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

[Ted Hughes]

Kompany insisted that the Catalans, who by no means overwhelmed City, were given too much respect by the home team. “They weren’t the best team we have faced this season,” he said. “Maybe we had too much respect for them. They were there for the taking but you realise the individual quality was phenomenal. Whenever we went forward we were dangerous.”

Couldn't agree more, so why the fuck were you & Demichelis shitting your pants every time the ball came to you first half, & passing it straight to Barca ?

Had no problems whatsoever defending v them 1st half, in fact our defending was almost perfect; Barca had no ideas & were completely average. But we didn't have the balls to play football whe we got possession. We passed it better with 10 men.

Big question marks about the team & manager for me after that, & not because of the sending off or the result; because we started with a gutless team selection & played gutlesss football.

We were Crystal Palace playing Arsenal.

Bayern were fantastic & asked us loads of questions.

The only question Barca asked was 'do you deserve to play us ?' & the answer was a resounding 'no'.

I think that's a tad harsh. If we'd gone completely gung-ho, all hammer and tongues, and conceded two in half an hour, we'd look like mugs; all guts and no sense. We got suckered punched - losing a player and a goal obviously ruined it. Who's to say our passing wouldn't have improved with our belief that we could get something/win as the game progressed, with 11v11 - as you rightly say we passed it better with ten men. Could easily have developed as the game went on equal numbers, and obviously with an increased chance of scoring/not conceding. All speculative but kinda goes with the territory eh.

I didn't ask to go gung ho, just play football.

We parked the bus & kicked the ball out aimlessly assuming Barca were about to 'get us' which they weren't; they were wide open for the counter attack but we were shitting it that badly that we couldn't see it.

Kompany was right; Barca weren't the best team we have played & were there for the taking. We were scared & didn't have the balls to do our job.

Not been this annoyed with a City team since the takeover.

They were no Watford in the first half, granted! I agree we were more tentative than we should have been, but it's obviously not that easy, or we wouldn't have been. I was far from pissed off at half time, although not exactly very confident. Do you think this team can learn from that and become better for it? Suppose that depends very much on Pellers.

It was a situation I didn't even consider pre game. I was convinced we would learn a lot, but I think we learned nothing other than Pellegrini & his players do not have the balls to play like a 'big' team as he has been preaching.

I hoped we would play a proper game of football against Barca & see if we could knock them off their stride, not by being stupid, but by going for the kill when we had the chance. We started superbly, letting them dick about pointlessly with the ball, defence very sharp, including Demichelis, then as soon as they actually tried to do something with the ball rather than just passing it sideways, we took it off them with ease &....shat our fucking pants. Just passed the ball directly to the opposition, again & again & again. City don't play like that.

Like watching a Steve Bruce team at Old Trafford; too scared to pass it ten yards. Pathetic.

I think we can score five or six v these, their defence is dogshit, but unless they have a stinker, they will pick us off & score the same even if we do as our team can't defend either. Our chance was to hit them hard on the break last night.

We bottled it. The only things I've learned are that Bayern are miles better than Barca & that we are a bunch of bottlers.

[Alex Sapphire]

shocking load of shite being spouted in this thread
I was going to say I'm glad some of these weren't at the game last night, but sadly some were

[Goaters 103]

A decent performance but not the perfect one that it needed to be.

Nasri's omission baffling, especially in a home leg, and Kolarov in midfield isn't going to work unless we are playing a shite team. Barca are not that.

Demichelis was actually doing OK until his red card, which it was. At half-time we were in a decent position but the moment Lionel got goal side the tie was over.

Busquets is a cu*t. That is all.

[Ted Hughes]

A decent performance but not the perfect one that it needed to be.

Nasri's omission baffling, especially in a home leg, and Kolarov in midfield isn't going to work unless we are playing a shite team. Barca are not that.

Demichelis was actually doing OK until his red card, which it was. At half-time we were in a decent position but the moment Lionel got goal side the tie was over.

Busquets is a cu*t. That is all.

Nasri isn't fit. He could start or finish but he couldn't do 90. He, Silva, Yaya & Fernandinho, all tried to play football. The rest just shat themselves.

[RodneyRodney]

We were beaten by a better side ; the result is about fair.

It was a penalty.

Demichelis should not have been selected ; Lescott should. So too, should Jovetic , on the left.
We were not outclassed or outfought , nor were we overawed by either our opponents or the occasion ; we showed courage, skill, and had some good moments.

