EdgarAllanPoe

SOURCE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45110282 I this is a big deal in other sports these days. I guess football is next.....

I love Fabregas, I really do. But the guy has zero pace, and is so easily bypassed - it happens all the time. From an attacking stance, he's great, for everything else games pass him by. I think it's time to move on from him, imo.

Just let the guy go at this point. He's a good keeper, but I've not rated him as highly as some. He may have a grudge about being kept so long - in turn I still hold a grudge that his demanding to be a our first choice meant we let Cech go. That's never felt right, imo.

City will have to put that something extra into the CL this time out, and that may be telling. Can't see beyond them to be honest, but yeah, if Liverpool don't make a real go of it this season, then it's never happening under Klopp.

Reports currently are that there is no buy clause on Kovacic. Wasn't it reported RLC was on his way to Crystal Palace for another season?

I hope we play Willian. Reckon Morata is a shoe-in. We've got to justify him being around. Not to mention, the alternatives aren't exactly world shattering. Luiz in a back four? Not for me, but again, a player who i think will get the nod. Will be interesting to see the line up in the first game, it'll be a real indication of what we can expect from Sarri - he's seen what we've seen in the friendly games, so his reaction will be telling.

Safe to say, we're underdogs. Predictor 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Ian Wright Liverpool Man City Man Utd Arsenal Ruud Gullit Liverpool Man City Chelsea Man Utd Martin Keown Liverpool Man City Tottenham Man Utd Dion Dublin Man City Man Utd Liverpool Tottenham Alex Scott Man City Liverpool Man Utd Arsenal Joleon Lescott Man City Liverpool Man Utd Arsenal Mark Lawrenson Man City Liverpool Man Utd Arsenal Matthew Upson Man City Liverpool Man Utd Arsenal Alan Shearer Man City Liverpool Man Utd Tottenham Danny Murphy Man City Liverpool Man Utd Tottenham Pat Nevin Man City Liverpool Man Utd Tottenham Lindsay Johnson Man City Liverpool Man Utd Tottenham Charlie Adam Man City Liverpool Man Utd Tottenham Danny Mills Man City Liverpool Man Utd Chelsea Mark Schwarzer Man City Liverpool Man Utd Chelsea Rachel Brown-Finnis Man City Liverpool Chelsea Tottenham Sue Smith Man City Liverpool Chelsea Tottenham Paul Ince Man City Liverpool Chelsea Man Utd Kevin Kilbane Man City Liverpool Chelsea Man Utd Stephen Warnock Man City Liverpool Chelsea Man Utd Jermaine Jenas Man City Liverpool Tottenham Man Utd Chris Sutton Man City Liverpool Tottenham Man Utd Chris Waddle Man City Liverpool Tottenham Chelsea Leon Osman Man City Liverpool Tottenham Arsenal

It's certainly the bigger problem. It was with us last season too. Even with a greater setr of attacking players, a team like ourselves ought to have a great front man. We don't. Giroud came on tonight, but he wasn't any good at the WC - but lucked out at being in the winning side. His stats were poor. I don't understand why we're not in the market for a top striker. I honestly don't think Giroud of Morata are going to cut it.

With respect, someone voicing a different opinion isn't "whining" or "Moaning" - they'll likely comment on what they see. Tbh, you're the only one moaning as far as I can see. If you don't think we need points out of the first three weeks, I don't know what to say. Chelsea won't be happy if they don't see progress. No-one is saying that the finished product must be there in 3-4 weeks, I don't know why you keep talking absolutes, there are gradations of progress. However, we must show progress - something we're not seeing yet.

Of course. But when you have a new manager, it's also to begin the transformation. I guess we'll know all over the next three to four weeks.

That's true if you take complete seasons into account. I was referring to how we start a season. Of course things will (hopefully) be very different by May. Pre-seaosn is an indication of how we'll perform in the first 5-6 games, bot necessarily over 38. Let's see who we bring in, too.

I acknowledged it would take time. But we've not been playing "at a top level " - we've been in pre-season playing Perth and Lyon, among others. I probably know as much as yourself about what it takes, though we do have a different opinion on the matter. You'd expect some progress. Not the finished product, but some progress. In four games, we've never scored more than once. The first three, if I recall, were goals scored in the first 6 minutes or so, and then nothing afterwards. Tonight we didn't even manage that. There's a new system, but these aren't new players. They're going to have to adjust quickly - the PL is unforgiving. Great managers have a fast impact. Sarri needs to do that too. Roman won't be accepting many excuses. I'm not down on Sarri - at the same time, I have to tell it like it is. Managers don't get time at Chelsea.

I don't think it's a problem with the fanbase - we watch the game week in and week out, and know what we see. It's a new system, yes, but let's not pretend that the players are clueless out there, it's absolutely not "chalk and cheese", it's football. I think sometimes we're inclined, as fans, to over complicate things. At the very least you'd think we'd see some progress over the entire pre-season, which I've not.

