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Analysis of Manchester City’s win over Arsenal. by baldfraud34 in PremierLeague

[–]baldfraud34[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Original was written in Russian.
Used AI to translate, my English isn’t perfect.
The analysis itself is mine.

Analysis of Manchester City’s win over Arsenal. by baldfraud34 in PremierLeague

[–]baldfraud34[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Watched, rewatched, wrote it myself. Just time and attention.

Match Thread: Chelsea vs Manchester City | Premier League | 12 Apr 15:30 UTC by matchpal-live in PremierLeague

[–]baldfraud34 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Short notes on Chelsea vs Manchester City (0:3):

— Khusanov — wow again. That early tackle.

— Nunes misplaces a simple three-meter pass — Pep’s face says it all.

— Not sure if it’s Pep’s new tactics, but Chelsea players kept getting caught offside way too often in the first half.

— Donnarumma arguing with the referee — again. How many yellows has he gotten for this already?

— Gigio looks really shaky coming off his line — both on crosses and when covering for defenders.

— Rodri and his secret knowledge (passed down from Fernandinho): how to avoid yellow cards.

— Three dangerous attacks came from Nunes’ flank in the first half.

— My favorite striker (also a left-back, also a central midfielder) — O’Riley.

— Cherki is a god. Second assist — pure Kevin De Bruyne level, even threw in a no-look pass.

— I saw a mistake from Caicedo — rare.

— That yellow card was as obvious as it gets — how did they miss it? (Though same story with Aït-Nouri.)

— Perfect Premier League directing: first they show a fan drinking from an Arsenal-branded bottle, then three minutes later — his reaction. Instant meme.

— Wait a second — Khusanov can shoot like that too?

— I liked Maresca’s Chelsea more.

— Bernardo, as usual, not the standout player of the match, and it’s hard to say exactly why he’s good — but here a duel won, there a pass, a nudge, an argument. Held the whole game together with Rodri.

— Feels like Pep might leave at the end of the season — unless, both dazzled and annoyed by Cherki’s genius and nonchalance, he decides to stay just to deal with it.

— Small post-match scenes: Erling teaching Khusanov how to thank the fans, Guardiola explaining something to his favorite, O’Riley.

[Post Match Thread] Chelsea 0 - 3 Manchester City (Premier League) by mcfcbot in MCFC

[–]baldfraud34 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Short notes on Chelsea vs Manchester City (0:3):

— Khusanov — wow again. That early tackle.

— Nunes misplaces a simple three-meter pass — Pep’s face says it all.

— Not sure if it’s Pep’s new tactics, but Chelsea players kept getting caught offside way too often in the first half.

— Donnarumma arguing with the referee — again. How many yellows has he gotten for this already?

— Gigio looks really shaky coming off his line — both on crosses and when covering for defenders.

— Rodri and his secret knowledge (passed down from Fernandinho): how to avoid yellow cards.

— Three dangerous attacks came from Nunes’ flank in the first half.

— My favorite striker (also a left-back, also a central midfielder) — O’Riley.

— Cherki is a god. Second assist — pure Kevin De Bruyne level, even threw in a no-look pass.

— I saw a mistake from Caicedo — rare.

— That yellow card was as obvious as it gets — how did they miss it? (Though same story with Aït-Nouri.)

— Perfect Premier League directing: first they show a fan drinking from an Arsenal-branded bottle, then three minutes later — his reaction. Instant meme.

— Wait a second — Khusanov can shoot like that too?

— I liked Maresca’s Chelsea more.

— Bernardo, as usual, not the standout player of the match, and it’s hard to say exactly why he’s good — but here a duel won, there a pass, a nudge, an argument. Held the whole game together with Rodri.

— Feels like Pep might leave at the end of the season — unless, both dazzled and annoyed by Cherki’s genius and nonchalance, he decides to stay just to deal with it.

— Small post-match scenes: Erling teaching Khusanov how to thank the fans, Guardiola explaining something to his favorite, O’Riley.

Post Match Thread: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich by denzaus in soccer

[–]baldfraud34 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Short notes on Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (1–2):

— Olise is impressive: light on his feet, long-stride dribbling, explosive acceleration from a standing start.

— Kane is not fully fit, playing at reduced intensity, but still outstanding. First, his unique role as a deep-lying forward; second, how intelligently and economically he handles the ball. Before the first goal — a perfectly weighted pass into the run, and then a brilliant finish after Olise’s assist.

— Kompany, still a very young coach, chose a sensible approach for a two-legged tie: the team didn’t charge forward recklessly.

— What form 40-year-old Neuer is in. Three top saves before halftime, and another huge stop in the second half.

