[Ekeke]

Can't get the ball

 

[RedTiger]

Its a bit of a weird issue with you guys. Your players are massive in comparison to City but they never ever physically dominate us. Maguire from corners was the only time you seemed too physical. You have Pogba, McT, Lindelof, Maguire, AWB, Rashford etc.. all big strong lads but they never tend to push the Cancelo's etc.. around.

That said I wouldn't worry too much if I were you guys. First half you sat in and looked for counters, while we played triangles and looked toothless. It was on Shaw losing Stones on a set piece the game was won. Soon as you had to come out and play we sat in and the job was done. Had you scored first, it'd be City looking toothless while you could sit in and win on the break. Poor game by two conservative teams that the first goal was always gonna win.

Sensible post.

 

[just4fun]

Tired of him serving up lutefisk when we could've had Argentinian barbeque

Lutefisk is great. You know that :-D

 

[Inigo Montoya]

I know if I talk now about Ole, thousands will just mouth bile at me, but feck it. There you can see the difference between a top manager and a non top manager. It does not matter how long he will manage us, he will never ever be as good as Pep. Even the time we won against them, they played better, in the end the quality of the manager will come good. How bad in-game management you have to do to feck it like tonight?

The feck did they! The win at the Etihad last season we outclassed them. At least talk some sense

 

[Judas]

Bringing VDB on that late on was horrible management, I will say that. Just leave him on the bench at that point, almost seemed disrespectful to him. Just daft stuff and adds to the narrative.

 

[Amadaeus]

Both side Centerback puts on good display. However, Stones and Diaz put on a masterclass today.

This game just shows how much Ole still has to learn. He may have a great team, but a great team without a great manager will always fall short unless some miracle happens.

 

[Schneiderman]

Mourinho will win this anyway, so not too fussed.

I agree with Keane, disappointing to concede from two set pieces but otherwise not much to complain about. Lost to a better team on the night, but could have gone either way.

 

[r0663664]

Ole has high hopes pre-match and let's see what he got to say. It is okay to lose, it is the manner on how we lose. It was a pathetic 2nd half and our manager didn't change anything going behind. City was so comfortable after going in front. Our captain, our manager and team weren't up to it. Bruno was way off, Martial was completely useless, Rushford was invisible, Maguire an uninspiring captain, relax and chill manager. Where is the fighting spirit?

 

[Hughie77]

We lost. Some are over the top, blaming this one that one. SAF lost games as well. League cup final he lost not semis. It happens. Move on to next game. Then next one after that which is more important than this one. I'm watching a upward curve not a backward one.

 

[charlenefan]

Thanks for saving Fernandinho for us Pep

He's still the best CM they have and yet Pep never seems to play him

Dias was insane for them, remember people who saw him for Benfica said he weren't all that

 

[Dominos]

Watching the game with a City fan and funnily we both couldn't believe the amount of times City lost the ball in easy possession and messed up promising attacks with horrible touch/passing - this didn't look like a great City team in the slightest. And yet, they were still miles the better team. Like not even close.

Why the feck wouldn't we make a sub until the 75th minute? And then the 2nd sub 88th minute. And he had 5 subs to use in the game also. Baffling.

 

[VorZakone]

Why tf are you even here?

He's not serious.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Fine fecking margins.

I don't think there was much in it.

The fact that we conceded from a set piece was infuriating, especially in such a tight game. Before that, apart from the De Bruyne chance, they didn't really create anything of note.

For us, we just weren't on it in the final third. In big games like this, you need your most productive players to step up and unfortunately we didn't have that. Bruno was very erratic, Rashford wasnt involved enough and Martial, despite his good hold up play at times, wasnt much of a threat.

Another semi final loss is hard to take but it is what it is.

Hopefully this won't take too much out of us and we can go again against Watford on Saturday.

 

[Artorias]

Ole needs to learn from his memory.

He played with 4 strikers ffs.
When it didn't work for Cole and Yorke, Fergie would change them for Teddy and Ole.

And he didn't wait until the 80' to do it too.

You could see Rashford and Martial weren't up for it. Constantly in offside positions or just plain wank (Tony).

Change them ffs.

Also, we need a new CF. Now!!

I really don't understand Ole. Like you said, he was playing all-attack football in his days, so why he's so conservative now?