Well blimey, that was just sad, imo. Yes, I know it's pre-season and we have a new manager. I know all that. But if you watch pre-season year-in and year-out, you'll know that Pre-season does indeed tell a story. You don't go from playing like we've been, to being Man City as soon as the season starts. We're going to have ups and downs at season start, imo. Others have mentioned the highlights, so I won't repeat them here - I agree with most of the comments. Overall though, I just don't think we looked like we knew what we were doing. No hard press, too static in midfield, and no good runs in the final third. Looked like a lot of square pegs in round holes to me. I know they're getting used to a new system, but it's not rocket science. Also, it's up to Sarri to transition us in an effective way. he'll know we're not up for Sarriball right now, so he needs to find an effective way of getting us there. I'm not seeing it at the moment. I'd of much preferred if we'd stuck with a back three, and then transitioned the mid and strikers first. This was a dull game tonight, really dull. That said, is was no better/worse than the other pre-season games. Long way to go, as I wrote earlier.

Well, how the hell did I stay awake during that? Yikes. We're passing the ball, and keeping possession, with no seeming goal in mind. Tip tap tip tap. Woo hoo! The few times we've gotten to the flanks, we've crossed it along the floor, don't we have anyone who can head it? Christiansen looks the most newrvous at the back, imo. Ampidou look pretty good though. Abraham? Give the guy a chance, he hasn't even come on yet. Has he? If this is the brand of football we've got to look forward to, then it's going to be a long long season.

Boo! Hoo! Think of the children!!!!! :D

All I can say is that Zaha can be good, but too often isn't. This is the very reason some people slate Pedro. As fore Willian - the guy is magic. Conte didn't play him enough. He's someone who needs a bit of freedom, and needs to be in the team week-in week-out. For me, Willian is very much a better player than Zaha, we're talking someone who's a 9/10, against someone who's a 7/10, imo.

Well then, what's the problem? He could sit himself in a private jet if needed. It's not like je's going to go to Madrid and go live with them.

This is at the heart of why I have a problem with him. Just bring his damn family to the UK. How much does he earn every week? He could fly them back and forth on private jets if he wanted. He's a very very highly paid professional footballer - so his career won't be long, but it will be lucrative. So he has to make a sacrifice - big deal. Seriously, he's just whining.

Well - Zaha always gives us a torrid time when in opposition. That said, he's inconsistent. We also don't need Hazard, Pedro, Willian, and Hudson-Odio + Zaha. So you figure one of them will go. Pedro is the obvious one, because he's the oldest, and is also inconsistent. Zaha is a gamble, imo. When he's good, he's very good, when he's bad, he's useless.

It's not last minute on Courtois. We could keep him until January, and sell him then. We're not privvy to everything going on behind the scenes, so let's wait and see. Honestly, he's not a player I could care less about, he's done plenty of moaning since he joined us, and we even got rid of Cech for him. Now I'm reading in some quarters that we should do the "humane thing" because he wants to love to Spain to be near his family. FFS - He's paid 100k a week, and could fly them over here on a private jet every week. It's pathetic, it really is. Not sure there are any exciting replacements though. And with how our defense is playing right now, we could do with Bennetti back. LOL

Exactly. They're not a good watch. In fact, yes we lost today, but putting that aside - it was a poor game. We're just lost at the moment. I know we're missing Hazard and Kante, but we simply can't be so reliant on two people. There was no connection between the midfield and attack. It's been that way all pre-season.

He was awful. Not more awful, just the usual awful. I have no idea what he's supposed to be doing, and neither does he.

Rudiger was the blame for the first goal, but got better as the game went on. Truth is though - no-one at the back looked entirely comfortable with a flat back four.

Well, thought we were terrible. I know this is my first post and all, but let's see what we have shall we? Yes it's pre-season, yes it's a friendly masquerading as a trophy, but it's crazy not to draw some conclusions, the team won't suddenly be a lot better by next weekend. I've watched all the pre0season games thus far, and for those that think pre-season doesn't matter would do well to remember that what you saw today is exactly how we've been performing in those other games. We look flat at the back, there's little to no link up between the middle third and the final third, and Morata is a dud. And yes it's my first post, but I've been watching football enough to know that Sarri has not had any immediate effect on the squad that is meaningful in a positive way. Yes, yes, early days - but you're looking for something. Our back three is now a back four, and we look worse for it. Alonso does not look like he play in a back four. Rudiger and Luiz made a strange partnership. Luiz can't get forward at all, because he's rooted in the four man defense. Morata had scraps, but that doesn't excuse his wastefulness. He may well only get half chances, and we need someone who can score them. We need a striker - BADLY. What was with Sarri's substitutions? Drinkwater? Really? I agree with Fabregas going off, the guy has zero pace, and was being eaten alive. We also tried the "close people down all over the pitch" strategy that City use, but we weren't very good at it. We had no teeth up front, and few ideas. I see others saying Sarri needs 2 to 3 months, and that may be right. On the other hand, in 3 months you can lose a title tilt. We need a whole lot more from this squad. The only, the ONLY good news, is we have Hazard and Kante to come back.