What could we do better?

[MarkRed!]

It is difficult to be critical at all. It was a great performance given Man City's record and resources. We have performed far better than any PL sides who have visited them.  I do think that there backline is vulnerable and I wonder how far off Diedhou and Djuric are from returning. If we can get either back then I think that would make us more of a threat, particularly now we are at home and are very much still alive in the tie. 

[WECANDO]

Fantastic performance by the players and LJ and his team and also the fans. The big oversight for me was the extra time. Couldn’t understand why LJ didn’t bring on subs in extra time to slow things down and break their rhythm. Could have brought them on one at a time Warnock style. Need to settle down now, rest up and prepare for Norwich. Have to say that Walsh looked well at home in that company. Think we have a class player there. I predicted a 2-1 win for City with Walsh getting the winner and he nearly scored our second. Will he start on Saturday.

[WelshRobin]

Difficult to be overly critical but what I picked up on echos what has already been said

- Taking one or two touches too many before having a shot, gave more time for the chance to be closed down rather than getting a shot away.

- Corners: would like to have seen some really whipped into the box.

I wasn't too impressed with the Man City back line, once we were up in numbers against them it looked like anything was possible, hopefully we will have a chance to capitalise on this back at AG.

 

[JoeAman08]

Man mark KDB the entire match. Bravo played it out well but someone standing behind KDB probably takes that goal away. Can’t let him dictate the game. Much like Pack didn’t let Pogba play, can’t let De Bruyne play. Especially when Silva isn’t playing(David). 

Tell Bailey Wright to take a step closer to the line when marking Sane. Always wants to go left and hit one across the box. If he goes right and puts one top corner then fair play. 

These are small things. We played very well. We are usually more clinical as well. It was a really good performance and I’d be comfortable with our chances of a final if we played that well again in two weeks. Still massive underdogs but maybe it is another magical night at AG. 

[Simon79]

I think you have to accept the way we play, that we are going to give the ball away in our own third occasionally. You also have to remember that Manchester City are the best exponents of pressing in the game imo. It’s bravery on the ball that has got us to this point, we have to keep doing it. For me the biggest improvement could be on set plays, in particular a driven corner/free kick rather than a lofted/floated one. COYR 

[Nogbad the Bad]

The effort from every player was fantastic and beyond criticism but Bryan, Pack and Smith may all feel they can play even better, and will be determined to do so in the 2nd leg, so that's actually very encouraging.

If I was LJ I may have considered bringing on Vyner or Kelly purely in an attempt to track and at least partly nullify Walker's pace after he came on.

As for potential burn out, it is a real danger and I expect this result and performance will only further encourage SL to back LJ's squad enlargement for the run in with 3 more signings to ensure that if we fall short this season it won't be through lack of legs.

We know for sure it won't be through lack of heart.

 

[Rossi the Robin]

We got more cards in 5 mins than I got for Xmas 

Only real negative for me that hasn’t been mentioned yet 

[1960maaan]

Being picky.
Our delivery was as poor as it's been for a while , from set pieces in good positions they were all floaty and we never played to a song part of the team.
We lost possession too often in good areas, JB's touch was just a little off and Pack and Korey were caught in possession a few times.
It's a little unfair though, after such a great team performance to nit pick. Man Citeh press brilliantly without seemingly breaking sweat, and make it very difficult to keep possession. Add to that their movement is fantastic. I thought our pressing was great, but they managed to find an out more often than not. It looks easy when the out ball is a straight pass into CM but their movement creates that space.

Both teams can play better. I hope that Pep plays Mengala (spelling?) and Bravo and feels the need to rest Aguero and Sterling and others for the 2nd leg. But whatever team he puts out we will have a few chances, it's what we do. If we are a little more clinical and have the rub of the green it is possible.

[cidered abroad]

Without wishing to sound as if I'm being critical of any individuals, I still consider that our biggest failing last night and this season in general, is our lack of clinical finishing. We just appear to lack a bit of confidence and speed of thought with the ball in and around the box.

[Three Lions]

2 hours ago, Cowshed said:

It is easier said than done but Reid's penalty came from pressing.

Man Citys equaliser then came from a press that was out of shape. Manchester City consistently open out very wide in possession and withdraw players to the byline when building from the back. This stretches the opposition and creates space to play through in the centre if a team presses the sides. Kevin De Bruyne sits off waiting for that central space to open up then drops in.

Bravo took the ball from a player by the corner flag, City pressed that player, Kevin De Bruyne drops into the space, Bravo plays a simple ball into one of the finest midfield players in the EPL - Kevin De Buyne  unmarked which takes out five players leaving Man City with space and overloads to score.

It was text book Man City they do it constantly and it is a trap. There is no need to press players by the corner flag. Let them have it. Deal with what comes next.

It is easier said than done but the above is not unexpected.

Sit Marlon Pack to cover KDB in front of the back four all game.??!!

[Simon79]

Then that ruins our press. The De Bruyne goal comes from Pack anticipating Bravo giving it to Toure ( I think ), but it ends up bypassing him ( initial thought was that Bravo shanked it) & goes to De Bruyne, then Pack finds himself 10/15 yards the wrong side. We play a brave way, with the ball & without it. If you want Manchester City play the Bristol City way ( see what I did there! ), but with an open cheque book! COYR 

[Super]

59 minutes ago, Rossi the Robin said:

We got more cards in 5 mins than I got for Xmas 

Only real negative for me that hasn’t been mentioned yet 

Not much of a negative.

