Barclays Premier League Preview: Manchester City v. West Ham United

So. A derby day defeat. My brain has somewhat wrapped around that a bit, but that was one to forget. City lacked any motivation and played like no one wanted them to win. Kinda like they were a deflated balloon.

Looking ahead tough fixtures are coming thick and fast. West Ham United at the Etihad is up next and we can ill afford a defeat. United are four points above us and Liverpool four below. That leaves us  with a bit of wiggle too both ways. Gone was the five point gap both ways from third and first - now we'd be lucky to finish in the top three. Bear in mind, though, that Arsenal, Man United, and Liverpool all have to play Chelsea. Those tough games, paired with an Arsenal - United fixture, surely can enable City to claw their way back into second or even third?

The Hammers come into the game  off the back of some dreadful form. One win in their last five has extinguished any early season hopes of European football and has instead enveloped themselves in a battle with Stoke and Crystal Palace. Swansea are four points ahead of West Ham, but they lead the aforementioned two by goal difference and a point, respectively. Considering that both Palace and Stoke have taken three points of City this term, a victory will go a long ways in their bid for a top ten spot.

Personally I am caught in between two minds. Half of me thinks that we can pull this one out of the bag any day, but the other half of me starts to think about the form we’re in, and the last time we played them (I’ll talk about that more in a second), and how City do things the tough way. The optimistic sliver of me thinks that we’ll run out 3-1 winners, while the pessimistic side of me is inclined towards a 1-0 defeat. I hope we win 3-1, of course!

Last the Blues of Manchester and the Hammers of London touched bases (sorry for the baseball remark – attempting to enjoy some M’s games), the Mancs lost 2-1. The Boleyn Ground proved too much for us to handle, as schoolboy defensive mistakes cost the Citizens two goals. David Silva pulled one back when we curled one home from the right tip of the box on his ultra-super-sweet left foot. It was a beauty, but as so many games this season, our attempts on goal have been too little too late.

What will three points mean for City on Sunday? Well, it will mean a lot. A lot. We’ve been in dreadful form recently, losing to the likes of FC Barcelona (twice), Liverpool, Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Manchester United in our last eight games. The two wins have been an underwhelming performance at home against Leicester and against West Brom against 10-men for 90 minutes. The West Brom game was supposed to lift spirits, but since it came right in front of a dreaded international break, that came to no frutition.

A win will mean that City will be en route to our goal of 6 wins out of the last six. (Remember, a few weeks ago that goal was nine ‘double-u’s out of the last nine). It will also prove to be a boost in confidence, and with no international break to speak of until the summer, momentum in any shape or form should be welcome. Practically, a win will move us to within touching distance of Manchester United and Arsenal in 3^rd and 2^nd respectively, with the former losing 1-0 away at Stamford Bridge. That could mean a lot, and pile on the pressure for both Arsenal and Liverpool, who don’t play this matchweek. A win means we go seven points inside the Champions League spot having played a game more. Doesn’t that sound like a nice little hole to be in?

Come on City!

By Rob Ming

Barclays Premier League Review: Manchester United 4 - Manchester City 2

Don't ask me how the score line went from 0-1 to 4-1. Hats off to Aguero for his milestone. I think we overestimated ourselves going into this game. Apologies for this being extremely short and Twitter-post-esque, but I am not happy right now. This team hasn't beaten anyone convincingly since December. We had such a good opening period, but then we seemingly lost direction. Got caught light-headed. Read some other reviews for more explanation on how this happened.

I couldn't watch the 2-1 defeat to Palace, so apologies for no review. Disappointing result and performance, from what I can hear.

Few specials will hopefully go up during the week. Who knows.

For those kids/workers who need to go face Red Devils on Monday, here's a good one:

"We've beaten you guys 6 times out of the last 7, it's only fair that you guys get a go at winning!"

By Rob Ming

Special: Is Pellegrini on Bought Time at City?

The club's most recent result at Crystal Palace being an underwhelming 2-1 defeat, calls for manager Manuel Pellegrini's dismissal have been louder than ever. Similar shouts in the social media world were heard after the 1-0 defeat at Burnley, arguably the lowest point in a season full of lows for the Citizens.

However the Abu Dhabi ownership group has showed reluctance to pull the trigger. No official word has been released from the club at all throughout this period, while when quizzed Pellegrini talks of no external pressure and that he is not concerned about his job. The accurateness of these words are questionable, but they have made the rumor mill spin even stronger.