Pellgrini MUST learn the Demichelis is simply too slow. If he fails , and fails , and fails again to learn this lesson , it could be his undoing , and the undoing of the season.

ONE POINT everybody on here seems to have missed ; 2-0 is the most difficult lead in the world to defend in football.
We know what we did in Munich ; at the Camp we will have
a) Aguero
b) No DeMichelis
c) Nothing to loose.

All is NOT lost ; we are CITY

[Bridge'srightfoot]

I would like to see Kolarov's passing from last night. Seemed every time he got the ball he was looking to pass it backwards, either that or fuck about on the ball and give it away.

You're singling him out for that? So no different to most of our players then.
He was a left back who got played in left midfield. It's not his fault. I don't know what you were expecting.
It was silly to play him there.

[Ted Hughes]

We were beaten by a better side ; the result is about fair.

It was a penalty.

Demichelis should not have been selected ; Lescott should. So too, should Jovetic , on the left.
We were not outclassed or outfought , nor were we overawed by either our opponents or the occasion ; we showed courage, skill, and had some good moments.

Pellgrini MUST learn the Demichelis is simply too slow. If he fails , and fails , and fails again to learn this lesson , it could be his undoing , and the undoing of the season.

ONE POINT everybody on here seems to have missed ; 2-0 is the most difficult lead in the world to defend in football.
We know what we did in Munich ; at the Camp we will have
a) Aguero
b) No DeMichelis
c) Nothing to loose.

All is NOT lost ; we are CITY

The 'courage' came when we became underdogs. At 11 v 11 only one side had the courage to pass the ball.

You are right about the 2nd leg but we will have to attack & they have us wide open at the other end.

[Ted Hughes]

I would like to see Kolarov's passing from last night. Seemed every time he got the ball he was looking to pass it backwards, either that or fuck about on the ball and give it away.

You're singling him out for that? So no different to most of our players then.
He was a left back who got played in left midfield. It's not his fault. I don't know what you were expecting.
It was silly to play him there.

I would like to see the pass completion rate of VK & Mdm for the first 30 mins. I recon it's about 15%. Add Kolarov to that, & it's not good enough to beat Barnsley, never mind Barca.

[Avalon]

We were beaten by a better side ; the result is about fair.

It was a penalty.

Demichelis should not have been selected ; Lescott should. So too, should Jovetic , on the left.
We were not outclassed or outfought , nor were we overawed by either our opponents or the occasion ; we showed courage, skill, and had some good moments.

Pellgrini MUST learn the Demichelis is simply too slow. If he fails , and fails , and fails again to learn this lesson , it could be his undoing , and the undoing of the season.

ONE POINT everybody on here seems to have missed ; 2-0 is the most difficult lead in the world to defend in football.
We know what we did in Munich ; at the Camp we will have
a) Aguero
b) No DeMichelis
c) Nothing to loose.

All is NOT lost ; we are CITY

The 'courage' came when we became underdogs. At 11 v 11 only one side had the courage to pass the ball.

You are right about the 2nd leg but we will have to attack & they have us wide open at the other end.

We played a lot better when Nasri came on. Good to see him back.

[Goaters 103]

A decent performance but not the perfect one that it needed to be.

Nasri's omission baffling, especially in a home leg, and Kolarov in midfield isn't going to work unless we are playing a shite team. Barca are not that.

Demichelis was actually doing OK until his red card, which it was. At half-time we were in a decent position but the moment Lionel got goal side the tie was over.

Busquets is a cu*t. That is all.

Nasri isn't fit. He could start or finish but he couldn't do 90. He, Silva, Yaya & Fernandinho, all tried to play football. The rest just shat themselves.

Nasri should have started that game, and maybe played 55-60 mins. Starting Kolarov in midfield - this news just in, he isn't a midfielder - put us on the back foot right from the off.

Im not a Kolarov basher at all but Id worry about him in midfield against Stoke; against Barca it seemed extremely odd.

Aguero was obviously a huge miss and imagine if he had been given that chance to run on to in the first half, that Negredo had on his wrong foot? Our failure to find a commanding partner for Kompany remains the gaping hole in our squad, which I realise is stating the bleeding obvious, but it shines even more brightly against top opposition.

