Erick Smith

@Emzyl_ Didn't have Trossard either. Total ghost rider again.

I think some perspective is needed here, people wanted Arsenal to beat City without Eze, Raya, Timber, Odegaard, Merino and a washed Saka??

@umirf1 The issue was at Madrid is they played Semenyo in the 10 . Putting Cherki and Nunes in changes the dynamic and gives more control. Also runners like Valverde and Vini are much more dangerous than what Arsenal was trying with long balls to Gyorkeres and Havertz on counter.

The same overthinking that everyone criticised Pep for against Madrid is what won City the final today against Arsenal. Nico O’Reilly’s left back performance and the brace. It’s the same brain making decisions with the same frameworks and processes. Results-based conclusions miss the point because variables come into play. Pep is second to none for me when it comes down to the process.

Ref show: Missing goal-tending call. Coach calls you out and you T him up. Story as old as time.

Easy to see why Kansas fans have been frustrated by Darryn Peterson all season.

Cayden the better Boozer in this game.

@MarkOgden_ Guy had a bad 10 minutes, rebounded in that game and we're still on the narrative that he looked lost.

Not been a great night for Man City, but Khusanov has been outstanding. Looked lost when he arrived last season, but has improved so much

@TeamNicoG Such a better option than O'Reilly in general but Pep was box crasher who is one-footed and not creative.

📊 Matches Nico started for Manchester City this season: • 25 matches ✅ 20 wins 🟰 2 draws ❌ 3 losses Matches where Nico didn’t start or play: • 21 matches ✅ 10 wins 🟰 6 draws ❌ 5 losses

@Scaife51 Never an Otamendi fan so would pick Guehi. Rodri in this form was not as good as Ferna was then but better overall. Haaland maybe better in vacuum than Aguero at respective points but not a good fit on this team.

How many of the current Man City team get into that centurions team? Based on solely this season and that season! 2017/18 2025/26 Ederson Donnarumma Walker Nunes Kompany Dias Otamendi Guehi Delph O Reilly Fernandinho Rodri D Silva B Silva De Bruyne Cherki Sterling Semenyo Aguero Haaland Sane Doku

@City_Xtra @SamLee Pep says he won't explain to the media, then goes on for minutes to explain exactly his thinking. In the same presser he also discussed the 2021 CL final decision. One of the best and revelatory press conference he has given to gain insight into his thinking. Worth watching.

Pep Guardiola to @SamLee when told that explaining his #ManCity line-up decisions might be useful: "No, no, no. I want to say to my players. To you? Not one second. Justifying the selection, it's because I lost. I lost, we lost the game. If you win, genius. How many times I heard, ‘Pep is a genius'. Not one second I’ll waste my time to convince you. "I told you; I wanted to make a threat. I wanted people arriving to the goal. Because I saw the game against Newcastle. Savinho was man of the match and we needed to engage with the Bernabeu not just to play, but make them feel who we are. And we did it in the first 20 minutes, a lot. Jeremy [Doku] arriving, pass back, and four players in the box - I wanted that type of game. If I put other players, more control, we don't have that threat. And I wanted in the first game to try to do it. What would happen if those chances didn't arrive to score one goal or two goals? We were there. We were close. "One moment pass back to Bernardo [Silva], alone with no keeper, didn't make contact. Bernardo, one of the most gifted players we have in the six yard box. Bernardo here, scored in Etihad Stadium in the year we won 4-3 from the edge of the 18-yard box, put the ball to the corner... "And after emotion is involved. It's football. But my players are extraordinary and they were extraordinary in many things. You can say whatever you want. I will convince you now with the selection tomorrow, if I want to rotate the team?! If we win, it will be ‘perfect Pep’. It happened in Newcastle. Did you read the comments before the game, my team selection, on social media? Did you read it? Yeah, you read it. 'What is he doing Pep in the FA Cup. How he lacks respect for that competition'. "How people can say that when we arrive how many times in finals, semi-finals, FA Cup in the last four or five years? No team in England in the last 10, 15, 20 years that are more times in the semi-finals. What a lot of respect. How he doesn’t play Rodri, how he doesn’t play Bernardo, how he doesn’t play this player, how did he leave Erling [Haaland] at home? 1-3. You see the performance of Newcastle against Barcelona, right? You see it's difficult, it’s an easy place to go. Easy place… And after that, ‘Oh Pep, how brilliant’, I've been in Newcastle. "It's the same in Madrid. And form, see the players, that player with that player, that position. I know Bernardo [Silva] plays better in build-up, low block with Rodri than the final third. I know that. Bernardo is composure in the Bernabeu, with Marc [Guehi] it’s his first game, Antoine [Semenyo’s], many things - I need Bernardo. Because he’s played a thousand million times there, I know how he is in bad moments, how he behaves. But I have to explain before and after. After 10 years?! I will not convince you one second, any one of you. Any one. Why? Because we lost, and that's all. And it’s right, 3-0, destroyed. Yeah. It's normal. It's not personal. Believe me, it’s all the managers. "It's the first time I played in that competition, #UCL? 17 years playing that competition..." [via @HaytersTV]

