***barca v city official cl match thread***

[Aggressive Walkling]

Seems like Yaya really is past it at this point. Kind of a dilemma - team as it is is built to go through him. But if he is not contributing at an elite level we can look shambolic in keeping possession.

Nasri I have always liked but I think I'm turning against him as far as my own opinion goes.

Seems like some surgery is needed in the summer. Primarily as to the central midfield, so that we can transition away from "needing to rely on Yaya." If I'm Txiki I'd shift Yaya and Nasri for damned sure. Both will have some value. Kolarov and Jovetic will have some value in Italy you would think. Nothing outrageous as far as what you could get for any of them, but as a whole that should open up room to make a move for a significant upgrade in the middle. Particularly good if that upgrade includes a certain French lad with a shocker of a haircut and a hatred of rags born of personal experience!

[london blue 2]

The problem is Yaya, he cannot play anymore in that position and that will cost us every single time.

You either push him up like Mancini did, or you bench him. Simple as that. If not, we get to blame all the Ferns we have in our team.

Yaya is done

Yaya was a problem in our first ever CL game v Bayern, under Mancini. Ribery etc were running away from him all the time, meaning someone else had to move.

He was more dangerous in the oppo half tonight than Silva though.

Yaya is a problem end of.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Milner saying they could have pressed a lot better. In other words, some of the players didn't work hard enough.

They couldn't even pass the ball, let alone press it.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Fernandinho had a good game.

[Ted Hughes]

The problem is Yaya, he cannot play anymore in that position and that will cost us every single time.

You either push him up like Mancini did, or you bench him. Simple as that. If not, we get to blame all the Ferns we have in our team.

Yaya is done

Yaya was a problem in our first ever CL game v Bayern, under Mancini. Ribery etc were running away from him all the time, meaning someone else had to move.

He was more dangerous in the oppo half tonight than Silva though.

Yaya is a problem end of.

But he is still a top quality footballer, who people were wanking themselves silly over, last season, when we won the league.

Why does he have to win tackles everywhere when Silva & Nasri don't ? Some tools on here were comparing him to Colin Bell not long ago! He's never been anything fucking like Colin Bell. He's more like Trevor Brooking.

[iwasthere2012]

Joe Hart excellent

Sagna not bad.Don't see why he got so much stick at half time. yes skinned by Neymar once but that guy is world class and it happens.Out of position for the goal..not really as he had to cover centrally but no cover coming from anyone at all in the first half.

Vincent not great at all but too panicky and sells himself too easily

MDM same as Vinnie but not as good

Kolarov so limited it's scary and even when he had golden chances to make the right cross he failed

Nasri totally underperformed and then showed childish petulance to be taken off at half time

Fernandinho best player bar Joe.Effort good, tackling mostly good and intelligence good but he doesnt quite offer enough with his passing

Silva another underperformer. didn't happen in forward positions and is a non even going backwards

Yaya a liability as we all know in the defensive sense and nothing like enough going forward to make up for that

Milner quality on the ball was dire but great workrate as ever but that's not enough

Aguero another underperformer but he had chances especially the pen which was a shocker.Did he bottle it ?

Navas should have been in from the start. Gave decent energy and threat down the right side and some defensive effort going the other was after he forgot Alba early on

Bony I have to believe he will come good but off the pace and poor tonight

Pellegrini poor in that the personnel he started with were wrong. Any team with Yaya,Silva,Nasri and a striker is only defending with 6 outfield players and that's not enough against a team like Barca.

Rather than answering several posts with what I don't agree with, I'll just say this is pretty much how I saw it. I thought Fern was our best player for the full ninety apart from Hart. I thought Navas should have been on from the start.
It was strange watching us walk around with them 1-0 up. Milner tries hard but doesn't have the technical quality of most of the Barca players.
Yaya has to go.
Nasri has to go.
Kolorov has to go.
Sagna needs replacing.
It's probably six players to be cleared out of the squad.
replace 3-4 with real players, I don't know who. Then promote the youth.

[Ted Hughes]

Fernandinho had a good game.

Indeed but the problem is, he will soon reach an age where he can't play that game anymore.

[london blue 2]

The problem is Yaya, he cannot play anymore in that position and that will cost us every single time.

You either push him up like Mancini did, or you bench him. Simple as that. If not, we get to blame all the Ferns we have in our team.

Yaya is done

Yaya was a problem in our first ever CL game v Bayern, under Mancini. Ribery etc were running away from him all the time, meaning someone else had to move.

He was more dangerous in the oppo half tonight than Silva though.

Yaya is a problem end of.

But he is still a top quality footballer, who people were wanking themselves silly over, last season, when we won the league.

Why does he have to win tackles everywhere when Silva & Nasri don't ? Some tools on here were comparing him to Colin Bell not long ago! He's never been anything fucking like Colin Bell. He's more like Trevor Brooking.

Ted, he simply doesn't work.

If you put silva or Nasri in Yayas position they would get fucking slated. Yaya cannot play there any longer!

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

Fernandinho had a good game.

Indeed but the problem is, he will soon reach an age where he can't play that game anymore.

That's the least of our problems, Ted. I'm genuinely worried about top 4 now.

[Ted Hughes]

Fernandinho had a good game.

Indeed but the problem is, he will soon reach an age where he can't play that game anymore.

That's the least of our problems, Ted. I'm genuinely worried about top 4 now.

Depends on whether the Champions League is a big part of problem. It usually is & we play much better away from it.

[Sparklehorse]

Joe Hart excellent

Sagna not bad.Don't see why he got so much stick at half time. yes skinned by Neymar once but that guy is world class and it happens.Out of position for the goal..not really as he had to cover centrally but no cover coming from anyone at all in the first half.

