[Football] Did we miss a trick on Saturday?

[Goring-by-Seagull]

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

It was a typical Hughton " let's avoid a big defeat " line up. Predictable. We held them at bay and had a go in the second half but when all is said and done created one decent chance in 96 minutes, one. Duffy should have nutted that chance into the back of the net. If we had scored would City have gone up a gear ? Who knows but you feel they were happy to be leading and had no particular desire to do more than they needed to. The big moment was when Walker should have walked for a nailed on red card. That was the game changer

 

[Bold Seagull]

We were still in the game at the final whistle. Go full tilt with 25 / 30mins to go, and you might be out of the game. As it was, in injury time we still had the potential to take it to extra time.

There will always be what ifs. I'm pretty sure there won't be a Wolves fan today not lamenting the substitution of Neves on 86' followed by Jota on '89. Such are the decisions managers live by.

 

[southstandandy]

Yes we did miss a chance as no way did City play anything like they can. But it wasn't unexpected. The sit deep and catch the opposition late in the game was always going to be CH's preferred option so no real surprise to all of us who were there. The Sunday times reviewer summed it up when he said 'Brighton were there for a day out, City were there for business'.

I just hope that the worm turns on Saturday and we take the game to Bournemouth rather than setting up not to get beaten. The prize for getting wins over Bournemouth and Cardiff will pretty much secure our survival, although I would still like to see us surpass last season's total of 40 points, thus showing some progress.

 

[studio150]

Yes lets change to 3 at the back given that we're so well drilled in that formation, and would have been fine tuning this tactical approach in the lead up to the semi-final.

Perhaps the OP would like to pass notes to CH on Saturday during the game, to ensure that we never miss another opportunity

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

This.
And this.

Oh god, I don't know.

Known for your decisiveness are you?

 

[rippleman]

I think there are valid points in the OP but I would go back a step. Team selection.

Why TWO fullbacks and a centre half on the bench leaving Kayal, our most attack minded and adventurous midfielder in the stands. WTF was that all about? Bernardo and Bruno can play either side or in the middle if push came to shove, so why Bong over Kayal on the bench?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

View attachment 107351

This, in spades.

 

[Stat Brother]

I think there are valid points in the OP but I would go back a step. Team selection.

Why TWO fullbacks and a centre half on the bench leaving Kayal, our most attack minded and adventurous midfielder in the stands. WTF was that all about? Bernardo and Bruno can play either side or in the middle if push came to shove, so why Bong over Kayal on the bench?

CH did make 3 attacking substitutions.

I wouldn't have wanted a defensively-lite bench just in case we happened to be 1-0 up.

 

[Silverhatch]

Our trick was to be in the game for as long as possible. After going a goal down in 4 minutes it was miraculous that we had Abu Dhabi City playing keep ball at the end. The media are incredibly disingenuous to us - especially the ex-professionals who **** themselves silly over City's ability to dismantle teams - but then get holier than thou when a team will not roll over and have their tummies tickled by the most expensively assembled club side in history. We almost pulled it off on Saturday because we frustrated the **** out of them. If Murray beats Laporte to the ball or Walker gets sent off then things might have been different. Hindsight is a wonderful and 100% accurate thing - but most of us know that if we'd opened up against that lot they'd have been three up before half time. The media would have loved it. Watford now have to deal with the expectation of "having a go" at Man City. Pep and his team absolutely want Watford to press and come on to them because they know they'll smash them into next week.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Given what happened afterwards, I've always thought it was a mistake not to sign Ian Wright.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Yes lets change to 3 at the back given that we're so well drilled in that formation, and would have been fine tuning this tactical approach in the lead up to the semi-final.

Perhaps the OP would like to pass notes to CH on Saturday during the game, to ensure that we never miss another opportunity

Yes. Mental.

I wouldn't have changed anything. Starting with Andone rather than Murray appeals to my taste for nippiness but, there again, I felt the same during the first ten minutes of the Palace game. Then, FFS Murray goes and scores. What do I know? What do any of us know? As Peter Cook once said, come dance with me, be mine tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvQq_tqB0jA

 

[Newick Seagull]

We had great fun in the days leading up to Saturday picking a team to beat City . . . eventually we broadly agreed that you needed to do something they wouldn't expect or be prepared for and that going head to head in midfield was only ever going to contain. So we ended up deciding league 1 / league 2 'hoof ball' was the way to miss out the midfield and to try to turn City over. A 5-4-1-1 formation, just for this one off match.


5 at the back: Montoya / Duffy / Burn / Dunk / Bernardo. The three bigguns to make a nuisance in the City box any time we had a corner or free kick that could be lumped into their box.

4 in front: Stephens / Kayal / Propper / Bissouma. Force city to the wings to play crosses in to Dunk, Duffy and Burn. When they get hold of it - 'hoof' as far up the pitch as possible. Bissouma to get on his bike as fast as possible when its hoofed.

1 and 1: Andone, with Locadia in front. Run like the clappers on to the 'hoofed' ball.

