closed Man City 1-0 Chelsea

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

54 minutes ago, Clockwork said:

Nah with the same exact team, Pep would do much better with this Chelsea side. Tuchel problem is he is lacking from an attacking standpoint, you may say his players aren’t good but no doubt in my mind they would perform higher with Pep. Tuchel hasn't coached a cohesive attacking side since his Dortmund days. PSG fans were frustrated with him, because they just gave Neymar and Mbappe create something.

This works the other way round then as well. City are said chosive attacking side. Even play the same system, Dortmund did under TT. Give Tuchel the City team for as long as Pep has had it and he would have won the CL twice by now.

[cosmicway 1,333]

The idea that a big man can be useful in a counterattacking situation is something new to me.
So I can't side with Tuchel for using him but also I can't side with Rom's critics.

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Tbf I am surprised he played Rom today but personally, not that surprised he didn’t use Werner. If I am honest I was much actually more surprised he didn’t start Kai or Mason. 

He talked about lacking precision in attack, do you really think Werner is the guy to give us precision? In these bigger games? In fact are any of them ie. Timo, Ziyech, Pulisic, really consistent enough to deliver in these sort of games? I get the argument for Timo and his pace but other than that I don’t think Tuchel could of justified starting him today although again not playing Kai was a huge mistake for me.

For all the stick that Werner gets, his pace and movement would have at least offered avenues upfront for us in games like today. He was, after all, a key part in our success against City last season. Not saying we would have beaten City again but he would have certainly offered more than any of the front 3 and whatever the hell our game plan was today. We had a winning formula but that has gone out of the window with Lukaku this season.

Mount not starting was probably a surprise but then again, he was poor against Spurs in midweek. So maybe it's not a surprise. Agreed on Havertz but again, he hasn't exactly done much either. So maybe it's not a surprise either, especially if Tuchel is gonna shoehorn Lukaku into the XI. 

[OneMoSalah 8,785]

2 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

What is evident, is that we are astronomically better not just in attack, but as a team as a whole when we have dynamic forwards. 

Havertz not seeing any minutes is a big question mark for me. 

Have to agree on Havertz but again, Tuchel’s repeatedly mentioning precision and how the forwards/attacking midfielders need to show up more.

This is why I personally believe Ziyech, Timo and even Pulisic are players who really need to be looked at and the question asked are they really up to it? For what we want to achieve? Pulisic only ever seems to come to life v Liverpool and well I can count on one hand the amount of good games Timo and Hakim have had this season.

[MoroccanBlue 5,320]

Just now, OneMoSalah said:

Have to agree on Havertz but again, Tuchel’s repeatedly mentioning precision and how the forwards/attacking midfielders need to show up more.

This is why I personally believe Ziyech, Timo and even Pulisic are players who really need to be looked at and the question asked are they really up to it? For what we want to achieve? Pulisic only ever seems to come to life v Liverpool and well I can count on one hand the amount of good games Timo and Hakim have had this season.

My decision changes every month but I can confidentially say both Ziyech and Werner need to go this summer. Pulisic & CHO still up in the air for me. 

Lukaku needs to leave for the long term benefit of this club. 

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

Yes, City are better than us and the tactics were again not right. Just as Guardiola got it wrong 3 times last season, TT got it wrong twice this season. Sure, we can't replicate their 12games winning streak with the attackers we have and we are not gonna challenge for the league as long as they have such a smooth operation in place. But despite all the handicaps we had today and our shit performance, it was a close game that could have gone either. on a good day we can still take City on, that is why in the all the cup compeitions we are still fair game.

Now is not the time to be beat down. Next months we are playing for 2 titles, City do not have to play for. The league was already gone, so shed no tears.

the club should focus now on getting a wing back in and TT on managing the minutes of the squad so they are all fresh.

[chelsea_4_eva 1,160]

Is Havertz not match fit? He didnt feature at all this week..

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, OneMoSalah said:

This is why I personally believe Ziyech, Timo and even Pulisic are players who really need to be looked at and the question asked are they really up to it? For what we want to achieve? Pulisic only ever seems to come to life v Liverpool and well I can count on one hand the amount of good games Timo and Hakim have had this season.

I find it weird that Havertz is not being questioned at the very least. We spent 70 million+ on him to be what exactly? To be a goalscorer? Doesn't score enough goals. To be a goal creator? Doesn't really create much either. Is he really just a 70 million+ player that shows good touches, good linkup plays etc?

