Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers: Post-match thoughts

Have you ever witnessed a more one sided game in all your life? I don't think I have in my reasonably short 27 years of it. For around 70 minutes of the game, City had about 86% of possession. It ended with 78% possession, 28 attempts on goal.

City barely had to get out of second gear as Blackburn came with the sole intention of limiting the number of goals City scored. Yakubu cut a lonely figure as the ball was often hoofed in his direction with either Kompany or Lescott waiting to take it back from him.

If there is one negative to take away from the game, it's that despite having 28 shots on goal, only 9 were actually on target. Mancini will no doubt be unhappy with this despite the overall performance. In tougher games, less than a 30% hit rate could cost  City.

The shots that City did have on target (apart from the goals) generally brought pretty good saves out of Paul Robinson, who is said to be reconsidering his international retirement. I'm not entirely sure why though, as he still wont be playing ahead of Joe Hart.

Robinson had to make a fine save very early in the game with barely a minute gone. Silva put through Johnson making a run on the wing who then whipped in a low cross which found. Balotelli. Mario's first time shot towards the bottom corner was parried away though.

Silva was causing all sorts of problems on the edge of the box, keeping the ball close to him, waiting for a teammate to make a run, and almost always finding them.

Zabaleta and Kolarov were chosen as the full-backs for this game and they both played admirably, with Aleks getting man of the match. Both provided the width that was required to get behind the Blackburn defence out wide and each put in a number of good crosses.

It was once again Silva who played the ball into space for one of the full-backs in the 30th minute, this time Kolarov. The cross was driven into low into the box and once again found Balotelli who had drifted into space between defenders. Mario struck the ball across the keeper who could only watch it fly past him into the back of the net.

Balotelli unveiled another message on his under armour, declaring his love for his girlfriend, Raffaella Fico. He had learnt his lesson though and only lifted the shirt high enough to see the message instead of pulling it over his head, avoiding an unnecessary booking.

Kompany nearly made it 2-0 6 minutes later when a corner came towards the near post. Vinnie peeled away from his marker, and in a move not dissimilar to Mancini's famous back-heeled goal during his playing days, clipped the ball towards goal. Once again, Robinson was equal to it and Yaya put the rebound wide of the goal.

City came close again seconds before half time. Balotelli hit a 40 yard pass with the outside of his right boot which Aguero had to chase. And despite having 2 defenders around him and receiving a push in the back, Aguero's tenacity got him to the ball before either of them. It was unlucky that his shot across goal went wide of the target.

Sergio made it 2-0 just 6 minutes into the 2nd half after another City corner. Robinson parried away the initial ball into the box, but it fell right in front of Aguero who fired it into the net.

Dzeko came on for Balotelli on 79 minutes and managed to get himself on the score sheet after only 2 minutes on the pitch. Kolarov again the provider after collecting the ball from substitute Pizarro, crossed the ball into the box and into the path of an oncoming Dzeko. His header powered low to the ground and beat Robinson with ease.

Joe Hart was required just the once in time added on. Yakubu hit a tame shot from outside the 18 yard box to mark Blackburn's only shot on target in 94 minutes of football. Hart easily collected it down at his left.

It has to be mentioned that Yaya was magnificent. With Blackburn rarely attacking, Yaya was able to pass the ball almost at will, completing 101 of his 103 passes. He hit several long range passes that found the target with pin-point accuracy, one of his outstanding qualities as a player. And when he did stride forward, Blackburn simply didn't know what to do. It is hoped that the injury that saw him limp off the pitch 5 minutes from the end isn't serious.

Balotelli also has a great game, showing fantastic attitude throughout. Pizarro looks like he's been with City for years, such is his quality of passing and ability to read the game as though he's looking at it from above. I'm certainly wanting to see more of him before the season ends as he looks a quality signing.

With Tevez returning to training, many fans will no doubt be pleased that Aguero, Balotelli and Dzeko are all back in scoring form and looking likely to keep Tevez out of contention of even an appearance on the bench. It wouldn't surprise me if after all that has happened Mancini isn't happy for the same reasons, if only behind closed doors.


Twitter: @MikeWalshMCFC or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur: Post match review.

A cagey first half as both teams sized each other up, 4 goals in 9 minutes in the 2nd half and a stoppage time penalty. I think my pulse has just about managed to return to normal.

There was a lot of talk about this being a season defining game for City and Spurs, but to be honest, I think it was more important for Spurs' title challenge than it was for City's given the next 2 month's worth of fixtures. Kyle Walker took to Twitter and stated that City were "there for the taking" or so he thought.

Micah Richards returned to the side and was once again handed the captain's armband, an indication of how far he's come since Mancini joined the Blues and a testament to how highly the Italian rates him. Mario Balotelli also passed a late fitness test and started on the bench. James Milner was preferred over Nigel De Jong and started alongside Gareth Barry in the centre of the park.

