I'm not going to disagree with you, but I'm not sure I agree either. I think we may be 1 or 2 players short, be it back up players or a striker who'll just score goals for us. I think in the central defence we are a bit soft, and light in numbers which isn't good obviously. Whilst up front Zlatan will score goals, but will he score the big goals like when we needed them late in the game, in years gone by we had players whom the manager trusted and we trusted to do that, I just don't get that feeling from him. I don't get that sort of feeling that either Martial or Rashford are that type of player either. I know they've done it last season, but say someone like Ole, Cole, even RVP, you expected that with one chance in the last minute would win it for us.

Saying that and as for this years title, we need to go on a run, this team still seems mentally fragile, a run of wins will generate confidence, will bring some of those players not playing well, closer to playing like they can do. Jose normally builds teams that go on long runs through out a season, if he we can achieve that then we could be there or there about at the end of the season.

That cheered me up somewhat but still frustrating that we didn't take maximum advantage of their defeat.

city losing is a bad thing for you guys? top 4 is gonna be highly contested again and you cant risk losing out again?

I am glad that as I wished for pre-match the hype merchant got defeated at Spurs, but it does take a bit of the satisfaction away, simply because we messed up royally by not winning our game, as we most certainly should have done, we certainly had enough chances to have done so.

It is still very early days, and only a five point gap to City, but we really cannot afford to many more silly dropped points games.

Starting with Liverpool away, in our next match, we really need to go on a winning run of five or six games, to really get back into things on a serious basis.

It's a huge game for you next time for me already Liverpool, yourselves and Chelsea are fighting over one champions league spot

To be fair, no matter the occasion, it is always a huge game, and a game neither side at to get beat in, and one where both sides want and need to win.

I wouldn't say that we are at the stage just yet of fighting over a single spot for next season's Champions League (we could still get in by winning the Europa League), as there are still plenty more games to come, and the points gap, is not all that big, so things can still change, but for us to have a good chance of achieving anything this season, certainly we need to go a good winning run at some point, and what better game in which to start off that run, then by winning at Anfield?!

oh bats you do let yourself down

hype merchant

There has been a lot written and said about City this season, which I do think has been way over the top.
That is where the hype tag has come from in my mind, yes they have done well to get the amount of points that they have got so far, but it is not as if this is the first time that someone has started the season off well, Chelsea have done so previously on a few occasions in recent times for example.

I am not getting my hopes up, but I do hope now that City have lost, there might be a tiny bit more fair coverage of them and Pep (who is not the messiah type figure that he is sometimes portrayed as being).

I suppose after De Gea's cock-up yesterday we'll be spared your over-the-top hyping of him too, that we saw in the neutrals' thread recently?

pep has won alot of trophies with barca and bayern, playing great footy along the way. hes now started off great at city. there is no unjustified hype

De Gea has more than earned himself a wee little leeway in terms of errors etc, he has saved us many potential points over the seasons that he has been with us.


Of course he has won a lot at his previous clubs, and well done to him and his staff for those achievements, all highly impressive stuff, but let's just wait and see how well he does this season as a whole before proclaiming him as if he has changed the face of football over here with his tactics and whatnot, that is all that I am saying.
He has had a good start to the season, just like a fair few other teams in previous years have done, if they win the league (still an if), then he will deserve praise and plaudits galore.

he has changed the face of football as a sport already, let alone over "here"

I hope you aren't being serious with that comment. Guardiola's a very good manager who's managed some top teams, has got them playing attractive football and has done well at them. But he hasn't 'changed the face of football'!

Please explain how he has done as you claim he has??

There have been teams playing similar styles that he likes to employ before he was even born, let alone in his time as a manager, so his tactics are not exactly new ones.

I am just curious as to why you think like you do, regarding him.

tiki taka is gonna be remembered as much as catenaccio and total football tactics wise. whilst he will have borrowed and built on ideas before him there is no doubt guardiola is gonna be remembered for his services to football as a manager.

also the fact he has 3 different teams playing same way is a testament to his coaching too imo

Absolutely delighted to announce that Ander Herrera has just earned his first senior cap for Spain. Fine reward, for a fine player easily one of our best so far this season

That is great news, just a shame that Mata has not got called up as well, as both him and Herrera have been playing very well for us so far this season.

Mata is in one of his spells, but till the Leicester game he'd been poor, and so it's no shock he's not been called up.

The big shock is the recall of Memphis to the Dutch squad.

The Dutch are rubbish at the moment, so as surprising as it is that Memphis has been called up, there does seem to be a bit of a talent vacuum for them, so in a small way, it is understandable that he has been.

Speaking of Memphis....

“The training sessions are going well, I’m sharp and fit. But that applies to everyone. The level has become higher. Jose Mourinho is a top coach

“The feeling is different. Mourinho has expressed its confidence in me. Personally, but also in the press.”

“I’d rather not talk about last season. That happened – about what I could have done better, it is clear – I should have played better.

“I am the same person and I know what I want. A supporting role is not for me. I’m not a player who is happy with the fact that he is under contract with Manchester United. This is my dream club, but I want to play.

“I feel like a loaded gun but I have to wait for my chance in the first team. I am at my dream club and I want to fight for my place.”

Sadly not everyone can play, there will always be people like him and Young just on the periphery of the first team, once he gets a chance, he just has to take it, otherwise this exclusion will continue.

The Times claim that they've 'learnt' that Mourinho and the staff feel that Martial's split from his missus is affecting his form.

Fingers crossed that his blooter at the weekend will have given him a bit of a lift.

We forget at times that they have emotions and things off of the pitch will of course affect them on the pitch, so hopefully he has sorted that side of things out, and that he is in a much better place mentally.

As a mentally happy Martial is a huge assest to have.

His travails can hardly be a shock to anyone, knowing he has such a crappy attitude. He will never be the star he clearly wants to be (and apparently already thinks he is) until he learns to be an effective team player. And that won't happen until he embraces the idea of actually serving ("supporting") the team, rather than expecting the team/club to serve him.

It would be nice to imagine he might think a little more about providing one, just one accurate pass the next time he plays, before he thinks of his next Ferrari or Bentley. It really would be nice. But I fear he might be off-loaded before he gets it, before he understands what is actually required of him.

Oh well...

I think that's incredibly harsh.

I read it as a player who's desperate to play, and he even says that he'll 'fight for his place'. I'd see him as having a 'crappy attitude' if he was seemingly happy to sit on the bench, and pick up his money.