Man City (H) - Post Game Thoughts

[Red Mullet]

Lallana has that quick twist and turn that only works if a defender over commits to try to win the ball. If the defender stands off him he doesn't have much except to pass. He isn't that fast and is easily shrugged off the ball. Bet he isn't going to be half as effective against Burnley.

Doesn't have much? That's nearly as good as saying all Alonso does is pass.

My point is that teams will struggle to contain both Lallana and Coutinho. If one is nullified then we have the other, so the comparison or the bigging up of one over the other is fundamentally pointless since they are on the same team.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Doesn't have much? That's nearly as good as saying all Alonso does is pass.

My point is that teams will struggle to contain both Lallana and Coutinho. If one is nullified then we have the other, so the comparison or the bigging up of one over the other is fundamentally pointless since they are on the same team.

And they're so different as well.

Coutinho flits above and around the box, probing for gaps, picking off players and playing incisive passes. If the opponents were ever able to close down all the runners around him, he'd have less influence on the game - which is why adding the shooting touch is important. Lallana, on the other hand, regularly wants to take the ball and drive with it into the final third / the box with it, and then either pick out a player when defenders cluster around him, or try to shimmy his way into an opening and take a stiff shot (he's got good shooting skill by the way, pity he put the wrong boots on against City). He gets more devastating the closer he gets to - and then inside - the box, while Coutinho is devastating anywhere from the middle circle to the box.

Put them in the same team and you have a wonderful pairing.

 

[Red Mullet]

And they're so different as well.

Coutinho flits above and around the box, probing for gaps, picking off players and playing incisive passes. If the opponents were ever able to close down all the runners around him, he'd have less influence on the game - which is why adding the shooting touch is important. Lallana, on the other hand, regularly wants to take the ball and drive with it into the final third / the box with it, and then either pick out a player when defenders cluster around him, or try to shimmy his way into an opening and take a stiff shot (he's got good shooting skill by the way, pity he put the wrong boots on against City). He gets more devastating the closer he gets to - and then inside - the box, while Coutinho is devastating anywhere from the middle circle to the box.

Put them in the same team and you have a wonderful pairing.

Exactly!

With a fully functional and fit Studge we have a deadly target man for the opposition to worry about and then add Sterling, Ibe and Lazar to the mix and it's a very potent attack force.

 

[Red Mullet]

We just need that defensive coach 🙂

 

[KopRed]

Exactly!

With a fully functional and fit Studge we have a deadly target man for the opposition to worry about and then add Sterling, Ibe and Lazar to the mix and it's a very potent attack force.

I think you are getting slightly ahead of yourself here. Not too long ago Lallana was terrible in a couple of matches. He had more bad games than good. If i remember the stats correctly, 4 of our last 5 goals came from outside of the box. They are all great strikes which doesn't happen everyday. We are not a potent attacking force until Sturridge turns up regularly or we go buy a Costa or a Suarez.

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, pretty much what everyone else said.

Haven't seen the MOTM thread but if you didn't have Allen, Coutinho, Lallana in your top 3 then you were watching a different game from me.

Coutinho top of that pile too. Simply devastating. Thought he looked tired against Southampton from the run of consecutive games, and you could see how fresh he looked after the break on Sunday. He was a step ahead of anyone else on the ground. That good. Just looked like everyone else was trying to catch up with him the whole way through - even our own players.

Delighted for Joe Allen too. Thought City were purposely allowing him and Lovren to have the ball, whilst simultaneously not giving the likes of Can any space or time. And it backfired. Able to pass forward and into space all day because he was free to do so, and because the movement of those 3 in front of him was that good.

Mignolet's still a huge concern for me. That one he didn't come for when Aguero hit the post. Fuck me. Has anyone got a gif? Not only did he not come but he also fell back on his arse when trying to save it. Move forward at the shot you gimp. Disastrous goalkeeping.

Anyway, imperious display for the most part. And I got to sit and watch it with my 4 day old on my lap.

Good times.

 

[rurikbird]

Congrats on your baby, Ryan!

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Lallana vs City. That sequence around the 2:26 mark is a joy to watch. It's what City does so well themselves.

It starts with Can curling a sweet long feeder ball to Lallana out wide, who draws a defender, tries to turn in but is turned back. He then gives the ball to Markovic. A bit of the footage is cut off, but we resume at almost the same situation, with the ball at Markovic's feet. By now, City had moved more players to the side. What was first one-on-one had grown into two-on-three.

Markovic tries to go inwards, but draws a cluster of defenders, so he kicks it back out to Lallana, who then feeds it back to Markovic going deep into the box heading to the byeline. His path towards goal is cut out, and he draws a cluster of defenders again, so he drags back and moves the ball back out to Lallana. By now, City has overloaded this side of the pitch with 5 blue shirts just to defend our two guys.

Lallana re-assesses the situation and gives it to Henderson infield, who takes two touches and shifts it to Coutinho, who then drives convincingly with the ball heading into the box, draws 3 defenders, and boom - Lallana is now open to receive the outward pass and feed a delicious ball from the corner of the box into the middle. Sterling failed to convert, but that was a wonderful sequence leading to the opportunity - lots of patience, probing and yet, the threat was always there despite us dragging and circling a bit.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Plain Joe vs Man City. He needs to stop getting injured when he hits form.

 

[Frogfish]

Lallana has that quick twist and turn that only works if a defender over commits to try to win the ball. If the defender stands off him he doesn't have much except to pass. He isn't that fast and is easily shrugged off the ball. Bet he isn't going to be half as effective against Burnley.

I would expect him to be just as effective against Burnley because that is type of player you need when closely marked and there is a lack of space in the final third .. players who can go past defenders and create their own space. That is players like Ibe / Lallana / Coutinho / Sterling & Markovic to a T.