In my opinion Pellegrini is treading on thin ice. He seems to always deliver when it is truly win-or-you're-out. Sheikh Mansour couldn't have sacked him straight after the Burnley game: the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Barcelona was in four days time. Doing that would’ve been idiotic and suicidal; imagine Ruben Cousillas and Brian Kidd standing on the touchlines on a European night.

The Sheikh also can't sack him now, days before the Manchester Derby. Pride in the city cannot be sacrificed no matter what. Brian Kidd can’t perform under the spotlight at Old Trafford which he played his trade for a few seasons. And Cousillas? That won’t work, we just know it.

But why is Pellegrini coming under such fire? First of all, football is a results business and results have been poor. Apparently this is our worst run of form since the weeks before Mark Hughes left the club all those years ago. The press also loves to feed on stories, and the fact that last season's champions are crumbling into fourth after being level with Chelsea on New Year's Day with pretty much the same squad is too much for them to handle. We've been under par this season, except for November and December, and the fact that it only takes me a few seconds to post that onto Twitter makes this whole saga worse than the Hughes situation. Back then iPhones weren't a thing.

I feel like I'm repeating myself here, but Pellers needs to prove his credentials between now and the end of the season. His incredible exploits in his first season can save him his job so far. He gave us a domestic double, and led us to the Champions League Round-of-16 for the first time in the competition’s history. The football played during the winter months of the 2013-14 season was some of the best football I’ve even seen.

It will be unfair to him if he leaves in the summer, because circumstances have been tough this season and not very helpful. World Cup hangover played its part in the early stages of the season. A brilliant Chelsea side that truly are the “big horses” Jose Mourinho promised last season. Yaya Toure’s AFCON duty came when the team was at the pinnacle of its season; looking back, we’ve never played the same since. And tough Champions League opponents: CSKA Moscow, Bayern Munich and Barcelona two seasons in a row isn’t a piece of cake.

Modern day football is rapid and fast and often do not allow off seasons like this. Let's wait until the season is over then reflect and ponder – given history with Manchester City, you never know what we can pull out of the bag. Until then, anticipate and just think about and enjoy (if possible) the seven games left before the summer. Starting with the Manchester Derby on Sunday that no one is looking forward to.

By Rob Ming

Barclays Premier League Preview: Crystal Palace v. Manchester City

After a lengthy international break domestic action resumes in England. On Easter Monday City travel down to south London to play the mid-table Crystal Palace. From now on previews will be my thoughts before the game, while reviews will be in-depth tactical analysis of the game.

So, I’ll on to the actual game now. As many news sources have kindly pointed out, City might be heading into this fixture fourth in the table, with Arsenal playing at Liverpool and Man United hosting Villa Saturday morning PST. Assuming this happens, all the pressure will be on City’s shoulders to reclaim the second spot from whomever. This will definitely increase the importance placed on this fixture and the importance of taking home all three points from the game. Being in fourth and a mere few points ahead of Champions League-seeking Liverpool, Southampton, and Spurs is something undesirable, because I have a feeling that under pressure, City will falter and not even be able to secure Champions League qualification.

City goes into this game on the back of an international break. City’s stars had mixed performances during the break, and if I have time I might do another post on it before the game starts, writing this on Friday. Fortunately, no players were injured. The big news is that Vincent Kompany got a red card and that Sergio Aguero scored an early goal in a friendly against Ecuador. Despite being a friendly and all, Aguero’s barren scoring record might be coming to an end and if so, that will be most welcome as the season reaches its final stages.

Last time out City beat 10-man West Bromwich Albion by a score-line of three goals to one. Confidence will be high amongst the lads, and the fact that City needs points to win silverware this season should only boost them more. The game two weeks ago was shooting practice at best, as City had numerous chances and dominated the affair. However, all three of City’s center backs that might start – Kompany, Demichelis, and Mangala – have been shaky as of late, and if Palace can successfully catch them off guard and exploit their lack of pace, then we will be in for a long night.

Victory is needed, especially ahead of the derby next weekend. COME CITY.

By Rob Ming from Calgary who can’t watch the game live. Dammit.

Special: City's Monthly Review - March 2015

Another month has come and gone. March is very nearly behind us, so it is safe to look back upon it, complain about it, and let all the frustrations out before this one goes into the books. Let’s have a look at all the games and what we should take away from them:

Sunday, 1^st: Liverpool 2-1 City

A wee four hours into my March and I was up, half awake, to watch the Blues take on Liverpool. Stumbling to the sofa I was confused by the team selection: a 4-4-2 at Anfield? Ah, well.

