Sterling’s finishing

[Bluedj]

We are almost a perfect football team;
Our keepers are are solid & Eddie can at times be a playmaker from the back.
Our central defence is about as solid as any central defence can be.
Our full backsare defenders, midfielders or wingers, depending on what the phase of play calls for.
Our official midfield is mobile, fluid and extremely creative.......then
Then we come to the three ballerinas....Sterling, Mahrez & Jesus.

Occasional glimpses of magic, particularly from Mahrez are offset by all them seeking perfection. The perfect shot that never comes. The perfect opening that immediately gets closed down. All of them need that unecessary extra touch that then seems to need a 2nd and/or a 3rd & 4th extra touch, all ensuring that any chance has gone.
Our ballerinas act as a self imposed road block to many of our attacking moves.
Conclusion; they will score and for many, that seems to paper over the cracks, but time and time again they block chances.

Spot on John
I would only add that those 3 ballerinas can kind of get away with tippy toesing around for most of the games IF they deliver just the once for a goal. But that just masks how expensive they are to the team generally. Gab and Sterling do contribute in work rate to be fair.

Last night with all three on at once just highlighted their defects in creating chances. Not going past defenders despite having the pace, not keeping the play moving enough due mainly to not good enough decision making fast enough. They are regularly underperforming from their best.
Can Pep continue to improve that out of them ?

Also Kev helps them when he plays as he glues them all together with his passing and vision and speed of thought.

For me all three of them need to go back to getting the basics right, starting with positioning, like someone pointed out about Foden giving himself a little space to get a start.

We completely smothered them last night, Sterling and Jesus are integral to that high press. On the ball Jesus was fine apart from his dithering when he did brilliantly to intercept that pass and create a chance for himself, Sterling was piss poor with the ball last night but we need to look at the bigger picture, yes criticise for where they went wrong but recognise the qualities they bring too.

My biggest issue with Jesus is his lack of a real strikers positional reading ie. attack the near post when the balls coming in. He almost never does it and that’s why he’s doesn’t score enough goals

[carl_feedthegoat]

We are almost a perfect football team;
Our keepers are are solid & Eddie can at times be a playmaker from the back.
Our central defence is about as solid as any central defence can be.
Our full backsare defenders, midfielders or wingers, depending on what the phase of play calls for.
Our official midfield is mobile, fluid and extremely creative.......then
Then we come to the three ballerinas....Sterling, Mahrez & Jesus.

Occasional glimpses of magic, particularly from Mahrez are offset by all them seeking perfection. The perfect shot that never comes. The perfect opening that immediately gets closed down. All of them need that unecessary extra touch that then seems to need a 2nd and/or a 3rd & 4th extra touch, all ensuring that any chance has gone.
Our ballerinas act as a self imposed road block to many of our attacking moves.
Conclusion; they will score and for many, that seems to paper over the cracks, but time and time again they block chances.

Spot on John
I would only add that those 3 ballerinas can kind of get away with tippy toesing around for most of the games IF they deliver just the once for a goal. But that just masks how expensive they are to the team generally. Gab and Sterling do contribute in work rate to be fair.

Last night with all three on at once just highlighted their defects in creating chances. Not going past defenders despite having the pace, not keeping the play moving enough due mainly to not good enough decision making fast enough. They are regularly underperforming from their best.
Can Pep continue to improve that out of them ?

Also Kev helps them when he plays as he glues them all together with his passing and vision and speed of thought.

For me all three of them need to go back to getting the basics right, starting with positioning, like someone pointed out about Foden giving himself a little space to get a start.

We completely smothered them last night, Sterling and Jesus are integral to that high press. On the ball Jesus was fine apart from his dithering when he did brilliantly to intercept that pass and create a chance for himself, Sterling was piss poor with the ball last night but we need to look at the bigger picture, yes criticise for where they went wrong but recognise the qualities they bring too.

My biggest issue with Jesus is his lack of a real strikers positional reading ie. attack the near post when the balls coming in. He almost never does it and that’s why he’s doesn’t score enough goals

Exactly - how many times does the ball get played into the area and that dummy is is no man's land ?
He must of been told to get into the area as that's how he scored again Munchen.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

We are almost a perfect football team;
Our keepers are are solid & Eddie can at times be a playmaker from the back.
Our central defence is about as solid as any central defence can be.
Our full backsare defenders, midfielders or wingers, depending on what the phase of play calls for.
Our official midfield is mobile, fluid and extremely creative.......then
Then we come to the three ballerinas....Sterling, Mahrez & Jesus.

Occasional glimpses of magic, particularly from Mahrez are offset by all them seeking perfection. The perfect shot that never comes. The perfect opening that immediately gets closed down. All of them need that unecessary extra touch that then seems to need a 2nd and/or a 3rd & 4th extra touch, all ensuring that any chance has gone.
Our ballerinas act as a self imposed road block to many of our attacking moves.
Conclusion; they will score and for many, that seems to paper over the cracks, but time and time again they block chances.

Spot on John
I would only add that those 3 ballerinas can kind of get away with tippy toesing around for most of the games IF they deliver just the once for a goal. But that just masks how expensive they are to the team generally. Gab and Sterling do contribute in work rate to be fair.

Last night with all three on at once just highlighted their defects in creating chances. Not going past defenders despite having the pace, not keeping the play moving enough due mainly to not good enough decision making fast enough. They are regularly underperforming from their best.
Can Pep continue to improve that out of them ?

Also Kev helps them when he plays as he glues them all together with his passing and vision and speed of thought.

For me all three of them need to go back to getting the basics right, starting with positioning, like someone pointed out about Foden giving himself a little space to get a start.