Wingers and Murray on bench to come on to switch to a more 'CH' formation if we end up 3-nil down after 20 mins! Don't think we would have done and could have possibly unsettled them for the first half. Certainly a selection, formation and plan that Pep wouldn't have been expecting!

 

[warsaw]

The frustrating thing for me was that in the final 15 minutes we had try to press and force them into an error, but it was painful to watch Knocky working his nuts off round the edge of their box, while our back four are lined up 10 yards inside our own half. City pick up the ball again and start stoking it around because of our reluctance to press. Frustrating

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk

 

[Exile]

We had great fun in the days leading up to Saturday picking a team to beat City . . . eventually we broadly agreed that you needed to do something they wouldn't expect or be prepared for and that going head to head in midfield was only ever going to contain. So we ended up deciding league 1 / league 2 'hoof ball' was the way to miss out the midfield and to try to turn City over. A 5-4-1-1 formation, just for this one off match.


5 at the back: Montoya / Duffy / Burn / Dunk / Bernardo. The three bigguns to make a nuisance in the City box any time we had a corner or free kick that could be lumped into their box.

4 in front: Stephens / Kayal / Propper / Bissouma. Force city to the wings to play crosses in to Dunk, Duffy and Burn. When they get hold of it - 'hoof' as far up the pitch as possible. Bissouma to get on his bike as fast as possible when its hoofed.

1 and 1: Andone, with Locadia in front. Run like the clappers on to the 'hoofed' ball.

Wingers and Murray on bench to come on to switch to a more 'CH' formation if we end up 3-nil down after 20 mins! Don't think we would have done and could have possibly unsettled them for the first half. Certainly a selection, formation and plan that Pep wouldn't have been expecting!

Got to agree.

Pep definitely would not have expected us to play with 11 outfield players.

 

[The Gem]

Yes lets change to 3 at the back given that we're so well drilled in that formation, and would have been fine tuning this tactical approach in the lead up to the semi-final.

Perhaps the OP would like to pass notes to CH on Saturday during the game, to ensure that we never miss another opportunity

Come on Studio, you are usually better than that, a week on the training ground with 3 at the back, sorted....They know what to do.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

We had great fun in the days leading up to Saturday picking a team to beat City . . . eventually we broadly agreed that you needed to do something they wouldn't expect or be prepared for and that going head to head in midfield was only ever going to contain. So we ended up deciding league 1 / league 2 'hoof ball' was the way to miss out the midfield and to try to turn City over. A 5-4-1-1 formation, just for this one off match.


5 at the back: Montoya / Duffy / Burn / Dunk / Bernardo. The three bigguns to make a nuisance in the City box any time we had a corner or free kick that could be lumped into their box.

4 in front: Stephens / Kayal / Propper / Bissouma. Force city to the wings to play crosses in to Dunk, Duffy and Burn. When they get hold of it - 'hoof' as far up the pitch as possible. Bissouma to get on his bike as fast as possible when its hoofed.

1 and 1: Andone, with Locadia in front. Run like the clappers on to the 'hoofed' ball.

Wingers and Murray on bench to come on to switch to a more 'CH' formation if we end up 3-nil down after 20 mins! Don't think we would have done and could have possibly unsettled them for the first half. Certainly a selection, formation and plan that Pep wouldn't have been expecting!

As simple as that huh?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

We had great fun in the days leading up to Saturday picking a team to beat City . . . eventually we broadly agreed that you needed to do something they wouldn't expect or be prepared for and that going head to head in midfield was only ever going to contain. So we ended up deciding league 1 / league 2 'hoof ball' was the way to miss out the midfield and to try to turn City over. A 5-4-1-1 formation, just for this one off match.


5 at the back: Montoya / Duffy / Burn / Dunk / Bernardo. The three bigguns to make a nuisance in the City box any time we had a corner or free kick that could be lumped into their box.

4 in front: Stephens / Kayal / Propper / Bissouma. Force city to the wings to play crosses in to Dunk, Duffy and Burn. When they get hold of it - 'hoof' as far up the pitch as possible. Bissouma to get on his bike as fast as possible when its hoofed.

1 and 1: Andone, with Locadia in front. Run like the clappers on to the 'hoofed' ball.

Wingers and Murray on bench to come on to switch to a more 'CH' formation if we end up 3-nil down after 20 mins! Don't think we would have done and could have possibly unsettled them for the first half. Certainly a selection, formation and plan that Pep wouldn't have been expecting!

Rush goalie in a semi-final would have been adventurous!

 

[Newick Seagull]

Got to agree.

Pep definitely would not have expected us to play with 11 outfield players.

Don't panic . . . I'm sticking to the day job !

(Andone to join Murray on the bench !)

 

[maltaseagull]

Yes lets change to 3 at the back given that we're so well drilled in that formation, and would have been fine tuning this tactical approach in the lead up to the semi-final.

Perhaps the OP would like to pass notes to CH on Saturday during the game, to ensure that we never miss another opportunity

Great idea! I am sure CH would appreciate the advice.
But I do wonder if 352 might be worth looking at for next season with a pre season to work on it.