Man City H Post Thread 2-1

[Countryfox]

2 minutes ago, siraaj_lcfc said:

is it just me that thinks Man City have had a shit couple of weeks because they're missing Fernandinho? 

You and most of the national press ...   and the pundits on Sky ...   and the pundits on MOTD ...   and all my mates down the pub ...     and my dog ...   

 

But, apart from that, probably just you ...    

[Col city fan]

25 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Why is Mahrez getting so much stick? He only played for 10 minutes and barely had a touch. It was only a couple of weeks ago everyone was saying how well he’d settled in. Lose a couple and it’s all Mahrez fault. 

This all day long

Are we talking about the same Mahrez who only a couple of seasons or so ago tore the league to shreds?

He’s a great player and will bounce back. 

It might not be at Man City though. They have so many options. I think he’ll end up in Serie A or somewhere

[Koke]

[Manwell Pablo]

Doesn't Mahrez have like six goals and six assists in PL/CL combined? Not really bad considering he's used in a squad rotation system. 

 

In fact his PL haul is the same as Maddisons and one less than Jamie Vardy (PEN) who are the first two names on our team sheet. 

Edited 27 December 2018 by Manwell Pablo

[bfox]

All the Man City fans moaning about Mahrez, he was only on for 10 minutes what the feck is he supposed to do!! I'd be more concerned about their defence 

[foxile5]

2 minutes ago, bfox said:

All the Man City fans moaning about Mahrez, he was only on for 10 minutes what the feck is he supposed to do!! I'd be more concerned about their defence 

Make an effort and look like their sixty million pound record signing. 

[bfox]

1 minute ago, foxile5 said:

Make an effort and look like their sixty million pound record signing. 

doubt a manager wants him running around like a disabled trying to win the ball back then be completely out of position when he does?

[foxile5]

Just now, bfox said:

doubt a manager wants him running around like a disabled trying to win the ball back then be completely out of position when he does?

That was not what I said and it was also oddly bigoted. 

 

I was referencing the Man City Forum - as you brought them up - and what I saw : a disinterested player shirking headers

. 

 

 

[rachhere]

33 minutes ago, bfox said:

All the Man City fans moaning about Mahrez, he was only on for 10 minutes what the feck is he supposed to do!! I'd be more concerned about their defence 

It’s more that they are questioning the decision to buy yet another attacking player, rather than strengthening themselves defensively... and considering their last few matches you can see why they think that way. 

[ithuriel]

1 hour ago, Col city fan said:

This all day long

Are we talking about the same Mahrez who only a couple of seasons or so ago tore the league to shreds?

He’s a great player and will bounce back. 

It might not be at Man City though. They have so many options. I think he’ll end up in Serie A or somewhere

Well, they really do not rate him from what I've been reading on their forum, waste of money, rubbish winger etc.,

They are saying now they need new full backs, notably a left sided player and a defensive midfield player.

[bfox]

1 minute ago, ithuriel said:

Well, they really do not rate him from what I've been reading on their forum, waste of money, rubbish winger etc.,

They are saying now they need new full backs, notably a left sided player and a defensive midfield player.

 

4 minutes ago, rachhere said:

It’s more that they are questioning the decision to buy yet another attacking player, rather than strengthening themselves defensively... and considering their last few matches you can see why they think that way. 

fair play  I can see why!  

[Wdywd]

I thought they should've had Mahrez on at least 20 mins earlier tbh, we were defending them pretty easily really and they needed something different. We all know Mahrez can be frustrating but he's gonna take people on and run at the area, have shots and stuff. Instead they just kept everything the same.

 

We were great though, and I agree with whoever gave Wes a shout out. Most of us wouldn't have him starting but he's been good the last few weeks. They've been much better protected too tbf but can't ask for much more than he's done lately.

[StriderHiryu]

24 minutes ago, ithuriel said:

Well, they really do not rate him from what I've been reading on their forum, waste of money, rubbish winger etc.,

They are saying now they need new full backs, notably a left sided player and a defensive midfield player.

Our fullbacks outclassed both Chelsea and Man City’s this week. I think Man City do need more, we got so much joy from Delph and Danilo got robbed for our first. Mendy and Walker are great but they play so many games they need better options. Look at Spurs who have 5 good ones!

 

They clearly miss Fernandinho too. Gundogan I think is an exceptional player but not in that role. He couldn’t deal with Maddison. 

