2025/26 Season

[Buzzo]

Winning back to back titles is so hard. We look spent already. The Madrid game tired us out and we weren't able to press at the same level twice in a few days. You need to be almost superhuman in the press to force City into mistakes. We weren't and they were able to break through our press far too easily.

I think bringing in some fresher legs would have been a good idea, and some of the key decisions were shocking, but either way I think City were too much for us. Worrying.

Three times in a week if you include the effort put into the Villa game.


Think your second paragraph nails it though. We do have players available that could be rotated in (Gomez for Bradley or Konate being an example) so players not being at 100% being played is on Slot.


Think Gomez, Chiesa, Endo, Jones and whichever of Kerkez or Robertson is not the starter should be getting rotated in every third game and also getting regular 30 minute run outs in the games that they are on the bench.

Yep, Slot getting himself into a position where he only trusts a portion of the squad is an ongoing issue. It affects the morale of the players who begin to understand they are second string. They also have limited minutes to play their way into form. Managing squad morale and minutes is a big task, something that Guardiola and Klopp, are/were masters at. Slot has proved he can manage a first XI but to the detriment of trusting that backup.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Winning back to back titles is so hard. We look spent already. The Madrid game tired us out and we weren't able to press at the same level twice in a few days. You need to be almost superhuman in the press to force City into mistakes. We weren't and they were able to break through our press far too easily.

I think bringing in some fresher legs would have been a good idea, and some of the key decisions were shocking, but either way I think City were too much for us. Worrying.

Three times in a week if you include the effort put into the Villa game.


Think your second paragraph nails it though. We do have players available that could be rotated in (Gomez for Bradley or Konate being an example) so players not being at 100% being played is on Slot.


Think Gomez, Chiesa, Endo, Jones and whichever of Kerkez or Robertson is not the starter should be getting rotated in every third game and also getting regular 30 minute run outs in the games that they are on the bench.

[Pablo]

Winning back to back titles is so hard. We look spent already. The Madrid game tired us out and we weren't able to press at the same level twice in a few days. You need to be almost superhuman in the press to force City into mistakes. We weren't and they were able to break through our press far too easily.

I think bringing in some fresher legs would have been a good idea, and some of the key decisions were shocking, but either way I think City were too much for us. Worrying.

[kingfunk]

I know you make your own luck and all that, and I’ve been very critical of the team this season, but I honestly think they had the rub of the green today. The decision to disallow our goal was baffling and I can’t help wondering if the same call would’ve been made if we were away at Wolves. Both their goals took deflections and our centre-backs should’ve done a lot better. We never really got any momentum going.
Wirtz is a big concern for me. I just don’t think he’s ready at this level yet. He probably needs the season to get used to the Premier League. Konate isn’t good enough in my opinion. They targeted him today, fair play to them, and others will do the same now. He’s so indecisive, by the time he reacts the opposition are already back in shape. Salah looks like he’s on the decline and with half the team still trying to gel, it’s going to take time.
I don’t think sacking the manager is the answer, I also don’t have a huge appetite to go back to Klopp for a couple of years until he’s had enough again and end up in the same spot again. I’d be happy if we brought in a centre-back and a winger in January, accepted that this season’s probably not ours to win, aim for top 4, and a good CL run, then added one or two more in the summer, maybe a DM, and go again next year.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Specsavers fella

[SB]

Ahh you are right, I had hit the wrong filter on the OPTA page. Got more than one match.


But despite my figures now being incorrect, I will happily die on this hill and continue to refute what Rudedog says.


Interestingly it still kind of plays out the same. He misplaced no passes in our half and all his misplaced passes last night were from long kicks into the Real half.

Plus the majority of his long kicks were all into the same area in the Real half

Specsavers fella

[Doc_Piptorious]

The goalie made 166 passes in one game?

You sure about that?

Thats 2 a minute.seem like a lot

Ahh you are right, I had hit the wrong filter on the OPTA page. Got more than one match.


But despite my figures now being incorrect, I will happily die on this hill and continue to refute what Rudedog says.


Interestingly it still kind of plays out the same. He misplaced no passes in our half and all his misplaced passes last night were from long kicks into the Real half.