The first half lacked any real pace and urgency, although City managed to create a couple of chances. One of which came on 17 minutes when Silva pinged the ball back from the touchline into the path of Sergio Aguero, but as has happened recently, Edin Dzeko was in the way and the chance went begging. Spurs also had a couple of speculative efforts that were blocked by City's defence.

8 minutes later a quick free kick set Aguero on his way with Kaboul in toe. Aguero could have possibly bought himself a penalty after he was taken wide in the area and Kaboul gave him a little push in the back. To his credit though he stayed on his feet and created a chance for David Silva who flashed the ball across the face of the goal.

With 30 minutes gone, Richards stole the ball from Bale and then Parker before hitting a low cross to Aguero on the edge of the area. Sergio jinked to his right, giving himself so space but a good save from the evergreen Brad Freidel prevented City going 1-0 up.

There was a potential penalty shout early in the second half Richards steamed into a packed 18 yard box with his cross being blocked by Assou-Ekotto's elbow. I've seen them given, but with the distance between the players was minimal and a penalty would have probably been a harsh decision.

Then the game really sparked into life with 55 minutes gone. David Silva doing what he does best, finding space, keeping the ball and threading an inch perfect pass through the defence. Nasri had made a superb run from the left, leaving Kyle Walker stranded. The pass was excellent and the finish, superb. First time, right foot, Friedel had no chance.

City had the ball in the back of the net 3 minutes later after Nasri's corner was flicked across the face of the goal by Dzeko. Joleon Lescott got to the ball before Scott Parker and slid into the back of the net with the ball and City were in complete control and seemed as though this could spark another mauling.

If you thought a mauling was on the cards though, you were wrong as Spurs hit back almost straight away from the restart. After 2 changes of possession, Kaboul  hoofed the ball forward and Savic, who had had a good game up to that point and dealt with similar lofted passes throughout the first half with ease, misjudged the flight of the ball and gave Jermain Defoe a clean run on goal. Joe Hart could do very little about it as Defoe rounded him and passed the ball home. What should have been a comfortable lead with Spurs not making many good chances before hand was threatening to turn into a real scrap for victory.

Minutes later though, City could have go back the 2 goal lead when Aguero knocked the ball through the Spurs defence and into Dzeko's path but the Bosnian blazed the ball high over the bar from 10 yards. Despite his goal in his previous game he still looks like a player low on confidence and with Balotelli fit again he may find it difficult to keep his place in the starting 11.

9 minutes after City scored their first goal, Spurs levelled the game when Lennon carried the ball down the left and passed the ball to Gareth Bale who had drifted into the middle. Once again, Hart could do nothing about it as the first-time finish was simply top class.

Spurs could have taken the lead when once again Savic lost possession. This time Bale stormed towards City's goal and squared it for Defoe, but he couldn't turn it into the net. It was a real let off for City.

Mancini had already made his first change, bringing on Mario Balotelli for Edin Dzeko and after getting booked for a late challenge on on the edge of the area a few minutes earlier, he then found himself in the centre of another controversy as it is being alleged that he intentionally went to stamp on Scott Parker's head after the two of them got in a tangle.

If you watch it in real time, it's nothing. Watch it in slow motion and it looks like a deliberate attempt at a stamp. Personally, and I can hear the cries of bias and blue tinted specs already, I don't think it was intentional and I know many will disagree. I'll be the first to hold my hands up and say when something is wrong, but despite the best attempts of Harry Redknapp after the game and Alan Hansen in the MotD2 studio, Balotelli is not the kind of person to try and deliberately stamp on someone's head.

Mario had already been knocked totally off balance by Parker's challenge with Modric coming in behind him. Now you can go on about 'unnatural movement' or whatever you want but all you are doing is speculating as to how a person may or may not move when that will vary from person to person depending on their size, size, agility, actual direction of movement and intended direction of movement.

If you want to watch it in slow motion, go ahead, then tell me where Luca Modric is looking when the 'stamp' occurs. Did he call to the ref to point this out? No. Why? Because it wasn't an intentional stamp to inflict injury on anyone. In fact no player on the pitch made any claims of a stamp.

The ref was 6 yards away, did he see any foul play? No. Why? Because it wasn't an intentional. And that is where I will leave it, but no doubt this will drag on for days in the press and in the forums compounded by the factor that Balotelli then went on to win a penalty in the last few seconds of time added on.

When the pressure is on and a penalty has to be taken, there is only one man for the job. Seemingly unaffected by any kind of pressure and supremely confident in his own ability, Mario Balotelli is one of the best penalty takers I have ever seen. Nonchalantly striding towards the ball and effortlessly stroking it beyond the keeper 

A simply enthralling game for the neutral, a heart stopping game for City and Spurs fans, but it leaves City 8 points clear of the London Club and still 3 points clear at the top of the table with a fantastic run of Premier League games ahead with the opportunity to push further ahead in the race for the title.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880 or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur preview

Sky Sports are billing this weekend's match as a grudge match with Spurs seeking revenge for the beating they received at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. According to a recent poll by Sky Sports, Spurs are also the favourites to win the league, no doubt partly due to the new-found hatred that City has acquired.

