dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Champions League was fun while it lasted I guess. Maybe next year we won't get an insanely hard draw.
Dire wasn't it. Perhaps that explains why Dzeko has spent most of the evening on the left wing. I can't think of any other reason.Just turned it in to watch City break down the left, and Clichy puts an inch perfect cross onto the head of the steward. WAG.
I might be being a bit harsh on City here, they are playing high quality oppo after all, but on all the occasions I have watched them over the last year or so it's struck me that they really are a team that is dependent on a handful of individuals (as an Arsenal supporter I obviously can't really bag on them too much for this but...). Apart from Yaya, Aguero and Silva their entire team is basically made up of players that are serviceable but do not really have any x-factor, if you'll pardon that rather trite expression. I like Zabaleta a lot too tbf, but Nasri is just the ultimate Cinderella player, Clichy is absolutely terrible (anyone just see that cross he just attempted?), Kompany is seriously suspect, Dzeko is nothing special, Fernando is crap, everyone knows what Milner is about etc... Every time I watch them their tactics basically seem to be either 1) give the ball to Aguero/Yaya and they will do something good; or 2) give the ball to Silva and he will do something amazing/give it to Aguero/Yaya.
The narrative that is trotted out frequently is that City don't have the CL experience to get the job done at this level, but I just don't buy it. To me it seems a more plausible explanation is that their team is primarily made up of players who aren't crap, but are pretty middle of the road for the most part, and just aren't good enough to get it done against top oppo. Arsenal in disguise, in other words.
**** the penalty let's discuss the open goal he missed on the reboundMessi, as good as he is, isn't a very good penalty taker. His long term record is really average. It annoys me a bit how whenever he scored a poorly taken penalty simply by virtue of the keeper diving the wrong way people dress it up as how Messi somehow waited for the keeper to go the other way when in reality he has never done anything of the sort.
No right foot etc...**** the penalty let's discuss the open goal he missed on the rebound
Chris Waddle on Radio 5 said:"Before the game, Nasri had refused to compare himself to Andres Iniesta and he was right. Tonight, he was more like a Ford Fiesta.".