Edited 27 December 2018 by StriderHiryu

[blue army 1988]

Loved the game yesterday. Not had that atmosphere and played that well in a long time.

Hopefully its a platform to start something big.

[Foxxed]

The team spirit and togetherness was the best I've seen for a while. Maddison, Chilwell and Gray are all close - and they've got the team playing that wolf game. Ricardo and Mendy played under Puel before in the same positions. Chilwell and Hamza went through the academy together. Morgan, Albrighton, Kapser and Vardy are old hands. I loved seeing Kasper embrace everyone before the match too. And the link to the manager seems good: Mendy and Ricardo played for Puel before and Hamza and Chilwell owe their places to him. The chants played a wonderful part too. "Vichai had a dream" is fantastic to hear and Hamza looked really touched when we walked off to the chant of "he's one of our own".

 

And they played as a unit as well. In both this match and Chelsea it was great to see a swarm of gray and then blue players snuffing out the best attacking players. I'm not sure how we've managed it but Wes looked great. We were sitting back so his pace wasn't so much of a worry but fair play: he's looked great against Chelsea and Man City now and his partnership with Maguire is much better. I thought Hamza had a marginally quieter match than at Chelsea but he gives the team something previously missing: intensity. His surges forwards to press and tackle remind me of Vardy's runs and sliding tackles for no hope balls. They give the team a small but important lift. They signal to the team "we're up for this and we can win it".

 

Cardiff is a different kettle of fish but these past two matches were magnificent.

[davieG]

What the papers say, mostly how poor Man City were.

 

‘A ragged appearance rarely seen’ - what the national media thought of Leicester City’s win over Manchester City
The Foxes inflicted a second successive defeat on the Premier League champions

Leicester City continued their impressive festive run of results by beating Manchester City at the King Power Stadium on Boxing Day.

After a shock 1-0 win at Chelsea, Leicester again upset the odds by beating Pep Guardiola’s men 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.

Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira scored as the Foxes came back from Bernado Silva’s early goal to claim all three points.

Here’s how the national media saw it.

 

THE INDEPENDENT
Premier League title challenges can unravel incredibly quickly and, in the space of just five days, Manchester City’s defence of their crown has reached the brink of implosion.

Ricardo Pereira of Leicester City celebrates after scoring to make it 2-1 during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester City at King Power Stadium
Ricardo Pereira of Leicester City celebrates after scoring to make it 2-1 during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester City at King Power Stadium (Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
A second festive defeat, this time to a spirited Leicester City, has left Pep Guardiola’s side seven points adrift of Liverpool and staring at calamity in a season that, until a week ago, had looked to be progressing serenely.

So was yesterday’s display at the King Power Stadium as, despite an evident lack of swagger, the defending champions had eased into a 1-0 lead through Bernardo Silva.

His 14th-minute strike looked set to restore equilibrium to a title tilt that had wobbled on Saturday with defeat to Crystal Palace.

Yet Marc Albrighton’s equaliser just five minutes later and a chaotic spell just before half-time should have served as a warning to Guardiola’s players.

They appeared to have listened and pressed for much of the second half but were caught cold with eight minutes remaining when Ricardo Pereira struck a spectacular winner.

When Fabian Delph was sent off near the end, City had a ragged appearance rarely seen in Guardiola’s reign.

DAILY MAIL
No team has retained the Premier League title since Manchester United in 2009 and this was a match to shred belief Manchester City could buck that trend.

Not only was it a second shock defeat in five days to leave City seven points off Liverpool and now in third behind Tottenham. But it was a performance so poor we must begin to question whether Pep Guardiola's side still have it within them to close down the leaders.

That might sound a ludicrous statement about a team who reached a century of points last season but put it this way: if City play to the same standard next Thursday, when Liverpool visit the Etihad, the gap will grow three points bigger still.

Defensively here, City were at times a mess and in attack there was often miscommunication and a paucity of ideas. Leicester took full advantage by pressing at the right moments and showing great confidence even after falling behind.

Claude Puel was under enormous scrutiny last week but has since overseen victory at Stamford Bridge and now this to push any doubts about his tenure into the long grass.

This was no fluke. Just as at Chelsea, Leicester deserved to win and amid the frustrations Fabian Delph went too far. Delph was shown a straight red card late on for a tackle that claimed the ball but finished with his studs into Ricardo Pereira's knee.

