Loss Premier League: Manchester City 4 - 1 Arsenal | Wednesday 26th, April | KO: 20:00 BST | BT Sport

Last night was not good enough and we must not repeat the mistakes we made if we must get a result here. Even a draw will be good enough.

We just need to abandon our principle but you know Mikel will never do that. He's so obsessed with winning his own philosophy rather trying to be pragmatic.

Even Pep sacrificed possession when they came to the Emirates earlier in the year. We have to pragmatic. We have to protect Holding like a group of wildebeest would protect their youngest calf.

Prediction

Man city 0-1 Arsenal

COYG!

 

[Olivier_Giroud]

What do they have in common? A sit deep and counter game plan. What we should've done yesterday.

Yes indeed. Its called adjustments and like you said a Game Plan...

 

[Beany]

Many of the charges are based on information that has long been in the public domain.
There has been a wilful blindness from broadcasters etc about Sportswashing bar a few voices in the wilderness. Until the final result is announced, they just want it to go away - they have been complicit since the start

Agreed - for what it’s worth and having spoken to one of the barristers close to the case, the PL are justifiably confident of getting a result - problem is it will take years and will probably become quite political as time passes.

 

[Beany]

Yes indeed. Its called adjustments and like you said a Game Plan...

Still can’t believe we didn’t start with Jorginho and drop TP back.

 

[Olivier_Giroud]

Still can’t believe we didn’t start with Jorginho and drop TP back.

We were led to believe that the reason we bought Jorginho was for games like yesterday were we needed his experience and help this young team go over the line. Yet, he was missing the last few games and instead started the useless, light as a toothpick Fabio Viera... Boggles the mind but not surprising. Arteta always bottles it at crucial games.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

LOL... You really believe the rest of the Top 6 teams will still be missing next season like what happened this season? And the usual Top Ten Teams like Everton, West Ham and Leicester, are fighting for relegation? We would be fighting for Top 4 next season and will be lucky to get it with Newcastle entering the picture.

Do not overrate Arteta's 2nd place. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got 2nd place while the Top 6 were competing and not midtable, and that without a so called "process".

If that is your view that's fine. Having seen us play throughout the season I don't agree particularly. The last two games haven't been great from our side that's for sure but think your reaction is totally over the top.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Still can’t believe we didn’t start with Jorginho and drop TP back.

Arteta's reluctance to play players that I think have performed well when given a chance is costing us now. To many of the nailed on starters look just a bit worn especially mentally.

Not sure why ESR, Nelson, Jorginho and Trossard cannot get more game time. Or Kiwi for that matter.

 

[Vinci]

Struggled to get out of bed this morning. Absolutely gutted man.

Nah bro, it's in the past.

Chin up and move forward.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Struggled to get out of bed this morning. Absolutely gutted man.

I am with you mate! But nothing gained in feeling too miserable! Time to dust ourselves down and get going again! We are still top of the league! Don't forget that!

 

[berric]

Why oh why would Teta play right into Pep's hands? It was embarassing.

Zinny the clown was rattled, Jesus invisible. Our team too stretched, couldn't pass for the life of it, Holding... no words.

If you want to play 4 at the back, play Tirney to overlap Martinelli and keep Walker and Bernardo at bay, Jorginho next to Partey to maintain tightness and passing in the middle of the park. Trossard who's in form to complete a square with Ode and get their defenders out of position to release Martinelli and Saka. Or go 5atb to nullify their 5. Anything.

But instead you play the same team that couldn't maintain a clean sheet vs Southampton at home and bad West Ham? That's sui-cide and idiocy imo.

 

[lomekian]

So what you're saying is Pep adjusted his tactics for today and Mikel didn't.

Pep knew what Mikel would do and counteracted it.

Or Mikel didn't know what Pep would do until he did it. How you frame it depends on the prejudice of your starting point. Yours has been tediously clear for months.

In any event, the great strength of City's squad is that for all their excellence playing Pep's style, their squad is so rounded in terms of player profiles they can switch things stylistically and formation wise with far more ease. We could and perhaps should have set up differently, but our hand was forced a little by the need to try to win rather than play for a draw - however, either way we could not have matched City's tactical approach because we simply don't have the personnel to be able to do that. Their 10 years and billion plus spend has given them a match of technique, athleticism and physicality that our 2 years of shipping out the past it and never had it squad prior is just many years behind.

Arteta has much to learn re in game management, getting his team to perform under pressure, but its no coincidence that we are still having our best league season in 15 years or more with him at the helm

 

[14Henry]

Or Mikel didn't know what Pep would do until he did it. How you frame it depends on the prejudice of your starting point. Yours has been tediously clear for months.

In any event, the great strength of City's squad is that for all their excellence playing Pep's style, their squad is so rounded in terms of player profiles they can switch things stylistically and formation wise with far more ease. We could and perhaps should have set up differently, but our hand was forced a little by the need to try to win rather than play for a draw - however, either way we could not have matched City's tactical approach because we simply don't have the personnel to be able to do that. Their 10 years and billion plus spend has given them a match of technique, athleticism and physicality that our 2 years of shipping out the past it and never had it squad prior is just many years behind.

