***Villa v City Official Match Thread***

[city72]

Is it safe yet-just started at rhe end of this thread. Missed the game completely. Looks like i was the lucky one.

Team totally wrong.

Reijnders ain't a DM
Bernardo cannot be allowed to start - his legs have gone
Bobb was absolutely awful
Josko terrible, kept giving the ball away
Stones kept telling our players to "slow it down" when we're one down
Foden nonexistent
Haaland missed our only decent chance

I think we’ve just got to many bang average players not top players like what we’re used to over the last 10/15 years

[Nick]

Why has he changed a winning team

Nico best player with assists and doesnt play

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

So an away game with no DM makes total sense. God this game has pissed me off. Get Cherki and Marmoush on earlier, start players who are doing their jobs and go for the throat.

We also suck at pressing and shouldn’t bother if it can’t be fixed quickly.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

So an away game with no DM makes total sense. God this game has pissed me off. Get Cherki and Marmoush on earlier, start players who are doing their jobs and go for the throat.

We also suck at pressing and shouldn’t bother if it can’t be fixed quickly.

[Mase]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

Remember when we were not a one man team ? Every player putting in the goals - false 9 for how many seasons ? 5 I think .

I wonder why pep cannot go back to that system during matches when Haaland is off his game or injured ?

Why can’t he ?

[nottsblue]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

Remember when we were not a one man team ? Every player putting in the goals - false 9 for how many seasons ? 5 I think .

I wonder why pep cannot go back to that system during matches when Haaland is off his game or injured ?

Why can’t he ?

He doesn't want to change things

[PeterParker]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

Remember when we were not a one man team ? Every player putting in the goals - false 9 for how many seasons ? 5 I think .

I wonder why pep cannot go back to that system during matches when Haaland is off his game or injured ?

Why can’t he ?

Who would make that system work? Bobb? Sav? Doku? Kovacic?

The fact that Bernie was decent yesterday, who is almost retired, tells the whole story for me.
Absolute dogshit recruitment and a terrible style of play.

[stupot]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

Remember when we were not a one man team ? Every player putting in the goals - false 9 for how many seasons ? 5 I think .

I wonder why pep cannot go back to that system during matches when Haaland is off his game or injured ?

Why can’t he ?

Who would make that system work? Bobb? Sav? Doku? Kovacic?

The fact that Bernie was decent yesterday, who is almost retired, tells the whole story for me.
Absolute dogshit recruitment and a terrible style of play.

Thought Bernie in a team of poor performers yesterday was one of the absolute worst.
Foden and Reijnders were trying to go forward at least. Bern never plays anything other than a backward pass.
First 15 minutes yesterday we played well, went downhill after they scored but nowhere near as bad as some of last seasons performances.

[stupot]

Also the false 9 was 1 and a half seasons at most.
Serg was playing constantly until 19/20. He played about half the 20/21 season because of injury then left.
Haaland joined in 2022

[carl_feedthegoat]

Also the false 9 was 1 and a half seasons at most.
Serg was playing constantly until 19/20. He played about half the 20/21 season because of injury then left.
Haaland joined in 2022

3 seasons City played a complete false 9 system with everyone chipping in goals and then you can add in another 2 seasons when he implemented this system now and again.

2019/20: Used in ~40% of Premier League matches (~15–20 games) due to Kuns injuries.
2020/21: Peak false 9 season, used in ~70% of big games (~25–30 PL matches)
2021/22: False 9 remained primary in ~60% of PL games (~20–25 matches)

Additional Usage (2016/17–2018/19, 2022/23–2023/24): Beyond the core period, City used the false 9 sporadically, adding ~1 more season’s worth.

Try doing some research next time - it’s not fuckign hard !

[stupot]

Also the false 9 was 1 and a half seasons at most.
Serg was playing constantly until 19/20. He played about half the 20/21 season because of injury then left.
Haaland joined in 2022

3 seasons City played a complete false 9 system with everyone chipping in goals and then you can add in another 2 seasons when he implemented this system now and again.

