Mails: You have to give Guardiola time, but…

Mails: You have to give Guardiola time, but…

Keep those Mails coming, with Liverpool and Manchester United playing on Sunday…

Leicester 4-2 Manchester City: One conclusion
Jaysus. Explain this Pep!

Rubbish.
Cormac, Galway

You have to give Guardiola time…
Last season, Guardiola chose to use Xabi Alonso as a lone centre-back flanked by Alaba & Bernat as a way to neutralise the counter attacking threat and tough pressing of Bayer Leverkusen. That night they won 3-0.

There’s often talk of foreign managers learning lessons in the premier league but surely this is where the cliché comes from: just because it worked with Bayern Munich doesn’t mean that can be replicated. When you swap out Alonso for Stones (worse at passing and intercepting), Alaba for Kolarov (world class for mediocre), and Bernat for Sagna, things are going to go wrong.

The Premier League is not a league where you can forget about defence and focus on attacking for 90 minutes. Trusting a 22 year with 121 league appearances to manage the defence against Premier League champions? These are true naiveties in the game. Zabaleta at defensive mid? De Bruyne at wing back? It feels like Pep is trying to force something special and is instead being shown up by Jamie Vardy (without a goal in 16 games), when the personal are there to win the game.

Given time, City will have a team of the strength of last years Bayern team, however at the moment, Pep really needs to start managing his team, the form at the start of the season showed what his squad is capable of, but the rotation and other challenges have really derailed them at the moment where they risk dropping out of the top four at the point of the season where the “table takes shape.”

City might be all ready to click into place but at the moment it feels like the formations and teams are Pep rolling a dice rather than managing the team.
KC (seriously, Stones on his own? What did he expect?)

…But that was still ruddy awful
“The second balls is a concept here in England, I’m not a coach for the tackles so I don’t train the tackles.”

That’s a quote from good old Pep Guardiola after his side got hammered by struggling Leicester City. Considering the amount of stick Pards and Martinez get for their defensive quotes, I hope Pep is going to get the same treatment? No wonder his team is defending so poorly if they don’t do any training on the blasted things. Isn’t this rather an appalling attitude for one of the best coaches in world football to have?

Third paragraph (bringing it back).
Calum (MUFC), Wokingham

Never a penalty for Xhaka challenge (but could have seen red?)
I can’t believe that was a penalty. Xhaka clearly pulls out of the challenge as you can see by him pulling his legs back, momentum takes him forward he puts his arm out to balance send it hits Jo Allen in the face.

If there was intent it should have been a red. If it was a late challenge it should have been a yellow. Xhaka received neither. Football is not a contact sport at all anymore…
Rob A, AFC

Accusing Lee Mason of not wanting Arsenal to score. Sure.
I’m not complaining about the ref because we won so it would be a bit disingenuous, but I was surprised by his actions at one point in the second half.

There was a drop ball which the Ox and Charlie Adam both contested. The Arsenal player won it, used his pace and power to burst past a couple of men and was effectively through on goal. Yes, he was quite far wide but nobody was getting to him before he got to the goal.

Lee Mason then stops play and does the drop ball again, this time telling Ozil to knock it back to the Stoke keeper.

How is he allowed to stop play when no offence has occurred? I won’t be watching MOTD tonight so apologies if its covered and explained there (highly unlikely) so can anyone please enlighten me?

Are refs just allowed to stop play if they fancy it or if a team they don’t like is about to score?
Adonis Stevenson, AFC

Charlie Adam: Not Mr Nice Guy
Just finished watching Arsenal vs Stoke and I have to say Charlie Adam is a thug masquerading as a footballer.

He saw Sanchez on the floor, took a good look, and planted his studs on his knees. If only he concentrated on football, he probably would’ve stopped Iwobi from scoring.
Montero (Glasgow)

A top ten idea
Top 10 dirtiest players. Here’s my suggested list:
10. Charlie Adam
9. Charlie Adam
8. Charlie Adam
7. Charlie Adam
6. Charlie Adam
5. Charlie Adam
4. Charlie Adam
3. Charlie Adam
2. Charlie Adam
1. Charlie Adam

I expect the FA to do nothing.
Matt Wright, Gunner in Aus

A Real Madrid fan is damn happy
Not much is said about La Liga here yet can’t help but write in after what turned out to be a pulsating encounter between Real Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna. Considering the 34 games unbeaten run (now 35, club record broken), Real Madrid looked like an ordinary team for the majority of the game. It is easy and, to a great extent, sensible to say, this is what happens when you’re missing Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema and Modric the orchestrator.

But that misses the point. Problem was never in offense which still bailed (Love for Ramos for his typical injury-time winner) the defense out. It is the defensive organization which leaves the fans wanting. Making some shrewd attacking substitutions and formation tweaks, Zidane reaped results quickly as Mariano headed in a beautiful equalizer from a cross by Lucas.

But in the name of defensive organization, there was none. Casemiro dallied too long on the ball and gifted Joselu who made no mistake to punish his ex-employers with a lovely finish. Minutes later, he popped up again to get away from Ramos and thread it through the legs of Navas. Don’t get me wrong, it is always wonderful to be a Real Madrid fan but can’t help the feeling that a team with a decent attack in Europe in knockout stages will expose the defensive frailties to the extent that attacking swagger wouldn’t be able to cover it up.

Anyway, an exciting game with lots of goals, defensive cock ups and a brawl towards the end! Imagine Pepe being peacemaker.

Not sure what my point is, just elated with the result and the continued run of form but can see a bashing knocking at the doors of Bernabeu very soon. Till then, watching replay of Mariano’s joyous header on loop.
F365er, Somewhere

Great work from MOTD
Match of the Day naming their Jeff Hendrick highlight segment ‘The Jeff Hendrick Experience’ made listening to Sean Dyche moan and Danny Murphy speaking a joy!

That is all!
Néill, Ireland