Team and Tactics for City

Well if Eddie does end up going with 3 or 4 goalkeepers, as some here have suggested, it will be difficult for them to score.
Keeping them from shooting may be difficult though . . .
 
I'd just love to see Kilkenny in a PL match. Not sure if this is the best intro, but why not? He did it with Simpson.
I don't know if this is notable or not, but Kilkenny was with the team at Villa on the weekend (he's in the recent video on the website). He was also with the team during the home game v Sheffield, even though he didn't make the bench for either.
Am I reading too much into this, or is Eddie maybe gradually introducing him to the spectacle of PL football before throwing him in?
 
It's going to be difficult, no question.

IMHO we have too much trouble deciding who's marking who with 5 at the back so I'd go with 4 across the back and Lerma sitting deep covering/sweeping up a la Paul Ince for England in his prime.

It's a shame we're so short of CMs at the moment as I'd probably want Cook and Billing next in a central pair or even Brooks sitting deeper and getting forward when he can. As things stand, I'd like to see Billing and Ofoborh instead... Oh look, a flying pig!

Fraser on the left, King or H on the right and yes, Solanke up top would also be ideal for this match but expect we'll see Callum.

Don't think Solanke in behind Callum/on the right will work as several have suggested. Don't think he'll have the pace or technique to play as a wide player. I'm sure he's more of a Centre Forward/finisher with the added bonus of being massive and able to hold the play up, too.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49371002

Quite an interesting read on City's tactical fouling. Having seen them play live a couple of times now, I would be inclined to agree with their headline.

It's not the fact that they foul high up the pitch to stop attacks that is the problem; its the fact that they rarely seem to get booked for it, so they can just do it all game. Fernandinho basically plays like Billing did against Villa every game, yet he never looks likely to be sent off.
 
I’ve watched 3\4 free kicks taken by Wee Man fly well over the cross bar ,perhaps some one else to have a go ! Maybe Billing
 
I watched the Man City documentary on Amazon the other day. Kevin de Bruyne had a free kick from a very similar position and just rolled it under the wall. I remember him doing the same to us a few years earlier.

Obviously it takes a bit of bravery to try something like that, especially knowing what our fans are like, but surely anything is better than tamely floating it over the bar.
 
Hitting them with some unknown quantities like Kilkenny could end up being effective. When we brought on Fraser v Liverpool, they had no idea what was about to hit them.
Could be similar maybe? Well we have to hope at this point anyway.
 
City only play 1 striker so not sure playing 3 CB’s makes sense. I’d rather use the extra man in the midfield area where City dominate.

Ramsdale
Stacey Cook Aké Daniels
Smith Lerma Billing Fraser
H Wilson
C Wilson

So basically the same shape as at Villa but with 2 full backs down the right we should be a little more secure. You could easily swap Smith and Stacey.

I’d play Harry in King’s role as he will interpret the role as a midfielder rather than an out of position forward. It’s important we can move the ball from midfield to attack on the rare occasions we get possession and I think Harry will be a more effective link man than King.

It’s also a very similar set up to the 4-0 win against Chelsea
 
I didn't find last seasons game embarrassing at all. I found the comments on here far more embarrassing.
Last season we had come off the back of an appalling 5-1 defeat at Arsenal, were injury ravaged and we needed a performance like that against a team like Man City and we very nearly got a point against them.

This season however, with it being 3 games in and 4 points on the board I would expect us to go at them like the previous season when we were extremely unlucky to lose 2-1 in the 97th minute.

No reason to shut up shop this time around.
 

;