Some might argue it a fine challenge but there was excessive, potentially dangerous, force and Mike Dean's decision was entirely understandable. At the final whistle Guardiola, surveying the scene, looked stunned. He had worn the expression before. It was December 2016 when City were torn apart at the King Power Stadium, losing 4-2 and prompting Guardiola to say he was not a coach for tackles.

He has transformed City since but so ragged was their display at stages of this game it felt almost as if the intervening months had never happened. A sequence of nine successive games in all competitions without a clean sheet is alarming for a club of their aspirations.

 

THE MIRROR
Lightning struck twice as Leicester inflicted a second successive shock defeat on champions Manchester City with an incredible comeback at the King Power Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's side suffered a nightmare before Christmas when they lost 3-2 at home to Crystal Palace.

And things appeared to be on the up when Bernardo Silva put the visitors ahead on 14 minutes.

But City's festive cheer lasted all but five minutes before Marc Albrighton levelled for the hosts.

Foxes boss Claude Puel was said to be fighting for his job last week - that was before he celebrated a brilliant 1-0 win over Chelsea.

And there should be no doubt over the Frenchman's position now after his side completed their spectacular turnaround on 81 minutes.

Ricardo Pereira was the hero as his match-winning goal stunned City and sent the King Power into raptures.

With Tottenham beating Bournemouth 5-0 and Liverpool thrashing Newcastle 4-0, Guardiola's misery was further compounded as England international Delph was given his marching orders on 89.

THE GUARDIAN
Manchester City’s unhappy Christmas continued as Leicester fought back from a goal down to inflict another defeat on the champions, their third in four Premier League matches. Pep Guardiola’s side thus fall below Spurs to third in the table, seven points adrift of the leaders, Liverpool. The title is a two-horse race? Guardiola hopes not.

His team host Liverpool a week on Thursday. They will need to play much better than they did here if they are to prevent Jürgen Klopp’s team from opening up a bigger lead. Weaknesses were all too apparent in the champions here: a brittle defence, curious flatness in midfield and a frazzled disposition under pressure, exemplified by Fabian Delph’s red card for following through into Ricardo Pereira’s leg after winning the ball in the 89th minute. Leroy Sané was the only one of the visitors’ attackers to perform anywhere close to his best. Leicester deserved to add the scalp of Guardiola’s team to that of Chelsea, which they claimed on Saturday.

THE TELEGRAPH
The word ‘crisis’ might be premature but, when you have just lost more Premier League matches in 18 days than your previous 61 matches combined, significant wider questions do inevitability arise.

And so when Pep Guardiola admitted last night that his players would be suffering “doubts” following a third Premier League loss in four matches, he was acknowledging the obvious consequence of a sudden dip in results that has been as unexpected as it might now prove costly.

Manchester City, the ‘Centurions’ who looked ready at the start of this month to win the Premier League title even more emphatically than last season, now find themselves staring up at a seven point deficit to Liverpool. They were also even leapfrogged in second place yesterday by Tottenham Hotspur following a 2-1 loss to Leicester City that completed back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time in two years.

Sergio Aguero was at least back yesterday to spearhead the attack and did quickly underline his ongoing importance by releasing Bernardo Silva to put Manchester City ahead after 14 minutes.

Ben Chilwell dispossessed Danilo and his quick pass released Jamie Vardy who, realising that he might struggle to out-pace John Stones, was clever enough to cut back and give himself more time. Delph’s defensive position had been vacated and Vardy’s perfectly weighted cross was headed past Ederson by Marc Albrighton at the far post.

Despite having to accept a predictable low percentage of possession, the first half ended with a flurry of excellent Leicester chances. Vardy again sprinted clear but had his shot blocked one-on-one by Ederson, who got up to then deny James Maddison and Hamza Choudhury to complete three saves in less than a minute.

The pattern was set and, while Manchester City improved after half-time, Leicester remained consistently more threatening when they did venture forward. Only a brilliant sliding tackle by Laporte denied Vardy and, after Ederson just failed to prevent a corner, they did strike. Sane had only partially cleared and, having headed straight to Ricardo Pereira on the edge of the penalty area, the full-back unleashed an unstoppable shot beyond Ederson.

