Premier League Match Thread: Manchester City Vs Nottingham Forest, sponsored by Steve Cooper's two years | Vital Football

Premier League Match Thread: Manchester City Vs Nottingham Forest, sponsored by Steve Cooper's two years

Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII

Vital Football Legend
I apologise in advance that this thread may not be up to usual standards. It's September, work is really busy, I've left it till 11pm on Friday and I don't have the time to do something massive.

Given their players are all well known international superstars and they are one of the best teams in history, I doubt I am going to tell anyone anything they don't already know.

This time last season we played them, more or less the same point in the season, and I watched the game hidden behind the sofa. It was about as bad as we feared.

We are a different proposition now, but getting battered is always possible against Man City. It's a free hit game. We have a decent haul of points from these 6 games already, it's a dead away game out of the way and while we are on the same field as Man City there is always a chance something could happen for us.

If nothing else, let's celebrate actually having a manager who has done well enough to survive for two full years. I think Davies MK1, 12 years ago is the last Forest manager to last this long.

Man City style of play
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The usual- Man City average 2/3 possession, more than 90% passing accuracy and more than 19 shots per game. Arsenal come somewhere close to those stays; but are not the equal of them.

They are the best team in the league, the best team in the world, probably (at least last season) one of the best teams in history.

Formation
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They have a bit of an injury crisis which means Silva is out, Grealish a real doubt, De Bruyne is out. So it's just Haaland, Alvarez, Foden and possibly Kovacic to worth about then.

Players

Apologies that I don't have time for the usual level of detail

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Let's do the short version

Haaland- pure machine
Alvarez- absolutely mint
Foden - absolutely mint
Rodri- absolutely mint
Nunes- absolutely mint
Kovacic- absolutely mint
Walker- absolutely mint
Ake- absolutely mint
Stones- absolutely mint

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Form

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Head to head
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I can remember a rich range of amazing Man City strikers putting multiple goals past us. Shaun Goater, Darren Huckerby, now Erling Haaland. We have two games to cling to: the 3-0 at their place in 2008 (and I'll never stop telling anyone who will listen that I was there) and the 1-1 last season.

Weather
It's going to feel like September- cloudy and cool

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Dogs of War today with Yates in the middle of it

Let's get some long throws in

Let's get amongst them and show them zero respect

Let's make it a horrible game for them whatever the result

Must be 5 at the back low block today. Can't let the wingers or Haaland get 1 on 1 on us and/or behind our defence so double up on them

Make them need to produce moments of brilliance to score. Not easy routine goals

(A lot of their normal "moments of brilliance" players are missing)

Stay in the game as long as we can. Frustrate the fook out of them.
 
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Elanga and CHO to come on as impact subs (Elanga as wingback. Maybe CHO for MGW if he's fooked? Or late on as a wingback himself. If MGW not fooked)

Save their pace for later on in the game when hopefully we've frustrated them and City may be throwing more men forward getting more and more desperate to score. Then hit them on the break

Wood to come on for Awoniyi when he's fooked

If we need a goal to get a draw near the end Origi on as striker alongside Wood for last 10 mins plus injury time

If we are somehow drawing near the end count that as winning today and leave Wood on his own up front by himself til the end

Best chance of scoring today might be another tap in from wood near the end

(Or goal from long throw any time)

Can't afford any individual mistakes today

That's my plan. Sounds good on paper to me at least!!

Lol

It's real progress this season for us to have an away game full stop (let alone an away game at the best team in the world) and to have not entirely written off this game for a result

Although I realise today could equally go pear shaped very very quickly

Their last Premier League Home game they only had 7 shots v Fulham but won 5-1

Their last Champions League Game on Wednesday they had 37 shots and won 3-1
 
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If it’s Kenz & Woz at the back no disrespect to them but we are fucked. I am incredibly nervous about the whole thing.
 
AdebolaCornflakes said:
Why doesnt Cooper just go there and have a go!!! Who cares if we lose 8-0 just attack and have a go!!!

4-4-2 please Cooper!!!
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Because Man City just love getting behind defenders and would score 4 at the very least. There is no way we are scoring 4 or 5 back.

Fookin el Burnley could have easily scored 3 against us at City Ground last week. Let alone what Man City at home would do in an open game

Our absolute best chance of a result is to keep them to 0,1 or 2 goals max and see if we can snatch a goal or even 2 goals on a break or from a long throw or set piece

An open game plays right into their strengths

Also why fook our goal difference up. This season goal difference can be worth an extra point to us

Goal difference is going well so far. These are the games that can fook that right up if you don't compete
 
Great thread.

Would like Phillipe to start alongside Moussa, Phillipe did a great job of cancelling out Haarland at our place, think he only had one open chance that went over from short range? Id bring Moussa in simply as it's a swap of the two and I'd hope they'd have been working together in training for this.

McKenna could probably do with a reset.
 
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