Spurs are certainly in the title race at this point and there's no doubting they are a good team but they have a really tough run of games approaching that starts against City. In the next 5 games after City they are away to Liverpool and Arsenal and are at home to United, not exactly a the easiest fixture list.

City could seriously hamper Spurs' ambitions with another win which would see them go 8 points ahead of them and potentially 6 points clear of United depending on their result later on in the day. Another 5-1 victory may not be on the cards though as City will be missing at least 2 key players, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure. Mario Balotelli and Micah Richards are also hoping to return from injury.

Spurs will be without a few players themselves due to injuries, however they will probably feel the loss of City loanee and their top scorer in the league, Adebayor the most. Despite Redknapp favouring the City outcast, Jermain Defoe has actually scored more goals for the club in all competitions scoring 1 every 84 minutes, so will be an able deputy.

Spurs  have a wealth of attacking talent throughout the starting 11 too. Bale, Van der Vaart, Lennon, and Modric are all threats to City's goal. Given the pace of Bale and Lennon on the wings you would hope Richards will return to the right of defence with Clichy on the left.

Redknapp has recently praised the way Spurs have gone about their business, saying that they have had success without spending the kind of money City have done in recent years. And while it is true that City have spent more while Spurs have managed to wheel and deal in the transfer market, it's not as though Spurs are flush with academy talent in their side. 10 of their probable starting 11 will have been bought and taken no part in any academy activity. They are also one of the biggest spending English clubs in the last few years.

It's not as though they've won much either. I know success isn't measure only in silverware but it's the ultimate indication of how successful a club really is. A solitary League Cup win in 2008 is their only trophy in the last 10 years. The last trophy before that was 1999 with another League Cup and we all know where City were at that time.

But to be honest, I don't really care how Spurs run their club, I only care about them finishing behind City in the league.

A repeat of the 5-1 would be great, but I just don't see a scoreline like that as I see this game being a much closer contest this time. Thankfully Edin Dzeko has found his shooting boots again and an attacking lineup of Silva, Nasri Aguero and Dzeko could prove fruitful.

Whether Nasri gets the nod though is anyone's guess as Mancini may want to go with the industry that Milner provides. Either way, City still have plenty of talent despite the loss of several players and have enough of it to win this game.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880 or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Wigan Athletic v Manchester City: post match

That certainly wont go down as one of the greatest City performances of all time. I got a rather uneasy feeling just before kick off and it proved to be quite a nervy game all round as, I think it's fair to say, City scrapped away to get a 1-0 victory in a half empty DW Stadium.

Of course you could look at the result and the performance and be thinking that City should have flattened Wigan without much trouble but the Premier League often produces a surprise or two throughout the season. We've seen several good results for teams lower down the league, or bad results for those higher up depending on which way you want to look at it.

This game looked as though it might be one of those days as City never really got going despite the first half looking quite comfortable as City went ahead through Edin Dzeko's first goal in over 2 months. The goal itself came in the 22nd minute after Edin won a free kick down the left flank. David Silva lofted the ball into the box and Edin Dzeko found himself unmarked and unimpeded to head the ball home.

The 2nd half was a different story with Wigan being largely the better side as City's usually metronomic passing lacked consistency, even David Silva looked out of sorts as a number of passes he usually does in his sleep didn't reach their intended targets.

What City didn't do though is fall apart. When luck isn't on your side and you have a few players not playing quite up to the standard that has come to be expected of them then you need them to just grind out results.

A good indication of how City's evening was going was when Aguero got himself within 7 yards of the Wigan goal but instead of pulling the trigger with his left foot he weaved his way across the face of the goal expertly avoiding the Wigan defenders only for Edin Dzeko to put in a perfectly timed tackle, prodding the ball into Al-Habsi's hands.

Despite Wigan's performance in the 2nd half, Joe Hart only had to make 2 saves all game. Partly due to Wigan's appalling final ball, and the battling defensive display from City. Gareth Barry and James Milner both put in a good shift and Sergio Aguero made himself a pest when Wigan had the ball in their own half. Stefan Savic and Joleon Lescott both put in a decent performance at the back too.

As is becoming the norm in City games of late there was yet another contentious decision by the referee. This time Wigan's Figueroa blatantly cut out a lofted pass forward with his hand at the half way line. The pass would have seen Aguero have a free run on goal with no other defenders within 20 yards of him.

Surely this was a clear goal scoring opportunity despite the distance from goal as there were no other defenders near Aguero. But no, Martin Atkinson gave a yellow card for what should have been a straight red, much to Mancini's growing and justified annoyance with the inconsistency of officials in the Premier League.

Thankfully it didn't change the outcome of the game like it potentially has done in recent weeks but it is yet another indication that something desperately needs to be done about the standard of officials in England.

