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Fiery Zac

Goals on Sunday

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Am obviously watching every possible piece of television about the game and is interesting to see different viewpoints, the vast majority nothing but complimentary for our performance.

However Pulis made an interesting comment saying the best time to play the top 6 is after a European game or an international break as the normal rhythm of the PL is disrupted and players have been travelling a lot and not training together. I get this and agree but isn’t that the same for us as well? Godfrey, Lewis, McLean, Cantwell and Pukki all away for the last week and a half, added to all our injuries means we were just as hampered in our preparations as Man City were, if not more so.

He also blamed Walker for the 2nd goal, again interesting. His choice was to stay with Cantwell or play offside. With the play being so close to the halfway line (Stones was in our half as Stiepermann got the ball) he seemed to think staying with the man whilst we were in possession was the right thing to do. Also could Pukki see Walker and that he was therefore onside and so made the run? Stones was always the wrong side of Pukki and trying to play a very brave, high line instead of acting naturally as a defender and stay with your man.

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8 minutes ago, Fiery Zac said:

Am obviously watching every possible piece of television about the game and is interesting to see different viewpoints, the vast majority nothing but complimentary for our performance.

However Pulis made an interesting comment saying the best time to play the top 6 is after a European game or an international break as the normal rhythm of the PL is disrupted and players have been travelling a lot and not training together. I get this and agree but isn’t that the same for us as well? Godfrey, Lewis, McLean, Cantwell and Pukki all away for the last week and a half, added to all our injuries means we were just as hampered in our preparations as Man City were, if not more so.

He also blamed Walker for the 2nd goal, again interesting. His choice was to stay with Cantwell or play offside. With the play being so close to the halfway line (Stones was in our half as Stiepermann got the ball) he seemed to think staying with the man whilst we were in possession was the right thing to do. Also could Pukki see Walker and that he was therefore onside and so made the run? Stones was always the wrong side of Pukki and trying to play a very brave, high line instead of acting naturally as a defender and stay with your man.

Stones appealed for offside even though Walker was yards closer to the goal than him-I don’t think that was desperation, I genuinely think that Stones thought that Walker was also playing for offside, so I guess that the plan was to play for offside but Walker for whatever reason decided not to.

I also remember reading that Man City actually have a very good record playing straight after an international break-Pulis obviously didn’t know that.

Edited by Mr Angry

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It would have been the same for us, and technically worse, as we lost Aarons, who had been a regular in his position and we suddenly had to draft in a 'newbie' to the team, and try and adapt.

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I suppose the thinking might be that for teams like us (ie; everyone except the top 6) we don’t tend to get into long spells of “rhythm” - you win one, draw one, lose a couple, win a couple etc., probably change the way you play a bit every couple of games to be tighter against better opposition, expose weaknesses of relegation teams etc. Whereas the top six will tend to be a bit more consistent with how they approach games and so, because “we” are used to not being in a “rhythm” the breaks affect those top six more. 

Regardless of the theory or reasons behind it, if I had to choose a time to play a top side, it probably would be straight after an international break - especially one where there are European games the same week as well.

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I think the theory is that the disruption after an international break is a 'leveller'. If both teams can prepare properly and play at their maximum the bigger/better side should win, but if both sides are disrupted with limited preparation then you could argue that 'anything could happen'.

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1 hour ago, Fiery Zac said:

Am obviously watching every possible piece of television about the game and is interesting to see different viewpoints, the vast majority nothing but complimentary for our performance.

However Pulis made an interesting comment saying the best time to play the top 6 is after a European game or an international break as the normal rhythm of the PL is disrupted and players have been travelling a lot and not training together. I get this and agree but isn’t that the same for us as well? Godfrey, Lewis, McLean, Cantwell and Pukki all away for the last week and a half, added to all our injuries means we were just as hampered in our preparations as Man City were, if not more so.

He also blamed Walker for the 2nd goal, again interesting. His choice was to stay with Cantwell or play offside. With the play being so close to the halfway line (Stones was in our half as Stiepermann got the ball) he seemed to think staying with the man whilst we were in possession was the right thing to do. Also could Pukki see Walker and that he was therefore onside and so made the run? Stones was always the wrong side of Pukki and trying to play a very brave, high line instead of acting naturally as a defender and stay with your man.

Walker was too deep, but what actually "made" the second goal was Pukki's run which completely bamboozled Stones - he went almost the opposite way to the way his body shape suggested he was going, something which he has clearly worked on since coming to us; it worked a lot last year and is still working, even against fast, quality defenders. His speed is also so deceptive. What a forward he is -  I just wish he was 22 not 29!

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2 hours ago, sgncfc said:

Walker was too deep, but what actually "made" the second goal was Pukki's run which completely bamboozled Stones - he went almost the opposite way to the way his body shape suggested he was going, something which he has clearly worked on since coming to us; it worked a lot last year and is still working, even against fast, quality defenders. His speed is also so deceptive. What a forward he is -  I just wish he was 22 not 29!

We might not have kept hold of him in the last window if he was 22!

Edited by Cantiaci Canary

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Vardy is still doing the business at 32 so I'd like to think we could potentially have another 3 or 4 years of Pukki after this season. 

He's our Jamie Vardy, although I believe Leicester had to give Vardy a huge salary to keep hold of him and we are going to need to do the same with Pukki. And we will do because he's our Talisman and irreplaceable. 

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