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Topic Originator: saltonsgonagetu
Date: Mon 2 Dec 00:22
We`ve all watched the Pars trying to fo the playing out from the back usually unsuccessful, and said why with limited ability players , it`s OK for ManCity with thier players worth millions doing it, but after today where Liverpool made them seem really ordinary, especially when trying to play out from the back , maybe Pep ball has had its time, as City were constantly caught out by a long ball over the right back to Salah .
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Topic Originator: Dandy Warhol
Date: Mon 2 Dec 05:19
After the "stay humble" episode I`m sure a great many supporters are enjoying watching City falter.
I don`t wanna go down like disco.
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Mon 2 Dec 06:58
I can`t see Pep abandoning his favoured style of play, which he also used at Barca and Bayern, Salton.
There`s no doubt City are on a very poor run of form, but it`s not solely down to playing style. Even the best players are not immune from injuries and loss of form. Confidence is a huge factor. A team on a good run, like Liverpool now, will go out convinced they can beat all comers. City, on the other hand, will be apprehensive and tentative and now wondering if they`ll ever win another game.
Poor runs happen to every team at some point. I remember Liverpool suffering a similar crisis under Klopp. Didn`t they lose 4 or 5 home games on the spin against unfancied opposition, as PL champions? Man U also had a spell when a number of smaller clubs recorded their first wins at OT. Spurs are just Spurs. They can demolish the top sides and then fail against those they`re expected to beat.
City and Pep will eventually come good again with the players they have, but they`ve no chance of winning a 5th consecutive title. Even the most ardent City fan will concede that this is good for English football, just like it was good for the domestic championships of Germany and Scotland when Leverkeusan and Rangers toppled Bayern and Celtic, respectively.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: Rusty Shackleford
Date: Mon 2 Dec 08:44
No I just think they`re out of form. Gvardiol clearly has PTSD from playing Doak, hasn`t kicked a ball since.
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Topic Originator: TAFKA_Super_Petrie
Date: Mon 2 Dec 09:39
Cannot overstate how much they miss Rodri.
Similar to all the fan fare that Iniesta & Xavi (quite rightly) used to receive, if Busquets wasn`t playing it was a huge gap to fill.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"People always talk about Ronaldinho and magic, but I didn't see him today. I saw Henrik Larsson; that's where the magic was."
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Topic Originator: kelty_par
Date: Mon 2 Dec 10:40
Pep really doesn`t deal well with adversity or with criticism. Which makes their current predicament hilarious.
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Topic Originator: CitizenPar
Date: Mon 2 Dec 11:02
I know I`m in a minority here, but I actually like playing out from the back rather than the big, often aimless kick up the park. Okay, I accept you need the players capable of playing that way, but when it works I don`t find it at all boring. To be even more controversial, I`m also a big fan of Deniz. Lots of Continental keepers don`t come off their line, they often leave crosses to their defence!
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Topic Originator: 1985Par
Date: Mon 2 Dec 12:22
Football evolves and styles come and go like fashion. Wouldn`t be surprised if we look back on " Pep Ball" in 10 years time and think " what the f*** were they doing passing it around in their own 18 year box?"
Never liked the way Pep Ball has become " playing the right way" as if playing "any other way " is dinosaur football and somehow less enjoyable to watch. As for the influence it has had on the juvenile game - i now see young footballers being applauded for keeping possession regardless of how meaningless and ineffectual that possession is. The same footballers who`ve never learned to beat a man, play a long penetrating ball and are happy to pass that responsibility onto a teammate who, ironically, can`t do it either.
As for City - I suspect that team is done. Their influential players are either injured or getting on a bit and the team needs regeneration, something Sir Alex did well. Pep and City may well come again but i suspect it will be following a rebuild.
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Topic Originator: par-91
Date: Mon 2 Dec 12:34
Quote:
CitizenPar, Mon 2 Dec 11:02
I know I`m in a minority here, but I actually like playing out from the back rather than the big, often aimless kick up the park. Okay, I accept you need the players capable of playing that way, but when it works I don`t find it at all boring. To be even more controversial, I`m also a big fan of Deniz. Lots of Continental keepers don`t come off their line, they often leave crosses to their defence!
Not convinced people have an issue with playing it out from the back, when you have players capable and do it well. But we don’t. That’s the issue. We’ll play ourselves into trouble, or waste time passing it amongst defenders 6/7 times, letting opposition get set, then inevitably just launch an aimless ball forward anyway, cause our defenders can’t spot the players moving into space ahead of them and wait until everyone is stationary and facing back to our own goal before being willing to play a pass.
Playing it out from the back requires defenders that can think/act quickly with the ball at their feet and look/play a decent ball to players that are on the run/moving into space. Our attempts to play this way are absolutely woeful.
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Topic Originator: kelty_par
Date: Mon 2 Dec 13:23
Like a lot of footballing trends, it only works until it doesn`t. Even with City`s superb players they had two issues yesterday, both of which mean that their style doesn`t always work at other levels too. Firstly, the idea of keeping possession at the back is predicated on the idea that it encourages the press and that there is space in behind. Once you beat the press then you have space to play. What we often see at our level (and what we saw at times in the second half yesterday) is that teams actually don`t press. Instead they get back into their defensive shape and essentially tell the other team "we don`t think you`re good enough to break us down". Liverpool were happy for City to have the ball in the midfield and wide areas because they knew City are currently lacking creativity and for some reason don`t seem to like throwing in crosses for Haaland to attack. With us, we lack creativity too so teams let us have possession in the two thirds furthest from goal knowing we aren`t going to be creating lots of high xG chances. The second issue is that if you don`t have the players, or if your players are lacking confidence in City`s case then you run the risk of losing the ball high up the pitch. Even though City have some of the best players in the world, the second goal was a direct result of a high press by Liverpool and a fast transition. When teams press effectively, but don`t just press all the time then they get success. We`ll see if Forest are able to pile more misery on City midweek.
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Topic Originator: AdamAntsParsStripe
Date: Mon 2 Dec 13:43
Looking at City, it’s following a similar path to when Liverpool last won the league in 2020. The league was all but wrapped up by January.
They will write it off and hope for top 4 at best as Arsenal and Chelsea look strong contenders for two of these spots.
Liverpool stay unbeaten by the new year and I’d say they have to win the title easy style.
Zwei Pints Bier und ein Päckchen Chips bitte
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