I wont hold my breath for any positive headlines from this game as we all know when certain other teams  grind out results after a couple of bad games they're "playing like champions" while other teams are "struggling" or "feeling the pressure". Whatever is said, it wont change the fact that City are 3 points clear at the top of the league.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880 or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Keep calm and carry on

Well, what can I say about today? Disappointing if not predictable just about sums it up in a polite way. If you haven't heard yet, where have you been? The FA have upheld Vinnie's 4 match ban after an independent panel felt that the wholly inept Chris Foy was right in sending off Vincent Kompany in the Manchester derby.

Now for all the people saying "#twofoottackle = red card" and the line "by the letter of the law it was a red" you really should know better and check "the letter of the law". In fact you can do it right HERE. Also to quote Referee Development Officer, Peter Roberts with reference to two footed tackles; "If he takes the ball cleanly, it is a free kick and a caution." I rest my case your honour.

But anyway the damage is done, now City should use this as motivation to push harder to bring the Premier League title to the Etihad Stadium. Over the last few weeks there has been a growing siege mentality surrounding the squad with all the talk of City's season collapsing and some rather dubious red card decisions and officiating that has had a say on certain results.

We saw this mentality in full force in the FA Cup against United and much has been said about the performance that day. What City need to do now is continue that same determination right up to the end of the season, starting with Liverpool's visit to the Etihad in the Carling Cup.

I know for a fact there are fans of every team that don't feel the competition is worth winning. I beg to differ, silverware is silverware and although the big prize is ultimately the Premier League trophy, the Carling Cup is important for the players and the teams taking part regardless of what the fans think.

How Mancini will go about the starting 11 is anyone's guess as although Komapny's dismissal is a massive blow there are players waiting to step up to the challenge. Micah Richards and Stefan Savic are the 2 other players that can play at centre-back alongside Joleon lescott whilst Kolo Toure is away.

Savic put in a great performance when required to against United and even picked up a nasty blood injury that was quickly wrapped up for him to battle on. To be fair to the lad, he didn't put a foot wrong and will be itching to prove his worth to the team now he has a chance for a short run in the starting 11.

There is also a question surrounding the fitness of David Silva, although the Twitter rumours of a broken ankle a just a little wide of the mark.

One plus point to take note of is that Gareth Barry has served his ban which was picked up against Liverpool in the Premier League, and will no doubt return to action straight away to bolster the options in the centre of midfield and provide cover for the roaming full-backs. Barry has been the most consistent player so far in this campaign and will hopefully pick up where he left off.

Another positive is that both Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko took full part in training and will hopefully be in contention for a return tomorrow or against Wigan.

On the transfer front, Kompany's ban may mean Onuoha gets another 6 months at the club as he may well be needed for cover should the unthinkable happen to any more defenders before the transfer window closes. Although Mancini showed little intent on giving him another chance as he opted to name 16 year old Karim Rekik on the bench ahead of him on Sunday.

The fans certainly have their part to play. The 2nd half of Sunday's game showed what can be done when the crowd gets behind the team. Several of the players commented on it after the match and clearly respond to the noise levels in the stadium as we have seen several times this season. The louder the crowd, the bigger the performance has been. So you know what to do.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880 or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Sunderland v Manchester City: Post Match

How on earth did City manage to lose that game? It was the kind of end to the game that City fans of a certain standing will have been fearing, virtually the last kick of the game from a goal that was offside.

That's the way City have generally gone about their business for more years than I care to remember. In previous years fans would have just laughed it off as 'typical City', but with the squad City now have and the money that has been spent it's more difficult to accept results like that when there is so much to play for. Still, it's something we have to do. Perhaps not laugh it off, but accept the result and move on.

City had round 60% possession of the ball, 10 corners, and 25 attempts on goal. Sunderland had their backs to the wall on a number of occasions and played almost entirely on the break which is something City are going to have to quickly learn to overcome if they are to continue on their title challenge.

Mancini was clearly unimpressed that the opportunity to go 3 points clear wasn't taken as several players simply did not perform up to the required standard that Roberto has come to expect from his players despite the match stats. In fact Mancini was so unhappy he left the touchline and headed down the tunnel after the goal was conceded and before the game ended. He looked like a man who had been let down in a big way.

Most of the players in question are those that have had to watch from the sidelines in recent weeks and you would have thought they would have grabbed the chance with both hands, but that didn't happen. The passing in the final third of the pitch was pretty poor almost throughout the 90 minutes and it got worse the closer to goal it got.

Yaya, Nasri, Johnson, Kolarov and Kompany were all guilty of playing the ball into the box with little to no conviction or purpose. Dzeko's passing was pretty bad throughout too, and unfortunately his shooting was even worse. 1/3 of his passes were wayward and only 1 of his 10 shots were on target.

