***Official City v Arsenal Thread***

[david yearsley]

The Big Mal celebration from all the COMS will rest in my eyes and in my heart forever! Of course we lose a game nil three playing decent football against Cesc Fabregas the Genius and other clever footballers called the gooners. Micah, Joe, Nigel, Silva and Carlitos show undoubtely that future is ours but, dear Mancio, how could you think to beat Arsenal without our best striker AJ?

Yep - AJ with those 2 chances down the right for eg - should have been 2 up after 5 mins anyway

God I´m pissed off - anyone feel this season is gonna be another let down?

[Swales4ever]

I am very disappointed about Roberto's choices and I consider him widely responsible for dropping 3 points in such an important fixture. While Dedrick may even be considered a logical gamble which didnt paid off, entering Bridge in such a very poor form is quite a joke (may deserve the Hughes of the week award).
Quite often the big football clashes are made up by episodes and both the deciders were due to those two poor selection choices.
I do follow and admire Roberto Mancini since 30 years and today is perhaps the first time the idea of "clueless" come to my mind about his performance.

On the very positive side note I'd love to highlight the seniority shown by the TEAM, as everybody gave their very all in full togetherness to maintain the best shape of play at least up to 80 minutes when some of them started to fade due to the huge effort.
Then of course everybody knows the Gunners are probably the best team in the world for ball circulation and once they went 2-0 - thanks to the kind stop and assist from WB - the game was turned from hard to impossible.

As a last and very minor side note - a bit of typical City - considering that the usual advantage of every side who face Arsenal (Almunia) was replaced by a superb Fabiansky, who denided City at least 3 very quite-score, ffs!

Rant over - I'm gonna get some good malt to forget... :-(

[david yearsley]

I am very disappointed about Roberto's choices and I consider him widely responsible for dropping 3 points in such an important fixture. While Dedrick may even be considered a logical gamble which didnt paid off, entering Bridge in such a very poor form is quite a joke (may deserve the Hughes of the week award).
Quite often the big football clashes are made up by episodes and both the deciders were due to those two poor selection choices.
I do follow and admire Roberto Mancini since 30 years and today is perhaps the first time the idea of "clueless" come to my mind about his performance.

On the very positive side note I'd love to highlight the seniority shown by the TEAM, as everybody gave their very all in full togetherness to maintain the best shape of play at least up to 80 minutes when some of them started to fade due to the huge effort.
Then of course everybody knows the Gunners are probably the best team in the world for ball circulation and once they went 2-0 - thanks to the kind stop and assist from WB - the game was turned from hard to impossible.

As a last and very minor side note - a bit of typical City - considering that the usual advantage of every side who face Arsenal (Almunia) was replaced by a superb Fabiansky, who denided City at least 3 very quite-score, ffs!

Rant over - I'm gonna get some good malt to forget... :-(

Oh dear , Mancini clueless - now there´s a good idea for a thread ;)

[Crossie]

Best medicine is to pummle Wolves.

Nice to see Mario getting 20 mins and running about freely

[french_tony]

Needs to learn to pass a bit more and I am sure he was just eager to impress but Mario is fecking quick!

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Hard to post so soon after a disappointment like that.The emotions are high as I have already seen from posts here and elsewhere and there is plenty of crap going around as usual. No doubt I am about to add to that crap:)

First of all I don't think we should be too down.I don't go along with the claims that we would have battered them but I am 100% sure it would have been a great game. It wasn't that bad for a long time anyway but I really thinbk it would have been a classic and yes I think we would have won.

It was interesting before the game how many fans were very worried that we would have Lescott and Bridge in the team to play against a quick pass and move side like Arsenal. Well they got their wish and maybe just maybe it was a big mistake. We will never know how it would have turned out if Zaba had been fit and Boateng would have partnered Vinnie.BUT given that Zaba wasn't fit to play I do think it was a strange decision not to play one of the two international left backs available. And it will not do much for the confidence of either of them.

I think it was a very strange decision also to put Barry at full back rather than again bringing a proper one on! I have heard plenty of times that Barry can play there but no he can't really. He is simply too slow end of story. He can get away with it to a point in midfield with cover all around and behind but not at the back. He might have read what was going to happen with the first goal but he just couldnt move quickly enough to stop it.

I think Mancini realised this and brought Bridge on. Why it was Yaya to go I don't know. Nobody has mentioned an injury but he is only just back from one so maybe that was it but for me when a game gets stretched it doesnt suit Barry at all so I would certainly have taken him off ( if Yaya wasnt injured)

Given the situation though I thought we gave it a real good go and can understand Mancini saying afterwards that he felt this game proves we belong in the top 4 even though the score was 3 nil. The ability is there and what we need to do now is what other top teams do after a defeat and that's win again and go on a run.

