Match Threads Man City vs Spurs - Match Thread

worcestersauce · Aug 18, 2019

I didn't pass an opinion on the var controversy before as I hadn't actually seen it but had got the impression that the ball had brushed a stationary Laporte on its way to Jesus but having seen it that wasn't the case at all. Laporte was moving forward leaning forward in an attempt to make contact with the ball with his arm slightly in front of him and he did make contact with the ball.
I don't know that he intentionally handballed it but he was in that position intentionally.
As for it brushing his arm that wasn't the case, his arm struck the ball with enough force to prevent it continuing it's course to the edge of the box and directed it to Jesus.
I appreciate that it was missed by the officials and would have been a goal in previous years and it's a shame for City but I genuinely don't see how anyone can say it wasn't handball. On MotD last night they were adament that it wouldn't have been given if it had hit the defender's arm but I am pretty sure they would have shown it again a few times and argued it was a penalty but City would have appealed for it anyway and var would have given it. All in all a lot of bluster about this but ultimately var got it right.

spursville · Aug 18, 2019

Mattspurs1982 said:
As much as I think Dier has gone downhill massively, you cannot dent the importance of this “role” in the 1st XI. Look at Fernandinho for City, we’re a bit too open and cavalier in MF with Winks, Sissoko and Ndombele. Maybe Dier has a place in there just to sit and keep it simple (if only he could regain his form and fitness from 2 years ago!)

Do we think Poch was happy with our DM options going into the transfer window or he had/has no intention of using a proper one but relying on a combination of Sissoko/Winks/NDombele to fit the formations(s)? Jorginho got found out and targeted by other teams at Chelsea. The same could happen to Winks. Many of us spent last season bemoaning our lack of control in CM. Unless Skipp, Dier or Wanyama massively step up we could be in huge trouble. If NDombele ends up at DM that would be a waste.

Kiedis · Aug 18, 2019

One of those games where you take the points and run. We'll get a whole lot better as the season goes on. City wont drop many points at the Etihad, that's for sure.

edgey · Aug 18, 2019

worcestersauce said:
I didn't pass an opinion on the var controversy before as I hadn't actually seen it but had got the impression that the ball had brushed a stationary Laporte on its way to Jesus but having seen it that wasn't the case at all. Laporte was moving forward leaning forward in an attempt to make contact with the ball with his arm slightly in front of him and he did make contact with the ball.
I don't know that he intentionally handballed it but he was in that position intentionally.
As for it brushing his arm that wasn't the case, his arm struck the ball with enough force to prevent it continuing it's course to the edge of the box and directed it to Jesus.
I appreciate that it was missed by the officials and would have been a goal in previous years and it's a shame for City but I genuinely don't see how anyone can say it wasn't handball. On MotD last night they were adament that it wouldn't have been given if it had hit the defender's arm but I am pretty sure they would have shown it again a few times and argued it was a penalty but City would have appealed for it anyway and var would have given it. All in all a lot of bluster about this but ultimately var got it right.

It was the correct decision, but on the receiving end of it will always feel harsh I think... It's the tiniest of margins, like the Sterling offside goal last week.
Overall I'm not personally keen on how VAR is implemented and how it kills these big moments at the end of a game... Yes we were the benefitters this time, but this will be us soon scoring last minute and it being disallowed because Dier was seen swearing during the build up or something ridiculous... When it happens we'll all be spitting feathers. I think it's more down to the new Handball laws, rather than VAR itself, but still takes too long to make these decisions.
It's great when it's in our favour, although I do feel it was a point robbed more than earned. We hung on for 90mins, had a lot of luck, Hugo made some cracking saves and the defence also made some good interceptions, but overall we were dominated for 90mins and were extremely lucky to get a point. Another day that would've been 5-2

fletch82 · Aug 18, 2019

I have not read the match thread but have a question
Did we see var level out the mistakes today ?
Did not give pen to city (lamela)
Even out with aguero goal looking glaringly offside and everyone pretending they couldn't see it ?