One player who can hold his head high despite the defeat is Gareth Barry who was as dependable as ever. Despite losing, Kompany and Lescott also played well defensively overall.

I'm not sure I can recall feeling this disappointed about a result in the last 12 months or so, and we're still top of the league! Perhaps the result against Everton last December was as close to the same frustration many have exhibited after this result. I suppose that's an indication of just how far City have come in the last 3 years.

City may well be going through the sticky patch that all teams go through at some point in the season, although the results themselves other than this one against Sunderland haven't actually been that bad. A loss at Stamford Bridge, a draw at the Hawthorns and two wins at home isn't too much to be worried about at this point.

A big kick up the backside is needed after this performance before Liverpool in 2 days, and some players will be kicking themselves as they have missed an opportunity to really show their worth to the squad today. Plenty of games are coming up though in the next couple of months so they will get another chance. Lets hope they take it.

In brief summary of the game it was a story of poor passing in the final third, extremely poor finishing from all involved, some good defending from Sunderland and an offside goal that stole the 3 points at the death. I probably should have put that first so you didn't have to read all of the above. It'd have saved a minute or two of your time anyway.

Thankfully, most other teams in the title and top 4 challenges also slipped up this week. Manchester United lost at home to Blackburn, Chelsea lost at home to Aston Villa, and Spurs drew away to Swansea. Only Liverpool and Arsenal picked up 3 points so it's not all bad.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Sunderland v Manchester City

City kick off the new year travelling North East to Sunderland who it's fair to say haven't really been up to scratch so far this season. Hence the sacking of Steve Bruce and the hiring of Martin O'Neill.

Since taking charge of Sunderland on the 5th of December, the fortunes of the Club appear to be looking a little better. However the points they have picked up are against those around them in the table and they lost away to Spurs, which isn't all that bad given Spurs' current form.

Where they might be in the table had they held onto Darren Bent last January and Assamoah Gyan is anyone's guess, but the fact that Sebastian Larsson is their current top scorer tells a story itself. That's not a slur on Larsson at all, and he is definitely going to be a goal threat for the defence to watch out for. But the fact that Larsson is a midfielder tells you they haven't managed to replace the threat that Bent and Gyan posed in front of goal. In all honesty, Niklas Bendtner wasn't ever going to be the answer to the loss of those two players.

It will be interesting to see how O'Neill deploys his midfield as this is where a game against City is really won or lost. Playing a defensive 6-3-1 like Stoke certainly isn't the answer as this gives City's midfield far too much space and time to look for the right pass. West Brom on the other hand, although once again playing defensively, played with 2 close banks of 4 which limited the amount of space for players like Silva to thread that killer ball into.

That hasn't always worked for teams as we've seen, but it certainly makes it more difficult for City to break through, and I suspect that may be how O'Neill will look to thwart City's advances on Sunday.

As for City, I fully expect Mancini to field a very different team to the one that started against West Brom. Why? Because City play host to Liverpool just 2 days later. Liverpool will also have had an extra 48 hours rest so it will be up to Mancini to try and keep the '1st' 11 as fresh as possible.

The 2 main headaches will be the full-back and central midfield positions. At the time of writing this there is no news on the fitness of Micah Richards or Aleks Kolarov. If both are fit to play I suspect Aleks will play at left-back and Zaba will continue to play on the right. This being with the Liverpool game in mind of course where Richards and Clichy would start.

As regards to the midfield issue, does Gareth Barry start against Sunderland after only being used as a sub against West Brom? Or does he sit on the bench again and be fully fit to face Liverpool? I know this wont be popular with a lot of the newer City support, I'd rather him play against Liverpool as he has been one of, if no the most consistent performer in the entire squad since the start of last season. My thoughts on his contribution will have to wait for now though.

If I was pushed to make a decision on who will start in the centre I'd go for De Jong and possibly Abdul Razak. Mancini is going to want Barry and Yaya fit to face Liverpool, and I've simply no idea what is happening with Owen Hargreaves.

A recall to action is in order for Edin Dzeko, after missing out on his last chance through a late ankle injury. As mentioned in previous articles, he is due a few goals as he seems to score in fits and starts. Although he is getting less opportunity at the moment due to the ever increasing contributions of Mario Balotelli.

I suspect this will be quite a tough game, especially with the number of changes we might see to the starting 11. Even so, City have enough ability to win and keep another clean sheet. Whether that happens, we'll find out on Sunday.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City

The season's festivities climaxed yesterday but as joyous as the occasion may be, many Blues throughout the land will have had a portion of their thoughts on something other than the Turkey; Boxing Day Football. City travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom in the next game of a tightly packed Christmas and New Year schedule.

After the rather unexpected cake walk that was City v Stoke earlier at the Etihad 5 days ago you would expect and maybe hope West Brom to put up a little more of a fight with them being on home turf. Sadly I half expect them to play like the away side and sit and defend in the hope they can withstand City's attacks for 90 minutes. I hope I'm wrong.

