***Treble Winners v Madrid Official Match Thread*** 2nd Leg

[Tokyo Blue]

When we were fiddled out of it v spuds, we went on to win every remaining match that season.

When we were fiddled out of it v the dippers, we drew one and won the rest of our games that season.

We need to do the same again. A chance to put things right comes very quickly and I think the players will be glad about that when Saturday afternoon arrives.

After that performance the lads need an arm round the shoulder and they’ll get one. I think they will take their frustrations out on Chelsea.

We had real madrid clinging on and playing for penalties. That is how good this team is. There is still so much for them to achieve this season. Come on, City.

[blues2win]

https://x.com/city_xtra/status/17807236 ... 9Awxy5lqVQ


Here it is. Pep says Akanji De Bruyne and Haaland asked to come off. We rarely lose and it hurts when we do but I wish we could lose without scapegoating individual players and the Manager. The team gave everything and battered Real Madrid. I was proud to be at the Etihad
supporting them. Losing is part of football. We go again.

[sheblue]

I wouldn't say too many of the players slept too well last night with the game going through their heads.
So little rest before Saturday.
Still Haaland should be fresh enough.
Players like Akanji, kev, Rodri, Bernardo, Dias, etc, those that worked hard, it's going to have taken a hell of a lot from them.

[Mase]

Any player that asks to come off cause they’re “exhausted” needs to leave.

CL quarter final against Madrid and they’re asking to come off cause they’re tired?!!! My mum worked three fuckin jobs and these cunts are paid £300k+ a week and are tired?!

Got fans there that have paid good money to watch them, some of them have paid that knowing they’ll struggle for a month now but still paid it to watch City.

Selfish cunts.

[Indianablue]

Penalties is always a lottery.We lost.

Never expect Ederson to save any of them tbh.

We should have won in normal time/extra time avoided penalties at all costs knowing how shit Ederson is saving them.

I actually blame having a fully fit Squad for this loss.When this happens Pep inner genius starts doing weird shit to feed his inner genius..No idea why he is like this.Always trying to recreate the Wheel.regardless of how well the team played the week before.

When the team picks it self when there are injuries Pep can not fuck about as much as he does..

I can understand bringing Walker back in to counter the pace of Vicinious. He did it quite well.But negated that with the shit defending for their Goal.

Was a frustrating game against a shit ordinary Madrid side.Dominating possession right up to their box then everyone looking to pass on responsibility to a team mate to shoot.Or just lobbing a pointless Ball to Haaland,who was more than happy to run around with Rudiger hanging around his Neck all night...Not sure what has happened to him,but he was bought to take us to another level and nights like tonight he should be making his own luck and the difference.I feel like he is going through the motions after an outstanding last season.Dare i say he is killing our game when he is doing fuck all..Should have been hooked earlier..Will be a terrible indictment of his drop in form if Palmer who we sold to a shite Chelsea side finishes higher than him in the Golden Boot standings.Needs to get his Finger out.Or he will also be risking sabotaging his own move to Madrid/Barcelona whether it be season after next,or next season.

100%

[Nickyboy]

Any player that asks to come off cause they’re “exhausted” needs to leave.

CL quarter final against Madrid and they’re asking to come off cause they’re tired?!!! My mum worked three fuckin jobs and these cunts are paid £300k+ a week and are tired?!

Got fans there that have paid good money to watch them, some of them have paid that knowing they’ll struggle for a month now but still paid it to watch City.

Selfish cunts.

KDB snapped his hamstring last season because he didn't speak up when his body was fucked. If it means he's available for the rest of the season then it was the right thing to do.

If Akanji gets skinned because his legs have gone and we conceed then Peps a cunt for not not making subs when players are knackered. We had Stones to come on and that actually improves us.

Haaland was involved with a very physical game with Rudiger and can imagine that takes its toll. I actually thought switching to more of a false 9 formation for extra time was the right thing to do tactically anyway.

Small margins, some times these decisions are right and sometimes wrong. We were the better side by far over both legs, but it just wasn't to be.

Juts have to win our next 8 games and it will still be a great end to the season.

[Mase]

Any player that asks to come off cause they’re “exhausted” needs to leave.

CL quarter final against Madrid and they’re asking to come off cause they’re tired?!!! My mum worked three fuckin jobs and these cunts are paid £300k+ a week and are tired?!

Got fans there that have paid good money to watch them, some of them have paid that knowing they’ll struggle for a month now but still paid it to watch City.

Selfish cunts.

KDB snapped his hamstring last season because he didn't speak up when his body was fucked. If it means he's available for the rest of the season then it was the right thing to do.

If Akanji gets skinned because his legs have gone and we conceed then Peps a cunt for not not making subs when players are knackered. We had Stones to come on and that actually improves us.

