[Albion] Did anyone who watched the Manchester City game...

[Bozza]

...think it wasn’t a good performance by us?

I thought we acquitted ourselves really well. I don’t care what the stats say, and I fully appreciate City had another gear or two if required. Regardless I thought it was encouraging from us - anything but an out-and-out defensive display.

I feel more optimistic about our chances today than I did after after the Spurs game.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I agree. We should have had a penalty as well. Also to compete against a team, managed by one of the top in the world, owned by a very rich country, and who have spent copious amounts of dosh we certainly didn't let anyone down.

 

[Justice]

Lee Mason we definitely weren’t going to get the pen

 

[crodonilson]

Was good, but it means diddly squat on our season really. The acid test is the next 2 months playing against mediocre miserable/ relegation sides but at least we can approach those fans in relatively good spirits.

 

[hart's shirt]

As one of the top sides in Europe, City are a class above and were always likely to show that today.

Our exercise in damage limitation to goal difference worked out fairly well.

Disappointing defending for the 2nd goal with some abject attempts at tackling, but overall the result was as expected.

 

[Weststander]

I didn't see it. But CH does appear so quietly confident, possibly because they can see progress made through their expert analysis of matches against ManC, Liverpool, etc.

 

[Bod]

I thought we played better against Liverpool, but I thought Man City were much better than liverpool

 

[portlock seagull]

Blah blah but it’s Man City blah blah blah actually it’s every away game blah blah blah for 2nd consecutive season...Following the Albion Away is like playing at the Priestfield. You go. But you know the result already. Thank god for Fort Amex!

 

[junior]

I thought we did very very well and everyone acquitted themselves very well apart from Locadia. I'm not suggesting he cost us or anything like that, but I think Murray would have bullied their centre backs into a mistake or at least held it up their end for a bit longer. Locadia offered nothing and therefore as soon as we got to the three quarter line they got the ball back and came back at us.

Back 4 plus March and Bissouma stood out for me.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

No, I didn't think it was a great performance. We did what we are good at, hold the space, 6-3-1 formation, restrict their chances but I don't think we held onto the ball as well as we could have. In particular I notice how we love doing these little one-touch passes on the flanks when we try and push forward from the back, which are great when we're playing a pressing game like we do at home, because if we lose the ball we get it back quickly, but when we're standing off them like we did today it is frustrating when those flicks don't come off and we lose possession so easily.

Its also a slight concern that Man City's first goal happened on the very first occasion we committed men forward and allowed them to hit us on the break, which was also the very first time we'd done that since Spurs' second. So that's two consecutive attacks on the break against us, two goals conceded. I like to argue that we should be a little braver, commit a couple of men further forward because we've got great defenders and we should put more faith in them to stop teams without needing the whole midfield helping out all the time, but the evidence of those two attacks on the break rather negates my argument. We're not good at defending breaks so we have to defend in numbers.

 

[Juan Albion]

It was alright. Both teams were happy to settle for 2-0.

 

[Stat Brother]

In the end the game was incredibly frustrating.
Not for today, but for the points already dropped v Southampton, Fulham and to a slightly lesser extent (but not much) Spurs.

It's all very well not getting Cardiffed v City, but it doesn't mean much when those other 9 points only yielded a measly 2, because the team was piss poor.



I'm also a little bemused by CH's disappointment at conceding the goals that we did.
He seems to either expect the team to be good enough to soak up 90 minutes of pressure faultlessly - no team is.
Or be able to comfortably play it's way through a top 6 teams, starting 18 yards from from their own goal line, with all 11 opposition players in front of them - no team can.

 

[The Optimist]

I just felt like we never had any chance of scoring. I don’t mind losing (having watched us for 30 years I’ve seen us lose a lot) but to feel like we have no hope of even scoring doesn’t make for an enjoyable game of football. I much preferred watching our home game against Liverpool last season where despite getting thrashed we had chances and there was excitement. I understand trying to be ambitious and taking a hammering is bad for goal difference, confidence etc but at least having a go is fun to watch.

Maybe I should give up away games at Man City, Liverpool etc and stick to the other away games (like Man Utd!) where we might actually have a go.

And yes I realise the irony of this post and my username.

 

[Beach Hut]

I thought we did well in self-containment and damage limitation, remember they pile drived Cardiff last week on the road.

First visit and bizarre we were tier 2, on going up the steps after opening the door I thought I was on the Jubilee Tube line given the opaque concrete effect. Sterile atmosphere, large flag waving etc, fans expectation is to win every game. The Etihad is, bar Wembley the best equipped stadium in the UK albeit not been to West Ham and Spuds should be a good one if and when it opens.

As for our fans slagging Locadia at every chance, give it a break he did OK in my view.

 

[sydney]

Lee Mason we definitely weren’t going to get the pen

not that it made much difference but i thought it was just another day at the office for Mason , looking after his Manchester darlings , although i know they aren't his no.1 Manchester team.......in reply to the original question i don't think we disgraced ourselves but were outclassed all over the pitch....the speed with which citeh , attack and close down when they lose possession is frightening .

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I thought we did well in self-containment and damage limitation, remember they pile drived Cardiff last week on the road.

First visit and bizarre we were tier 2, on going up the steps after opening the door I thought I was on the Jubilee Tube line given the opaque concrete effect. Sterile atmosphere, large flag waving etc, fans expectation is to win every game. The Etihad is, bar Wembley the best equipped stadium in the UK albeit not been to West Ham and Spuds should be a good one if and when it opens.

As for our fans slagging Locadia at every chance, give it a break he did OK in my view.

This. On stilts.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

...think it wasn’t a good performance by us?

I thought we acquitted ourselves really well. I don’t care what the stats say, and I fully appreciate City had another gear or two if required. Regardless I thought it was encouraging from us - anything but an out-and-out defensive display.

I feel more optimistic about our chances today than I did after after the Spurs game.

I think that is fair, but today there was a worrying lack of quality in the final third. Our shape was brilliant, though we missed Stephens IMO......

 

[Wardy's twin]

I agree. We should have had a penalty as well. Also to compete against a team, managed by one of the top in the world, owned by a very rich country, and who have spent copious amounts of dosh we certainly didn't let anyone down.

AK also handled the ball in the area in first half...

 

[perseus]

I thought we played better against Liverpool, but I thought Man City were much better than liverpool

I agree.

I would have picked Bruno to start.

Why didn't we play Alireza Jahanbakhsh from the beginning?

 

[Wardy's twin]

I expected it to be hard and not to win but am of the view we should still try to win OR AT LEAST SHOOT AT THE GOAL. Yes they are a set of superstars but they are human and thus fallible.

I am sure I will upset people on here with my comment but I don't think Locadia is up to it, his whole body language is wrong he looks like he is not interested. You can get a way with it if you are Berbatov and scoring goals but not when you are not. He needs to learn from AK and Murray about commitment and assertion.