City v The Eagles (Brick Wall)

[KunDB]

Come on City we desperately need a win today and the 3 points. If we do not get it we do not deserve Champion League football or a top four finish.

Starting Team
Caballero, Fernandinho, Kompany (c), Otamendi, Clichy, Yaya Toure, Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane, Gabriel Jesus

Subs
Gunn, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernando, Kolarov, Navas, Iheanacho

[Gareth]

So is that Fernandinho at full back and 4-1-4-1 , or a kind of 3-4-3 with a MF 4 of 'dinho and Yaya in the middle and Sterling and Sane wide?

[Gareth]

Personally, I don't buy the "brick wall" and "parked bus" comments in the Palace threads. Sounds like we are making excuses for a lame performance before the game even starts. So Palace set out to defend? Why shouldn't they? Zaha, Puncheon and Townsend can counter-attack and Benteke is a threat at set pieces. It's not Sam's job to bend the knee and hand Pep 3 points on a plate. We've got some good players - surely not many Palace players would make City's First XI (apart from Hennessey). And the world's best coach must know what he's going to come up against. If we are good enough we'll beat them, simple as that. No excuses.

[Swiss]

We've played the Eagles twice this season.

a 2-1 win away in the league. Yaya scoed both our goals and Wickham scored theirs. We took the lead, they pegged us back, yaya cored the winner in the 83rd.

A 3-0 win in the FA Cup. Sterling (43rd), Sane (71st) & That man Yaya (92nd).

(Get your bets on yaya scoring today!!!)

IIRC, both games were tight affairs with Palace looking to hit us with their speed & Power up front with Zaha & Townsend for speed & Benteke for the power (Set pieces???)

Benteke has never scored against us...

If Pep was going for a 3-4-3, then wouldn't Sagna have been a better choice as the 3rd CB?

[KunDB]

4  1  4  1  I imagine.

Brick wall cannot be an excuse, we have the talent to easily break down any brick wall.

[Swiss]

There's your late arrival from dave!t

[KunDB]

Finally, late arrivals in box, getting to the bye line, popping balls over the packed defence and faster passing. Has the penny finally dropped.

We need a second so I can relax a wee bit at least.

[KunDB]

Pep put on a right back at half time, this is ridiculous and will find us out eventually.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

So - how is this still only 1-0?

[KunDB]

It will be 1 1 if we do not tighten up right of our defence.

Same old story of 5 at back for Palace with 4 in front of them and hoping to score on break.

[Neil Mcnab]

Silva has been superb. Sterling is consistent, consistently poor. Dinho has played decently at RB before, but not attending to duties today. Still, 1-0 and it should have been more. Need to score again.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

Yes, Sterling... after a promising rejuvenation with Pep at the start of the season Sterling's confidence seems to have faded away as this campaign has gone on. Don't know what to make of him now. 

[Rowley Birkin QC]

If Sterling doesn't buck up soon, I'd have Iheanacho on for him before this half gets too old.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

Ahhhh - Vincent 

[KunDB]

Cracker of a goal.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

Takes a defender to show them how to finish!

[KunDB]

Knowing Pep Jesus will be dropped to midfield next game with VK up front on his own.

[KunDB]

DeBruyne on fire.

[KunDB]

Goal difference so important.

[KunDB]

Everything going in now, when it's your day it all works. Brill

4 0

[Rowley Birkin QC]

That's better Sterling

[KunDB]

No composure from Fernandinho, just booted it over the bar.

[KunDB]

I'm in heaven and there even Otamendi scores.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

Otamendi has been very good today. Deserved that goal.

[KunDB]

Pep perfection today, long may it continue.

[gavin]

Just what the doctor ordered! Puts us a few goals clear of Liverpool.

[Neil Mcnab]

A great result and performance.

Vinny not only shores up the defense, but also gives us an aerial threat at the other end at corners that has been, if not missing, not much of a danger before he came back in. It gives the opposition more to think about and makes scoring at corners more likely from all.

Sterling scored a good goal, but anything memorable after that? Did not do much to write home about I saw. The Wales manager in the after match blurb said how good Sterling was. Watching a different game. Sterling was on fire for a while, thats gone out. If he carries on playing like this next season, will find himself benched.

[zacc]

well that was sublime eh?

[nimrod]

About effin time..

[gavin]

A great result and performance.

Vinny not only shores up the defense, but also gives us an aerial threat at the other end at corners that has been, if not missing, not much of a danger before he came back in. It gives the opposition more to think about and makes scoring at corners more likely from all.

Sterling scored a good goal, but anything memorable after that? Did not do much to write home about I saw. The Wales manager in the after match blurb said how good Sterling was. Watching a different game. Sterling was on fire for a while, thats gone out. If he carries on playing like this next season, will find himself benched.

He's been on the bench a bit lately. He did the cross that was headed out to Silva for Silva's goal too. I see your point that he could do with more end product but I think he is worth persevering with. There's still a number of years until his peak.

[gavin]

He was also the one brought down for the free kick from which Ota scored.

[KunDB]

Liverpool's scoreless draw against Southampton a bonus for us, looking good for us just have to keep winning.

A draw later today would be good.