Match Threads Man City vs Spurs - Match thread - Carabao Cup Final 2021 - KO 4:30pm

[rez9000]

I thought Hugo, Toby and Dier were absolutely immense today and didn't deserve to be on the losing team.

Hugo looked and played like a goalie at the peak of his power - some of the saves he made were among the best I've seen him make.

 

[rez9000]

Honestly, if these 2 are still at the club next season I think I'll take a season out. I'm tired of seeing them playing for Spurs. I think we could lose them without replacements and still be in a better place as a squad with whatever square pegs we come up with.

Just promote a couple of the youngsters - they could hardly do any worse than those two wastes of oxygen. Plus, we've got Skipp coming back next season.

 

[rez9000]

Have we even created an actual chance in any of those games? I can't remember a real goalscoring chance in any of the 4 finals.

I don’t remember too much about the first two, but certainly not in this one or in 2019.

Depends. If you mean did we have a shot on target, we did have one (one!) yesterday. But it would have been a special-type goal if it had gone in. If we're talking about a clear-cut chance where you'd expect the ball to go in, then no.

 

[rez9000]

I haven't watched us play all season until today. I then thought I'd read through the entire match thread. My final decision is to go to bed and fall into a very long sleep, the sort of sleep that completely wipes your memory cells clear.

That's called a coma, for the non-medical among us.

 

[C0YS]

Mate correct me if I'm wrong as it's been a long gruelling day, but did you not write that today wasn't the disaster some fans are making out?

Sorry, how exactly is that inconsistent with what I wrote. It wasn't a disaster because I didn't expect much different. For me, this was always a game with the odds stacked extremely against us.

 

[DiamondLites]

The fact that it’s 2021 and Sissoko and Harry Winks played a major role in a final for us tells you everything you need to know about the state of the club at the moment

 

[C0YS]

Have we even created an actual chance in any of those games? I can't remember a real goalscoring chance in any of the 4 finals.

Wait what are the four? The Man utd final? There were a lot of chances in that one, lively game, Lennon and Modric were fantastic. Man utd had chances too, was a miracle it ended 0-0, I recall a really good save from Foster from a Lennon shot.

The CL Liverpool one was cagey as hell. The conditions didn't help, it was 40 degrees out there. But Liverpool scored an early goal and pinned us back really well with really no ambition to do anything more than that. Terrible match, we didn't play well at all I think we did have quite a few shots, but I don't recall anything particularly threatening. Apparently, we had 16 shots and 8 on target, I assume most of them when we started doing a bit better shortly before they got the second. Statistically, that's quite a lot (Liverpool had 3 shots on target), not how I remember it though, I'm still not ready to watch any highlights of that, I think Moura had a late chance, that was pretty decent? Maybe Dele, but nothing clear cut. Interestingly the xG for that match was 1.28 vs 0.97 for us, and they had a penalty. So maybe we should have scored really, I assume the xG is from the quantity rather than the quality of chances though.

I only watched the second half of the Chelsea 2015 because I was on holiday with my girlfriend and she was very unwilling to tolerate it, even when I did get the chance, she was very dedicated to distracting me. But I recall having very low expectations, and sort of finding the performance acceptable considering again, the difference in ability. I think we got close from a free kick, but like most finals tbf, there weren't many clear cut chances for either team.

I think you can see a possible pattern from the CL final and this won, both we got trapped in our own half, but they were contextually very different games. The other two finals were not even close to the same teams, I think maybe two players who played for us that game started yesterday? But these are normal. We weren't favourites for any of these games.

The CL one was the one, that hurt, the league cup is like something nice, a pastry or something, it's such as small things it's almost something more pathetic to brag about winning than not winning it and staying silent. The league cup mattered the world to me in 2008, but for me it wouldn't be able to give me that kind of feeling anymore, because while it might not last two long, but recently we've been close to things which are just much bigger.

The CL, on the other hand, is the biggest thing, and I'm only really beginning to come to terms with what happened that day, and that penalty that ruined the game. And how successfully Liverpool suffocated us. I think Lucas should have started, maybe not for Kane, but..

 

[TonyS]

What nonsense City were brilliant they pressed superbly tactically they were spot on some of their players were brilliant. They are the best side in the world at the moment and when they are on their game how do you play against them? You can't make it a physical battler and we haven't got the players to go long behind their full backs . We couldn't get a foothold in the game and its hard to work out how we could have done

Not at all....nonsense?? Not sure what game you were watching. If they were so good, they would have battered us first half, but there you go

 

[TonyS]

What nonsense City were brilliant they pressed superbly tactically they were spot on some of their players were brilliant. They are the best side in the world at the moment and when they are on their game how do you play against them? You can't make it a physical battler and we haven't got the players to go long behind their full backs . We couldn't get a foothold in the game and its hard to work out how we could have done

And get a foothold?? Simple, don't keep giving them the ball back,especially in the first 25mins. Get the ball, hold it, try and pass it moving forward to your player, that's a start. We didn't do it. Not good enough

 

[C0YS]

And get a foothold?? Simple, don't keep giving them the ball back,especially in the first 25mins. Get the ball, hold it, try and pass it moving forward to your player, that's a start. We didn't do it. Not good enough

Mate, you either haven't watched enough city to understand how hard that is, or you seriously overestimate the ability of our players. Or you just believe football is the same as in the 80s or mid-2000s for that matter. It's hard work to play through that press, if you do break the press, cynical unpunished fouls aside, city are very exposed. One of the core tenants of his system is to win the ball back quickly, and they are awesome at it.

