Lloyd Scragg
@lloyd_scragg
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@9320pod guy / host. Media lawyer. MCFC season ticket holder (South Stand). Write bits for @guardian_sport , @FourFourTwo and @BTsportfootball . Philip Foden fan.
London/Manchester
Joined March 2010
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Zinchenko off the bench yesterday. My word. The stones on the lad. Absolutely phenomenal. And then that stuff at the end with the 🇺🇦 flag and trophy. No words, honestly.
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Can we talk about that 30min cameo from Zinchenko? Phenomenal. Didn’t put a foot wrong. Cancelo is comfortably top
#5
players for us this season. But proper cojones from Zin that.
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KDB should be our next captain. Giving it to Silva (in his final year) seems an emotional decision, to me. De Bruyne is the clear leader of this team now Kompany has gone.
Bernardo Silva has just announced on Sky Sports that the players will choose the new club captain today.
#ManCity
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First time I’ve ever said this, but that felt like a bent game. Incredible refereeing decisions. Countless fouls not given. Militao down for 4 mins in ET. So much time wasting. Incredible. Hard to take.
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After the Rashford “offside” at Old Trafford, and Haaland’s no-goal at Anfield, that penalty decision is v v tough to take. That situation has NEVER been a pen.
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Théo Hernandez. There’s your summer LB signing
@ManCity
. Immense over both legs vs. Spurs. Throw the chequebook at Milan 💶
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Ederson is incredible. That double save is one of the best I’ve ever seen. To show that much composure after being smacked in the face is remarkable. The guy has serious cojones.
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Some of the Foden discourse on here since last night is WILD. Clueless doesn’t cut it.
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Foden looks SO much sharper than Mahrez atm. It’s actually silly. What is Pep thinking benching Phil 🤷🏼♂️
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Foden starts. In our biggest game of the season. HUGE vote of confidence from Pep.
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On top of everything else at
#MCFC
this week (which pales into *total* insignificance compared to this), very serious questions need to be asked about City’s decision-makers at executive level. This is beyond bad.
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Death, taxes and goalkeepers throwing the ball into the net against Liverpool.
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For all City fans who want to watch Gabriel Jesus: he should play in the Olympics for Brazil vs. South Africa tomorrow, at 20:00 UK time.
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Let’s be honest, Mahrez and Grealish were pony last night. So passive (again).
I have a bit more time for Grealish (still quite new, coming back from injury). But we need to stop making excuses for him soon enough. He’s got to start effecting games more. Simple as that.
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Dias was excellent yday. Short summary of what he gives you at CB. Super combative.
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Strange game. City were utterly dominant. Created lots of good chances. But couldn’t put it in the net. PSG lived on scraps & moments. But were clinical and got over the line. Odd.
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This 👇🏼 is a staggeringly bad take.
It exposes a very basic misunderstanding of how legal (particularly arbitral) process works. City did not “select” the 3rd member of the Panel. They suggested Santos. UEFA had no objections. [END]
But really, allowing City to select two of the three members of a panel. The words 'the majority of the panel' run through the document like a chorus
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Big 3 takeaways from that game:
1. Bernardo looks like he’s back. Played with a lot more zip/intensity today.
2. Ederson showed up (again). Big time. Really good sign after last season.
3. Dias looks quality. Every inch the kind of defender we’ve needed post-Vinny.
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Not that City’s board needed a(nother) reminder. But you break whatever GK payment structure you have to keep Ortega. Imperious.
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Think Grealish properly announced himself tonight. Had some big moments in the last few weeks (e.g. goal at Old Trafford, assist off-the-bench at Stamford Bridge). But he made the right decision every time tonight. Fantastic to see.
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Kyle Walker was UNBELIEVABLE last night. Reminded me of his performances against Mbappé. Near faultless.
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Latest Bernardo rumours (whilst likely bollocks) have triggered this. Because I do think it needs spelling out
#MCFC
.
Thread 🧵 on the size of City’s first-team squad. Which currently only contains 17 senior outfield players (inc. Palmer):
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Statement performance from Jack Grealish today. Absolutely outstanding.
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City should just go throw the Paqueta 👜 at Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz. He is THE guy.
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Pep, you’ve got to change it mate. Alvarez and Akanji in midfield DOES NOT WORK.
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Rodri genuinely looks half a yard quicker. He’s been great these last 6 weeks. Timing his tackles/interceptions so much better. Making a big difference.
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Without doubt, one of the most complete all-round performances under Guardiola. Back to front. Every single player. Outstanding.
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Southgate has (obviously) done an excellent job this tournament, but his continued exile of Foden since those first 2 starts is… pretty odd. No mins since.
🚨 England expected to make one change for tonight’s
#EURO2020
SF v Denmark — Bukayo Saka set to regain starting place from Jadon Sancho on right of
#ENG
attack. Saka fit after minor ankle issue. Suggests a 4-2-3-1 but versatile
@TheAthleticUK
#ENGDEN
#DEN
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Only just back. Awful game. Great result. Thought Zinchenko was our best player by a mile. Another trophy. Up the Blues.