Plus the majority of his long kicks were all into the same area in the Real half

[Charly]

Need to go to Specsavers, fella. [emoji14] He has a 78% pass accuracy overall for last night and the ones that went to Real players were, for the most part, when he booted it long downfield.



He made 166 passes last night. 129 completed.



37 passes went to a Real player, but of those 37 passes 27 of them were from long punts into the Real half.



He also played 12 successful long punts into the Real half.



So take the long punts out of it, 39 in total, that leaves 127 passes he made inside our own half and he was successful in 117 of them.





And the number of passes that went straight to a Real player in our first third? Only 4.





Far from woeful on the ball last night, and he very much only took risks with long punts.

The goalie made 166 passes in one game?

You sure about that?

Thats 2 a minute.seem like a lot

[vlahka]

Yeah he was definitely not good at kicks. Most of his completed passes were to our defenders.

Its good to see the team finally pressing, something they refused to do all season until last game. Still 100% convinced Slot was telling them to conserve like he did near the end of last season. Now everyone even Salah were pressing and running all over the place. Thats what we've been missing.

[Doc_Piptorious]

No specs needed as I was specifically meaning his long punts - I lost count the amount that handed possession straight back to Madrid so it’s good to see this backed up by the stats you posted. I knew the figure must be high but didn’t think it was as much as 27.

It must be super frustrating for the lads after they have worked hard to win possession only to watch helplessly as Mama blasts it straight back to the opposition, often under no pressure (a few times he managed to boot it straight to Courtois)

Just for comparison. Alisson, who is a great passer of the ball, managed an accuracy rate of 47.4% for his long passes in the league last season.

And that rate would be seen as being more or less at the top end when it comes to keepers so think you are being harsh on Mama's passing as very few in the game come close to Ali for long range passing. Got to judge Mama on his overall play imo rather than comparing him to a unicorn like Ali.


What Mama is doing this season is giving us Ali levels for short and medium distance passing and as such is allowing the back line to operate at their usual pace on the ball.

TBH I have no issues with Mama's long kicks. Most were attempts at setting a wide player away and they forced Real to keep a player or two back. If he is going to misplace a pass, it is better it happens in the other half.

[rudedog]

Need to go to Specsavers, fella. He has a 78% pass accuracy overall for last night and the ones that went to Real players were, for the most part, when he booted it long downfield.

He made 166 passes last night. 129 completed.

37 passes went to a Real player, but of those 37 passes 27 of them were from long punts into the Real half.

He also played 12 successful long punts into the Real half.

So take the long punts out of it, 39 in total, that leaves 127 passes he made inside our own half and he was successful in 117 of them.


And the number of passes that went straight to a Real player in our first third? Only 4.


Far from woeful on the ball last night, and he very much only took risks with long punts.

No specs needed as I was specifically meaning his long punts - I lost count the amount that handed possession straight back to Madrid so it’s good to see this backed up by the stats you posted. I knew the figure must be high but didn’t think it was as much as 27.

It must be super frustrating for the lads after they have worked hard to win possession only to watch helplessly as Mama blasts it straight back to the opposition, often under no pressure (a few times he managed to boot it straight to Courtois)

[Angryred]

Not sure about that - Mamas distribution is woeful - pretty much every kick went straight to Madrid player

But he does have some boot though...he can kick it long so as soon as he can direct it to wide to our wingers, it's another tool to utilise.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Not sure about that - Mamas distribution is woeful - pretty much every kick went straight to Madrid player

Need to go to Specsavers, fella. He has a 78% pass accuracy overall for last night and the ones that went to Real players were, for the most part, when he booted it long downfield.

He made 166 passes last night. 129 completed.

37 passes went to a Real player, but of those 37 passes 27 of them were from long punts into the Real half.

He also played 12 successful long punts into the Real half.

So take the long punts out of it, 39 in total, that leaves 127 passes he made inside our own half and he was successful in 117 of them.


And the number of passes that went straight to a Real player in our first third? Only 4.


Far from woeful on the ball last night, and he very much only took risks with long punts.

[rudedog]

It felt like he was in goal yesterday.

Not sure about that - Mamas distribution is woeful - pretty much every kick went straight to Madrid player

[BigChief]

Yeah, I agree. This is our first XI now, with the exception of Ali.

It felt like he was in goal yesterday.