2019/20: Used in ~40% of Premier League matches (~15–20 games) due to Kuns injuries.
2020/21: Peak false 9 season, used in ~70% of big games (~25–30 PL matches)
2021/22: False 9 remained primary in ~60% of PL games (~20–25 matches)

Additional Usage (2016/17–2018/19, 2022/23–2023/24): Beyond the core period, City used the false 9 sporadically, adding ~1 more season’s worth.

Try doing some research next time - it’s not fuckign hard !

19/20 he started 25 games.. When he didn't start it was mainly Jesus there
20/21 he started 8 games - the start of the false 9
21/22 False 9
22/23 Erling joined
It's hardly 5 years of false 9 is it.
Try doing some research next time.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Read on Twitter Bobb, Sav and Doku don’t have a Pl goal between them this season? God we’re getting FA out of any attacker not named Haaland.

We've gone from Sterling, Sanè and Mahrez to those three...

It's actually sad.

Remember when we were not a one man team ? Every player putting in the goals - false 9 for how many seasons ? 5 I think .

I wonder why pep cannot go back to that system during matches when Haaland is off his game or injured ?

Why can’t he ?

Who would make that system work? Bobb? Sav? Doku? Kovacic?

The fact that Bernie was decent yesterday, who is almost retired, tells the whole story for me.
Absolute dogshit recruitment and a terrible style of play.

Bern never plays anything other than a backward pass .

Talking bat shit again are we ?

Berni ranks 95th percentile for key passes per 90 minutes(2024/25)
He also ranks 78th % wise for progressive carries and 72nd for forward pass completion %, consistently driving play forward ( see that that word ‘forward ‘ ? as in , not backwards! )
As of Oct 2025): In 400+ appearances across all competitions, Bernardo has 73 goals and ~70 assists (47 in PL alone, plus 20+ in cups/Europe), totalling 143 direct goal involvements - not bad for someone who you say always passes backwards .!!!

Keep it up stupot

[stupot]

He used to be good, he's now gone. A bit like Gundo and Kev.
Remind me when you used to put their career stats up to defend them.

[carl_feedthegoat]

He used to be good, he's now gone. A bit like Gundo and Kev.
Remind me when you used to put their career stats up to defend them.

Why bring up those players ? I'm just responding to your outrageous claim that Bernardo only passes backwards.
Here's a question - Does the 'used to be good' comment also apply to our 25 million-a-year manager too ?

[stupot]

He used to be good, he's now gone. A bit like Gundo and Kev.
Remind me when you used to put their career stats up to defend them.

Why bring up those players ? I'm just responding to your outrageous claim that Bernardo only passes backwards.
Here's a question - Does the 'used to be good' comment also apply to our 25 million-a-year manager too ?

Brought up those players as i didn't see you bringing up their career stats when you were slaughtering them last year.
The answer to your question- No, he was a lot better than that.

[Redna]

We at current state wins 6 of 10 games att Villa Park, we draw 2.
It was just one of them 2 games.
CTID!!

[Hazy2]

Our wide players are frustrating us. Imagine how the world’s best 9 is coping. We have got to create more. Yesterday was a well coached experienced team. Shutting us out. Unless we get Cherki flying. It will be the story of our season.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Our wide players are frustrating us. Imagine how the world’s best 9 is coping. We have got to create more. Yesterday was a well coached experienced team. Shutting us out. Unless we get Cherki flying. It will be the story of our season.

Surely there is enough in Doku, Foden, Cherki and Marmoush to get this attack going.

Bobb and Savinho are players to bring on when a game is won or we are playing weaker opposition until I see them really do damage against a big team.

[Hazy2]

Our wide players are frustrating us. Imagine how the world’s best 9 is coping. We have got to create more. Yesterday was a well coached experienced team. Shutting us out. Unless we get Cherki flying. It will be the story of our season.

Surely there is enough in Doku, Foden, Cherki and Marmoush to get this attack going.

Bobb and Savinho are players to bring on when a game is won or we are playing weaker opposition until I see them really do damage against a big team.

When Mahrez came in he was doubted by many. He was 27 Player of the year Had pretty much with Vardy won Leicester the league. Sav and Doku Bobb would be getting cameos if we had the level Of Haaland around him. Last Sunday will be repeated..Foden Reijnders Nico are going under the radar as well. Hot and cold. Phil not doing enough.