[MoroccanBlue 5,320]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Yes, City are better than us and the tactics were again not right. Just as Guardiola got it wrong 3 times last season, TT got it wrong twice this season. Sure, we can't replicate their 12games winning streak with the attackers we have and we are not gonna challenge for the league as long as they have such a smooth operation in place. But despite all the handicaps we had today and our shit performance, it was a close game that could have gone either. on a good day we can still take City on, that is why in the all the cup compeitions we are still fair game.

Now is not the time to be beat down. Next months we are playing for 2 titles, City do not have to play for. The league was already gone, so shed no tears.

the club should focus now on getting a wing back in and TT on managing the minutes of the squad so they are all fresh.

Any goal or trophy we plan on achieving will always be heavily risked with Lukaku playing. 

We going to rely on own goals and set pieces to win us trophies? Is that what this club has become to now and do you believe that to be long term sustainable?

[Tomo 21,733]

1 hour ago, DDA said:

Yes. Lukalu has completely fucked our momentum up. 

Shocking signing. 

We all knew it.

We tried to be positive about it but let's face it... the guy is bang average, always has been, always will be.

Should have got Vlahovic... I'm telling you that guy would have been 100% better fit.

Fucking frustrating.

Broja might just might give us a get out of jail free card.

[MoroccanBlue 5,320]

We give shit to Pulisic but Havertz deserves criticism as well.  

Has one good game and then either is inconsistent the next or gets injured. 

[Pizy 18,419]

Lukaku is getting all the heat and he was indeed terrible overall but Ziyech and CP were shocking as well. Ziyech’s total inability to beat anyone with the ball was brutally exposed today. He’s slow as fuck. And his fabled passing that we saw at Ajax feels like a distant memory. He couldn’t complete simple passes. Pulisic is a once in 5-8 games player. He’s essentially a worse version of Willian.

I’d be perfectly happy to see us sell every forward player we currently have this summer except for Kai. Lukaku, Ziyech, Pulisic, and Werner can all go and I wouldn’t feel bad at all. Shouldn’t be difficult at all to find buyers for the latter 3. Lukaku is a massive anchor unless Inter or someone else take him on loan.

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Pulsing is a once in 5-8 games player.

This feels generous. 

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

8 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Any goal or trophy we plan on achieving will always be heavily risked with Lukaku playing. 

We going to rely on own goals and set pieces to win us trophies? Is that what this club has become to now and do you believe that to be long term sustainable?

Lukaku is a problem that I'd rather not have in most big games but at the CWC and in case we get Arsenal in the CC final he can be an asset.

Trophies are won by fine margins. I can't remember us winning a trophy ever by an own goal after 2005 tbh. What we rely on to win trophies is a stable defence. Our identity as a club is being combative, tight at the back and ferocious on the break. We are still working on that last part but other than that everything is in place. Short pataches aside we never were and never will be a side playing scinitillating football.

[Clockwork 1,794]

It says a lot about Tuchel that he would rather play Sarr, a player who couldn’t even cut it in Portugal then trying something other than his 3-4-3.

City beats a lot of teams before the match even starts.

 

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

but at the CWC and in case we get Arsenal in the CC final he can be an asset.

You said that and yet, Lukaku has not been a difference maker in cup games. Yet to win a cup competition in his career. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Clockwork said:

It says a lot about Tuchel that he would rather play Sarr, a player who couldn’t even cut it in Portugal then trying something other than his 3-4-3.

City beats a lot of teams before the match even starts.

 

Is it really a surprise Tuchel reverted to the back 3? 

[OneMoSalah 8,785]

Just now, Jase said:

I find it weird that Havertz is not being questioned at the very least. We spent 70 million+ on him to be what exactly? To be a goalscorer? Doesn't score enough goals. To be a goal creator? Doesn't really create much either. Is he really just a 70 million+ player that shows good touches, good linkup plays etc?

Hes still only 22 years old though and thats probably going to buy him a bit more patience alongside his obvious talent and the fact he’s probably had many better games than the likes of Timo, Hakim and Pulisic since he arrived last summer. 

No doubt TT and he himself should rightfully demand more in terms of goals and assists but I still really don’t think he’s cut out in the long run to be a CF. And thats why I felt it was 100% necessary to sign a number 9 this summer because for all the play, running the channels and being involved outside the box, he doesn’t have the numbers or strikers instincts to be a top teams number 9. False 9 or not. 

 

He is wildly inconsistent which is infuriating but when he is playing as a false 9, he seems to struggle scoring goals and I think that is because he really lacks the predatory instincts in and around the box from crosses/cut backs/saves etc that all good strikers seem to have. He doesn’t seem to anticipate where the ball might go/land and just seems lacking in that part.