We completely smothered them last night, Sterling and Jesus are integral to that high press. On the ball Jesus was fine apart from his dithering when he did brilliantly to intercept that pass and create a chance for himself, Sterling was piss poor with the ball last night but we need to look at the bigger picture, yes criticise for where they went wrong but recognise the qualities they bring too.

My biggest issue with Jesus is his lack of a real strikers positional reading ie. attack the near post when the balls coming in. He almost never does it and that’s why he’s doesn’t score enough goals

Yep, there are things like that about him that frustrate me too, played out wide as a kid so perhaps lacks that strikers instincts. Ultimately you want your striker to score goals, I get it.

However, look at the games against Madrid last season or when he came on at Anfield this season, as examples, he makes a difference to us with his relentless pressing.


Another thing I'll say in his defence is that our goals per game and points per game remain consistent whether him or Aguero starts.

To get rid would be silly as Aguero is going/ close to going, getting rid of both your forwards and bringing in two that need to adapt to the Guardiola way is asking for trouble.

[Hazy2]

We are almost a perfect football team;
Our keepers are are solid & Eddie can at times be a playmaker from the back.
Our central defence is about as solid as any central defence can be.
Our full backsare defenders, midfielders or wingers, depending on what the phase of play calls for.
Our official midfield is mobile, fluid and extremely creative.......then
Then we come to the three ballerinas....Sterling, Mahrez & Jesus.

Occasional glimpses of magic, particularly from Mahrez are offset by all them seeking perfection. The perfect shot that never comes. The perfect opening that immediately gets closed down. All of them need that unecessary extra touch that then seems to need a 2nd and/or a 3rd & 4th extra touch, all ensuring that any chance has gone.
Our ballerinas act as a self imposed road block to many of our attacking moves.
Conclusion; they will score and for many, that seems to paper over the cracks, but time and time again they block chances.

Spot on John
I would only add that those 3 ballerinas can kind of get away with tippy toesing around for most of the games IF they deliver just the once for a goal. But that just masks how expensive they are to the team generally. Gab and Sterling do contribute in work rate to be fair.

Last night with all three on at once just highlighted their defects in creating chances. Not going past defenders despite having the pace, not keeping the play moving enough due mainly to not good enough decision making fast enough. They are regularly underperforming from their best.
Can Pep continue to improve that out of them ?

Also Kev helps them when he plays as he glues them all together with his passing and vision and speed of thought.

For me all three of them need to go back to getting the basics right, starting with positioning, like someone pointed out about Foden giving himself a little space to get a start.

We completely smothered them last night, Sterling and Jesus are integral to that high press. On the ball Jesus was fine apart from his dithering when he did brilliantly to intercept that pass and create a chance for himself, Sterling was piss poor with the ball last night but we need to look at the bigger picture, yes criticise for where they went wrong but recognise the qualities they bring too.

My biggest issue with Jesus is his lack of a real strikers positional reading ie. attack the near post when the balls coming in. He almost never does it and that’s why he’s doesn’t score enough goals

Exactly - how many times does the ball get played into the area and that dummy is is no man's land ?
He must of been told to get into the area as that's how he scored again Munchen.

I heard Pep during the game screaming "Gabby" more than once, I am not sure why? However fox in the box goal did come ! yes him and Sterling defy logic when they are clean through both have improvements to make, it would be quite scary if they did. Do we need Haaland yes But have we missed sergio NO which is nuts to type,we have the best manager in world football he is a genius, however if you have Bayern in a one off game missing simple chances is not an option as they won't. That said its 50/50 plus Chelsea will be a threat with Tuchol, he knows the game.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Wasnt PeP you heard..it was me.

Chelsea are zero threat to us..PSG and Bayern certainly are.

[Hazy2]

Wasnt PeP you heard..it was me.

Chelsea are zero threat to us..PSG and Bayern certainly are.

We will see. Gabby is 23 ruthless no he is not. Team player yes - Perfect for Pep, you shout ant everything ! x

[bobadji]

Wasnt PeP you heard..it was me.

Chelsea are zero threat to us..PSG and Bayern certainly are.

We will see. Gabby is 23 ruthless no he is not. Team player yes - Perfect for Pep, you shout ant everything ! x

I get this argument, I really do, but Serg joined us at 23 and bagged 23 goals in 34 league appearances that year and had scored 1 in 2 over the previous 4 years at Atleti - Jesus is closer to 1 in 3 since joining us. The guy gets chances galore and needs to score more to be THE man - I really rate his work ethic etc but he's never going to be that 20 league goals guy.

[Hazy2]

Wasnt PeP you heard..it was me.

Chelsea are zero threat to us..PSG and Bayern certainly are.

We will see. Gabby is 23 ruthless no he is not. Team player yes - Perfect for Pep, you shout ant everything ! x

I get this argument, I really do, but Serg joined us at 23 and bagged 23 goals in 34 league appearances that year and had scored 1 in 2 over the previous 4 years at Atleti - Jesus is closer to 1 in 3 since joining us. The guy gets chances galore and needs to score more to be THE man - I really rate his work ethic etc but he's never going to be that 20 league goals guy.

Sergio is a once in a generation player. The comparison is obvious but not realistic. Morata never hits the numbers but is rated highly, Atletico have never had Sergio's ratio since he left. Sterling and Jesus a hard working players Sergio, Messi. Ronaldo, score goals we just accept as normal, its not mate. Haaland is a goal machine, link up play ok nothing more.

Pep has found another way this season I think we can see week in week out its a team game with us, it is going to be another change to get in a goal only player into the side. He will have to be a team player and 20 25 goal players are always selfish its natural and not a complaint. Is that a Pep player now?