Manchester City

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/AndyNaylorBHAFC/status/1553299562139471874[/ame]

[Shaggy]

By my reckoning City currently have two full-backs - Walker and Cancelo. Two right backs really. They could be in a spot of bother.

[danperkins]

City will no doubt pay it

[Doc_Piptorious]

By my reckoning City currently have two full-backs - Walker and Cancelo. Two right backs really. They could be in a spot of bother.

Cancelo is really good at left back when played there and is as effective cutting in from the LB slot to take up a CM role as he is at doing that from the RB slot.


Ake is also pretty good at LB.


I hope they end up in a spot of bother having to push players into other positions but I suspect they have the quality to manage without any major drop off in results.

Plus there is a good chance that Pep will go out with a cheque for 50m to 60m and unearth a gem given how good he is at finding cheap unknowns.

[S-RED]

Marc Cucurella not in brighton squad today

[dom9]

Watching the match on Saturday, I wonder if we might see a bit of a Ronaldo effect with Haaland and City. He will score loads of goals, but at what cost? City scored 99 in the league last season didn't they? Did they need more goals?

And now they clearly need to play differently to accommodate him. I thought we dominated the middle of the pitch for large parts of the game in a way I've not seen for a while, quite possibly because City have lost an extra man in that area.

He wasn't really on the same wavelength as the rest of the team either, I thought.

That said, he still had chances, I think he will bed in eventually, and Pep will surely figure it out. And City have played fewer pre season games than most so it's very early days.

But in the meantime, I think we might see a more open City what we have been used to.

[Kenneth]

I guess it’s not that much different to us playing with Nunez, but we probably feel less pressure to for Nunez to play every minute and chase golden boots etc. Nunez is probably an extra dimension to our options whereas Pep needs to make Haaland work all of the time. I’m sure he’ll work it out though.

[dom9]

It's interesting that both teams have gone for a number 9 approach at the same time. Just as something goes out of fashion, it comes back in again.

I reckon that Alvarez will be the surprise package of this season. He looks like a pure Pep player.

[Buzzo]

Yeah, if you knew nothing of the 2 players on saturday, then Alvarez looked more of a player than Haaland. Looks like an Aguero replacement.

[wiw]

Watching the match on Saturday, I wonder if we might see a bit of a Ronaldo effect with Haaland and City. He will score loads of goals, but at what cost? City scored 99 in the league last season didn't they? Did they need more goals?

And now they clearly need to play differently to accommodate him. I thought we dominated the middle of the pitch for large parts of the game in a way I've not seen for a while, quite possibly because City have lost an extra man in that area.

He wasn't really on the same wavelength as the rest of the team either, I thought.

That said, he still had chances, I think he will bed in eventually, and Pep will surely figure it out. And City have played fewer pre season games than most so it's very early days.

But in the meantime, I think we might see a more open City what we have been used to.

My dad said the same thing to me yesterday funnily enough. Said Haaland was very static, a bit half-hearted in his pressing, and that De Bruyne got a bit frustrated with him for not making a run.

[Rich]

I saw enough of Haaland on Saturday to know he's going to smash loads of goals - if and when the midfield and wide men at City start to know his runs. He's going to bully most defences IMO (just like Nunez will)

I just hope his injury record means he's not available all the time.

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1554080104522944512[/ame]

[Bender]

Chelsea just trying to sign anybody at the moment...the scouts must be using twitter

[wiw]

Is Chilwell injured or something? They have Alonso too

[Maxiedge]

That is funny but Chelsea must be the most bizarre club on the planet. *

* Along with Barca