Once they scored again it was all over and the legs gave up on some players and again Mancini made a starnge ( to me anyway) substitution. Surely AJ should have been the one and not Mario. I think Mancini had actually given it up at that time and just thought a few minutes would be good for him.

In terms of performances there were some good ones today. Joe was decent, Micah was excellent ( apart from the 3rd goal), Vinnie very good apart from that crazy penalty challenge,Boateng I thought looked good at times but again worries me a little like Micah has done in the past.I do think he is better in the center than at full back.

Nigel was very good again, Silva is class ( even though he was far from top all the time today), Tevez would have been great but that injury happened early I am sure. Milner I thought was good but his legs did go in the 2nd half. He never stopped but there was no sprints in him after 65 minutes. Ade I thought looked up for it and just a pity that he likes to be offside too much and missed two really good chances.

As for the other 3 Barry didn't have good game but as I said I think games like this will find him out. Bridge , yes of course he made a mistake with the 2nd goal but apart from that he was ok.Strange how on here he is getting slaughtered but Boyata , well it was just mistimed challenge or he gambled and it didn't pay off but he's Boyata so no biggee. I would like to know what was in Bridge's mind though as he did the key part of cutting the pass out but left the ball for a clear shot. I can only think he thought he was stopping the ball for Vinnie to clear not realising that Vinnie was also looking to stop the pass to Chamack.

[The Original Special One]

I couldn't watch, from about 10 minutes after the sending off.
There was always the prospect of Wenger's team shooting themselves in the foot, though, because, beside them being the worst team to play against for 90 minutes with a man short, they can just be, on occasion, the best team.
I listened to the Sky commentary from another room, though, and it sounded like they were 'luhving it, with their patronising comments about 'brave' City!

what the fuck is that all about!? if you cant watch us when we are in trouble dont ever watch at all!

unless you mean you actually wasn't able to watch it????

I gotta earn a living, unfortunately!

[david yearsley]

Hard to post so soon after a disappointment like that.The emotions are high as I have already seen from posts here and elsewhere and there is plenty of crap going around as usual. No doubt I am about to add to that crap:)

First of all I don't think we should be too down.I don't go along with the claims that we would have battered them but I am 100% sure it would have been a great game. It wasn't that bad for a long time anyway but I really thinbk it would have been a classic and yes I think we would have won.

It was interesting before the game how many fans were very worried that we would have Lescott and Bridge in the team to play against a quick pass and move side like Arsenal. Well they got their wish and maybe just maybe it was a big mistake. We will never know how it would have turned out if Zaba had been fit and Boateng would have partnered Vinnie.BUT given that Zaba wasn't fit to play I do think it was a strange decision not to play one of the two international left backs available. And it will not do much for the confidence of either of them.

I think it was a very strange decision also to put Barry at full back rather than again bringing a proper one on! I have heard plenty of times that Barry can play there but no he can't really. He is simply too slow end of story. He can get away with it to a point in midfield with cover all around and behind but not at the back. He might have read what was going to happen with the first goal but he just couldnt move quickly enough to stop it.

I think Mancini realised this and brought Bridge on. Why it was Yaya to go I don't know. Nobody has mentioned an injury but he is only just back from one so maybe that was it but for me when a game gets stretched it doesnt suit Barry at all so I would certainly have taken him off ( if Yaya wasnt injured)

Given the situation though I thought we gave it a real good go and can understand Mancini saying afterwards that he felt this game proves we belong in the top 4 even though the score was 3 nil. The ability is there and what we need to do now is what other top teams do after a defeat and that's win again and go on a run.

Once they scored again it was all over and the legs gave up on some players and again Mancini made a starnge ( to me anyway) substitution. Surely AJ should have been the one and not Mario. I think Mancini had actually given it up at that time and just thought a few minutes would be good for him.

In terms of performances there were some good ones today. Joe was decent, Micah was excellent ( apart from the 3rd goal), Vinnie very good apart from that crazy penalty challenge,Boateng I thought looked good at times but again worries me a little like Micah has done in the past.I do think he is better in the center than at full back.

Nigel was very good again, Silva is class ( even though he was far from top all the time today), Tevez would have been great but that injury happened early I am sure. Milner I thought was good but his legs did go in the 2nd half. He never stopped but there was no sprints in him after 65 minutes. Ade I thought looked up for it and just a pity that he likes to be offside too much and missed two really good chances.

As for the other 3 Barry didn't have good game but as I said I think games like this will find him out. Bridge , yes of course he made a mistake with the 2nd goal but apart from that he was ok.Strange how on here he is getting slaughtered but Boyata , well it was just mistimed challenge or he gambled and it didn't pay off but he's Boyata so no biggee. I would like to know what was in Bridge's mind though as he did the key part of cutting the pass out but left the ball for a clear shot. I can only think he thought he was stopping the ball for Vinnie to clear not realising that Vinnie was also looking to stop the pass to Chamack.