Or do I not understand offside and need very strong glasses ?

Sorry if this has been done to death.

wadewill · Aug 18, 2019

Aguero was behind the ball when it was played

shelfboy68 · Aug 18, 2019

Kiedis said:
One of those games where you take the points and run. We'll get a whole lot better as the season goes on. City wont drop many points at the Etihad, that's for sure.

It was mentioned yesterday I one of the commentaries that in city's last 15 home games they have conceded only 8 goals 5 of them to us.
Quite strange when you consider how open and pedestrian our play is compared to theirs quite remarkable.

Monkey boy · Aug 18, 2019

Houdini said:
74% possession to city and 30 shots at goal.
26% possession to us and 3 shots at goal.

*BBC Sport.

Match of the day had the possession stats as 54 - 44.

Gb160 · Aug 18, 2019

Shadydan said:
Long hard season to come, take the point and run, it's a massive positive for us and that point could probably prove decisive at the end of the season.

Exactly, very few teams will come back from the Etihad this season with anything, including the top six.
Sometimes you just have to look past the performance...although that seems impossible for some, which really makes you wonder how they coped with the 90s and early 00s.

Seafordian Spurs · Aug 18, 2019

It's been said before on here but it's worth repeating.

Yes, we rode our luck.

But for all City's aesthetic, Cruyffian beauty, they only scored two goals. Just like us.

So fuck 'em.

Gb160 · Aug 18, 2019

Archibald&Crooks said:
I saw a stat saying this was the first time City had failed to take all three points from a game since January.

Fucking January

Yeah I think it was 14 or 15 straight wins in the league...then we go there and shithouse a point.
Beautiful.

buckley · Aug 18, 2019

Var is the best thing to happen to football and the rules were clear namely " a goal will be ruled out if handball was involved whether accidental or on purpose " to me this is crystal clear but having been on the good result of var I will be able to accept when it goes against us swings and roundabouts . I can think of many games in particular against Man Unt and Chelsea and Arsenal where if var was in operation in past games our record would be much better against those teams . I can see those three clubs being the main anti var teams as it stops them getting results they do not deserve as has happened countless times and the real blatant ones like the handball goal in the Burnley V Arsenal last year . That goal at Man Unt that nearly hit the back of the net that was ruled "no goal". The Chelsea game at Wembley when Gomez clawed the ball back from going over the line but was ruled a goal by a referee on the half way line. Of course there are many more goals that should and should not be given for all clubs but overall it will lead to a more level playing field as history tells me Refs tend to favour certain clubs over other clubs.
My fear is that pressure from the likes of City and Chelsea etc because they are not getting their usual rub of the green will lead to var been abandoned.

luRRka · Aug 18, 2019

Monkey boy said:
Match of the day had the possession stats as 54 - 44.

Who had the other 2%?

But yeah it was much more like this percent possession, even though the majority was in our half

Monkey boy · Aug 18, 2019

luRRka said:
Who had the other 2%?

But yeah it was much more like this percent possession, even though the majority was in our half

VAR

luRRka · Aug 18, 2019

edgey said:
It was the correct decision, but on the receiving end of it will always feel harsh I think... It's the tiniest of margins, like the Sterling offside goal last week.
Overall I'm not personally keen on how VAR is implemented and how it kills these big moments at the end of a game... Yes we were the benefitters this time, but this will be us soon scoring last minute and it being disallowed because Dier was seen swearing during the build up or something ridiculous... When it happens we'll all be spitting feathers. I think it's more down to the new Handball laws, rather than VAR itself, but still takes too long to make these decisions.
It's great when it's in our favour, although I do feel it was a point robbed more than earned. We hung on for 90mins, had a lot of luck, Hugo made some cracking saves and the defence also made some good interceptions, but overall we were dominated for 90mins and were extremely lucky to get a point. Another day that would've been 5-2

I think with the new handball rule it will make it easier to take. Theres no other way to interpret it, theres no way if it was against us we can argue whether he intentionally handled etc. It hit an arm in the build up its disallowed. I think for me personally I would see that happen and be ok with it.