City more or less stumbled into the match. Despite having the better of the early exchanges a Vinny Kompany mistake at the half-way line led to a wonderful Jordan Henderson goal. Curling efforts into the far corner was Liverpools signature move back then, and City was on the end of one once again.

Straight from kickoff Sergio Aguero hit the post, continuing his unimpressive run of form that will run through the entire month. A neatly worked David Silva move, however, found Edin Dzeko via an Aguero defense-shattering ball and the Bosnian slotted home his 50^th career Premier League goal right around the half-hour mark. He would not find the net again this month.

City continued to become brighter and brighter before the break and the optimist inside of me thought that we were on course to win this game. However the team didn’t look the same after coming out of the tunnel. We were sloppy in possession and lacked urgency off the ball. The team’s midweek exploits against Barcelona were beginning to show, even though Liverpool played Besiktas a day later and didn’t arrive in England until Friday. Philippe Coutinho eventually put City out of their misery with another spectacular effort and rounded off a disappointing display by the title-chasing champions.

Wednesday, 4^th: City 2-0 Leicester

Coming off a rough day at Anfield, the Citizens next hosted Leicester. Having not been able to watch the game I can only provide a shallow insight into the game. Leicester came into the game playing five at the back, with two up top. The Premier League’s bottom side was impermeable at the back for most of the first half until the very end of the period. Wanting to have one last hurrah before the break, City launched an attack. A flurry of shots blocked and deflected eventually left Silva wide open with the ball at point blank range with a considerable amount of the goal to aim for. El Mago didn’t miss and we crushed the Midlands side’s hearts at the dearth.

The second half was an equally dominant by the Citizens. Chances came and went for City, but Leicester grew as time wore on. They had a couple good penalty shouts and (I believe) Riyad Mahrez had a shot ricochet off the post, setting up a nervy last 20 minutes. Fresh legs did the trick, however, as James Milner came into the game late, and feeding off a (I believe) Jesus Navas cross, he poked home from close range to shut off hopes of a Leicester comeback.

Saturday, 14: Burnley 1-0 City

Travelling away up to Turf Moor City had what looked like an easy trot in the park. It wasn’t the case.

In a dour first half that saw the Turf Moor floodlights be turned on (so I can clearly see the David Fishwick adverts), there were little clear cut opportunities. The Clarets held strong at the back and tried to hit City on the counter, to no avail. Come the 2^nd half, City continued to dominate, although Vincent Kompany (who was dropped in the Leicester game due to lack of form) and Martin Demichelis (who recently signed a new one-year deal) continued to disappoint at the back. A rare maroon and blue counter resulted in a free kick right on the edge of the box. A disappointing ball in was cleared by the skipper but fell right into the long-haired George Boyd’s cradle. He sweetly smashed a first time volley down low into the bottom corner, a sort of finish that would leave Manuel Neuer gaping. It certainly left Joe Hart gaping, and that shot sent City into a frenetic chase for – I can’t believe I’m saying this – an equalizer against *expletive* Burnley. It was to no avail, despite Aguero having late penalty claims for a foul inside the box. The referee, as is so often the case, blew the whistle for diving. Since when has City become diving scum?

Wednesday, 18: Barcelona 1-0 City (3-1 agg.)

Somehow a team that lost at Turf Moor had to dust themselves up and face the mighty FC Barcelona just four days later. Needing two goals to at least force extra time, manager Manuel Pellegrini finally grew a brain and named a five-man midfield – as opposed to a flat four-man midfield that the Chilean likes. City started on the back foot, Neymar inexplicably smashing onto the post after six minutes. City grew when on the ball and looked somewhat promising, yet failed to create anything clear cut. Barcelona looked venomous on the break, and Lionel Messi continued to nutmeg the likes of James Milner and Fernandinho.

Messi finally struck on the half-hour mark, with him chipping the ball over the back line, leaving an unmarked Ivan Rakitic only having to lob the ball over a completely outstretched Joe Hart. Despite leading the way for player of the month award, this time the England No.1 could do nothing.

What followed was weird. Joe Hart continued to bail out his disappointing back line by making a staggering 10 saves. Going forward we had determination, but lacked the final finish. Chances were being created. Then came the defining moment in the match: Aguero missed a penalty with 10 minutes to go. It was a tame penalty at the perfect height for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to parry away. That sucked the life out of City’s play, and after a few more Messi nutmegs, brilliant Joe Hart saves, and commentator mentions of how far away the travelling Blues seems, City’s Champions League campaign was down the drain.