Good stuff Doug as usual - spot on about how we react next week - unfortunately as Wolves are on such a bad run the obvious springs to mind - we simply have to put it right but will we ?

[Blue Toy]

Yaya shite.
Milner shite.

Nothing more to add.

[The Original Special One]

Hard to post so soon after a disappointment like that.The emotions are high as I have already seen from posts here and elsewhere and there is plenty of crap going around as usual. No doubt I am about to add to that crap:)

First of all I don't think we should be too down.I don't go along with the claims that we would have battered them but I am 100% sure it would have been a great game. It wasn't that bad for a long time anyway but I really thinbk it would have been a classic and yes I think we would have won.

It was interesting before the game how many fans were very worried that we would have Lescott and Bridge in the team to play against a quick pass and move side like Arsenal. Well they got their wish and maybe just maybe it was a big mistake. We will never know how it would have turned out if Zaba had been fit and Boateng would have partnered Vinnie.BUT given that Zaba wasn't fit to play I do think it was a strange decision not to play one of the two international left backs available. And it will not do much for the confidence of either of them.

I think it was a very strange decision also to put Barry at full back rather than again bringing a proper one on! I have heard plenty of times that Barry can play there but no he can't really. He is simply too slow end of story. He can get away with it to a point in midfield with cover all around and behind but not at the back. He might have read what was going to happen with the first goal but he just couldnt move quickly enough to stop it.

I think Mancini realised this and brought Bridge on. Why it was Yaya to go I don't know. Nobody has mentioned an injury but he is only just back from one so maybe that was it but for me when a game gets stretched it doesnt suit Barry at all so I would certainly have taken him off ( if Yaya wasnt injured)

Given the situation though I thought we gave it a real good go and can understand Mancini saying afterwards that he felt this game proves we belong in the top 4 even though the score was 3 nil. The ability is there and what we need to do now is what other top teams do after a defeat and that's win again and go on a run.

Once they scored again it was all over and the legs gave up on some players and again Mancini made a starnge ( to me anyway) substitution. Surely AJ should have been the one and not Mario. I think Mancini had actually given it up at that time and just thought a few minutes would be good for him.

In terms of performances there were some good ones today. Joe was decent, Micah was excellent ( apart from the 3rd goal), Vinnie very good apart from that crazy penalty challenge,Boateng I thought looked good at times but again worries me a little like Micah has done in the past.I do think he is better in the center than at full back.

Nigel was very good again, Silva is class ( even though he was far from top all the time today), Tevez would have been great but that injury happened early I am sure. Milner I thought was good but his legs did go in the 2nd half. He never stopped but there was no sprints in him after 65 minutes. Ade I thought looked up for it and just a pity that he likes to be offside too much and missed two really good chances.

As for the other 3 Barry didn't have good game but as I said I think games like this will find him out. Bridge , yes of course he made a mistake with the 2nd goal but apart from that he was ok.Strange how on here he is getting slaughtered but Boyata , well it was just mistimed challenge or he gambled and it didn't pay off but he's Boyata so no biggee. I would like to know what was in Bridge's mind though as he did the key part of cutting the pass out but left the ball for a clear shot. I can only think he thought he was stopping the ball for Vinnie to clear not realising that Vinnie was also looking to stop the pass to Chamack.

Good stuff Doug as usual - spot on about how we react next week - unfortunately as Wolves are on such a bad run the obvious springs to mind - we simply have to put it right but will we ?

Will Henry be back from his suspension?
Or will his teammates make up for his absence?

[colonel_muck]

was proud of how we played today with ten men but you could see that after the second went in the heads dropped. boyata looked absolutely gutted and i feel for the lad, cos i wanted him to start instead of lescott, who probably would have done the same thing! james milner hasn't impressed me since his debut and gareth barry is so inconsistent its a fuckin nightmare. why no adam johnson? that was total insanity.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

was proud of how we played today with ten men but you could see that after the second went in the heads dropped. boyata looked absolutely gutted and i feel for the lad, cos i wanted him to start instead of lescott, who probably would have done the same thing! james milner hasn't impressed me since his debut and gareth barry is so inconsistent its a fuckin nightmare. why no adam johnson? that was total insanity.

James Milner doesn't always do eye catching things but he is a great team player and ran himself into the ground today. Plus he made the pass which put Micah through 1 on 1 and he also made the 1 for Silva from which he nearly scored.Could have been 2 great assists.

[Chinners]

I'm with Doug on Milner. He seems to have a reutation as a bit of a flair player when in fact he's a grafter. Barry has been far too inconsistant imo, from quietly controlling a game one week to totally missing the next, granted today he changed position a couple of times.