 

[horsechoker]

Lutefisk is great. You know that :-D

The players have had enough too, Pogba just wants some spaghetti bolognese, now wonder he's looking to go back to Juventus.

 

[yamo123x]

Beaten by the better side.

The greenwood sub changed the game, we were having a dominant spell and it upset the flow big time, poor by Ole.

Need to play rashford centrally not Martial as he lacks movement.

Not too far away and if we add Grealish and a new right back in the summer we will see yet more improvements.

Maguire and shaw were good

 

[sullydnl]

Meh. I'll be a lot more disappointed if we lose to Burnley in the league than City in the league cup.

Better team won. It happens.

 

[ash_86]

Can't believe Cavani wasn't playing because of a stupid Instagram post. We looks toothless with Martial upfront.

 

[The Irish Connection]

City well deserved. But we need to stop shoehorning Pogba into the left

Yep, signing a good right winger would have fixed that but anyway. Thought van de Beek should have come on sooner. Disappointing but hopefully we can beat them in the league.

 

[wolvored]

Bar McT I don’t think anyone played that poorly and we were decent. Simply got out done by pep tactically. Pulled players all over the shop creating spaces for others.

I do think that is now the 3rd goal we’ve conceded because Harry keeps letting them run across the box instead of dealing with the ball.

Dias was fecking immense for them. Probably between Fred and Shaw for our best player.

Forgot about Martial? Bruno was way off pace as well.

 

[Rustyspider13]

A loss against an inform City isn't the end of the world, but the manner of the goals conceded makes it very disappointing. I thought it'd be a 1-0 win to either side and when the first goal went in, it effectively sealed it. City has focused a lot on their defense and Dias has been a great buy so far. We need to do the same and sort out the defense, particularly on setpieces.

The match itself tells us nothing new unfortunately. When Fernandes doesn't perform we don't score, defense is still prone to individual mistakes and McT-Fred can't play through top midfields. We're still a few players away from being a top side.

The team needs to pick itself up quickly for the league. I don't want to see Rashford or Fernandes anywhere near Watford. Rest AWB and Maguire too while we're at it. We've got a good squad, but it doesn't come close to the likes of City. Give the team a breather and then get them firing for the two massive league games.

 

[meamth]

How the feck is that even outclassed????

I'm confused by the observations here.

 

[MrSingh2002]

Bringing VDB on that late on was horrible management, I will say that. Just leave him on the bench at that point, almost seemed disrespectful to him. Just daft stuff and adds to the narrative.

He's an idiot with the late changes. Poor fecking VdB needs a #freedonny trending. I want him to leave and play in the Champions League again for his own sanity. We get a technically brilliant player and he can't buy a fecking start. Even though he started every previous round and won.

Poor guy doesn't deserve the treatment he's received.

 

[just4fun]

Both side Centerback puts on good display. However, Stones and Diaz put on a masterclass today.

This game just shows how much Ole still has to learn. He may have a great team, but a great team without a great manager will always fall short unless some miracle happens.

Miracles have sure happened a lot recently.

 

[simplyared]

Won't be losing any sleep over that. We've played worse and won games. People forgetting the opposition. City as they are playing now are on a different level.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

So, in five home games against Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, and City, we drew two and lost three, scoring a single goal - from a penalty - in the process.

Thankfully, this was only the League Cup so by and large I don't give a feck but anyone who still believes we are somehow title contenders is having a laugh. Also, Bruno shouldn't even be in the squad against Watford. He looked every bit a player exhausted by carrying a team on his back for months.

Yep. We look so tired. Could've done with the 7 days off that City got!

 

[Julz10]

Seriously pisses me off how good pep coaches the likes of a Btec goalkeeper, zincenko , stones , sterling to look like world beaters.

 

[Judas]

People can say Martial didn't get much service, but I seem to remember Rashford getting plenty but just being offside. Martial just doesn't make the runs, doesn't have the movement, isn't good enough to lead the line for us full stop. He was shite tonight.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Forgot about Martial? Bruno was way off pace as well.

Don’t think they were really that bad. Had moments where they should have done better but they weren’t bad. Some of the best bits of play came through those 2.

 

[Gazza]

Some of you are so weird. If we played the limp ball-recycling that City did today everyone would be up in arms - KBD had a flash of brilliance in the first half and hit the post, apart from that what did they create? We had the better chances in the first 60 mins, and there was no need to change the players/system.