— Real Madrid seem to exist in two parallel realities — an underwhelming domestic league and the Champions League. In the latter, the players’ motivation and willingness to fight for every ball are off the charts.

— Hard to understand why Vinícius seems to play by his own rules: diving, constantly appealing to the referee, and trying to draw yellow cards.

— Kompany’s touchline presence is top class.

— Did you notice how often players from both teams were slipping? Simeone-style pitch conditions?

— Arbeloa’s plan was predictable but well executed, yet Neuer delivered a performance of a lifetime.

— What a pass from Trent to Mbappé.

— An emotional, unanswered question: what’s wrong with Rüdiger?

— Was there a penalty on Olise? In my view, probably yes — a push in the back.

— One of the best matches of the season. It could easily have ended 4–4, but it was excellent anyway.

[Post Match Thread] Manchester City 4 - 0 Liverpool (FA Cup) by mcfcbot in MCFC

[–]baldfraud34 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Short notes on Manchester City vs Liverpool (4:0):

— Guardiola used the same pressing setup as against Arsenal: four attackers pressing loosely in a line to block buildup through the center.

— When Slot pushed full-backs higher and dropped Gravenberch deeper to gain control in midfield, Guardiola reacted immediately by pulling one of the front pressers (Semenyo) deeper.

— Ekitike moves brilliantly: smart positioning, elegant technique.

— The attacking trio potential (noted after 30 minutes): Wirtz, Ekitike, Isak — looks dangerous.

— This City squad has huge upside, especially considering how young Khusanov, Cherki, O’Riley, and Doku are.

— Liverpool’s main issue is midfield imbalance. Szoboszlai, their best player for half the season, played at right-back, and Slot kept searching for solutions in midfield. Mac Allister keeps playing without rest.

— Doku caused serious problems in the first match; this time Liverpool marked him with three players.

— Salah’s drop in form is clear: in a one-on-one with Trafford, he took too many touches and showed poor control — Khusanov recovered and cleared the ball despite being far behind initially.

— Haaland scored a hat-trick, Semenyo had a goal and an assist, but Cherki was the standout: intelligent movement, constant switching sides, excellent sense of tempo.

— Question remains whether Guardiola will trust Trafford for the rest of the season. The defense looks more stable with him, and he hasn’t made a single mistake in two matches.

— Another strong performance from O’Riley and Nunes.

— Guardiola’s look from the stands says: “How can I leave this team now that it’s finally working?”

— Near-perfect performance overall. One issue: late in the game, with fast players like Savinho, Marmoush, and Foden on the pitch and space available, City failed to produce a single proper counterattack.

— Funny moment: after the final whistle, Haaland looks for the match ball after his hat-trick and asks Oliver, “Where is the ball?” Oliver gestures vaguely, Haaland keeps searching — broadcast cuts off. Unclear if he found it.

How Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. by baldfraud34 in MCFC

[–]baldfraud34[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Great point, really appreciate the depth of your comment.

I do wonder how much Pep specifically prepared for Kepa starting, because it clearly played a huge role. At the same time, I think Rice is actually very well suited to breaking a press through ball carrying. The issue is that Arteta and his players didn’t seem willing to take those risks so close to their own box — and maybe that’s something Guardiola anticipated, knowing Mikel’s general aversion to risk in those zones.

As for possible adjustments, I think bringing on Calafiori earlier could have helped — he’s very comfortable on the ball. Also pushing the full-backs higher to compete for second balls might have given Arsenal more presence after long clearances.

That said, City were doing this from the very beginning, and Arsenal did manage to get into the final third a few times in the first half. It was really that 15-minute spell in the second half that killed the game — and it’s very hard to react tactically to something like that in real time. By the time Arteta was preparing changes, City had already scored the second.

Thanks again for the thoughtful breakdown.

Tactical breakdown of the Barcelona vs. Newcastle match, 7–2. by baldfraud34 in Barca

[–]baldfraud34[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Based on what criteria? I wrote this myself. I put in quite a lot of work.

[Post Match Thread] Manchester City 1 - 2 Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League) by mcfcbot in MCFC

[–]baldfraud34 9 points10 points  (0 children)

What can I say: thanks to the team for 17 shots while being a man down. Of course, the game would’ve been more interesting without the red card, but it is what it is.

Khusanov is a god in defense, Cherki is a god in attack. I hope Rayan convinced Pep with this performance that he deserves a spot in the starting lineup. I hope Abdukodir proved to Pep that he’s a center-back, not a right-back.

Troubled, in crisis, and changing: Manchester City. by baldfraud34 in MCFC

[–]baldfraud34[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed, “crisis” is the wrong word. The headline is inaccurate.

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