If it's open to interpretation, i would find a way to argue against the bullshit decision.

Nocando · Aug 18, 2019

Seafordian Spurs said:
It's been said before on here but it's worth repeating.

Yes, we rode our luck.

But for all City's aesthetic, Cruyffian beauty, they only scored two goals. Just like us.

So fuck 'em.

I totally understand how everyone are saying similar things but personally im still a little bit disappointed.

We didn't just ride our luck, we were super lucky and got out of jail. I don't know why we didn't play more direct like we did against City last season with Llorente, when it was so effective. Watching us try (and fail) to pass the ball out of defence, with each player providing a hospital pass with players facing the wrong way is just horrible to see. Im a massive advocate of the Poch style and our passing game but just feel we need to adapt our tactics for the likes of city and pool. Otherwise we won't win anything. They totally anhiliate our game plan make us look fragile. Its only the fact we have some real quality that we can get out of these situations but i don't think its a sustainable tactic for success.

Sorry.

walworthyid · Aug 18, 2019

I think that we are looking st the "painful" changes that poch alluded to. Sometimes your team plays a certain way as a result of the players and not the shape/tactics etc. As we all know, we went from a team with elite attacking full backs and a freak cm in dembele. It meant that we could retain the ball and be solid in midfield but offer a threat with width. Our whole game was built around it. We no longer have that and poch is trying to evolve us into something different. The creativity is coming from wider forward players and runners through the middle. He also wants to integrate lo celso to be a lock picker in more central areas.

We are missing 2 hugely influential players in son and Alli, and we are also waiting for ndombele and lo celso to settle in.

Those are huge changes.

City can attract, and afford to buy, like for like players so that pep doesn't have to change the way that they play. Hence they are way more settled than us at this early stage.

We always start slowly, this year even more so, but I have faith that it will come good and that we will once again be a machine come the autumn. Let us not forget, we were above the mighty city at Christmas, we put them out of the cl, beat them at home, should have beaten them away, scored against them consistently, and took another point from the yesterday.

The gap isnt as big as it might seem!

worcestersauce · Aug 18, 2019

wadewill said:
Aguero was behind the ball when it was played

But almost a yard offside when the ball was played through to deBruyne who passed to Aguero to score, the rule may well be that deBruyne kicking it meant it was a different phase of play but if so that would be because of the offside rule changes. You see what I did there

. The Lamela penalty could have been given but the referee I'm sure felt it was six of one half a dozen of the other which is fair enough, we've had enough of them denied because of that.

Seafordian Spurs · Aug 18, 2019

Nocando said:
I totally understand how everyone are saying similar things but personally im still a little bit disappointed.

We didn't just ride our luck, we were super lucky and got out of jail. I don't know why we didn't play more direct like we did against City last season with Llorente, when it was so effective. Watching us try (and fail) to pass the ball out of defence, with each player providing a hospital pass with players facing the wrong way is just horrible to see. Im a massive advocate of the Poch style and our passing game but just feel we need to adapt our tactics for the likes of city and pool. Otherwise we won't win anything. They totally anhiliate our game plan make us look fragile. Its only the fact we have some real quality that we can get out of these situations but i don't think its a sustainable tactic for success.

Sorry.

Agree to an extent.

We're simply not the Spurs of recent history though. Too many key players missing yesterday and disconcerting situation with the Great Danes contract
... New guys being integrated.

City are so far ahead of us even in terms of being settled.

I doubt (can only hope!) we won't play like that on the return fixture.

Fredo · Aug 18, 2019

Lucas has been our most consistent players in ages he needs to start every game

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