So why didn't Lescott play?

[Hazy2]

Maybe he doesn't want to risk JL with the Barca game on the horizon. If he got injured who would partner Vinnie with MD suspend and everyone else injured. Garcia anyone??

Glichy, for me he offers a bit of pace and he has the yrs behind him to partner Vinny.

[Nutzer]

Just watched it again - Borini runs straight past Demechelis who just jogs along. Vince should have done better, but if a defender had been alongside him, he wouldn't have had to be there.

Demechelis is a liability.

Spot on. He is a liability. He should have kept up with Borini to ensure he didn't get a shooting chance.

[Nick]

I think neither are Pellers first choice. He's waiting for Nasti to get fit again and he will play with Vinnie in the big games.

well we will be no stronger. in fact i trust nasti less than demich.

nasti is a penalty waiting to happen

[aaron bond]

Just watched it again - Borini runs straight past Demechelis who just jogs along. Vince should have done better, but if a defender had been alongside him, he wouldn't have had to be there.

Demechelis is a liability.

Spot on. He is a liability. He should have kept up with Borini to ensure he didn't get a shooting chance.

Agreed. Vinnie messed up, no doubt about that, but he was covering Demichelis who was in no man's land when the long ball was played over the top.

The problem now is that Demichelis' weaknesses are being plastered all over the media, and it's quite clear that opposing teams need to target him for their best chance of scoring against us.

Our squad consists of players who's abilities range from very good to world class, so when he plays he just looks out of place. The best compliment he can get is that he's better than Nastasic, although admittedly that's not much of a compliment.

[Two's Kompany]

I'd have picked Lescott over Demichelis yesterday but the manager thought otherwise.

The manager knows more about football than most of us on here Id wager, and we won the game so he would summise he was right.

Joleon now has a Prem Lge winners medal, an FA Cup Winners medal, a Community Shield winners medal, and now a League Cup winners medal which he earned for helping us get there and also being on the Judi Dench yesterday. In short he has a complete set, which is something he could have only dreamed of having left Everton .... why was it that he left again? Purely money wasn't it according to Everton??? Arf.

"Joleon Lescott, he's won the fookin lot!" - as has Hart, Zabba, Kompany, Kolarov, Milner, Ya Ya and Silva if my memory serves me.

I hope that was written with your tongue firmly in your cheek?!
Regardless of how much WE think we know about football/City we are talking about one of the top coaches/managers. Someone who has worked for the best!
These people see things that even the majority of top non-league coaches don't see. Their understanding of the game is incredible.
Even people like Pulis, Pardew and dare I see Steve Bruce have so much knowledge.
I always thought he would play MDM on Sunday. Yes I was disappointed for Lescott, but I was for Milner too!

[Slim]

I think neither are Pellers first choice. He's waiting for Nasti to get fit again and he will play with Vinnie in the big games.

well we will be no stronger. in fact i trust nasti less than demich.

nasti is a penalty waiting to happen

There was an ambulance call that was doing the rounds in the early days of the internet called "Bambalance". Here is the story as I remember it.

A redneck American(aren't they fun?) called 911 after an ambulance which he kept calling a "bambalance". He had been travelling along a highway and he hit a deer, thinking he killed it he decided he didn't want to waste perfectly good meat and put it in the back of his car. However the deer wasn't dead merely unconscious and woke up in a panic, starting kicking the hell out of the back of his head and the destroying the back seat of his car. He managed to escape his car and while he was trying to get the deer out of his car from the outside, a dog started attacking him, he believed because he wanted the injured deer for himself. He scrambled to a phonebox and trapped himself inside and called 911, which is where we came in.

Not sure if it was faked or not, but my point is this.

Nastasic reminds me of an injured and panicky deer who has just regained consciousness in the backseat of a redneck's car.

[Wonderwall]

There was an ambulance call that was doing the rounds in the early days of the internet called "Bambalance". Here is the story as I remember it.