Haaland was involved with a very physical game with Rudiger and can imagine that takes its toll. I actually thought switching to more of a false 9 formation for extra time was the right thing to do tactically anyway.

Small margins, some times these decisions are right and sometimes wrong. We were the better side by far over both legs, but it just wasn't to be.

Juts have to win our next 8 games and it will still be a great end to the season.

KDB speaks up in a quarter final against Madrid - but not all those times he was injured and went away to play with Belgium he keeps quiet?

Haaland is a 23 year old “Viking”. It’s his job to be in a physical battle. All this nonsense he goes on about how his nutrition is wonderful and he does all this weird shit to keep his body healthy hahahahahaha

If we’d kept those players on just for the penalties and told them to stroll around for 30 minutes they’d have been no worse than their replacements.

It’s fuckin selfish

[s1ty m]

Foden not starting centrally was as bad a mistake as not playing Stones. I am baffled by both. KDB slots home a relatively simple chance late on, and this is a different thread, it was that close. That said, for all our possession, we did not really create a hatful of chances, and our big fella up top was, frankly, pathetic. Drained legs for Saturday is ominous, but it is what it is. We may well be looking at relying on massive tarts likes Nunes, the new Graham Baker, and the worst waste of £50m I can think of, so we could easily be up shit creek.

[Mase]

Foden not starting centrally was as bad a mistake as not playing Stones. I am baffled by both. KDB slots home a relatively simple chance late on, and this is a different thread, it was that close. That said, for all our possession, we did not really create a hatful of chances, and our big fella up top was, frankly, pathetic. drained legs for Saturday is ominous, but it is what it is. We may well be looking at relying on massive tarts likes Nunes, the new Graham Baker, and the worst waste of £50m I can think of, so we could easily be up shit creek.

Referring to Nunes as a tart has cheered me up. Thanks for that

[Mase]

We signed some dross last summer and got rid of a player that would improve us, but easily our worst business was signing Walker up again.

He's cost us a few times this season, he wasn’t good enough towards the end of last season and was dropped - so why he’s starting now, AND CAPTAIN when he tried to force a move, is a joke.

On top of that he’s in the papers constantly for either getting his cock out in public or cheating on his Mrs.

Bring this kid back from Girona in the summer - Walker shouldn’t be starting for us next season.

[PeterParker]

I am upset, but I am not sad. If there is a way to go out from Europe, this is it. No one can tell us the better team went.
Sure, I am very frustrated, but I can keep my head high and look anyone in the eye.

We've been in cruise mode all year. It happens.
Big summer ahead.

Win the league, the only thing I ask.

[Outcast]

No shame in losing but the penalty shootout preparation was atrocious. I have a feeling we didn't thoroughly prepare for it, reminiscent of England taking penalties. Ortega should have come on for Ederson. Kova should have been way down the pecking order. KDB and Haaland should have been at the top of the order, surely we could have subbed them back in to take penalties?

[Mase]

Ortega should have come on for Ederson.

Needed Ed to take a pen. Happens unfortunately when you’ve got shithouse players that either want to come off or don’t have the bottle to take a penalty.

Should have subbed Ortega on for Kev and put Ed in midfield. He’d have been no worse than Kovacic

[Outcast]

I'm ficking sick of Pep’s fucking tinkering

FUCKING AKANJI WHEN STONES AVAILABLE, YOUR BEST MIDFILDER FODEN OUT OF POSITION

Shit tactic by the maestro

No ideal why so many thought we got this in the bag, turn up and roll them over, almost vermin mentality.

Fucking 600k a week blonde lump never turns up in big games.

Penalties looming and he brings on fucking Kova for KDB

I'm fucking fuming

But isn’t your rant “vermin mentality”?

Ranting at our arrogance thinking we only need to turn up, got it in the bag? Yes that's very vermin like. Give yourself a pat on the back

Please tell me who thought we’d “got it in the bag”. Pep, the players, the supporters (or was it you)? Pep picked more or less the side I expected: I presume Walker was picked to counter Vinicius, while although I’d hoped Stones would be sufficiently fit to start, Pep clearly thought otherwise and, in any case, Akanji had a good game. As for the players, I’d say Phil, Bernardo and (possibly) KDB didn’t play as well as we all know they can. Finally, the support at the ground was superb, regardless of what was expected. So, returning to the question I asked at the beginning of my post, who do you believe thought “it was in the bag” and how did this lead to our narrow defeat?

Have you just crawled out of a cave? Media, forums, literally everyone thought our away draw was excellent result and it was a matter of formality we'll beat them at home, like a forgone conclusion. Do you really need quotes, clips and articles to back it up? Everyone harped on about last year's 4-0 win. You should know it doesn't work like that in football.

