DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
I wouldn’t in a million years have started Aurier today. He’s a liability under that sort of pressure. That said, Trippier was terrible.
Pep can cope with injuries better because he has a stronger squad. Liam Brady was saying during the week that Pep is doing great but he’s one of the few managers that can just blow a fortune on a player (he was talking about Bravo specifically) and just write it off and spend more on the replacement.
A) I absolutely would have started Aurier. He's played at PSG, and he was the best right-back in France - he's not some kid straight out of the academy. Trippier, for all his technical skill, came from Burnley and looked Burnley-level today (although Burnley are above us, so maybe not the best comparison). And, even if he didn't start, Aurier not being sent on as we fell apart was inexcusable - it was arrogance overruling pragmatism, a refusal from Poch to even consider the fact that he was *wrong* even as Pep proved he was with every passing minute.
B) Forget the long run like buying Ederson to replace Bravo. Look at the team he put out *today*.
He had a central midfielder (bought from Aston Villa) playing left-back. He had his best player this season on the bench. He didn't have his best two centre-backs available and had to play Eliaquim Mangala, who was *awful* under Pellegrini.
It's hard to argue that he was any less handicapped by injuries than Poch was. And yet ,he destroyed Poch so effortlessly it hurt to watch - hurt to watch Poch stand there, mute and helpless, as City made him look like a fool and made our team look like fools.