Pizy

Really sucks to see. He's a gem of a player who is paying a severe price during this experimental season. I'm certainly not ready to bin him like a lot of our fans and seemingly 100% of the media are. Thing is, where do you move him in Sarri's 4-3-3? There really isn't a place. If we played a 4-2-3-1 where Kante moves back into a pivot and therefor is always close to him I guess it would be better. But Sarri plays only one system so can't see it happening.

I would just really love to hear from one of the players what they think the problem is. Rather than just apologizing again and saying some terrible cliché like "we need to focus and get better." Give us the supporters a fucking idea of what is going on. Many times this season the players look like they really buy into what Sarri is teaching. They clearly enjoy having more of the ball and taking it to the opposition rather than being reactive like we were under Conte and Mou. So wtf is the issue? We've got a squad of players that 95% of managers around the world would envy. Why are we repeatedly getting humiliated?

He stays for now. Get spanked by United and he's gone. Although I have no clue what we would possibly do if we sacked him. Not really any options out there.

It's now just more apparent than ever that you need to build a good relationship with the upper levels of a club and the manager. Everyone from the top down has to be on the same page. The current top 3 have that. There seems to be a massive disconnect there for us. Buying players like Pulisic without Sarri even being consulted. Not buying players or positions that we're in dire need of. Shit like that would simply not happen under Pep, Klopp, or Poch. Its so obvious that we have non-football people running everything while knowing nothing about football.

I mean. Roman does indeed seem more distant from the club than ever before. Both literally (not being able to even be in the country) and figuratively. It seems Marina is the one who runs the club these days.

People just suggesting we give it to one of our legends. The job is too big for someone with little experience (Lamps) no experience (JT) or someone who has failed pretty badly everywhere he's managed (Zola). I don't think any of those are ready to make a big difference.

Don't think anyone would want him back, just saying that he may fancy it. He has an image in need of desperate rehabilitation. He'd look like a savior if he came back and won us the EL.

If we went begging on our knees and promised him the moon I bet Jose probably would come back, funnily enough. In fact, I bet he's the only big name manager out there that would touch us at the moment.

I think Sarri might be gone. Sad, but I think he's gone.

Can Sarri survive another humiliation like this? First time I've had to seriously ask that question. This has become the norm now. Repeated humiliation.

Game over already just minutes in.

Our defending is a clown show. We literally look clueless. As though we aren't even there.

Alonso telling Hazard to defend his area...

I'm guessing the thinking there is that Sarri knows we won't have as much of the ball as we normally do. Having Pedro's excellent off the ball runs and movement may prove more useful than Willian who slows everything down. Looks like we will be hoping to counter attack the hell out of them. Which is their one weakness, tbf.

Honestly, I'm actually strangely calm and will be so even if we lose today. I'm sort of resigned to the fact that we aren't likely to finish in the top 4 and am all in on the EL route. Sarri's style will take a few transfer windows where he gets his targets. This season is all about laying the foundations. If we win today, amazing. If we lose, oh well. It'll be a bloody fight between 3 teams for that 4th spot.

Barkley and Alonso. I've got a really bad feeling about this.

That 4th spot is likely to come down to whoever does the best in those head-to-heads against the big boys. Both ourselves and United have a hugely challenging month or so starting this weekend. Just hope we put in a performance tomorrow. I fear if we suffer another demoralizing 3 or 4-0 battering our players will crumble and we'll start sliding further.

Think just about everyone would've had United in the top 4 before the season started. But to go from where they were to where they are now compared to the position we were in is ridiculous. Will be absolutely shameful if they finish above us. Everything seems to be be going their way since the managerial change. Their average players suddenly became good, their good players great. Pogba and Martial returning to top form. And then in their CL tie with PSG everything seems to be breaking their way in terms of injuries. No Neymar and now I read Verratti is injured, too. It's almost like the stars are aligning for these bastards. 😒

He doesn't want to be hated and demonized like Courtois was. He wants to leave on good terms. I really, really hope Isco can be signed as partial replacement. Would really soften the blow to get an exciting, technically superb player to join.

Couldn't give less of a fuck about who wins the league if it isn't us with one exception- Arsenal. Spuds will never win it so I'm not even counting them. Liverpool winning it would be annoying, yes, but I can get over it quickly. The media will be insufferable but whatever. All I know is that City will be hyper focused and extremely up for it this weekend. This will be a massive test once again. We better not turn up like a deer in headlights like we did against Spuds and Arse recently.

Still pains me every time I see De Bruyne play. The perfect midfielder. Probably the one player outside Chelsea in the PL that I'm genuinely jealous of.

Look how City are totally targeting Arse's left flank. Bernardo in acres of space nearly every time he receives the ball. KDB occupying that little space between Bernardo and the outside of the box. The thought of them having Bernardo out there in space against Alonso and KDB standing right on Luiz is already causing headaches. If we don't hugely raise our game like we did last time we played them and like we did against Spuds last week I think it'll be ugly.

Actually thought that Willian, other than his usual shite end product, was pretty good today. Was tracking back often and was okay going forward. I'm also going to once again praise Kepa which is strange after a game where he wasn't troubled, but the guy is ace most of the time with his distribution. Far beyond what Courtois is. He's been one of our best players this season.

Higuain shakes off a bit of the rust in his passing and we have ourselves a world class striker again.

Ridiculous first touch and goal from Hazard!