Pep can spend billions, but he won't ever replicate what he's done at Barca. Why? Three words. Xavi. Iniesta. Messi. Also Busquets. Fernandinho isn't close to Busquets in terms of passing, and not quite as good positionally. Silva and De Bruyne are probably up there with Xavi and Iniesta in terms of impact in the final 3rd, but don't have anything like the game control and decision-making under pressure they had (in combination with Busquets). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNORTHODOX 179 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I have always loved Rafa Benitez even more so after this result, Liverpool simply have to win the league from here. The thing that gives me confidence that we can do it is the fact we have a manager who has won league titles before going up against a better team in Bayern Munich, he is in a similar situation now with Liverpool going up against Man City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Honey 3,767 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Cicero said: Pep can spend billions, but he won't ever replicate what he's done at Barca. Why? Three words. Xavi. Iniesta. Messi. Don't you mean Sean.David.Longstaff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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