A redneck American(aren't they fun?) called 911 after an ambulance which he kept calling a "bambalance". He had been travelling along a highway and he hit a deer, thinking he killed it he decided he didn't want to waste perfectly good meat and put it in the back of his car. However the deer wasn't dead merely unconscious and woke up in a panic, starting kicking the hell out of the back of his head and the destroying the back seat of his car. He managed to escape his car and while he was trying to get the deer out of his car from the outside, a dog started attacking him, he believed because he wanted the injured deer for himself. He scrambled to a phonebox and trapped himself inside and called 911, which is where we came in.

Not sure if it was faked or not, but my point is this.

Nastasic reminds me of an injured and panicky deer who has just regained consciousness in the backseat of a redneck's car.

Totally lost me. I mean completely and utterly. I am sat here so bemused I don’t know if I want a cup of tea or not anymore.

[Slim]

There was an ambulance call that was doing the rounds in the early days of the internet called "Bambalance". Here is the story as I remember it.

A redneck American(aren't they fun?) called 911 after an ambulance which he kept calling a "bambalance". He had been travelling along a highway and he hit a deer, thinking he killed it he decided he didn't want to waste perfectly good meat and put it in the back of his car. However the deer wasn't dead merely unconscious and woke up in a panic, starting kicking the hell out of the back of his head and the destroying the back seat of his car. He managed to escape his car and while he was trying to get the deer out of his car from the outside, a dog started attacking him, he believed because he wanted the injured deer for himself. He scrambled to a phonebox and trapped himself inside and called 911, which is where we came in.

Not sure if it was faked or not, but my point is this.

Nastasic reminds me of an injured and panicky deer who has just regained consciousness in the backseat of a redneck's car.

Totally lost me. I mean completely and utterly. I am sat here so bemused I don’t know if I want a cup of tea or not anymore.

Definitely, cups of tea are awesome and should always be had when reading this board.

[ant london]

Maybe he doesn't want to risk JL with the Barca game on the horizon. If he got injured who would partner Vinnie with MD suspend and everyone else injured. Garcia anyone??

Was thinking the same. This is the only reason that makes sense to me. Lescott was more than capable of playing yesterday so the only reason he wouldn't play, after playing in every other minute of the tournament, would be through injury or suspension. Regarding the Barca game, Nasti is injured and Demi is suspended. Lescott is all we have left.

Is it beyond the realms of comprehension that Pellers might not have had a grown up conversation with Joleon to the effect of "I need you for the Camp Nou and we really cannot risk you today"?

Lescott still gets a medal does he not and winning the cup took more than just the 90 minutes yesterday and JL fully earned that medal in the previous games

[gillie]

Maybe he doesn't want to risk JL with the Barca game on the horizon. If he got injured who would partner Vinnie with MD suspend and everyone else injured. Garcia anyone??

Was thinking the same. This is the only reason that makes sense to me. Lescott was more than capable of playing yesterday so the only reason he wouldn't play, after playing in every other minute of the tournament, would be through injury or suspension. Regarding the Barca game, Nasti is injured and Demi is suspended. Lescott is all we have left.

Is it beyond the realms of comprehension that Pellers might not have had a grown up conversation with Joleon to the effect of "I need you for the Camp Nou and we really cannot risk you today"?

Lescott still gets a medal does he not and winning the cup took more than just the 90 minutes yesterday and JL fully earned that medal in the previous games

Imo nail on the fucking head Ant mate.

[bayblue]

Is it beyond the realms of comprehension that Pellers might not have had a grown up conversation with Joleon to the effect of "I need you for the Camp Nou and we really cannot risk you today"? Lescott still gets a medal does he not and winning the cup took more than just the 90 minutes yesterday and JL fully earned that medal in the previous games

I hope you are right.
There's something that doesn't quite square with me about this theory though. We need Vinny more than Lescott for Camp Nou and yet he played Vinny. Seems to me more that Pellers just doesn't trust Lescott.

[Hazy2]

Lescott will not IMO be played at Barca, we need will need to be solid at the back Play Glichy next to Vinny, he is quick can sit next to Vinny and cope with the nippy little Bastards far better than JL, they offer nothing we cannot deal with at set Pieces, plus he has the savvy to cope if given clear instructions.

