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It's gonna be a while before we have another one of these again with shitty Internationals coming up.......

Just seen this on fb taken from muen

Carlo Ancelotti:

"Manchester City are a fantastic team but they have no clear identity. Sometimes they build up with three, sometimes with two, sometimes their right back goes to play as a holding midfielder. They have clear principles. That is the difference. Sometimes they don't play with a centre-forward, they play with a No.10 as a centre-forward, so the identity of #ManCity is not clear. If they had a clear identity you would be more able to manage their shape, but the fact is they change their shape. What doesn't change is their principles of keeping the ball, having possession and to show the quality they have. The principles never change."

[via MEN]

Fair comment, or an early excuse??

It's the romance of the cup, anything can happen, but as long as Pep doesn't have a brain fart and the players put in a shift, I say we progress to the semi's.

One step closer.....

I think that pretty much sums City's variety of strategies.
It must be a nightmare for opposing coaches trying to sort out how to play against us when they have absolutely no idea which City will turn up.
Nor have they any idea which players will be on the City teamsheet.

The only thing that opponents can really do is try and stop us.
Which means that our tactics will usually determine the flow of the game, leaving opponents much less chance of imposing their game on City.

Very few brave coaches and teams have actually attempted to impose their game on us.

john68 wrote:I think that pretty much sums City's variety of strategies.
It must be a nightmare for opposing coaches trying to sort out how to play against us when they have absolutely no idea which City will turn up.
Nor have they any idea which players will be on the City teamsheet.

The only thing that opponents can really do is try and stop us.
Which means that our tactics will usually determine the flow of the game, leaving opponents much less chance of imposing their game on City.

Very few brave coaches and teams have actually attempted to impose their game on us.

We are shapeshifters of the footballing world.

Dimples wrote:

john68 wrote:I think that pretty much sums City's variety of strategies.
It must be a nightmare for opposing coaches trying to sort out how to play against us when they have absolutely no idea which City will turn up.
Nor have they any idea which players will be on the City teamsheet.

The only thing that opponents can really do is try and stop us.
Which means that our tactics will usually determine the flow of the game, leaving opponents much less chance of imposing their game on City.

Very few brave coaches and teams have actually attempted to impose their game on us.

We areshapeshifters of the footballing world.

...a bit like The Thing - or that cop made of Mercury that chases Arnie around in T2

Looks like Everton are playing their third choice goalie. Pickford and Olsen are both apparently injured.

Gives us a big boost

nottsblue wrote:Looks like Everton are playing their third choice goalie. Pickford and Olsen are both apparently injured.

Gives us a big boost

In that case if we manage to go 2 up, Pep should be telling the whole squad to shoot at will from any viable distance.

CTID Hants wrote:

nottsblue wrote:Looks like Everton are playing their third choice goalie. Pickford and Olsen are both apparently injured.

Gives us a big boost

In that case if we manage to go 2 up, Pep should be telling the whole squad to shoot at will from any viable distance.

Hopefully he will bring Big Ed on as a sub and he goes up front and scores

john68 wrote:I think that pretty much sums City's variety of strategies.
It must be a nightmare for opposing coaches trying to sort out how to play against us when they have absolutely no idea which City will turn up.
Nor have they any idea which players will be on the City teamsheet.

The only thing that opponents can really do is try and stop us.
Which means that our tactics will usually determine the flow of the game, leaving opponents much less chance of imposing their game on City.

Very few brave coaches and teams have actually attempted to impose their game on us.

A Norwegian bus driver doesn’t seem to have a problem stopping us

I hope Pep plays Foden and Bernardo also nothing experimental please, do that and we should win, here’s hoping

Harry Dowd scored wrote:I hope Pep plays Foden and Bernardo also nothing experimental please, do that and we should win, here’s hoping

Same for me. False number nine of KDB. Foden, Gundo and Bern for sure.

ruralblue wrote:

Harry Dowd scored wrote:I hope Pep plays Foden and Bernardo also nothing experimental please, do that and we should win, here’s hoping

Same for me. False number nine of KDB. Foden, Gundo and Bern for sure.

This is how we lines up last time

XI | Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, Mahrez, Bernardo, Foden, Sterling (C), Jesus

SUBS | Steffen, Stones, Aguero, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Torres, Mendy, Garcia


1-3 to us

Goals came from Phil, Riyad and Bernardo

Richarlson scored for them 5 mins after Phil in first half

Harry Dowd scored wrote:

john68 wrote:I think that pretty much sums City's variety of strategies.
It must be a nightmare for opposing coaches trying to sort out how to play against us when they have absolutely no idea which City will turn up.
Nor have they any idea which players will be on the City teamsheet.

The only thing that opponents can really do is try and stop us.
Which means that our tactics will usually determine the flow of the game, leaving opponents much less chance of imposing their game on City.

Very few brave coaches and teams have actually attempted to impose their game on us.

A Norwegian bus driver doesn’t seem to have a problem stopping us

I think that Nowegian bus driver got away with it because he was allowed to.
A most frustrating game where we moved the ball into shooting chances but then either refused to shoot, played it back, or our players needed to take that extra touch, just to make it all so perfect and lost the chance they had.

Your City line-up to take on the Toffees!

XI | Steffen, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Fernandinho (C), Gundogan, Bernardo, Sterling, Foden, Jesus

SUBS | Ederson, Stones, Aguero, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Torres, Mendy, Mahrez, Cancelo

Oh OK

Sterling back in. Loads will be happy about that.

Bernardo and Foden starting so happy with that, but don’t like the changes in defence/ goalkeeper at all

I’m not sure how I feel about Agüero not playing .

It doesn’t sit well with me even if it’s ,somehow ,justified .

Can’t argue with that. Would like to see Aguero given more than 10 mins.

Are we one up yet?

Ake not even on the bench. Pity.