Saturday, 21^st: City 3-1 West Bromwich Albion

At this point City desperately needed a boost. Having suffered back-to-back 1-0 losses – albeit against opponents of vastly different caliber – a victory was what the doctor ordered. If we failed to pick up all three points in this one, I have a feeling I’d be writing about the dismissal of Pellegrini on WashSB.

No need for that, though, as the Blues turned in a thoroughly convincing display at the Etihad. 88 seconds in Wilfried Bony pounced on a loose back pass by Gareth McAuley, and Craig Dawson committed a foul that denied Bony a clear goal scoring opportunity. A red was shown – to McAuley, the wrong man – but that set the tone for a game which saw the Citizens rack up a whopping 43 shots.

The 80% possession that City had was located right around the Baggies’ box, as you would expect. Frank Lampard came close, whacking one inches wide, before Bony opened his City account with a rifling shot from a ball that dropped from an attempted Fernando shot from distance. The Brazilian then put home the second from a corner (we hadn’t scored from one of those for a long time) minutes before the half, after a string of Bromwich defensive errors. Saido Berahino came close, somehow diverting a point-blank header onto the bar, before El Mago killed the game with the deftest of touches from a goal-bound Stevan Jovetic shot. It was a brilliant game that reminded us of last season’s December.

Overall, it was an underwhelming March for City. Any hope of silverware is pretty much gone, but knowing City, don’t bet on it. Right now it is all about finishing the season on a high, securing second place, and getting ready for a period of rebuilding. Let’s hope that April will bring us some better results and performances, and lift the mood in the Blue Half of Manchester.

COME ON YOU BLUES!

By Rob Ming

Barclays Premier League Review: Manchester City 3 – West Bromwich Albion 0

And so we have it: another commanding win by Manchester City at the Etihad. What a surprise, given the events of recent weeks.

But the game wasn’t played out scrappily; the game was completely dominated by City. An even more dominating display then Newcastle at home a month ago had City register a whopping 43 shots (16 on target) – compared to Albion’s 3 (none on target). City took control of the game from start to finish, with Gareth McAuley’s mistaken sending off setting the tone for the game.

McAuley tried to play a back pass to some point between Craig Dawson and 2^nd-choice ‘keeper Boaz Myhill. High-pressing Wilfried Bony intercepted it and took a touch past Dawson. Dawson lunged into the Ivorian forward and got tangled up with him. Without the illegal tackle, he would’ve been clean through on goal. The whistle was blown, but Bony kept on running, before being challenged again illegally, this time by Gareth McAuley. This caused the case of mistaken identity with a straight red card being shown to McAuley despite the foul-in-question (1^st foul) was committed by Dawson. This sent the Twitter world, the pundit’s galley, and the fans in the Etihad into silence and confusion.

That opened the door for some already-anticipated Blues dominance. Lateral rugby-like passes were the name of the game, and as they all say, patience is a virtue. City would pass the ball around the edge of the 18-yard box, before threading the odd through-ball or over-the-top ball or just having a go, constantly keeping Los Angeles-born Myhill on his toes. Corner after corner came, but nothing in the first 25.

Then Bony’s account was opened. One of many short corners was worked again to the edge of the penalty area before Fernando decided to have a crack. It was well blocked but only fell to Bony, who calmly lofted the ball over two defenders before smashing it into the top left. Goalkeeper no chance. Blues fans were ecstatic over this news: our new $30 million striker with high expectations has finally gotten off!

But the good news didn’t start there. West Brom needed to press forward to get anything out of the game, so gaps started opening up at the back. However, nothing really troubled Joe Hart in the first half with the Baggies registering no shots during that period. This is when the extra man really came into play – scared of being caught on the counter, Albion didn’t commit many men forward, which in turn sucked the venom out of the attack. I’ll take it, though.

 

City got another corner late into the opening period and this time it was whipped in. Mangala jumped towards the ball with a foot raised up high and the challenge for the ball should’ve resulted in a free kick going the other way. The referee had other ideas and waved play on, only for defensive mistakes by keeper and center half to let the ball drop kindly to an unmarked Fernando. From then on it was a simple matter of tapping the ball into an empty net. 2-0.

