What do you think of Man City and the CL

If put under pressure I think their defence is suspect.There is no doubt that from middle to front they are a top side.Champions League winners I don't think so.
 
Are they still a bit beige? I find it hard to get worked up either way, and yet they are probably among the top five favourites for the trophy.

Last night folk I know weren't watching them....most had PSG game, and a select few (!) had Atletico v Juve.

When I asked a few folk about the chances of them being hot tips they were pretty indifferent...

Yet they have great manager and players so why wouldn't neutrals get excited? Is it the cash, and the 'plan' that seems so ruthless and joyless? When or if they win a trophy they've spent billions chasing is it really a surprise or of much interest?

What say you?
They are around 3/1 to 100/30 clear favourites
 
They have been the best team in Europe for at least two seasons now but you need a lot of luck to win a cup competition. They simply havebnn't had any luck in the crunch games the last couple of seasons.

I don't fancy them to win it this season with Kompany away and Laporte injured but you never know, maybe this will be the season it all comes together as Laporte will be back for the knockout stages anyway.
 
Are they still a bit beige? I find it hard to get worked up either way, and yet they are probably among the top five favourites for the trophy.

Last night folk I know weren't watching them....most had PSG game, and a select few (!) had Atletico v Juve.

When I asked a few folk about the chances of them being hot tips they were pretty indifferent...

Yet they have great manager and players so why wouldn't neutrals get excited? Is it the cash, and the 'plan' that seems so ruthless and joyless? When or if they win a trophy they've spent billions chasing is it really a surprise or of much interest?

What say you?
Obviously Earl, when you post a thread like this, quite a number cannot comprehend or understand what you are asking, so retort to shite support, Arabs, atmosphere, nobody club. Gatecrashers I think we call them.
I think time and again, city are let down with real bad defending and over rotation. When on their game, in a football context, its second to none and mid to front take the pressure of the defence with their press. The present set up, I can't see them winning a CL unless they spend even more shekels on a world class defence
 
I really can't take to Man City at all.

I watched most of the CL highlights of games and just glossed over theirs.

Growing up, they were a complete non entity to me and I think it has stuck.

I'm sure the same can be said for some of their fans too.
 
You know you have issues at the back when you have Zinchenko starting every game for you.

They're a bit like England in a way, though with better players, in that they have enough going forward to blow teams away on their day but are so dodgy at the back that you're not surprised when even what you would consider decent sides turn them over.
 
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Simply not true no matter how many times this lie is told.

City have a very loyal following and tickets for non Cityzens are hard to come by.

This lie is right up there with the no atmosphere nonsense spouted by people who couldn’t find The Etihad with an A-Z and a tour guide
I was there a few seasons back CL Quarter Final vs Barca and I can tell you that there were spare seats all be it, the area I was in was comps. I can also confirm the atmosphere was shug dite! Maybe I was at the wrong game?
 
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Why is that only ever said about Guardiola? Do you think Klopp, Ancelotti, Conte, Zarri, Tuchel, Pochettino or Simeone would be winning the league or CL with Everton, HSV or Espanyol? I think it’s often forgotten that he took over a splintering third place finishing Barca side and became the first La liga side to do the treble, and in his first season. Even the domestic success he had at Bayern was unprecedented in the modern era, so why weren’t other coaches replicating the that before him?

Guardiola probably has more chance than the rest because at the very least he’s shown he’s much more capable of and improving moulding young players, taking them to the next level. The likes of Sterling have benefited greatly. These managers all throw around huge sums of money, but there seems to special rules for Guardiola. The reaction to his first season at City was priceless, it was all “ah it’s not that easy in the mighty premier league is it”, “yeah he’s been found out here now he’s in a real league”, only to go and win consecutive championships with ludicrous points totals.

Truthfully, of the managers I named I still think Simeone is criminally underrated, what he’s done at Atletico is incredible, from relatively mediocre derby bottlers to a side who regularly beat Real, won the Europa League, won the league during the Messi and Ronaldo era in Spain, and came within a whisker of winning two CL finals. That’s pretty unbelievable if you look at the kind of squads he’s had in comparison to his rivals.

You could equally say it of any of those managers... but the media has had its collective tongue up Guardiola’s arse for the last decade as if he reinvented the sport.


No doubting that he is a great coach, I’d just like to see him apply his theory at a lesser club and see how it works.
Simeone is a great comparison in this way - he has achieved incredible performance from his team and you wonder what he could achieve at a truly top tier club.
 
The idea City couldn't win a competition Liverpool won, and played in the Final of the year previously and Spurs played in the Final of last year humors me.
 