Vincent not great at all but too panicky and sells himself too easily

MDM same as Vinnie but not as good

Kolarov so limited it's scary and even when he had golden chances to make the right cross he failed

Nasri totally underperformed and then showed childish petulance to be taken off at half time

Fernandinho best player bar Joe.Effort good, tackling mostly good and intelligence good but he doesnt quite offer enough with his passing

Silva another underperformer. didn't happen in forward positions and is a non even going backwards

Yaya a liability as we all know in the defensive sense and nothing like enough going forward to make up for that

Milner quality on the ball was dire but great workrate as ever but that's not enough

Aguero another underperformer but he had chances especially the pen which was a shocker.Did he bottle it ?

Navas should have been in from the start. Gave decent energy and threat down the right side and some defensive effort going the other was after he forgot Alba early on

Bony I have to believe he will come good but off the pace and poor tonight

Pellegrini poor in that the personnel he started with were wrong. Any team with Yaya,Silva,Nasri and a striker is only defending with 6 outfield players and that's not enough against a team like Barca.

Rather than answering several posts with what I don't agree with, I'll just say this is pretty much how I saw it. I thought Fern was our best player for the full ninety apart from Hart. I thought Navas should have been on from the start.
It was strange watching us walk around with them 1-0 up. Milner tries hard but doesn't have the technical quality of most of the Barca players.
Yaya has to go.
Nasri has to go.
Kolorov has to go.
Sagna needs replacing.
It's probably six players to be cleared out of the squad.
replace 3-4 with real players, I don't know who. Then promote the youth.

[Sparklehorse]

Promote the youth or we're sunk !!

[iwasthere2012]

hard one considering we still have to qualify for next year, but if Pellers had the balls to drop a couple and stick a few youngsters in for the rest of the season, I'd back him. Tough I know, but I can see the present squad fucking away a top 4 position anyway.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

Don't think Fernandinho had a good game at all. He was run ragged.

[iwasthere2012]

Don't think Fernandinho had a good game at all. He was run ragged.

He was nearly out on his feet at the end, but what does that tell you. He's one of very few who tried to cover everywhere there was a gap. He broke up a lot of their play all game. I certainly wouldn't fault his effort tonight.

[Sparklehorse]

hard one considering we still have to qualify for next year, but if Pellers had the balls to drop a couple and stick a few youngsters in for the rest of the season, I'd back him. Tough I know, but I can see the present squad fucking away a top 4 position anyway.

Theres nothing left in the tank !!

[Ted Hughes]

hard one considering we still have to qualify for next year, but if Pellers had the balls to drop a couple and stick a few youngsters in for the rest of the season, I'd back him. Tough I know, but I can see the present squad fucking away a top 4 position anyway.

This would be a terrible time to bring them in.

City fans are the worst in the world for getting on players' backs & many won't give a fuck they are kids, when they struggle, & we start losing, which is what would likely happen. If they don't boo the kids, they will shout abuse at the players next to them, which still destroys the kids' confidence anyway.

Best to let this lot lie in the bed they have made. One or two kids, just given a bit of a chance here & there off the bench would be ok I think, but not on any large scale.

If there comes a time we are solid in 2nd or alternatively doomed out of the top 4 with nothing to play for, then I would use more of the kids.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Don't think Fernandinho had a good game at all. He was run ragged.

Stop thinking.

[iwasthere2012]

hard one considering we still have to qualify for next year, but if Pellers had the balls to drop a couple and stick a few youngsters in for the rest of the season, I'd back him. Tough I know, but I can see the present squad fucking away a top 4 position anyway.

This would be a terrible time to bring them in.

City fans are the worst in the world for getting on players' backs & many won't give a fuck they are kids, when they struggle, & we start losing, which is what would likely happen. If they don't boo the kids, they will shout abuse at the players next to them, which still destroys the kids' confidence anyway.

Best to let this lot lie in the bed they have made. One or two kids, just given a bit of a chance here & there off the bench would be ok I think, but not on any large scale.

If there comes a time we are solid in 2nd or alternatively doomed out of the top 4 with nothing to play for, then I would use more of the kids.

That's what I'm talking about though Ted. Drop a couple from the matchday squads not the starting eleven and see if we can get some minutes on the park for a couple of youngsters in certain games, instead. I think there is a few players that really need a rude awakening. I think Pellers has his work cut out to make it clear that nothing less than total commitment will be tolerated.

[Ted Hughes]

hard one considering we still have to qualify for next year, but if Pellers had the balls to drop a couple and stick a few youngsters in for the rest of the season, I'd back him. Tough I know, but I can see the present squad fucking away a top 4 position anyway.

This would be a terrible time to bring them in.

City fans are the worst in the world for getting on players' backs & many won't give a fuck they are kids, when they struggle, & we start losing, which is what would likely happen. If they don't boo the kids, they will shout abuse at the players next to them, which still destroys the kids' confidence anyway.

Best to let this lot lie in the bed they have made. One or two kids, just given a bit of a chance here & there off the bench would be ok I think, but not on any large scale.

If there comes a time we are solid in 2nd or alternatively doomed out of the top 4 with nothing to play for, then I would use more of the kids.

That's what I'm talking about though Ted. Drop a couple from the matchday squads not the starting eleven and see if we can get some minutes on the park for a couple of youngsters in certain games, instead. I think there is a few players that really need a rude awakening. I think Pellers has his work cut out to make it clear that nothing less than total commitment will be tolerated.

I'm all for them getting in the squad.

I imagine there will actually be moments where we are winning a game comfortably, even after recent disasters, & he can use one or two then.