[Ted Hughes]

A decent performance but not the perfect one that it needed to be.

Nasri's omission baffling, especially in a home leg, and Kolarov in midfield isn't going to work unless we are playing a shite team. Barca are not that.

Demichelis was actually doing OK until his red card, which it was. At half-time we were in a decent position but the moment Lionel got goal side the tie was over.

Busquets is a cu*t. That is all.

Nasri isn't fit. He could start or finish but he couldn't do 90. He, Silva, Yaya & Fernandinho, all tried to play football. The rest just shat themselves.

Nasri should have started that game, and maybe played 55-60 mins. Starting Kolarov in midfield - this news just in, he isn't a midfielder - put us on the back foot for starters.

Im not a Kolarov basher at all but Id worry about him in midfield against Stoke; against Barca it seemed extremely odd.

Kolarov has had a good season, but he is a proven failure as a starter in midfield. Ok to come on during a game there OCCASIONALLY. When he starts there, he struggles, v anybody & runs out of ideas very quickly, thus becoming a 2nd fullback.

[Goaters 103]

A decent performance but not the perfect one that it needed to be.

Nasri's omission baffling, especially in a home leg, and Kolarov in midfield isn't going to work unless we are playing a shite team. Barca are not that.

Demichelis was actually doing OK until his red card, which it was. At half-time we were in a decent position but the moment Lionel got goal side the tie was over.

Busquets is a cu*t. That is all.

Nasri isn't fit. He could start or finish but he couldn't do 90. He, Silva, Yaya & Fernandinho, all tried to play football. The rest just shat themselves.

Nasri should have started that game, and maybe played 55-60 mins. Starting Kolarov in midfield - this news just in, he isn't a midfielder - put us on the back foot for starters.

Im not a Kolarov basher at all but Id worry about him in midfield against Stoke; against Barca it seemed extremely odd.

Kolarov has had a good season, but he is a proven failure as a starter in midfield. Ok to come on during a game there OCCASIONALLY. When he starts there, he struggles, v anybody & runs out of ideas very quickly, thus becoming a 2nd fullback.

I can see the merits of him doing a 15-20 min job there at the end of games, but as a starter in midfield against a team with the quality of Barca? Nope, not for me Im afraid.

[Ted Hughes]

I can see the merits of him doing a 15-20 min job there at the end of games, but as a starter in midfield against a team with the quality of Barca? Nope, not for me Im afraid.

In the second leg, if we had a lead perhaps, play as we did here with Kolarov as an extra defender & hit them on the break.

That would make perfect tactical sense.

Too late now.

[dazby]

Just watched it. Fook me that second goal is a dagger through the heart.

Victor Valdes was absolutely phenomenal. He had little to do but what he did was outstanding. The save off Dave and to keep the ball was world class.

I think if we can play them with 11 players and get more crosses in we have hope. They look vulnerable.

Really impressed with our defending in that game. Snuffed them out really well. They got lucky, we didn't. If Navas gets the foul called it would have been a different result.

We can do this.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I would like to see Kolarov's passing from last night. Seemed every time he got the ball he was looking to pass it backwards, either that or fuck about on the ball and give it away.

There was no point him being on the pitch, to be honest. He didn't look like he knew what he was supposed to be doing.

[Hazy2]

Tevez would have been handy last night.

[MARKMAKAVELI]

Kolarov needs to know his role. Whether left back or left wing, the only reason he's on the pitch is to twat a ball into the box at every opportunity.

He's not to blame, I think Pellegrini is. Firstly for not knowing about the goal situation against Bayern and secondly for putting Martin at the back ahead of Lescott.

[phips]

Pellegrini didnt do himself or the club any favors last night with his post-match tirade. he sounded like whiney Jose. its embarrassing.

[Hazy2]

Pellegrini didnt do himself or the club any favors last night with his post-match tirade. he sounded like whiney Jose. its embarrassing.

Nice to see some passion, It will be a one off as he does not as a rule slag the officials, who to be fair should be still on Fucking holiday with the tin pot League they have been dragged from. He is a 3rd rate ref being asked to ref the biggest game in the season so far anywhere in European football.....

[carl_feedthegoat]

Pellegrini didnt do himself or the club any favors last night with his post-match tirade. he sounded like whiney Jose. its embarrassing.

Bollocks , he said what we all thought and Im glad he said it.

The ref has previous for being utter SHITE.