They scored a poor goal from a set piece, and only when we opened up did they start to get chances. I actually find their football dire, if Bruno managed to connect one of the 3 or 4 final balls he should have done we'd have been cruising.

Tough to take, but it was a very close game and 0-2 doesn't do it justice imo. We nullified them up until we went 4-0-6...

2-0 was fair. Like you said, we were just containing them, up until the point that we weren't. At which point, City took control completely.

 

[stu_1992]

I think it is motivation as much as tactical. Pep can motivate his team better than Ole can motivate us.

Getting inside players heads is huge. Ferguson said he used read Vince Lombardi a lot, who spoke about how the best managers get inside players heads.

Yeah it seems that way. To be fair Pep is a serial winner as are some of his squad. Ole hasn't seemed to figure out the right approach to get us through that mental barrier yet. Although that's not to say he will. Shame though, would have been a big sign of progress from last year had we progressed.

 

[Borys]

Well beaten in the end by a team that didnt have a striker on the pitch...

In the grand scheme of things, whilst it would have been nice to get to a final and potentially win some silverwear, this was the least important competition that we are in out of the 4.

More worryingly for me is the fact our manager doesnt make any subsitutions at all, even when it is painfully obvious the gameplan isnt working. And when he does, he gives the poor sod that comes on less than 5 minutes to try and do anything. If he carries on like this and keeps playing more or less the same 11 twice every week we are going to drop off a cliff at some point in the not too distant future.

Hopefully this pretty bad performance and result won't impact the league form.

Beaten by goals from CB and DM.

 

[spiriticon]

Still a bit short of matching City on their good day aren't we?

Must keep improving.

 

[Dosse]

We lost to a better team. as some, not that bothered! Full steam in the league!

 

[Heardy]

Beaten by goals from CB and DM.

Who hadn’t scored in over 3 years and 2 years respectively.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Well, new semifinal defeat. City were little better. More direct in the play. I didn't think we did to bad. Two setpieces that caught us.

Martial and Rashford were bad. Rashford needs to learn to take it easy sometime when he runs. Martial, shocking. It wasn't pretty him doing a Salah/Sane either.

Maguire brilliant. So was Fred. Pogba on the plus side.

Hello VAR? 2 handballs but nothing given.

Yeah, I was sure Stones handballed it in the first half but didn’t even see a replay.

 

[Ramshock]

the ole out plastics living it up tonight....cnuts

 

[tjb]

Our combination play, defence and even counters have improved exponentially, which could partially be seen today. However, what seperates Liverpool and City from us, the reason they can put consistent pressure on teams and we can't is their midfield.

In possesion:

Even in Liverpool's loss on Monday, they were able to move the ball out of defensive zones in one touch, due to positioning and the ability to make the quick pass. Unlike us, where our CM's position themselves away from possession and don't have the composure to move the ball in one touch, Thiago and Wijnaldum were constantly able to do this ( Fabinho and Henderson can too). I didn't even bother mentioning City, because Fernandinho is world class at this. It has nothing to do with Lindelof or Maguire; Fred, Mctominay, Pogba and Matic all struggle with getting the ball out of their feet quickly, forcing us to build up play slowly despite the quick movements of our attackers.

Out of Possession:

I've seen this consistently in our last 4 games, we have not won and kept in midfield. Mctominay and Fred have been terrible at holding or even hassling defenders, and that has led to us consistently having to move the entire team back to defend, which makes our attacks more cautious than they should be. We have been relying on our forwards, full backs and centre backs to pressure teams off the ball, but in midfield teams can bypass us with a quick combination play. Mctominay is particularly at fault here. What makes matters worse is even when we do win possession, we can't rely on our midfielders to have the first touch or composure to recycle possession. It is the one true weak area in our team and we need to fix it sooner rather than later.

 

[Coops73]

They didn't create anything from open play and scored through a couple of set pieces.

Couldn’t agree more, they edged it for sure but I didn’t think we played that bad and with a better striker than Martial, who frustrates the feck out of me, we’re not that far off.

Once again I found Oles reaction and substitutions frustrating and DVB coming on in the last couple of minutes is just weird and pointless.

Hope we pick ourselves up and smash Watford and Burnley.

 

[Forevergiggs1]

Tired of him serving up lutefisk when we could've had Argentinian barbeque

You need a pretty big net to catch lutefisk. Looks like you rounded up a few in here as well