Title Run In

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

This is how you win games vs defensive teams like Aston Villa. Play with width. Fullbacks making proper over-lapping runs. Look at the overlaps that Zabaleta made for both Dzeko goals. Ivanovic hasn't done anywhere near enough of that this season. Ivanovic's final ball is rubbish, he doesn't make penetrative runs and his defensive work is overrated. Zabaleta can both attack and defend. So can Azpilicueta. We need Azpilicueta back playing his natural position next season.

Just to buttress my ^^^^^^^^^^^^ post.

City's two most used fullbacks in PL:

1. Paulo Zabaleta = 6 assists

2. Alexsandr Kolarov = 7 assists

(Ironically, both their fullbacks have more assists than any of our attacking midfielders or wingers except Hazard!)

Chelsea's two most used fullbacks in PL:

1. Branislav Ivanovic = 1 assist

2. Cesar Azpilicueta = 0 assists (yes)

[nofacej 132]

This is how you win games vs defensive teams like Aston Villa. Play with width. Fullbacks making proper over-lapping runs. Look at the overlaps that Zabaleta made for both Dzeko goals. Ivanovic hasn't done anywhere near enough of that this season. Ivanovic's final ball is rubbish, he doesn't make penetrative runs and his defensive work is overrated. Zabaleta can both attack and defend. So can Azpilicueta. We need Azpilicueta back playing his natural position next season.

The other way is set pieces, but sadly we've been poor at those for much of the season.

We're still feeling Drogba's absence and it's not surprising things have been rough without a proper replacement.

Hopefully we correct that next season.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

The other way is set pieces, but sadly we've been poor at those for much of the season.

We're still feeling Drogba's absence and it's not surprising things have been rough without a proper replacement.

Hopefully we correct that next season.

TBF we had been doing well from set-pieces even before JM arrived, and as the season progressed it just kept getting worse and worse.

One reason i was upset at KDB leaving was because he offered us a lot of creativity on set-pieces as well. We had some beautiful set-plays in the pre-season but that went missing. Him along with mata leaving and we were left we no true dead-ball specialist, Hazard barely takes them, and between Luiz/Oscar none are as lethal as say KDB/Mata .

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

TBF we had been doing well from set-pieces even before JM arrived, and as the season progressed it just kept getting worse and worse.

One reason i was upset at KDB leaving was because he offered us a lot of creativity on set-pieces as well. We had some beautiful set-plays in the pre-season but that went missing. Him along with mata leaving and we were left we no true dead-ball specialist, Hazard barely takes them, and between Luiz/Oscar none are as lethal as say KDB/Mata .

Mata's delivery is missed. And so is Lampard's. He has been less involved this season for various reasons. I'm not convinced by the other set-piece takers.

[lionsden 4,689]

This is how you win games vs defensive teams like Aston Villa. Play with width. Fullbacks making proper over-lapping runs. Look at the overlaps that Zabaleta made for both Dzeko goals. Ivanovic hasn't done anywhere near enough of that this season. Ivanovic's final ball is rubbish, he doesn't make penetrative runs and his defensive work is overrated. Zabaleta can both attack and defend. So can Azpilicueta. We need Azpilicueta back playing his natural position next season.

No no no no you are doing it wrong. All you need is a top striker. The opposition compact defence will crumble at the sight of Diego costa in blues uniform.

[The only place to be 11,313]

It's a combination of the way City use their full-backs (they push far further on then our's and provide the width because, in general, their 'wingers' tuck in whereas we play with more conventional wingers in Hazard, Salah etc.) but also the fact that they have targets in the box in the form of strikers. Look at their first goal against Palace - it was a diagonal ball played in by Toure to a target man (Dzeko in this case). We simply don't have that, and whilst Ivanovic and Zabaleta both played the same number of crosses into the box against Norwich and Villa respectively, they were playing to entirely different types of target men.

Now I will admit that we need better full-backs going forward next season. I've been wrong about their effectiveness mainly because others have been way too harsh on them (Ivanovic in particular). But this is not a problem that exists in isolation. People are rewriting history when talking about Azpi's crossing ability, which was much maligned when he was at right-back. I defended him on the basis that our targets were simply not good enough and that's still very much the case.

If we slotted our strikers into City's team, they simply wouldn't morph into Aguero et al because their movement simply isn't good enough.

[Ze Mario 638]

one ticket to the roller coaster please?

[Special Juan 28,100]

Arsenal's roller coaster is by far the best

[The only place to be 11,313]

Arsenal's roller coaster is by far the best

Looks likes Piers Morgan's ratings

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Our record of 103 goals under threat now..

both those Northern cunts on 99

Fuck 'em...Wait till Costa arrives

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Arsenal's roller coaster is by far the best

No wonder ticket prices are so damn high at the Emirates.

[Ze Mario 638]

Arsenal's roller coaster is by far the best

this

most exciting moment on that ride is when we start slowly from the top, and straight down the lowest point.

[ChelseaChelsea68 53]

Congratulations to Manchester City well done.

It's a shame we didn't do better but we lost some stupid games.

Am soooo Fucking Happy that The Scum from the Slum didn't win it, that would have devalued the Premiership

Well done Stevie G you slipped at the right moment

God I hate Scousers the most vile brain dead animals around...they'll tie a few scarfs to some railing and mourn their loss and go on about it for years then have a inquire to find someone to blame.

Next season will be tough we will get some propper strikers City will buy as will Utd, and with Champions League football it will prove too much for a small club like Loserpool.

Come on you Blues

[The Skipper 20,609]

It's a combination of the way City use their full-backs (they push far further on then our's and provide the width because, in general, their 'wingers' tuck in whereas we play with more conventional wingers in Hazard, Salah etc.) but also the fact that they have targets in the box in the form of strikers. Look at their first goal against Palace - it was a diagonal ball played in by Toure to a target man (Dzeko in this case). We simply don't have that, and whilst Ivanovic and Zabaleta both played the same number of crosses into the box against Norwich and Villa respectively, they were playing to entirely different types of target men.

The only conventional winger we have is Salah, and even he drifts in when he plays on the right (him being left footed and all). Hazard likes to cuts in on his right, Schurrle does too. Willian always drifts into the middle as well.

Hence why we really need overlapping fullbacks if we want to be a complete team. It isn't just City - every top side in Europe has fullbacks that can make an impact in the final third. We don't.

[The only place to be 11,313]

The only conventional winger we have is Salah, and even he drifts in when he plays on the right (him being left footed and all). Hazard likes to cuts in on his right, Schurrle does too. Willian always drifts into the middle as well.

Hence why we really need overlapping fullbacks if we want to be a complete team. It isn't just City - every top side in Europe has fullbacks that can make an impact in the final third. We don't.

Conventional in the sense that the wingers are the ones who provide width, not left-footed players on the left-wing going on the outside of a man and then crossing the ball in. I was discussing this aspect in relation to City's use of wingers or lack thereof.

You completely overlooked the point that I made that full-backs need a target and that's something we're direly lacking at the moment. Azpi and Ivanovic have both shown the ability to be effective in the final third so saying we don't have them ignores a lot of what actually happens at our matches. Put in a good target man and our play changes drastically. But of course there will be 6 or 7 'fans' who would rather stick to their agenda.