It’s a system thing for Pep.

He has players in positions who excel as ‘X’ and ‘Y’ and he has cover for those qualities. A lot of their team has a ‘simple job’ they need to do to make it work and he ensures that there’s always two of those players available.

The problem with such a system is that you always need 2/3 players who can do X, Y and Z. So when they’re missing Rodri, you reaaaally see it. De Bruyne, you see it. Walker, you see it.

TLDR: Having a few players who can do X, Y and Z in Pep’s system makes it so the rest of the team only have to do X. We all know, when you have one job it’s much easy than having three. But, you see the absence of the XYZ’s considerably more when they’re not there (My TLDR isn’t much shorter than my actual post, this is making it worse).

😂

He was behind the man who did get to that ball, zero chance of him getting to it.

To quote the brain dead twat that is Dermot Gallagher; it’s just good, physical defending.

I, like others presume you have never played football. Defending is not losing your man, whilst not losing sight of the ball. That’s what Cucurella did, Haaland tried to pull him over and Cucurella stood his ground.

Your lot (I presume you’re a new fan) have already had a lot of decisions your way this season. Liverpool get them because they’re scared of Klopp, try to give me an answer why they’re going your way?

The funny thing in this, Pep is one of my favourite people in football and always has been (not so much as a player, I was too young and the match fixing is a bit of a red flag).

So, I’m a United fan who is actually obsessed with Pep and his take on football. So, in a weird non-direct way I don’t entirely dislike the club I played for until I was 14, all of which despite being a United fan. But, there’s something at play this season. Rules seem to be being bent far too regularly and far too often in your favour.

I am getting a bit done with refereeing this season, it’s been worse than ever.

The Haaland Cucurella incident is just another one in the list of very soft penalties for city alone this season. It’s also another one where Dermot Shitforbrains is arguing it was a penalty for the same reasons he said whatever wasn’t a penalty last week. He’s an embarrassment, it’s remarkable Sky are yet to realise.

The handball incident(s) probably aren’t worth consideration.

But, as OP states. It would have been an injustice for Chelsea to come away with nothing yesterday.

I got lost in my own perspective to be fair and lost sight of it being over £70m.

There’s talk of Antony being the biggest flop, and statistically he is behind Sancho. But I think of the two, Sancho’s worse. Pogba definitely deserves a mention too. Di Maria’s name isn’t too far from this list either. Equally, I don’t think Maguire deserves to be included at all.

Chelsea are contenders for the list too. Mudryk and Lukaku both deserving a mention. Though, I do and have always thought Mudryk would come good (not £100m or whatever good, but good). Havertz and Arrizabalaga get an honourable mention too.

Liverpool, the ever shrewd bunch have Naby Keita.

Tottenham, you could argue Ndombele (though I think unfair).

At Arsenal, we have Pepe who was phenomenally bad. You could argue Partey too.

Continuing with the sex offenders we have Benjamin Mendy at city.

Then we have Sigurdsson at Everton.

Finally (moving on from sex offenders) you could argue Tonali belongs on this list. However great a player he is (although I don’t think he fits in that Newcastle team but that’s another discussion) imagine signing someone for your second highest fee ever, and within eight games them receiving a 10 month ban. It’s almost as if, Milan knew what was coming.

I think the winner here has to be Lukaku. His transfer fees to Premierleague clubs amount to in the region of £220m. Despite him having a more than respectable return, the fact that about £115m of that was spent by Chelsea for him to have played 36 Premierleague games for them, scoring 8 means he surely has to be the winner.