As for Akanji, an average player who had few decent games, he's not a great defender nor can play Stones role. For all Walkers troubles, he's been a great right back, for all Dias short falls, he's carried us to titles, for all Stones injuries, he can be great when on form. Ake great defender at left back . There is a difference between good and great. Dias and Akanji combo doesn't fucking work, either play him right or left back, never centrally in big games.

[Dubciteh]

I'm ficking sick of Pep’s fucking tinkering

FUCKING AKANJI WHEN STONES AVAILABLE, YOUR BEST MIDFILDER FODEN OUT OF POSITION

Shit tactic by the maestro

No ideal why so many thought we got this in the bag, turn up and roll them over, almost vermin mentality.

Fucking 600k a week blonde lump never turns up in big games.

Penalties looming and he brings on fucking Kova for KDB

I'm fucking fuming

But isn’t your rant “vermin mentality”?

Ranting at our arrogance thinking we only need to turn up, got it in the bag? Yes that's very vermin like. Give yourself a pat on the back

Please tell me who thought we’d “got it in the bag”. Pep, the players, the supporters (or was it you)? Pep picked more or less the side I expected: I presume Walker was picked to counter Vinicius, while although I’d hoped Stones would be sufficiently fit to start, Pep clearly thought otherwise and, in any case, Akanji had a good game. As for the players, I’d say Phil, Bernardo and (possibly) KDB didn’t play as well as we all know they can. Finally, the support at the ground was superb, regardless of what was expected. So, returning to the question I asked at the beginning of my post, who do you believe thought “it was in the bag” and how did this lead to our narrow defeat?

Have you just crawled out of a cave? Media, forums, literally everyone thought our away draw was excellent result and it was a matter of formality we'll beat them at home, like a forgone conclusion. Do you really need quotes, clips and articles to back it up? Everyone harped on about last year's 4-0 win. You should know it doesn't work like that in football.

As for Akanji, an average player who had few decent games, he's not a great defender nor can play Stones role. For all Walkers troubles, he's been a great right back, for all Dias short falls, he's carried us to titles, for all Stones injuries, he can be great when on form. Ake great defender at left back . There is a difference between good and great. Dias and Akanji combo doesn't fucking work, either play him right or left back, never centrally in big games.

Agree, alot of people including fans thought it was a guarantee of us going through.

Dont agree on the assessment of Akanji though, i actually think hes an excellent defender. Its the hybrid midfield role that hes terrible at, pep should know this though and certainly shouldnt do it against one of the best teams in the world. I actually think Akanji is our best natural defender, so strong, quick, aggressive.

I thought dias was terrible. Watch the first five mins. He stood on the ball so slow with no urgency, ederson did too. I assume it was part of the gameplan but it was a terrible gameplan, as the away team they would have loved that, we should have gone at them high tempo from the start and killed them that way. It was very frustrating, we would have loved if madrid slowed the game down last week. It suits away teams.

[Mase]

Must be a massive kick in the teeth for Pep to have players say they want to come off cause they’re tired.

The guy must be mentally exhausted! He’s constantly reinventing us, thinking of new ways for us to smash everyone and win everything. He lives away from his Mrs and has done for years. He was stuck in England while his mum passed away in Spain during COVID. The guy lives and breathes football and is constantly thinking about it.

He’s extended numerous times when he could have said, “that’s me done”.

And he’s got multiple players saying they’re tired. Sad.

[MIAMCFC]

Mase take a chill pill. We are out. We have no choice but to step up again in a few days. I don’t think the players can be faulted. I sat there last night and it’s painful but finest of margins. It is what it is. I would say as I said a few weeks ago we are a click or 2 from last seasons performances and that has been our issue. It’s recovering and go again. A double to win.

[stupot]

Don't understand how people are having a go at Akanji. Our best defender by some distance last night and probably MOTM. Dias was lethargic, Walker was Walker- got back in the 1 on 1s but terrible going forward and at fault for the goal.

[PeterParker]

Don't understand how people are having a go at Akanji. Our best defender by some distance last night and probably MOTM. Dias was lethargic, Walker was Walker- got back in the 1 on 1s but terrible going forward and at fault for the goal.

I think all the defense was spot on, even with Walker s brainfart.
Eddie also.

I can't blame a player. I really can't. They did their best.

[MIAMCFC]

Don't understand how people are having a go at Akanji. Our best defender by some distance last night and probably MOTM. Dias was lethargic, Walker was Walker- got back in the 1 on 1s but terrible going forward and at fault for the goal.

I think all the defense was spot on, even with Walker s brainfart.
Eddie also.

I can't blame a player. I really can't. They did their best.

It was there night !! It happens.