Manchester City’s misery would then be sealed in the 89th minute when Delph followed through with a recklessly high boot on Pereira to receive a straight red card. A title race that had looked likely to become a Manchester City procession now needs an urgent rediscovery of form to prevent Liverpool establishing their own unassailable lead. The two teams meet next Thursday, but City must first prepare for a rejuvenated Southampton on Sunday.

EVENING STANDARD
Manchester City's hopes of defending their Premier League title took a huge hit on Boxing Day as Leicester City fought from behind to secure a 2-1 win at the King Power Stadium.

Man City, who began the day four points adrift of Liverpool, went ahead at Leicester through Bernardo Silva after a fine ball from Sergio Aguero 14 minutes into the contest.

But Leicester were only behind against Pep Guardiola's champions for five minutes, drawing level through Marc Albrighton, who headed in from Jamie Vardy's cross.

Both sides went in search of a winner in the closing stages, but it was the hosts who found the breakthrough with a stunning finish.

With nine minutes left on the clock, Leroy Sane's headed clearance only got as far as Ricardo on the edge of the area, and he slammed the ball home to send Leicester's fans into raptures.

The visitors went in search of an equaliser, but their hopes were dashed as Fabian Delph was sent off for a late challenge on Ricardo.

The Foxes are riding high after beating both Chelsea and Man City, while Man City slip to third as Tottenham sneak into second place.

[Col city fan]

Man City need to keep their bloody hands off Chillers this January...

[dyanmark]

Riyad bounced out of a really heavy change from I think Chilwell .He is obviously playing to orders re staying out well wide and then joining  in the centre as play comes in from the other side .Looks shackled to me .Needs the ball with a few yards to run into and he will do damage. Wish him well  but Man City may not be his end club.  

[norwichfox]

4 hours ago, yorkie1999 said:

Mahrez  was always going to be a small fish in a big pond playing for Man City. Why they bought a player who is brilliant for 10 minutes a game yet spends the rest of the game hiding, I’ll never know. For us he was an outlet, Man City just don’t play that way, they bring the whole team up which basically nullifies Mahrez and prevents him using his skill because he needs space to run at defenders. Wasted there. He’ll pick up medals, but they won’t be because of him. Bit like drinkwater at Chelsea. Can anyone actually believe Man City fans will be cheering his name like we did. 

Actually, it feels quite good that we appear to have had both Chelsea and Manchester City's pants down for sale of Drinkwater and Mahrez in respect of the outgoing Kanté and the incoming Iheanacho. I'm half expecting Mahrez to go on strike to enable him to join PSG, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Wolves after the transfer window.

Edited 27 December 2018 by norwichfox

[dyanmark]

Not sure he hides TBF .He will take the ball all game long but it needs to be early ball and his quick thinking and basic brilliance take over.

Was good money though ! 

[brucey]

I think Riyad still loves us but can’t admit it.

Seemed as affected as any of our boys by the helicopter incident.

Stared at the floor the entire time walking from the bus to the away dressing room.

Didn’t interact with any of our players before or after the game on tunnel cam.

First player into the tunnel at the final whistle.

He just looked so sad yesterday 

 

[rachhere]

6 minutes ago, brucey said:

I think Riyad still loves us but can’t admit it.

Seemed as affected as any of our boys by the helicopter incident.

Stared at the floor the entire time walking from the bus to the away dressing room.

Didn’t interact with any of our players before or after the game on tunnel cam.

First player into the tunnel at the final whistle.

He just looked so sad yesterday 

 

I know :(. But this is what we all predicted really. Yes he has been playing first team football, but he seemed to struggle even if he was taken off as a sub, let alone dropped. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Man City fans are falling in to the same trap with regards to Mahrez as some of our fans have with Puel. Give the guy a chance to settle FFS.

Edited 27 December 2018 by SouthStandUpperTier

[coolhandfox]

Come home Riyad.....

[OhYesNdidi]

12 minutes ago, brucey said:

I think Riyad still loves us but can’t admit it.

Seemed as affected as any of our boys by the helicopter incident.

Stared at the floor the entire time walking from the bus to the away dressing room.

Didn’t interact with any of our players before or after the game on tunnel cam.

First player into the tunnel at the final whistle.

He just looked so sad yesterday 

 

Riyad was in the Leicester changing room after the match when our guys were on those electric bikes after the game. 

Edited 27 December 2018 by OhYesNdidi