The majority of football fans just don't care about Man City. There's no real rivalry there with other clubs, no tradition, shite fans. It just feels really boring and synthetic seeing them do well.

Each year they win the league in England it's as if that season just didn't happen. The Man Utd fans actually saw it as a victory that they pipped Liverpool to the title last season - that should tell you everything.

Great players, great manager and they play quality football, but at the end of the day nobody really cares.
Not true at all , The local match going Man U fans hate Ickle City with a Passion. Sky rat United fans from Plymouth to Peterhead buy into the press induced rivalry with Liverpool.
 
Don't care about Man City and I'm really not caring about the Champions League anymore either.

I'm not jealous or staunch, but the magic's gone. Ajax made the most exciting story for years, sadly Tottenham with ten times their budget winning was seen as some sort of triumph.
 
You could equally say it of any of those managers... but the media has had its collective tongue up Guardiola’s arse for the last decade as if he reinvented the sport.


No doubting that he is a great coach, I’d just like to see him apply his theory at a lesser club and see how it works.
Simeone is a great comparison in this way - he has achieved incredible performance from his team and you wonder what he could achieve at a truly top tier club.

Yeah but he’s got his side playing a brand of football that’s not been seen in the Premier League before and he’s actually winning with it, and it’s a brand of football many were hasty to say couldn’t bring success in England after his relatively modest first season. But he’s implemented it in Germany and England and been successful so it’s not surprising he gets big plaudits.

It would be interesting with Simeone, but maybe it wouldn’t work? His sides play stinking defensive football and he might feel pressure at bigger clubs to entertain the crowd. Maybe he’s not cut out for some of those elite clubs, even though what he does is highly effective.
 
Care enough to come onto the thread and reply

Fair play in trying to gain staunch points right enough

This.... Why comment on the thread if you have no interest. Imo city are the best team in the world but seem to have one off night and when they do they get beaten comfortably I think the key is in the ko stages of you have a bad game lose 2-1 not 3 or 4 nil.
 
Could be their year. Got gradually better in the CL . Certainly got the team, particularly midfield to front, genuine world class players.
 
Probably a bit down to who they were playing tbh.
If they were playing Juve, Bayern or Real Madrid it would be most watched.
I watched 2nd half of A Madrid v Juve and glad I did.
 
Trippier has been doing well for Atletico so far. I know he had a poor season for Spurs but he's a good player. People have very short memories and some seem to forget he was by far the best right-back throughout the World-Cup last year. Simeone will improve him and if Trippier wasn't world-class in his position before, he soon will be.
 
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In truth I don't quite understand the antipathy towards Man City as some sort of embodiment of bloated billionaire boys club noveau riche excess when Chelsea more or less defined the genre over a decade ago.

If they can win the CL, why not City?

The whole thing is a sham and has been for years.

Another no mark club really but at least with Chelsea they had some characters in the team like Terry, Lampard and Drogba.
 
Went to their first ever CL game and it was like a morgue

Crap team crap fans


Still hope they beat Liverpool though
 
I was there a few seasons back CL Quarter Final vs Barca and I can tell you that there were spare seats all be it, the area I was in was comps. I can also confirm the atmosphere was shug dite! Maybe I was at the wrong game?

I was there the year Celtic were in their group along with Barca and went to the Barca game and the place was bouncing helped by a great Barca crowd. Great game.

I was there last season for the Spurs CL QF and again it was bouncing. One of the best atmospheres i have been in outside of Old Firm games in many many years. Great game again.

Admittedly in recent years i have seen them play Hull and Villa and the atmosphere wasn't great but no different to any other major stadium in the country. Decent enough if you are in the right area of the ground
 
Having supported City - as best anyone can support a '2nd team' - since the early 90s I for one would be absolutely delighted, as I still remember quite clearly how disastrously shit they were during the 90s and 00s so it still would feel a momentous achievement regardless of how rich they are now. It still wouldn't compare to Rangers lifting any European trophy or indeed finally securing 55, but Rangers come first way before City for me and I can live with them never winning the CL. I couldn't live with us not stopping the vermin if heaven forbid they reach 55 before us for example!

Too many bitter anti-City people out there cant see beyond the jealousy and resentment at their literal striking of oil and forget that they were - and still are - a living breathing football club supported by normal match going fans who suffered more than just about any other fanbase over the last 30 years prior to 2008.

