Closed Southampton 1-1 Chelsea

[Tautvix 1,321]

We played a tough away game at Southampton, City played at home vs Burnley, Man Utd didn't win too... Terrible day? I don't think so! People must be the brighter side!

[lionsden 4,689]

What about our performance against West Ham then? Sam Allardyce is an excellent manager that really knows how to drill his side. We've done it enough times this season.

Well you have a point there. Stoke as well.

[didierforever 7,349]

this forum just got saved from a massive meltdown. now atleast people wont act like they have an eternal wedgie on them.

[cosmicway 1,333]

All the high balls we tried were useless.

With the ball on the floor we created situations but we were unlucky against walls of men.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

wrong topic

[We Hate Scouse 10,326]

City dropped points after being 2-0 up... Against Burnley... Let that sink in... The invincible City not so invincible now are they?

Yeah but at the end of the day Citeh will never drop points over Christmas. Just look at the unfair bias fixed fixture list.....

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Nice. Slightly surprising from Burnley but justice done. Has Jose called out the shithouse of a ref yet?

[MichaelDance 552]

City blew it

Woo!!

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I jinxed City. In my match report, when they were 2-0 up, I said: "....and with City easily disposing of a hapless Burnley side...". You're all fucking welcome.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

People having kittens

If you mean me, I didn't have any, I just strangled one

Speaking for myself, I'm not upset about the result, a draw away at Soton is not a bad result. I am frustrated by how nothing seemed to go our way even though we really deserved the three points. City drawing at home against Burnley really puts into perspective an away draw at Soton.

About the pen, I have no complains whatsoever. I said it after the last match, we can't complain about not getting a pen when our players have been diving.

[cosmicway 1,333]

The ref denied Cesc one penalty or two ?

Also in the United match was that goal line technology goal not given or was it flagged off side ?

[BlueLion. 21,491]

[Liquidator 5,176]

This has nothing to do with "Hazard can do no wrong". Your problem is your arrogance, thinking your blatantly wrong opinion cannot be scrutinized on a public forum. I'll spell it out to you.

(1) Hazard was the player who put in the most telling ground crosses into the box today. I can count at least 4-5 separate occasions he did that, including one in the last few minutes of regulation time were he beat a defender from the right and crossed it into to Drogba for a tap in but he didn't react quickly enough.

(2) The players who provide the inswinging/outswinging crosses at top European clubs generally are the fullbacks. This is how we play as well with those type of crosses coming from Luis and Ivanovic. Most top wingers play ground passes and not inswingers like traditional old school ones used to do. The situation today also didn't call for it with so few players in their box. Notice how those crosses were easily dealt with.

(3) Criticizing a player that obviously doesn't deserve to be criticized on the back of his performance and thinking nobody will call you out on it, then responding sarcastically with the "complete player" red herring. Maybe you have a problem with the player in question. Who knows, but expect to get called out by myself or someone else.

That's why your opinion is a strange one that is so far away from reality and that's why it gets called out.

The key bit you have here is 'wrong opinion'. You cannot have a wrong opinion. It isn't possible. An opinion is subjective. I can debate my opinion with you and vice-versa and can disagree with it but it cannot be wrong because it is based on belief.

Again you have ignored me and my previous post. I never, at any point, stated that we should play 'traditional old school crosses'. As I have mentioned, I would prefer low crosses or passes. Just something that gets the ball into the middle of the box because we cannot do anything with it if we are not going to a) cross the ball or b ) shoot.

I didn't criticize him so again you ignored my previous post. I said I wish he would cross the ball instead of being static with it. This was in the same post that said 'As great a player as Hazard is'. I don't have a problem with Eden Hazard but I do have a problem with people who think he is immune from any form of criticism or any post that doesn't say he was our best player or something. He can always get better, like any player can. You keep on with this 'calling out' thing but at the end of the day you seem to be the only person who has a serious problem with my opinion.