We could have played better sure, but what you say is far from simple. City average 62% possession for a reason, the way you beat them is beating their press and exposing their back line, you only get a few chances to do that against city, we didn't manage to do that. But the nature of the game, is really how it is against city these days, and we don't have enough coached clarity or player ability to buck that trend. This game followed pretty much the same pattern you see in all our games against city apart from the CL ones. Even the last two times we beat city, when they were out of form, we won 2-0 earlier this season, we had 2 shots. Last season we beat them 2-0 near the end of the season, we had two shots. We won those games because the rare times we did beat the press, we took our chances. Yesterday, we sort of rushed it or made panicked decisions, that was the biggest problem.

I can respect thinking we could have played better, but it surprises me how people don't seem to realise just how good city have been since December. I'll say it again 30 wins in 33. I don't think any spurs team in history has matched that kind of form. 104 points in a season that'd be.

 

[Mornstar]

Hojberg has really shown his true level over the 2nd half of the season

 

[shelfboy68]

And the first one is a really good point. It's not that city looked more motivated, they just looked relaxed, like it's any other game. When looking at our player's faces they looked terrified, very nervous. That's what the experience of winning does. It's a bit like Andy Murray when he'd reach a lot of finals but just keep losing, often without a set. Yes, normally he was facing opposition better than he was but it's more than that. Federer is super relaxed in those conditions, and can just play their normal game, Murray is nervous and that dynamic is a really hard thing to get over. Ultimately, it's that first win that's the hardest, and it's not really about desire, it's about calm, just play your natural game (although part of the problem is at the moment we don't really have a natural game).

In an alternate reality, we win that League cup final in Poch's first season. I genuinely believe, if we won that, we would have won more. That teams gone now and I will always appreciate that team. It produced two of the most magical moments in my life. But it is that extra, when finals become routine, that can push you further.

Losing/failure is routine at this club

 

[shelfboy68]

could be fucking metheusalah, not sure it’ll make any difference. I’m 49 and have zero confidence I’ll ever see us win anything again in my lifetime unless the corrupt, bent, weighted, unfair system changes. Even poor teams can get lucky, we can’t even get that.

We can't do anything right

 

[HedgieSpur]

After a tumultuous season in which the football served up was horrendous and reportedly resulted in dressing room splits, we decide to finally get rid of Jose. One can question the timing of the decision, but I don't think many fans would disagree that he needed to be sacked.

However, to overlook an EXPERIENCED manager who got Charlton promoted in his first season (playing very good football) and has managed/interim at Leicester, Huddersfield, Derby, Southend was reprehensible and neglectful. It was unfair on Mason to put him in that position in the first place and it was hugely disrespectful to Powell to make him the assistant.

Once again, when the right decision was there to be made, we fucked it up. Twas ever thus it seems....

 

[EastLondonYid]

Sorry, how exactly is that inconsistent with what I wrote. It wasn't a disaster because I didn't expect much different. For me, this was always a game with the odds stacked extremely against us.

Agree, I didn't really expect to win, but in terms of performance,effort and leaving everything out there, from where I was sitting for me this was a disaster.

 

[Stamford]

Agree, I didn't really expect to win, but in terms of performance,effort and leaving everything out there, from where I was sitting for me this was a disaster.

We haven't showed up in a couple of big finals now. This team are honestly a bit pathetic

 

[hamsup_sotong]

we weren't favoured for any of them were we? end of the day we lost to a better team..but ffs for masons sake no more dele winks and sissoko in the Damn squad pls

 

[ralphs bald spot]

Not at all....nonsense?? Not sure what game you were watching. If they were so good, they would have battered us first half, but there you go

Honestly another ridiculous comment they battered us throughout the game we had one shot. We defended well got some great blocks in but they were outstanding. They are a great side, they were on top of their game they suffocated us out of the game we never had a kick on my tele and it wasn't that we weren't up for it or whatever anyone says

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

they battered us throughout the game we had one shot. We defended well got some great blocks in but they were outstanding. They are a great side, they were on top of their game they suffocated us out of the game we never had a kick on my tele and it wasn't that we weren't up for it or whatever anyone says

TBH that's the way I saw it. It was like men against boys in the first half. Slightly better in the second half but still.

Team selection killed off any anticipation I had and what they served up confirmed it. I'd much rather have seen a bit more intent and feeling that we were going for it but we looked, well, passive I suppose. They are so much better though

It's frustrating because although we'll never know if 'going for it' would have made any difference at all, i'd much rather our team selection was different and took our chances that way.

Ah well, another final another defeat. Who knows when our next one will be now.

 

[ralphs bald spot]

And get a foothold?? Simple, don't keep giving them the ball back,especially in the first 25mins. Get the ball, hold it, try and pass it moving forward to your player, that's a start. We didn't do it. Not good enough

they dominated the game- they pressurised the ball - they don't give you time or options on the ball - 'Get the ball hold on to it' of course thats what yoo set out to do in any game but its easier said than done the other team have a say in that. We trried to play from the back and couldn't break the press, we tried to go long and look for the second ball and could'nt get the numbers forward to support picking up any scraps.

They had to have an off day and us to be at the top of our game they were brilliant and didn't allow us to get near them. We did alright defensively apart from the goal which was poor but we stayed in the game and there wasn't a lot else we could do