[Bluedj]

I think neither are Pellers first choice. He's waiting for Nasti to get fit again and he will play with Vinnie in the big games.

Nasti is the worst of the three, end of!

[AG7]

I don't think he'll be playing in the Barca game ... Nasti first choice in the absence of Demi ... and if he's not fit, it'll be Garcia partnering Komps at the back ...

Why I think that? Two things about Lescott ...

One, the gaffer didn't trust him in the final ... and not just that, we've seen throughout the season ...

Second, imagine this ... if he plays this'll be his last ever Champions League game ... yes, at Nou Camp, against Barcelona, last chance to play in the CL ... because I don't see him being linked to any CL club? He'll probably end up at West Ham or Everton or Villa ... the three linked with him in January ... but that's about it, a mid-table club, nothing more ... THAT tells me, it's not only Pelligrini who doesn't rate him ... if he was rated by other football geniuses, sure he'll be linked with bigger better clubs?

[Ted Hughes]

Some while ago, Istarted a thread on here to discuss what I thought are the dangers of a high line with slowish centre backs.

Some were of the opinion we don't need pace to play this way; I disagree, & quite a few of the goals we have conceded or almost conceded, have shown us why. Lescott is not the man for that job.

Vinny was caught out by the pace of Borini & tried to flick a foot at the ball rather than busting a gut to sprint full speed & stop him (as he did on the 2nd occasion when he tackled him). There are players quicker than Borini.

Vinny would have needed to be moving at his maximum speed to catch Borini. That's about 10% faster than Lescott can move, so Lescott would probably also have been caught out by that pass. As would Nastasic. There is little to choose between the 3 of those at top speed, Demi is actually not as slow as he looks, it's just that he thinks he's faster than he is & fucks up because of it.

Playing this system, with the players we have, is a gamble. What we need, is a player who is 10-20% faster than VK covering when HE gets caught for pace, not VK covering for others. He will pull a muscle again doing that, for starters.

Lescott is not suited to playing v Barca either imo but is 50% better than Nastasic at everything.

I would consider playing a different system v Barca, as they don't have a centre forward.

[Ted Hughes]

I don't think he'll be playing in the Barca game ... Nasti first choice in the absence of Demi ... and if he's not fit, it'll be Garcia partnering Komps at the back ...

Why I think that? Two things about Lescott ...

One, the gaffer didn't trust him in the final ... and not just that, we've seen throughout the season ...

Second, imagine this ... if he plays this'll be his last ever Champions League game ... yes, at Nou Camp, against Barcelona, last chance to play in the CL ... because I don't see him being linked to any CL club? He'll probably end up at West Ham or Everton or Villa ... the three linked with him in January ... but that's about it, a mid-table club, nothing more ... THAT tells me, it's not only Pelligrini who doesn't rate him ... if he was rated by other football geniuses, sure he'll be linked with bigger better clubs?

It doesn't matter what Lescott does, he has his own squad of haters always ready to criticise & that kind of reputation would mean it's a brave top 4 manager who would sign him.

Like Gareth Barry, who could have played in any of the top 6 teams, Lescott is equally disrespected in football circles.

The London Evening standard mentioning City's possible selection v Chelsea, suggested Lescott wouldn't play because he is 'undergoing a crisis of confidence'. That's the 'word' on Lescott in London.

Shit like that throughout his City career is the reason why Lescott wouldn't likely get a top 4 move.

[Hazy2]

Vinny needs a partner , we need two more quality central defenders, Demi and Nasti are both not upto it for all sorts of reasons, JL has been the best of the 3.

[MilnersJaw]

Lescott will not IMO be played at Barca, we need will need to be solid at the back Play Glichy next to Vinny, he is quick can sit next to Vinny and cope with the nippy little Bastards far better than JL, they offer nothing we cannot deal with at set Pieces, plus he has the savvy to cope if given clear instructions.

God no. Clichy is awful centrally.