Arteta has much to learn re in game management, getting his team to perform under pressure, but its no coincidence that we are still having our best league season in 15 years or more with him at the helm

Why has my stance been tediously clear for months? Do explain. What actually is my stance?

 

[MikelHadADream]

Midfield was no where again on transitions. Couple that with average defenders at the back and it’s a recipe for disaster.

 

[lomekian]

They could easily buy Bellingham to replace Gundagon and that will significantly improve them.

B. Silva isn’t so influential for them anymore and in fact preferred to Mahrez except in big matches where tracking back and possession are significant. They could replace with anyone and to be honest that will allow them to refresh the team. Get new players who will most likely be more hungrier.

Yeah, their squad will be super strong regardless. The only real hope is us taking another surprisingly big step forward and/or Pep finally leaving (maybe if they win the ECL a couple of times?) and/or The Premier League actually showing some balls re their 100+ charges

 

[lomekian]

Am I the only one who noticed that Arteta set us up to man mark them all over the pitch? Every player was assigned someone to mark. Same tactics he used against City in the fa cup game.

Worked well then, but Pep did something completely different this time (and they are in the best form in 15 months and we've fallen off)

 

[lomekian]

Just give you two names: Tierney and Nketiah. Available most of the season, Tierney barely played, Nketiah only came on when Jesus got injured. And I'd much rather have had Holding getting some minutes in dead rubbers earlier on than having to start in the defining games of the season. Could have brought Vieira more into the fold in less crucial games and even Cedric when we were paying his wages.

Tierney I'll give you. Jesus was so instrumental early season that everything went through him at that point.

And what dead rubbers are you talking about? What less crucial games? We played weakened teams in every competition bar the EPL, and in that we unexpectedly found ourselves in a title race, but largely through squeezing the max out of what we have. We aren't City who can casually rotate 4 guys and still be elite. The layer behind the first team are mostly not good enough for a title challenge - some might get to be, some def won't.

If we'd rotated earlier and dropped the points in September or November, the manager would have got pelters. Its all situational narrative - had we dropped points earlier but were on a better run now and in the same position, all the whingers on here would be singing the coaches praises. The fact is, both coach and players have tightened up under the pressure of competing with perfection, but we have still massively overachieved in terms of everyone's pre-season expectations, and are still on course to have one of our best ever season's points wise.

 

[OnlyOne]

Midfield was no where again on transitions. Couple that with average defenders at the back and it’s a recipe for disaster.

All I noticed was how consistently free and open KDB was, Partey no where near him and Xhaka was doing absolutely nothing as well.

Can’t believe it.

 

[lomekian]

Everything you’re saying is true, but seriously that performance was so god awful it is the more pressing thing to focus on.

How we went from playing some of the best stuff in Europe to the last 4 games is unacceptable. Make no mistake we got played off the pitch and it’s a big worry going into next season. We can’t be this far off this City team and be where we aspire to be (consistently and legitimately challenging for the league).

Everyone will **** off City but they honestly barely had to try. They were literally strolling at the back playing one twos for ages, then hoofing it up and one ball later De Bruyne or Halaand would be 1v1. Within seconds we would go from having the ball at Ederson or Dias feet to Ramsdale having to save our ass. It was honestly disgusting how bad of a performance that was.

City clearly deserved the win, no one can dispute that. They were somewhere near their peak and we were well off it. But against better opponents you need luck, and we got stiffed once again by the officials for the umpteenth time this season. While the officials were not the difference, and won't be over the course of the season unless City unexpectedly falter, but its a scandal how many times this year we've had errors not in our favour (most of which brushed under the carpet by the media stars who all hail from the same 50 mile radius as most of the refs). Howard Webb really has his work cut out with the numpties he's taken over.

 

[steppenwolf]

Maybe I wake up in the morning and find it all was a bad dream. Or that we scored a goal...

Should've wished for a win tbf.

 

[lomekian]

I don’t understand how City can lose 4 games and draw 4 this season against worse competition and we can’t get close to a result against them for 6 years.

Pretty simple - they turn up half-arsed expecting to win against the worse teams, and in both games against us they have been super pumped up and 'on it' from the first seconds. Its like asking how can Real Madrid lose to some relegation teams every season in Spain and yet keep winning the Champions League all the time. Or how Bayern always beat Dortmund despite bad results elsewhere. City are always really focused against us.

Of course moving fixtures away from our top run of form right into their best from doesn't bloody help either.

 

[14Henry]

City clearly deserved the win, no one can dispute that. They were somewhere near their peak and we were well off it. But against better opponents you need luck, and we got stiffed once again by the officials for the umpteenth time this season. While the officials were not the difference, and won't be over the course of the season unless City unexpectedly falter, but its a scandal how many times this year we've had errors not in our favour (most of which brushed under the carpet by the media stars who all hail from the same 50 mile radius as most of the refs). Howard Webb really has his work cut out with the numpties he's taken over.

Still waiting on you getting back to me what my tedious stance has been for months. That's a weird take. Please do let me know what it was?