I guess I'm OK with 4-4-2 if Barca are lining up 4-3-3. Some surprise in the City lineup (Milner over Fernandinho, Dimichelis over Mangala, no width to speak of). Very bold from Pellegrini, but it is at home and going for the win makes sense.
2014-15 Champions League: the Quixotic Quest to Qualify
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teddykgb said:
Credit Pelligrini for balls I guess. Its a huge departure from last year, when (from what I recall) he played 4-2-3-1 and Kolarov as one of the wide midfielders. This should be a pretty exciting match with a lot of good attacking opportunities for each side.
City are going to be incredibly narrow, I have to think that it's really 4-2-2-2 with Fernando and Milner sitting deep, with nasri and silva free to roam and try to hit on the counter. I have no idea how good a plan that is, but I imagine I'm going to want to murder Busquets by halftime.
teddykgb said:
The flanks should be very interesting. On the one hand, Barcelona's fullbacks might kill you all night as Silva and Nasri tracking them, especially after drifting around the pitch previously, sounds like a nightmare. On the other hand, if Alves and Alba are frequently pushing up like wingers, that's going to leave huge spaces for a player like Silva to drift into and exploit on the counter.
I think it's a nightmare scenario. Both Zabaleta and clichy are going to be completely overwhelmed. City will need to control the ball or this will be a long afternoon for me. Luckily there is booze at the ready for me, which will be the right call either way.Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
This isn't a bitchfest, but that's the difference for MCFC in Europe. Mascherano's foul is a yellow for most teams, but it isn't one today on City's home pitch. You have to earn that kind of respect in the CL and City haven't had it. Instead of a CB on a yellow on 10 minutes Barca is just playing on with a talking to. And fwiw, that's a cynical foul and i'm fine with no card being shown, but you know full well that Kompany gets a card in that situation.
This has been City's defending all season. Constant hilariously ridiculous bad bounces and stupid errors. It feels like the 20th goal like that we've conceded this season. Every deflection falls right to the other team's attack
Messi did brilliantly to create the space and then Alba was amazingly patient waiting for Suarez's run. So many fullbacks just bang that quickly into the middle, hoping it gets to a yellow shirt.
Luis Taint said:
Probably, but I think we'd give them a much better fight since we match up better in midfield.
At least until we inevitably got a man sent off for some bullshit reason.
We'll see whether they can mount a second half comeback but you gotta wonder whether the writing will be on the wall for Pelligrini if City gets truly embarrassed tonight. I can sort of understand why he chose the team he did - you have to attack and try to beat Barca at home, because you're just not winning at Camp Nou - but its all backfiring so far.
Really surprised there have been no changes at the half. I can accept the original plan, even if it isn't what I think was the right thing to do, but you're 2-0 down at home, you have to find something that works.
If City played Arsenal in the CL, it would be a fairly-played game that would end 7v8 or something.
Ahh, it must be so much harder than it looks not to do that, but man was that a stupid foul at that point in the game.
Edit: Holy shit!
Edit: Holy shit!
Credit to City for playing a really good second half all things considered, even if Barca did take their foot off the gas. If Dzeko wasn't such a dufus and Clichy wasn't such an idiot, they might have drawn or won.
They didn't show a great replay, but it looked like if Messi doesn't go for the follow up header, he's got two guys cruising into the box for a tap in.
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