Woy Hodgson is tasked with stabilising the somewhat yo yo existence seen in recent years at the Hawthorns and at this stage of the season they are mid-table, and around halfway to safety with 21 points.

Unfortunately for West Brom, their home form isn't exactly exemplary, having lost 5 of their 8 games there this season. West Brom have also failed to get any points from any games against teams in the top 6. City have won 5 of their away games, only losing to Chelsea with 10 men 2 weeks ago. Unsurprisingly, the odds are clearly stacked heavily against the Baggies in this fixture.

Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie bare the majority of the responsibility when it comes to scoring goals. Both have scored 5 and 4 league goals respectively. England international Ben Foster will be hoping his defence can limit the number of chances City create, but I would think he may be a little busy.

His opposite number, and England number 1, Joe Hart, will also be hoping for a clean sheet which would be the 3rd in succession after shutting out Arsenal and Stoke prior to this game. Kompany returned to his imperious best in those games too, and will be wanting to continue and build on that form.

After impressing against Stoke, possibly partly due to the lack of defending he was required to do, Adam Johnson will also be hoping for another start. Mancini was clearly pleased with his contribution during the game though. Whether he gets his start or not is another matter. At the moment I would think he would take any time he can get and has a habit of coming on from the bench to score late on in games.

Who starts up front is a mystery and will partly depend on whether Dzeko is fit enough to play after turning his ankle in training before the Stoke game. Both Aguero and Balotelli have been in fine form though so either one should be able to do a job up front.

Micah Richards is the only other injury concern and with the number of games coming up it may be once again down to the man for all seasons, Zabaleta, to fill in at right back.

With all due respect to West Brom, I hope they put up more of a fight than Stoke, but unless they play out of their skin or City have a really off game then City should have another 3 points by the end of the day.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Stoke City

The Etihad Stadium plays host to Stoke City in tomorrow's Premier League fixture. The Potters have won the last 4 games on the bounce, beating an in form Tottenham on the way. City returned to winning ways against Arsenal on Sunday in an enthralling end to end spectacle.

Tony Pulis and his team currently sit 8th in the table and qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League. They are a tough test for any team to face, physically robust and know how to play to their strengths. Although Stoke do have players that can play a bit, they are well known for a certain, very unattractive style of play.

It wasn't particularly surprising when they announced the signing of Peter Crouch from Spurs in the summer. He's exactly the kind of player Stoke want up front as they punt or throw the ball into the 18 yard box. Peter Crouch is Stoke's joint top scorer with Jonathan Walters, both currently on 4 league goals.

Rory Delap is well known for his ability to launch the ball into the box from throw ins, and giving one away within 30 yards from the goal line is as good as giving away a corner. City will have to be fully focused if Stoke get any throw ins or free kicks near the area. If Kompany and Richards play like they did against Arsenal though even the likes of Crouch will have a tough time beating them in the air.

I think it's fair to say that you know exactly what you're going to get when you play against Stoke and to be fair to them, what they do works for them. Whether you like the way they play or not is another thing, but each team has to play to their strengths at the end of the day, and their strengths are their physical presence and set pieces.

I suspect we will see Joleon Lescott returning to the side after missing out on Arsenal. Kolo was likely chosen ahead of Joleon for his added mobility which thankfully shone through after some very lacklustre performances. However, Lescott has much better ability in the air and will be the better option against the aerial bombardment Stoke are likely to try and impose.

We may also see a recall to action from Edin Dzeko in place of Super Mario. Although Mario provides much more flair and an ability to create something out of nothing, Edin has more of a physical presence and is less likely to lose his temper with the physical nature of Stoke's defence. In short, Mario is an easy target and Edin he is a safer option to start with. He's also is due a bag full of goals having not hit the back of the net for over 6 weeks.

The last time Stoke played City was straight after their defeat in the FA Cup final. The result was 3-0 in a rather one sided game. In fact the FA Cup final was a rather one sided game too, although that's not to say the same thing will happen this time round. Both teams have improved since May and will be looking to pick up as many points over the Christmas period as possible.

City (Manchester of course) are unbeaten at home in the last 12 months, and Stoke have lost 4 of their 8 games away from home this season, conceding 16 in the process. This all points to what should be a comfortable victory for Mancini's men after his 2nd anniversary of becoming manager at Manchester City. However, football often likes to throw in a result no one expects. Hopefully that wont be tomorrow.





Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Demolition Derby

The scene was set, Mancini's 100th game in charge at City, United had gone unbeaten at home in the league for just over a year. Nani had billed this as the biggest derby ever. Pundits and so called experts were saying although City were top of the league they had not played anyone of note (lets forget about hammering Spurs shall we?). While United had well beat a capitulating Arsenal reserves, drew against a Liverpool side failing to set the world alight and were fantastically lucky to beat Chelsea with 2 offside goals and with Torres unable to hit a cow's arse with a banjo.