[The Swan and Cemetery]

Mentioned a couple of times above, but our (lack of) composure in their final third when piling forward (and often out numbering them), resulted in us losing the ball and being exposed to their very swift counter attacks (risking a net 2 goal loss... sort of) short of defensive shape.

 

If we’re going to get forward (and their defence looked distinctly dodgy all night, albeit it may have different personnel in the 2nd leg), we need to be more composed/clinical as they were defensively there for the taking (but admittedly they could easily have scored more).

 

Once we’d contained their breaks, our set up look tight/composed and they spent vast amounts of possession titting around left to right to left again ad nauseum across our box. 

 

All the above is picky as we’re not (yet) Barcelona (either Barcelona). 

[Cowshed]

52 minutes ago, Simon79 said:

 

Then that ruins our press. The De Bruyne goal comes from Pack anticipating Bravo giving it to Toure ( I think ), but it ends up bypassing him ( initial thought was that Bravo shanked it) & goes to De Bruyne, then Pack finds himself 10/15 yards the wrong side. We play a brave way, with the ball & without it. If you want Manchester City play the Bristol City way ( see what I did there! ), but with an open cheque book! COYR 

Pack was the wrong side for both Toure or De Bruyne. He is outside them. Pressing is also controlling space. It should be a means of not allowing the opposition to play through you. Bravo is a fine passer of the ball short and he took out five players with one pass (perfect pass) straight through the centre of the pitch where the CDM should be controlling that space as part of a coordinated press. The players got lopsided from their trigger.

A improvement for the press has to be to be mindful for the defensive midfield that it is Kevin De Bruyne, the Kevin De Bruyne in the centre of the pitch who was left alone for a player by the corner flag who appeared to be the trigger point for two of the midfield and front two to shift, thus creating the key space which led to their goal.

There is brave and a mite foolhardly. Bristol City displayed both.

[Rossi the Robin]

34 minutes ago, Super said:

Not much of a negative.

Exactly 

[Baldyman]

May be controversial but despite our nasty side coming on leaps and bound, we maybe could have held out last night had a touch of cramp effected one or two in injury time !!!

[The Bard]

4 hours ago, Xiled said:

Magnússon was woefully out of position at times.

I would really like him to succeed but you could see he was following the ball rather than keeping tabs on his player(s).  Gave them far too much space to exploit.

Disagree.  He played well.  He pushed forward off the ball and to me this looked a deliberate tactic. Made some really good interceptions.

It was noticeable that as soon as he was off and Joe Bryan back to Left Back, Guardiola put Sane on that side and brought Kyle Walker on at Right back.  Patterson was then exposed defensively and this led to the goal. I was saying to @Harry that maybe we could have put Kelly on to shore us up on that side of the pitch.  However, we were clearly trying to score having a little bit of a late flurry.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

3 hours ago, BTRFTG said:

Playing with a striker (which we don't presently have) would be a start.

Bobby Reid is a striker now.  He may not be a big centre forward, but he is a striker nonetheless.  Many teams play with a diminutive, highly mobile 'number 10' front man - Man City for one (Bobby is only 3cm shorter than Aguero, the same height as Messi and slightly taller than Sanchez...).

[BTRFTG]

36 minutes ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

Bobby Reid is a striker now.

I think we'll agree to disagree .

For me Reid has sublime touch, creative vision, bundles of energy and a relentless attitude. I'm delighted he plays for  us. Whether he could play upfront off a big lump we'll not find out until it happens, but for me his inability to hold and muscle plus ( and despite his goal tally) his conversion rate isn't great. Past half dozen matches, from an offensive perspective, the ball's largely passed him by and he naturally graduates back to where I think he's best, at the head of midfield coming in off the back of where our strikers should be. But that's not his fault , playing him solo upfront gives him little chance.

For sure he closes down space and defends from the front but we've created chances that, I believe, a 'proper' striker would have converted by the shed load - Hodour's delivery in the first 30 mins against Wolves should have seen us three up. Of Reid's goals many are of the type one would expect a striker to latch onto, right place,  right time 6-yard box jobs. It's the missing piece of being able to hassle and vary openings by one's own ability I think he lacks in the role he'd presently tasked to play.

Overloading midfield and using midfielders upfront clearly worked to a point, but recent results suggest we may need to return, as was inevitable, to the long tried formations that have always demanded one or two goalscoring specialists upfront.

[Ivorguy]

At times ManCity looked a couple of paces quicker than us, is increased speed fitness something to be worked on? Or, maybe, they looked quicker because their passing was sharper.  

Sure our coaches will be dissecting the video evidence and adjusting training approaches accordingly - something that we couldn't have done without this great opportunity of playing against such a quality side

[BTRFTG]

2 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

At times ManCity looked a couple of paces quicker than us, is increased speed fitness something to be worked on? Or, maybe, they looked quicker because their passing was sharper.  

Unfortunately, it's simply the sad reality of the gulf in class between the very best and the very good. I think our fitness coaches and support staffs should be awarded medals as the players gave their utmost from start to finish. Man C looked quicker because they were. Their speed of thought, vision and movement was different gravy. KDB in particularly strolled around and mysteriously happened to be wherever the ball was or needed to be. A ghost in the machine that is their midfield that doesn't need to think what to do with the ball but who pass and move by the sheer nature of their talent. Saw the aged Pirlo give such a masterclass shortly before he retired. Seemed to do nothing yet did everything because, Godlike, he was omnipresent on the park, yet stats will show he barely left the centre circle. That's what the very best can do and no issue with us not being in that league.