City vs Arsenhole

[PrezIke]

Blues smell problems, it's the years of watching B.S. Pep has to be given the green light to splas the cash, even if we have to pay the dough a Bonnuci looks to be a solution we cannot do without, ok stones is mad money we saw tonight what a mess we are at the back, both keepers are not of the calibre Pep is used to the problems start there.

I read that Juve offered us Bonucci, we offered double his wages, and he turned it down, so seems unlikely he's coming.

where did you read that pal?

Original story came from an Italian paper.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/14222/trans ... s-wages-at

[Beefymcfc]

Playing out from the back is just a state of mind. Prove they can do it and the oppo won't press as much, unlike now.

[Nick]

Pep asked about Bony and Mangala says they are City players 'at this moment'.

why the fuck would he look to shift Managla without giving him a chance?

Hes the younger, faster, stronger of all the CBs. People seem to think Otter may work, but hes short term.

Mangala looked mustard before we shattered his confidence.

If he's fully fit and were isolated him in favour of fernando and kolorov, what a joke.

re: Bony - obviously we just need a buyer. Surely we'll go for another forward if so, but haven't seen us seriously linked.

[blues2win]

Pep wants defenders who are comfortable on the ball and can start play from the back. Mangala doesn't fit the bill. Stones definitely does.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Joe's confidence might be down a bit but nothing happened tonight that tells us Willy is the better option. He is utter crap with the ball at his feet and actually more likely to give the opposition an assist than Joe is.

Maybe , just maybe we will bring a new keeper in but I do hope it's not the loony money talked about yesterday. Are we after Rulli or is that just paper rubbish. He might not be an option after that joke mistake he made at the Olympics.

I expect Joe in nets next Saturday and something closer to a real back 4. I cannot get my head around Kolarov even in the team never mind as center back. Really bad mistake by Tosin of course but we don't have many playing at the moment who are used to playing the ball around and we will have to live with some big mistakes for a while if Pep demands it's the way we have to go.

On the plus side Navas beat the first man with a cross ( twice) and cut in for a good shot with his left

[PrezIke]

Pep wants defenders who are comfortable on the ball and can start play from the back. Mangala doesn't fit the bill. Stones definitely does.

It isn't even just that he "wants" them he NEEDS them.

Can anyone imagine Mangala playing from the back like we are now? I wish him well, but very hard to see him staying.

[PrezIke]

Joe's confidence might be down a bit but nothing happened tonight that tells us Willy is the better option. He is utter crap with the ball at his feet and actually more likely to give the opposition an assist than Joe is.

Maybe , just maybe we will bring a new keeper in but I do hope it's not the loony money talked about yesterday. Are we after Rulli or is that just paper rubbish. He might not be an option after that joke mistake he made at the Olympics.

I expect Joe in nets next Saturday and something closer to a real back 4. I cannot get my head around Kolarov even in the team never mind as center back. Really bad mistake by Tosin of course but we don't have many playing at the moment who are used to playing the ball around and we will have to live with some big mistakes for a while if Pep demands it's the way we have to go.

On the plus side Navas beat the first man with a cross ( twice) and cut in for a good shot with his left

This is why I am wondering what we will do. Joe was hoofing it up the pitch more and throwing more than Willy so taking less risks, whilst Willy was trying to be more of a "Pep keeper," even if not so great. He's a bit better than Joe with the ball, but not really up to the task it seems.

Rulli is already our player, I thought? I watched the 2nd half against Portugal and he seemed to do well other than that mistake, and in fact did better after it.

I'm with you about Kolarov. I really struggle watching him play for us right now.

[blues2win]

Haven't bought Rulli yet! If Joe stays it will be because the Club doesn't feel it can fix all the problems in one window not because Pep has confidence in him. He will never be able to play as Pep wants in a month of Sundays. It really would be better for him if he goes now to another Club where he'll be more comfortable and Pep gets someone in whom he has confidence. From where we are I guess Rulli is far more likely than Ter Stegen but its a great pity.

[john@staustell]

Pep asked about Bony and Mangala says they are City players 'at this moment'.

why the fuck would he look to shift Managla without giving him a chance?

Hes the younger, faster, stronger of all the CBs. People seem to think Otter may work, but hes short term.

Mangala looked mustard before we shattered his confidence.

If he's fully fit and were isolated him in favour of fernando and kolorov, what a joke.

re: Bony - obviously we just need a buyer. Surely we'll go for another forward if so, but haven't seen us seriously linked.

Never seen him as mustard. As stated he is like a frightened rabbit on the ball and that is no good. Poor homework by Txiki.

Seems him, Bony and Nasri are out. Hart has gone to the dogs but hopefully when the league starts he won't have much to do.

Tosin - made that pass twice last night and at least 3 times against Dortmund. You don't get many chances in football, he may have blown it.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I was hoping for a 3-1 defeat, just like Pellers final preseason game in his first summer in charge.

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Players who MUST go
Otter. Can't defend, head the ball and has no pace.
Nasri. A (fat) French Duke
Fernando. Not even a footballer.

Bony and Kolarov possibly too and leave some room for new non home grown players.

[Justified logic]

Fernando and Kolarov being given a lot of game time as CBs suggests to me that their normal positions have been taken by others and they were being trialed as CBs. That Denayer wasn't given any time also suggests that either he is pencilled in already or Pep wanted to get a really good look at Kolarov in that position. I wouldn't be surprised to see both Fernando and Kolarov leave this season.

[Slim]

Kolarov looked like a baseball player being asked to play footy. Sure he's an athlete but he has no more business being at centrehalf than Jessica Ennis.

[MilnersJaw]

Pep wants defenders who are comfortable on the ball and can start play from the back. Mangala doesn't fit the bill. Stones definitely does.

problem is stones cant defend. Are people actually going insane on here, do people really want another defender who can't defend for shit?

[I Just Blue Myself]

Pep wants defenders who are comfortable on the ball and can start play from the back. Mangala doesn't fit the bill. Stones definitely does.

problem is stones cant defend. Are people actually going insane on here, do people really want another defender who can't defend for shit?

Still an upgrade on our current lot that can neither defend nor pass the ball out of defense.

My favourite Kolarov classic is when he delays a pass until he is closed down, then panics and blasts the ball into the oponnent's shin.

[blues2win]

Stones is a very good defender actually. The criticism of him is that he overplays sometimes and gets himself into trouble. Sometimes you have to boot the ball out or upfield rather than be too clever. Still we have bought into Pep's vision or he wouldn't have come here. That means accepting that players who are incapable of playing in his system have to go and be replaced by players who can.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I was a bit bored this morning so I logged on to one of the Arsenal fans' forums just to see what they made of last night's game.

I wasn't prepared for two or three neanderthals calling Yaya all the names under the sun for injuring Gabriel. They only ceased their tirades when one of their own pointed out Yaya wasn't involved in the 'entanglement' as he only played the pass to Nacho which ended with the injury. However, none of them even thought to mention it was a tackle from behind in the first place.

The forum I went on must have been the Arsenal equivalent of BlueMoon.

Matters were slightly redressed when one more gracious spirit applauded City's medical staff for coming onto the pitch to assist with Gabriel's treatment.

[john@staustell]

Matters were slightly redressed when one more gracious spirit applauded City's medical staff for coming onto the pitch to assist with Gabriel's treatment.

They probably thought they had better pile in there, given the worldwide reputation of Arsenal's medical team!