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For the “biggest week” in your City career, Phillips just jogs around way too much. So half-arsed / lackadaisical without the ball.
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Sorry, must’ve missed that. Arteta was instrumental in “helping” David Silva transition into central midfield at City? Alright lads.
🚨 Mikel Arteta is teaching Smith Rowe Granit Xhaka's position according to reports
🗣️ Football London reports Smith Rowe is training in central midfield as Arteta aims to teach him a deeper role.
🗣️ Arteta's previous success in transitioning David Silva at Manchester City
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A word on Madrid though. My LORD. They were clinging on for dear life. Playing for pens.
Rodrigo/Vini subbed. Carvajal’s time wasting. Bellingham’s play-acting? Pathetic. He’s wayyyy too good for a footballer for those theatrics. Embarrassing.
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Raheem/Sanchez: why would we use a 22 yo with 3 yrs left on his contract as a makeweight for a 28 yo that we can sign for free in 9 months?
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Think this could be a mistake.
A good move for McAtee. Undoubtedly. But City should be keeping him around the squad for the 1st half of the season, IMO. We only have 5 players (Rodri, KP, Gündo, KDB, Bernardo) for 3 CM positions. Could get decent minutes.
MCATEE ON LOAN ⚔️
We have been informed that, very well thought of, Manchester City attacking midfielder, James McAtee will be undergoing a medical at Bramall Lane, tomorrow.
The deal is set to be a loan with no option to buy, as Manchester City rate him extremely highly.
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Massive positive for
#MCFC
over this international break:
Laporte, Stones, Mendy, Ferna, Gündogan, Foden, Agüero and Jesus are all (for various reasons) training with Pep at the CFA over this 2 week period. Probably half the starting XI...
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Dias being able to good English feels kinda significant (?!). I appreciate that sounds a bit ridiculous, but if his leadership / communication capabilities are as good as people say, it’s a big ✅
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So: Eric Garcia > Otamendi for everyone important game for the rest of the season? Glad we all agree.
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Zinchenko only out for max 2 weeks. Agüero travelled to Wembley. Pep speaking out in support of Danny Rose. Friday vibes ☺️
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Despite his profligacy in front of goal, that was Bernardo’s best game in (?) god knows how long. He was everywhere. Buzzing all over the pitch. Some lovely touches. Really need him to build on that.
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Rico Lewis. First PL start having just turned 18 in November. Scarily comfortable positionally coming inside, and on the ball. Serious talent. No new RB required.
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Late ting. But I think Foden coming on in midfield today. FA Cup game final. Game on the line. Spells something for next season. That’s his position for 23/24.
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Mendy is an utter liability. Bloke is masquerading as a fan on the pitch. Woeful.
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This feels like a big mistake. Gündo is obviously worth a 2yr deal, IMO. Replacing him will be so difficult. Pep clearly wanted him to stay. And sounds like it was Gündo’s preference too 😐
The general feeling at
#ManCity
is 'they did what they can within business limits' they set themselves. Gundogan earned the right to receive a pay rise next season, but
@ManCity
did not want to commit to a multi-year deal with a player turning 33 in October.
[via
@polballus
]
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To fail to capitalise on Arsenal’s surprise loss, against this Spurs team, shows we don’t have the minerals for a title charge this season, IMO.
There’s too many issues. Odd selections. “Sad” faces. Not finding Haaland. Pep’s comments. Key players out of form. Etc.
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A few observations:
Despite not scoring, Grealish was outstanding again. His decision-making in high-stakes moments is so good. Ran Carvajal ragged. Again. Like the first leg.
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Quick comment on VAR re: that Llorente handball last night:
When going over to the on-field screen, the referee should be asking (like in rugby) to be shown EVERY available angle. The stakes are just too high for rushed decisions like Cakir’s last night. Frustrating.
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Ortega’s save honestly gave me Martinez v Kolo Muani vibes. Son is arguably the best 1v1 finisher in the world too. Ridiculous effort.
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Jacky Grealish dropping a 10/10 performance. Against Trent the defensive terrorist. Completely dismantled him. Love it.
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Ridiculous call to start Stones tonight.
Unbelievably short-sighted from Southgate. Hardly ever starts 2 games in 4 days for City. And now England’s best CB is injured again 🤦🏼♂️
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Don’t agree with this. Characterising a £125million bid as “something not worth thinking about” is mental. It’s a hell of a lot of money. Granted, it might not be what Levy wants. But market value is subjective. And City (right now) clearly don’t think he’s worth £150m ish (1/2).
I agree with this entirely. The party with the power to end this saga is Manchester City, if they pay up. (They weren't slow to pay up to sign Jack Grealish!) But until they give Levy something to really think twice about, they are effectively leaving Kane in limbo.
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On a positive note. Great to see Phil back in form. So crucial/important to our attacking play. And what about Rico Lewis? Absolute joke how good he is for 18 yo.