@Wtf_kobby Forgot the money they'll get from Grealish unless he stays.

Duke keeps lead in @usatodaysports men's basketball poll as top 10 gets shuffled ahead of major conference tournaments. usatoday.com/story/sports/n…

@unkl_TOM @BozeBlueMoon @Sp_Comps Why people hate on Grealish because they cannot understand his vital role in City's success. Using G/A to primarily evaluate players is lazy. Like scoring in NBA. Winning players contribute beyond G/A but it requires seeing more than the pass or shot that results in goals.

@BozeBlueMoon @Sp_Comps Unfortunately for Doku he will be one of those player who re extremely important to his team but his GA numbers would not showcase that importance

Doku turned this scenario into a goal

@bailey_wynne2 @Mazen_MCI Seems like Reijnders will excel more in games that are open against top opponents when there is more space for the runs and passes that make impact. Against low block, he really can't find space in same way and not as technical as other options. Still really like him.

@Mazen_MCI As the team evolves and the Premier League shifts, I think where the spaces are will change, and you'll see him used elsewhere.

The opening goal wasn't the only time Khusanov played Newcastle onside in the match last night, and in the Premier League this season, he's won 3/13 aerial duels. Exceptional in a lot of areas, but there is still plenty of development to come from him.

@AFC_Monty_ City won its first six in Pep's first year and was eight points ahead of Chelsea. Ended up 15 points behind Chelsea.

Has a team ever had a 5 point lead and ended up 16 points behind before? Negative 21 point swing in 23 games… after spending half a billion on a title winning squad….

Duke holds the No. 1 spot, but the rest of the @usatodaysports men's basketball poll top 10 gets shuffled after week of upsets. usatoday.com/story/sports/n…

@RealTolmie Marmoush flatters to deceive. Has some good goals in him but his regular play is not City standard, especially his first touch and lack of ability to make good choices or execute in transitions.

Rodri, Nunes, Guehi and Ait-Nouri were my stand outs? Still unconvincing but a very big three points. Sadly, I don't think Marmoush adds much of anything and we need Doku and Foden back in the mix. What has Gonzales done to now not get a look in?

@tsnmike @ChampionsLeague Basing seeding on eight games in a 36-member league is issue. Lot of schedule disparity. To make it fairer, they'd be better off going back to the old format where top 8 seeds are drawn against the second 8. Or top 4 against last four and middle two against each other.

If you’re going to change the format, @ChampionsLeague, it’s time you learned about seeding.

@Lea_EFC Worth noting. Almost all sources don't include City's academy sales and sell-on fees for players. Probably close to 200 million during that time frame.

Net spend since 2016/2017: Manchester City 💰-€795m Arsenal 💰-€803m Major trophies won (Non Community Shields) Manchester City🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Arsenal 🏆🏆

@EGTVEgal When you just look at numbers you end up glazing a guy that has zero open-play goals against teams in the top 11, two goals against a team in 12th and seven in the bottom six.

Viktor Gyökeres is easily top 3 strikers in the PL and he's not 3rd

@TheBigTenHuddle Two biggest takeaways is that people really sleep on Troy Smith and overvalue someone that had one year at a school compared to sustained success. I guess they left off Brees because 2000 wasn't this century but probably should have clarified that.

The Big Ten’s top 12 quarterbacks of the 2000s, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly *Only QBs who played in the Big Ten