Admittedly for the first 15-20 minutes United were the better side. City didn't press hard enough and gave them far too much time on the ball. Young looked to be the biggest threat early on as he drew a number of fouls (not all by honest means) down City's right flank. I'll concede that the ref wouldn't have had a good view of him doing a Tom Daley over Micah's and Milner's challenges otherwise we should have seen a yellow card for simulation.

But after setting his house on fire only 36 hours earlier through setting off fireworks from his bathroom window (yeah, why not? It's Mario), Mario Balotelli set the game alight by striking an exquisitely nonchalant side footed shot into the bottom corner of De Gea's net in the 22nd minute. And in true Balotelli style uncovered a tongue in cheek message underneath his City shirt which read "Why always me?". This also got him a yellow card, and I still don't understand why that rule hasn't been scrapped.  

From that point on, City were a better team, they were THE better team and went into half time with a deserved lead. And after Evans got a straight red (and rightly so) for impeding the ever more reliable Balotelli shortly after the break the City of old would still have made a meal of it. Not this time, we're made of tougher stuff nowadays.

I wont go into detail about the rest of the match as I don't think I could do it justice. Just watch the extended highlights for yourself on mcfc.co.uk, again, and again, and again.

Micah, one of the two survivors in the lineup that played in City's 2008 derby win at the swamp, received the Man of the Match award. He was absolutely immense going forward and at the back and kept the threat from United to a minimum.

Over half of United's shots, and the only ones on target, came from outside of the box, which is testament to the defensive work of the 4 at the back and indeed the work of the team as a whole, although I'm sure Mancini will have words regarding the goal City conceded as we all know how he hates conceding.

By the time that goal went in though, City had already scored 3, and although it saw United have a spell of pressure on City, it was fairly short-lived. All that goal really did was spur City on to really kill the game off. What happened next was any number of superlatives as City systematically tore United apart piece by piece. Even though United were a man down, there can simply be no excuses for how they were taught a real lesson in football to that extent.

What's really good about this is that each of City's strikers scored, as well as David Silva who once again made the opposition look ridiculous on a number of occasions. Dzeko 2, Balotelli 2 and Aguero 1. Does anyone remember what Paul Merson said at the beginning of the season? Apparently we were really going to miss Tevez. HA!

Another mention has to go to James Milner who has been in great form recently and really stepped up to the plate again today after being picked ahead of Samir Nasri. His work rate and awareness today were 2nd to none and he is really showing why he was brought to City in the first place.

I'm not sure we'd have seen a performance quite like that had we walked over Villareal in midweek. The tough test they provided coupled with the last gasp win looks to have given City an added belief that wasn't quite there before.

I mentioned the games against Everton and Liverpool at the end of last season and the results directly following them. We've seen a certain mental strength developing at City over the last 12 months coming off the back of difficult games or disappointing results. The game against Fulham and the result after that is another example of this mentality that Mancini is instilling within the club.

City have now scored a record number of goals in the Premier League after 9 games. A record that was previously held by Arsenal's invincibles. Now I'm not saying City will win the league but that was as big a statement of intent as you could possibly give. 

The rest of the season starts here. This was billed as the big test of how City really measured up to the title challenge and City past with flying colours. Next up is Mick MacCarthy Wolves (both Carling Cup and Premier League). And no disrespect to them, but these are now the games City are really expected to win. But in the past we've seen City go into games overconfident and been punished for it. Another factor in the new mentality is for this not to happen. A result such as this breeds overconfidence, but the players now have to make sure they go into the next game totally focussed.

One question will continue to give Mancini a massive headache though; who on earth gets a place in the starting 11 ahead of the others?  City haven't had it quite so good for a long time, and long may it continue!



You can check out the City Stats from this game by clicking HERE





@MikeWalsh1880

Who gets the nod when everyone's match fit?

It's the million pound question at the moment after Mancini added Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero to his already formidable attacking options. Just who will be in the 1st choice front 4 when everyone is match fit?

Now of course we have to allow for squad rotation and because of this the front 4 (in a 4-2-3-1 formation) will inevitably change many times throughout the season. But lets just list who Mancini has to call from (or who is most likely to be left) to fill the 3+1;

Adam Johnson
Carlos Tevez
David Silva
Edin Dzeko
Mario Balotelli
Sergio Aguero
Yaya Toure

That's 7 players who Mancini has used as part of the quartet in his favoured and highly flexible 4-2-3-1 formation. Each player brings something different to the table, and therein lies the beauty of Mancini's problem. I don't think there is a manager in the world who has quite as many options at his disposal.

Last season, with Balotelli and Dzeko new to the Prem, and without Aguero and Nasri in the side, pundits and journalists alike would have said Tevez was an automatic starter. And even at the beginning of this season before he returned from his holidays they were still banging on about how City will miss Tevez's goals.

