Match Reaction v Villa (home)

[Mac76]

It was in the Luton game. They sat back and assumed. And then I wondered if they'd have the gumption when it wasn't Luton. That's the acid test 'm always looking for. Haven't passed it yet, when the rubber hits the road. There's a pattern, and it keeps playing out. I'm patiently watching for that pattern to be broken. I don't think it's down to the manager, I think it's down to the culture. The culture of the club is geared to competing rather than winning at all costs. Champions win at all costs and that's the only measure. So if we et 4th, we've won. Financially speaking. And, for Arenal, that's the bottom line. When that changes, which a manger cannot do, our fortunes will change too. But right now, we lose for profit.

You really do talk utter shite

[Letters]

I can take not winning the title to be honest, it's really fucking hard to in it.

But if we can't push it to the final day then that's a real problem.

There are such fine lines in football. In a tight title race you can win or lose the title because of a bad VAR call or someone hitting the post rather than it going in. But we must run to the line this year. Today was a massive disappointment given the Liverpool result. It does make it feel like we lost because it was an opportunity to go too and shake Liverpool off. That is a concern.
What I’m interested in now is how we react. If we lose to Bayern then so be it, they’re a good side despite their domestic woes (I see Leverkusen were crowned today). But stand up and be counted, make them work to beat us. And make City work for the title. I suspect they’ll win it but let’s make them win it. Let’s not hand it to them like we did last season.

[Chippy]

A real stinker of a second half, lost control of it completely.

Credit to Villa in that.

It's entirely possible we'll go out of the Champions League so will we actually respond or just wilt away like last season?

It has to be the former of those two otherwise there wouldn't have been any progression.

We all get sucked in to this bullshit every fucking year. We go brilliantly until it actually matters, and then we fuck it up.

[Letters]

We all get sucked in to this bullshit every fucking year. We go brilliantly until it actually matters, and then we fuck it up.

Did the City game away not matter? Did the Brighton one not matter - a side who hadn’t lost a home game in a while? We’ve passed a few tests this year that we failed last. We’ve stood up in the big games. We’ve gone on a run which put us right in the middle of the title race. We stumbled today, but so did Liverpool. All teams do here and there. I’m more interested in how we react.

[Mac76]

Did the City game away not matter? Did the Brighton one not matter - a side who hadn’t lost a home game in a while? We’ve passed a few tests this year that we failed last. We’ve stood up in the big games. We’ve gone on a run which put us right in the middle of the title race. We stumbled today, but so did Liverpool. All teams do here and there. I’m more interested in how we react.

In general I agree, but the title was lost today, however we do need to bounce back to show it's not a replica of last season - my fear is that the tired legs we saw in the second half will be the story of the rest of the season, as the belief starts to go

[McNamara That Ghost...]

We all get sucked in to this bullshit every fucking year. We go brilliantly until it actually matters, and then we fuck it up.

No doubt.

But you will always encounter a bad result along the way.

If and it's a big if we did win the last six but we don't win the league then I'm not going to say too much.

Brighton at home last season was somehow more deflating than Man City away was.

[Marc Overmars]

If we somehow get past Bayern then I’d imagine the league will crumble very quickly.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I'd take that risk.

[Mac76]

I'd take that risk.

I think if we can to the CL semis and 2nd in the PL that's a good progressiom