After having a day to reflect on the defeat, I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom at the Boleyn. Here are the five things we learnt from the game!
ONE- Starting with the negatives, three straight home league defeats is worrying and this needs to be turned around soon to make sure that a relegation battle is not on the cards.
TWO- The defending wasn’t up to the normal standard, hopefully this was just a one off and Manchester City’s millions and millions of pounds worth of talent took advantage. Winston Reid had an unusually poor game, we all hope for better next week from arguably our best player since being back in the top flight.
THREE- Despite the result, I wasn’t too discouraged by the performance and I don’t think a defeat against Manchester City is going to shape our season.
FOUR- The performances of Mark Noble, Stewart Downing and Razvan Rat bodes well. Noble was brilliant in the midfield, best player in claret and blue yesterday for me. Downing also played very well, just a shame Andy Carroll wasn’t there to get on the end of his crosses. Left back is solved with Rat, defensively sound and offers so much more going forward than Joey O’Brien.
FIVE- The formation was not a one hit wonder in my eyes. I believe it has the potential to work especially away from home on the counter. At home maybe we needed that focal point up-front. Easy to say in hindsight, but would it have effected the result? I don’t think so!
All in all there is no doubting that the Citizens deserved their win, when one City player cost more than the whole Hammers squad on that day then its always going to be tough. Sergio Aguero and David Silva were in a different class and they were the difference between the two sides.
You are right to say this system can work, but it won’t if our midfielders don’t bother pressing! We paid them way too much respect and City had so much space through the middle which was exactly what the system was supposed stop happening. I don’t think I saw Ravel Morrison actually bother putting in a tackle at all. Having said that, I don’t what Petric has done to annoy Allardyce but he really does not want to make use of him!
I agree that we looked vunerable thru the middle. It is our Achilles heel! One which by and large the bigger teams seem to take advantage of again and again. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Although city exploited the space in the middle to the max, thus allowing them to play their football on the edge of our penalty area, it was two defensive errors that ultimately cost us the game. Noble was diff class and downing again proved why big Sam showed so much faith in him. Rat was also again impressive. We just never kept the ball well enough or screened the defence well enough to get anything from the game.despite a spirited performance in the second half. It was clear what over 200mill will buy you but also clear that we Are a talented team that is trying its heart out for big Sam and the club which is both encouraging and heartening.
Petric came on and the crosses stopped ! I would like to see him have a whole game he looks well up for it.
Noble immense…Downing excellent…Diame & Nolan poor…Morrison..little lost and overawed….Rat promising…Allardyce…Totally wrong tactically.
Great credit to City. Class outfit with great ball players, movement and touch, BUT….how the hell can you play at home with no striker, especially when you play Downing who put some great balls into the box, then brought on Jarvis who fired some in from the left…to no one !!!! It was crying out for Sam to remove Nolan after 55 minutes and get a forward on to tie up the previously underworked City defence and provide a focal point for the midfield players and especially the dangerous wide men.
4-6-0 is all very well at Spurs, when no forwards were available and it was perhaps all he could do, but with Cole and Petric on he bench and City with a terrible away record, surely we needed to be a little braver ?? Loads of the City fan sites were saying how tough it could be at Upton Park after the Spurs result and considerig Citys woeful away record, and once Vaz Te’s goal went in and the pressure was building, that was the time to be brave and get some forward power on.
Overall we did fairly well in parts, but my real disappointment is that we gave them too much respect tactically and who knows what may have been if we attacked what was a makeshift back line missing the excellent Company and asked them some questions in the final third.
And please ….no more ridiculous criticism of Mark Noble after his outstanding display against one of the best midfields in the league ! COYI