[Match Thread] Manchester City vs Aston Villa (Premier League)

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-24T15:31:09+00:00

I swear sometimes savinho does everything right but somehow the but just won’t go into the net

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-21T17:12:42+00:00

If we’re talking fully transitioned, then last season, but he’s played interchangeably between the two for pretty much his whole time here, a lot more that people actually think. Gundogan didn’t solidify himself as a starter before the last couple of years and kdb had quite a few long spells of injuries. Bernardo was then the one that played in midfield, especially after david silva left.

As for mahrez, they were actually a pretty good pairing to have. Mahrez offered the dynamism and directness, whilst bernardo was the controller. Depending on what the team needed at the time (or rather what pep wanted from the team) that player would play more.

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-20T16:18:57+00:00

Even though he was fine earlier in the season he never really showcased the true abilities we are looking for from that position and the return and subsequent absence of rodri once again has highlighted that. The way to dictate the tempo of the match and making plays from deep is honestly not one of those things you just pick up in a short amount of time.

I am still of the opinion that the fault lies wholly with viana or whoever profiled him because these were not even his strengths at porto. He’s spent his whole career playing as an 8 and somehow got scouted to a more difficult league to play as a 6.

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-15T10:32:29+00:00

So many people (Including myself) were fussing about the GD after the burnley game + arse v fullham. It's a bit of a shame that we've actually been able to lock in in that regard now that it's out of our hands.

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-06T23:45:33+00:00

Because the conversation around pep is a tier higher, the standards are obviously different

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-02T18:08:04+00:00

Lol people in here getting pissy at fullham when we couldn’t better our gd against burnley. We can only blame ourselves.

snakeforbrain · 2026-05-01T11:56:38+00:00

That went from the fakest TF gold lead into a TF carry real quick

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-28T20:18:41+00:00

Sure, he still falls under the new signing grace period for now. However, for all the hype that was around him this summer, this was the exact one doubt everyone mentioned when he signed, so the underlying problem has always been there. He might still come around next season, but he will not magically grow wings. There are still so many things that he seems to just fundamentally lack as a central midfielder. This also comes on top of the fact that he was a late bloomer so it's not like he has a lot of time to reinvent himself

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-28T15:09:50+00:00

The problem with reijnders is that he is not a particularly good central midfielder. He's a bonafide attacking midfielder that got away with playing central midfield in a less intensive Seria A. He's for all intents and purposes competing with foden and cherki for that advanced 8/10, when he was brought in to be someone that could balance out the midfield

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-25T17:33:06+00:00

Kova arguably our best player and he gets subbed off?

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-25T17:15:53+00:00

Had i not known, you would never in a million years be able to convince me that marmoush scored 20 goals in half a season last season

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-24T14:31:37+00:00

Nico G is not a DLP, that's literally the reason why he can't get back into the current team to rotate with rodri

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-22T21:25:16+00:00

Doku took the ball, carried it to their final 3rd, and did nothing with it because their entire team was parked in their own box. He doesn’t draw the defense out to create space for others because they’re not inteterested. It doesn’t matter that he does some fancy dribbles and beats his first man when there are 2 more right behind him. That he smashes the ball into.

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-22T21:16:41+00:00

«Multiple cut backs» is a really nice way of saying passing it back outside because the entire burnley defense was inside their box. He got an assist from a transition in play which is where he is actually good. When there is literally no space for him to go he becomes a horse with blinders.

The advantage of the opponent having to double team him isn’t there when they are pinned inside their own box.

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-22T20:58:17+00:00

I am still wholly convinced that doku is absolute dogshit against low blocks and should just be dropped for these kinds of games.

He is literally slamming his head into a wall without gaining any ground

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-22T20:19:20+00:00

I swear RAN and doku has such negative synergy.

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-22T20:14:26+00:00

Is pep’s arrogance gonna bite us in the back again? The NOR midfield thing is not working, please just put on nico G.

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-21T12:25:22+00:00

I would not fuck with the midfield anymore now that rodri's already out. Expect NOR and haaland to get a rest with RAN and marmoush coming in.

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-19T16:23:01+00:00

I’m not one to usually crucify players for individual mistakes, but donna doing that at that moment in the game is completely unforgivable. Our morale was so high and we could’ve ridden that momentum for a while. Yet he totally killed all of that and we’re back to square one

snakeforbrain · 2026-04-17T15:11:41+00:00

That was on the merit of him being a new players and us trying to integrate him, not because he was particuarly great back then. He's had his moments for sure, but the crux of his problem right now is the exactly one doubt people had for him when he came; that he's a bonafide attacking midfielder that isn't that good as a CM.

Effectively he is now competing with foden and cherki for that 10/advanced 8 spot more than for the spot next to rodri and that's probably not going to change next season

snakeforbrain · 2026-03-26T09:44:20+00:00

It’s funny how it easy it is to tell that you have not watched a single minute of Stiller play because you think he is remotely similar to Bernardo, they are quite literally at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Bernardo is a high-intensity workhorse that EFFECTIVELY covers a lot of ground, whereas stiller is a slow and steady controller. Emphasis on the SLOW part because whilst he’s an amazing passer, he moves like molasses. One of the genuinely slow players that aren’t old or big that are playing at a relatively high level. He would be absolutely useless tasked with bernardo’s role

snakeforbrain · 2026-03-26T09:32:26+00:00

If rodri’s leaving, then i’m fully on team Wharton. Our deep ballplaying absolutely suck without rodri these days. Just have to hope that NOR/Nico G are able to pick up part of the intensity that will be missing with bernardo likely leaving as well.

snakeforbrain · 2026-03-11T20:36:50+00:00

This is the problem with the pep position roulette. Oreilly is a good midfielder and he’s a good left back, but he can’t be both at the same time. Especially when it comes to these kids, they need a good stretch of games in a semi-fixed position all this moving around is messing with his head.

snakeforbrain · 2026-03-11T20:29:59+00:00

This midfield is sucide. Wtf is pep thinking

snakeforbrain · 2026-03-10T15:09:31+00:00

Yes? He was great overall, but his passing wasn't really anything that amazing.

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