If - or when - they do lift the ultimate prize, I hope the majority of football supporters out there at least save some respect, graciousness and happiness for those countless City fans who had to endure the misery and taunts for so long. Those fans deserve it, if not the 'new' plastic tourist fans who have latched on latterly to the club. But then that's no different to Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea etc ....
City have always been a big club.They were having 35-40k in league 1 iirc.A major problem for them is/was who is over the road from them.A bit like Everton are a big club but they are overshadowed by their neighbours.
They have fans all over the place.From years ago not just recently.A few around my town (cannock) have either stopped going or go but are a bit mixed up about it all.Of course they love the way the team plays and wins things but one of them told me it aint the same.This is a man who would have grown up on the Kippax.Maybe its because of what's happening though 50+ football fans do tend to hark for the 'good old days' of terracing and urine filled toilet floors for some reason(im not one of them btw even though Im in my 50's.).
I don't mind them,their fans used to loons back in the day but seem a bit more sanitised now.Younger folk and more women fans will effect any club plus a team winning pots regularly always picks up 'tourist' fans.I hope they win the CL.I preferred Spurs to them as id say they are the EPL team I like best in the competition.They better hurry up and win before the mighty Birmingham City get took over by Arabs and we clean up!:))
 
The majority of football fans just don't care about Man City. There's no real rivalry there with other clubs, no tradition, shite fans. It just feels really boring and synthetic seeing them do well.

Each year they win the league in England it's as if that season just didn't happen. The Man Utd fans actually saw it as a victory that they pipped Liverpool to the title last season - that should tell you everything.

Great players, great manager and they play quality football, but at the end of the day nobody really cares.

The Manchester Derby was one of the first fixtures in England to have its kick off time brought forward by the cops in an effort to prevent violence that had become synonymous with it.
The only reason United fans didn’t want Liverpool to win the title is because the Scousers are breathing down their necks regarding league titles won.
 
When iv been in Auchenlech a few times both times iv saw a window cleaner by the Boswell in a Man City top .I havnt been there for over ten year so it shows people liked them before the 'Arab ' money kicked in
 
Brilliant team but too dodgy at the back to win the Champions League to a degree. They'll always have that one game where they gift teams goals, despite being brilliant in the others.

Kompany wasn't the player he was for a few seasons even when he was there. Laporte is good, but Stones is Stones (a good player but a pretty poor defender) and Otamendi should be playing his football at somewhere like Crystal Palace, not Man City. I can't understand why they concentrated more on finding a replacement this summer for Fernandinho instead of spending the money on Maguire or someone like Koubilay, no matter how much he would have cost. I know Fernandinho is getting on but he's still playing at a high level and is good for at least another couple of seasons. They should have kept Delph as perfectly adequate back up to Fernandinho and concentrated on bringing in a top drawer defender like one of the above mentioned.
Can't argue with any of that.VK has been slowing up for a few years now,injuries have done for Him .The very fact they brought Him in to'lead' the club over the line should have made it clear they needed not just a centre half but a Leader too.Kyle Walker is been touted as a potential centre back.Maybe In a 3 but even then He was marking 'wrong side' for England.That would be exposed more if He was in a 4 and had to go 'man to man'.
Maybe De ligt was the answer,maybe not.I doubt John Stones is.IMO id look at playing JS in front of the centre halfs.I don't think He has the build or presence to be a top Centre half.Maguire for Me doesn't know whats behind him half the time but that could change in time I suppose.
 
Not true at all , The local match going Man U fans hate Ickle City with a Passion. Sky rat United fans from Plymouth to Peterhead buy into the press induced rivalry with Liverpool.
Man utd lads round my way who have been going since the 70's/80's when they were pretty much dung except for the odd cup definitly wanted City to win the league rather than Liverpool.
With Man utd fans you can trace how long they have followed them by who they hate the most.Older ones(60-70) it would be City.My age -mid fifties it would be Leeds and Liverpool.Fans who arrived in the the 90's hated Blackburn and Arsenal and the 000s it was Chelsea.
The hatred for Liverpool isn't manufactured .Think all UTD fans have it tbh.Some of my age didn't like getting sliced with a double Stanley knife blade across the arse in the 80's by the scousers.I know a lad this happened to.
 
Trippier has been doing well for Atletico so far. I know he had a poor season for Spurs but he's a good player. People have very short memories and some seem to forget he was by far the best right-back throughout the World-Cup last year. Simeone will improve him and if Trippier wasn't world-class in his position before, he soon will be.
Heard Trippier on the radio saying the same as Your last sentence.Simeone ,so he says is far more into coaching his defence than Poch.
 
Far better than their opponents last night. Probably still too weak defensively to win it. Whilst their attack can be deadly at times, Liverpool look like the best all round English side this year
 
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I asked a City fan at work if he was happy with the result last night and he made out he didn't know and doesn't care as he doesn't acknowledge UEFA competitions anymore :D .
 
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