DYC.

No width.. Hope you know what you're doing Di Matteo.

Zola is the greatest. Though I just had a special thing for Gudjohnsen, still do. Zola is a close number 2 for me though.

Marcelo's on another level in terms of offensive play. Cole is a far better defender though. But Marcelo does have great pace and stamina on his side.

Too hard to decide on a top 5 for me. But my number 1 has to be Guddy.

Yes a lot of football fans vastly overrate his defensive play. It's very average and he can be extremely lazy, leaving his partner, mostly Barry, completely exposed and isolated. His off the ball movement in possession isn't the best either. Ess was far better in all those areas. But when Yaya's in possession of the ball, that's when the magic happens. The best thing about him though is the fact that he's a game changer, so often has he saved City. Though Ess had that too, really miss prime Bison.

I hate to admit it but Toure is much better. What a player. Well on the ball that is. Ess was far better off the ball.

Haha Mourinho you coward. Mancini a bit conservative as well. Too bad.

You're right. Mourinho hasn't been able to create a incredible team despite the huge amount of talent in the squad. They're good, very good but they're not special. Real's not above the likes of Bayern, Utd (yes Utd crashed out early last year and while it was hilarious, it was only an incident) and us. They just have so much individual quality that they're able to hurt any opponent at any time. That said, it would indeed be nice if they gave City a good spanking.

I imagine I'd enjoy talking football with you, your football knowledge is impressive and your passion is admirable. I don't like to go in depth on the forum but in a one on one it's a different case. Don't understand French but I'll have a look at the charts later.

Attack the wings Robbie, attack the wings.

That's very good news. Haven't been as impressed with a ref as with him in a long, long time. Meireles would've been ideal for this game btw. He may not be great on the ball for this level but he possesses the tactical awareness and has the legs to mark a player (Pirlo in this case) all game long.

Mikel & Lampard vs the energetic and very mobile Marchisio & Vidal with Pirlo behind them. I hate to to say it but this could get very ugly. Unless Di Matteo makes some changes, both in personel and tactically, but that's unlikely.

You win some and you loose some in football (in this case points) but I'll never be able to not help but think loosing points today could've been avoided if we didn't play Bertrand and Ramires out wide. Oh well, let's see how we do against Juve. Think it's going to be a frustrating night.

Sturridge deserves a run up front.

I can't get over how awful QPR's shirt is.

That would mean two fullbacks and two defensive wingers to deal with Juve's two wingbacks. That would be sad coming from a big spending team and one of Europe's top 10 clubs. I hope that's not the case.

I have to say, shame on Di Matteo for picking this first XI.

Too bad Ash was injured, he would've made the 100 club. As for the contract talks, I'd like it if good old Ash retired at the club. He's been absolutely wonderful for us, simply exceptional, and he's a great professional. One of my favourites for sure.

Depending on his development, probably Cahill. It's very important for the captain to be one of the better players in the team. It gives you that respect from your team mates. You can't be a player who's (easily) replaceable. It's not like he has Terry-esque leadership and mental strength so he would need to step it up and reach a much higher level. One thing's for sure, we'll sure miss Terry as a captain when his time comes. He was truly iconic in that aspect. Vice-captain role for Brana.

No thanks.

I don't think he was awful but he wasn't good overall. He messed up when he gave the ball away twice which led to Falcao's first goal. But that's not normally like him. And he just stood their while Atletico were combining quickly when creating their second goal. And when Falcao was sent through, he didn't bother to run back quickly, he just stood still, but Frank did try to get back quickly. He tends to that a lot and that it's incredibly aggrevating. And Arda got far too much space and time throughout the match (but we had a offday so I won't blame him too much for that). He was pretty good in possession of the ball but what he does off the ball is far more important for a player in his role. I mentioned it before, he's very vulnerable when the tempo is high and it showed again, his mind is too slow. That's why I agree with those who say he's not suited for the style we want play. For a team that sits back, he's useful.

The Club World Cup might not be the most prestigious prize but as a international powerhouse, it's a trophy we should have in our cabinet.

I only blame RDM for one thing. Since the 4-2-3-1 is obviously his main formation, he should've recognised our vulnerable double pivot. Of course when facing lesser sides we won't face too many problems but against good opposition, we're bound to struggle. You need at least one dynamic player in there. Oscar is not the answer as you need to be very sound defensively. The role is also too restrictive for a player like him. He'd be fine in a free role against the lesser sides though. That said, giving Romeu a shot alongside Mikel might bring a positive suprise. And maybe Meireles could surprise by performing well and consistently but I'm not counting on it.

When did you become all rational?

One word is enough to describe yesterday's game: Exposed. Simeone got his tactics spot on. Excellent job by the Argentine and his team for performing so well. I'm happy this happened so early. The fact that we have a lot of work to do has been made very clear. Hope RDM isn't taking this too lightly, not even the slightest bit. People talking about going from physical play to technical play being the reason for a defeat like this.. Uhm the Sunderland game? Games like this happen, no matter how you play. Accept it. And Falcao is already among the striker greats. He is that good.