It was as though the media was gearing itself up for City's almighty crash and burn as Tevez was to be sold and if he wasn't they stuck the knife in by using inaccurate quotes of Tevez never wanting to step foot in Manchester again. One media outlet (not naming names, they don't deserve the publicity) even went to far as to say that he would only be available for away games if he wasn't sold. Yes that really is what they published. Stupidity of the highest order which is laughable and contemptible in equal measure.

In all honesty though, and this is in no way me taking away from what he has done for City on the pitch, Tevez's form dipped at the back end of last season but City still managed to win the FA Cup and finish joint 2nd on points in the Prem with Chelsea. So did City really miss his goals at that time? It'll be a what if at best I suppose.

Fast forward a couple of months to this season, no Carlos Tevez in the side in pre-season and no chance of him starting for the first few week in the Premiership due to match fitness and have we really missed Tevez? Errrm, no.

Without Carlos being the focal point of City's attack it has given other players the chance to grow into the team in ways that simply weren't possible last season. We'll look at the main 2, David Silva and Edin Dzeko.

David was fantastic last term and was a deserved candidate for Player of the Season. But for as good as he was (and he was good) he always seemed as though he was being held back by something, always seemed as though he had to find someone to pass to rather than take the shot on. When Tevez played, Silva was always looking to get the ball to him, and to be fair they had a good understanding but no real connection was made with the rest of the squad. Was this simply down to the language barrier and him feeling more comfortable with Tevez? Maybe.

When we got to pre-season David looked as though he'd clicked with the rest of the squad, his movement had got even better, his understanding with the rest of the squad seemed to have grown dramatically even more than it had done towards the end of last season. To top it off, he no longer looks afraid to shoot. Without Tevez, Silva has grown into the team and visa-versa in a way not possible when the Argentinian was there.

Then to Edin Dzeko, the man the media was calling a £27m flop, the man the media managed to convince the majority of fans was a waste of money. Sluggish, heavy first touch, and clumsy were all ways of describing the 6ft4 Bosnian, and they were a fair assessment. However what wasn't fair was that none took into account any of the circumstances as to why he looked that way.

Moving from the Bundesliga to the vastly more physical and quicker paced Premier League after a winter break, with no prior training with the team, being played out of position several times, with Carlos Tevez the only focal point of the majority of attacks... it was all stacked against him right from the start. However there were a few who saw past this, who saw that he could adapt and could prosper with the right service.

And how right we were (yes I don't mind gloating that I was one of them), Edin must feel like the cat that got the cream when he looks behind him and sees the creative influences of Aguero, Silva and Nasri. At Wolfsburg he thrived off a partnership, a partnership that if we're truly honest with ourselves is unlikely ever going to be created with Tevez. Instead he had 3 truly class players behind him against Spurs and look what the end result was.

At this moment in time I can't see past Nasri and Aguero as being the right players to complete the quartet. Nasri has as much creativity as Silva and both can interchange positions, drifting into the centre, out wide, swapping flanks. Having two players like that is a nightmare for defences as they get pulled inside then back out trying to cover the movement of the attackers. Then Aguero, although he isn't quite as involved in games as Tevez is, his movement behind Edin, fading left or right depending on Silva and Nasri provides not only space for himself but for Edin to position himself in the 18yard box.

The combination of those 4 was absolutely devastating against a side that was playing Champions League football last season. The defence didn't have an answer for it as they couldn't predict what kind of play they were up against. Was there going to be a one-two between players and a perfectly weighted first time cross? Was it going to be whipped in close to the ground or high up for a header? Or was there a searching through ball followed by a piece of individual brilliance? How about a lay off for a belter from outside the box?

Yes this game had each one of those, and it's just a taste of things to come as that was the first game they had all played together as an attacking unit. This is why the 4 that started against Spurs simply have to be the first choice. I understand that they will be rotated and wont all play together all the time, but for sheer versatility and attacking ability they would be my first choice.

How that affects the team behind them is for another time, and what about the others in the list; Toure, Tevez, Johnson, and Balotelli? Each will no doubt get a number of games this season, there is no doubt about that, as City try to put a realistic attempt together to compete for 4 trophies. And of course each one of those players has abilities suited to certain types of games which will allow Mancini to cater his team to the opponent.

After, and even during the Spurs game, commentators, pundits and journalists alike were comparing modern day City to City's past 'Holy Trinity' of Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee. Of course, as has always unfortunately been the case, the media and commentators failed to mention one of the most unsung heroes of the era, the late, and truly great Neil Young. But City fans will now be daring to wonder whether this quartet can be as successfull, or even moreso than those 4 City legends .

We just need a catchy name for them now... Unfortunately, it has already been pointed out to me that if you take the first letter of their surname you get the word NADS. But shouting Go NADS will probably get you a few funny looks, although with the sense of humour City fans have I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if that caught on and was incorparated into a new terrace chant.

And just in case you want to see them in action again while there's a break for the Euro 2012 qualifiers here are the highlihgts of Spurs v City again. Enjoy.