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Ridiculous first PL goal. The touch. The calmness. We’ve got a serious player here. OB.
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Fernandinho stepped up big time today, fair play. He’s looked off the pace in a few matches this season, but was back to his shithouse best today. Put out so many fires 🔥
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Haaland is utterly inevitable. We are witnessing something pretty special here.
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Never nice to lose. But I’m v comfortable bowing out of the Carabao early this season. Clashes with CWC. Tiny squad. Injuries, etc.
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Someone at City should be looking at this Coutinho situation and encouraging Sanchez to do the same. 'Nice guy' approach doesn't work.
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Here’s Pep’s full quote re: Grealish’s body language that I mentioned on
@9320pod
.
To me, this is a *clear* jibe at Foden. This 👇🏼 is why Phil hasn’t been starting. He needs to win Guardiola round. And fast.
🗣️ “His body language is exceptional, when he doesn’t play he’s always positive. His contribution was amazing.”
Pep Guardiola on Jack Grealish. 💪
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Blimey. Completely missed that in the ground. That’s a straight 🔴. No idea how Caicedo stayed on the pitch given all his offences.
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I’m sorry, but letting Lavia go to another PL rival is baffling. Watched a lot of him last season - and he is genuinely brilliant. And still only 19. A much better option than Phillips.
🔴
#LiverpoolFC
set to focus now their energies on Romeo Lavia’s deal. I understand talks on players side are advancing well as the green light’s close but nothing done yet. The ideal projection
#LFC
would be to get him for the first summer camp with the team.
The Reds -that
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This is potentially (?!) the best football compilation I’ve ever seen. Very fitting that it’s of our greatest ever. David Silva 🐐
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Ridiculous. I’m all for celebrations like this. Even though it was against us. We’d love it if Foden did the same at Anfield.
🚨🚨| Trent Alexander Arnold could face punishment for his celebration against Manchester City.
[
@MailSport
]
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Just getting home.
Rodri. Again. Fucking ridiculous. The guy does everything. Covers every blade of grass. And he’s the most impactful player on the game.
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Rodri jumping around like a dick for the trophy lift. Things you absolutely love to see.
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The big risk of 3 senior CBs rears its ugly head very, very early in the season 😰
Laporte’s a doubt for the Community Shield with - what has been described to me as - a knock. No word on West Ham availability yet, he’s having treatment on it
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A genuine joke of a decision. Clearly inferring with play. Completely swung the game.
A through ball to offside Marcus Rashford is left for Bruno Fernandes to fire Manchester United level.
🎥
@btsportfootball
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Wow. That feels massive. Ridiculous goal and composure from Oscar Bobb. And KDB is back.
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The fluency 1st half was on Pep. These Alvarez and Akanji ‘experiments’ are killing us.
But ultimately, we didn’t win that game because of our finishing. Haaland has to do SO much better. Could’ve comfortably scored 3.
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Cheers ✅
🗣 'If Man City win the treble what's your next target Pep?'
"Score a goal against Spurs away" 🤣
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Can’t believe Raz and KDB were on the losing side tonight. World class.
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Lord Pannick is back. City have made the 📞
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Aside from the handball / natural criticisms, we’re still not getting Haaland into the game enough. Made a lot dangerous runs tonight and didn’t see the ball.
Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland: "He is 100% adapted to
#ManCity
. We need to find him more in the game, and get the passes to him..." [via
@TNTSportsBR
/
@City_XtraPT
]
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This is so lazy / disappointing from Southgate. England’s problem on the biggest stage(s) has been a lack of midfield creativity. He doesn’t have City’s options at
#8
.
'England manger has claimed Foden cannot play in the middle for the big games and told anybody who disagrees - just ask Pep'
✍️
@Matt_Law_DT
#TelegraphFootball
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This looked really nasty at the ground. Haven’t seen a replay since (is there one?). But it’s good to see Stonesy call it out.
John Stones on Wilfried Zaha’s tackle: “If it’s the other way round, I think it’s a different story. I wasn’t pleased. It’s frustrating that it might not have been picked up. Referees, VAR; that’s why those things are there… I thought it was a naughty one.” [via
@MikeMinay
]
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Think it needs to be said: Bristol coped better with this City team over two legs and caused us more problems than most PL teams would. Huge credit to Lee Johnson. His side struck an excellent balance of sitting deep/pressing and picked their moments to counterattack really well.
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Pls come back you silly twat. All forgiven.
Brutal from Ikay Gündogan after El Clasico: “After such a result, I expected an angrier dressing room”
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Man City’s 2021-22 summer transfer window. A throwback to the Peter Swales era. Amateur hour. The lot of ‘em.
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C’mon Pep, this City XI tonight please:
Ederson
Walker Ferna Aké Mendy
KDB Rodri Foden
Torres Jesus Sterling
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Good to know Phillips is still crap. Can’t believe we haven’t accepted one of the proposals (15+ apparently) to take him off our hands. Lavia would give us so much more.
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Can’t help but feel this is a classic Guardiola overthink...
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