My opinion is strange in your opinion but it can't be wrong. That isn't me being arrogant, it is merely stating that my belief on how Hazard should play is different to yours.

[illmatic 901]

I'm confused.

I don't know if feel me happy because they don't cut the distance to us, or sad for not harness the opportunity to increase the advantage.

[Milan 17,957]

I am not buying this 'we could have been 5 points clear'. I am fairly sure that if we beat Saints, City would win also. Luckily we did not lose the cushion. Beat Spurs and all is great again, with a ridiculously difficult Christmas period past us. After all, 7 points out of the West Hame, Saints and Spurs games would not be bad at all.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Out of our respects to Burnley and their efforts, we won't smash them at the Bridge now. We'll shake hands on a 1-0.

[DDA 9,939]

Nice. Slightly surprising from Burnley but justice done. Has Jose called out the shithouse of a ref yet?

Has he! Haha he went mental in the post math interview! He said he is going to see the ref in 50 minutes and wish him a good new year and that he should be ashamed of himself for today's decision lol !

I love Jose

[cosmicway 1,333]

There is nothing wrong with high crosses, if you have tall guys up front and we do.
The secret is to deliver them from as near the touchline as possible, which again is not beyond us.

The old type hill billy crosses were called so because they were delivered from way back - and the defense has the advantage of the off side.

[didierforever 7,349]

City dropped points after being 2-0 up... Against Burnley, at home... Let that sink in... The invincible City not so invincible now are they?

people sometimes forget that football is a very very very unpredictable game. things can change within minutes. 60 minutes ago, we were cribbing and i think i saw a couple of comments already ruling us out as eventual champions.

teams will drop points. luck will swing this way and that. i mean today cesc slipped when we got behind them, costa slipped when he was thru on a back pass, a soton defender cleared with the ball hitting another defending and falling right in the palms of forster when it could have gone anywhere. we were unlucky in a lot of things today. DD twice was inches away from scoring, once when forster came off his line and he (i think) did get some touch and the second one when he tried that back flick. there were so many chances (not to say that we were good, luis, iva, JT all had crappers) but to say it was a bad performance is laughable.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

The key bit you have here is 'wrong opinion'. You cannot have a wrong opinion. It isn't possible. An opinion is subjective. I can debate my opinion with you and vice-versa and can disagree with it but it cannot be wrong because it is based on belief.

Again you have ignored me and my previous post. I never, at any point, stated that we should play 'traditional old school crosses'. As I have mentioned, I would prefer low crosses or passes. Just something that gets the ball into the middle of the box because we cannot do anything with it if we are not going to a) cross the ball or shoot.

I didn't criticize him so again you ignored my previous post. I said I wish he would cross the ball instead of being static with it. This was in the same post that said 'As great a player as Hazard is'. I don't have a problem with Eden Hazard but I do have a problem with people who think he is immune from any form of criticism or any post that doesn't say he was our best player or something. He can always get better, like any player can. You keep on with this 'calling out' thing but at the end of the day you seem to be the only person who has a serious problem with my opinion.

My opinion is strange in your opinion but it can't be wrong. That isn't me being arrogant, it is merely stating that my belief on how Hazard should play is different to yours.

It's subjective but IMO it's a wrong one and irrelevant to the context of the game. A video "Eden Hazard vs Southampton" will most likely be posted on Hazard's thread. We'll count the amount of crossed he put into the box today and I hope you apologize once you realize your folly. We'll see that he did in-fact put in ground crosses into the box. I hope you apologize then, but your arrogance might not permit you to do so.

As for criticism. Every player deserves to be criticized. Absolutely yes. But Hazard rarely does anything that warrants criticism. The same is true for Courtious, Terry, Matic, Fabregas and Costa more often than not. It's no surprise at all that our worst players are the ones that generally tend to be criticized the most. Hazard did absolutely nothing wrong today and your opinion of "crossing" is obviously a moot one. Maybe you have a problem with the player, as the tone of your comment might suggest but that's your problem.