Into the half we went with plenty of controversy, as always, but the really highlight at the break for me was the Bony goal. It summed up what a player he is for me: strong, technical, and powerful.

 

The second half was less exciting, with the Blues still enjoying plenty of possession and chances, but with the score still at 2-0 and with around 20 minutes to go (I’d reckon), West Brom whipped in a dangerous ball from the corner. Last time out against City the Albion scored from a corner so they definitely knew what they were doing. Jonas Olsson headed the ball on to England youth international Saido Berahino who, at 2 yards out, somehow managed to smash the ball onto the post. That was the heart-in-throat moment for all inside the Etihad Stadium. It seems like that every game the Blues have to torture their loyal support in some way. But Joleon Lescott headed the following rebound high and the chance was gone. City escaped from a potential nervy last 15 minutes.

 

After bringing on Stevan Jovetic for Frank Lampard and deploying him on the wing, weirdly. Jovetic is not an out-and-out striker, but is he a winger? Jovetic shined anyways and it is really a shame that he isn’t being played as often. He was lively down the left, made a darting run into the box that resulted in a weak penalty shout, and set up Silva for the third inadvertently.

After winning another corner, City played it short again after realizing that the crosses don’t beat the first man more often than not. The ball was worked to Stevan Jovetic, before unlashing a shot that was heading towards the goal. David Silva then had the deftest of touches on the ball that confused Boaz Myhill. 3-0.

City closed the match out with relative ease and cut the goal difference gap between Chelsea to 1 goal. Three points behind Chelsea having played two games more. City are doing all they can to cut the gap and to hopefully reconstruct the cushion between themselves and the other teams from 3^rd to 7^th battling for those coveted Champions League spots. Overall a good performance for the lads right before the international break. Let’s build on this in two weeks on Monday afternoon when we travel down to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Until then.

By Rob Ming

Barclays Premier League Preview: Manchester City v. West Bromwich Albion

After a disappointing 1-0 defeat away against FC Barcelona that saw Manchester City crash out of the UEFA Champions League, the Blues have a chance to make amends against a West Brom side that have surely improved since last playing City on Boxing Day.

The Citizens have had a serious slump in form in recent weeks, having lost four out of their last five and only won three in their last eight. Those include a 1-1 home draw against Hull, two 2-1 defeats against Barcelona at home and Liverpool away respectively, before City pulled off the undoable: they lost 1-0 against a Burnley side that are staring relegation straight in the face. The performance was uninspiring and the Clarets certainly deserved the three points. Now six points behind league leaders Chelsea with the Londoners having a game in hand, winning all nine remaining games has to be accomplished if City wants to put up a fight.

After losing at Turf Moor, City went to the Camp Nou hoping to overturn a 2-1 home deficit suffered in the first leg. The Blues played like the underdogs they were, constantly being outclassed by the Blaugrana, and in particular 4-time FIFA Ballon d’Or-winner Lionel Messi. Fernandinho and James Milner were both nutmegged (and humiliated) numerous times by the Argentine in the first half. City’s backline, inexplicably containing second-string fullback Bacary Sagna, was eventually penetrated by a Messi chip, with Ivan Rakitic looping the ball over an outstretched Joe Hart to furtherly increase manager Manuel Pellegrini’s woes.

City fought back in the second half, but it was too little too late. Navas darted to the by-line before cutting the ball back into the box. That ball somehow missed three men in Blue shirts, and has been frequently listed as City’s second-to-best chance to get one of the two goals they needed to force extra time. A string of unbelievable saves from Joe Hart just about kept City in the game, with the Shrewsbury-born No. 1 having arguably the best game of his career.

The best chance was a penalty taken by Sergio Agüero. His penalty was at the perfect height for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to save, and that sucked what little blood was remaining from the Citizens. It was saddening to watch: once again Manchester City had been knocked out of the Champions League at the Round-of-16 in disappointing fashion. Don’t get me wrong – there is no shame in losing to Barca; the manner in which we were comprehensively outplayed and defeated over two legs was the most concerning.

On to the West Brom lunchtime fixture at the Etihad. The last time we played the Baggies, we were 3-1 victors at the Hawthrons on Boxing Day. Fernando, Yaya Toure, and David Silva all scored within 35 minutes in Alan Irvine’s second-to-last game in charge, before Brown Ideye equalized late on from a corner. The game was played in dominant fashion by the blues, who, ironically, played the game two days before we gave up a 2-0 lead at the Etihad against the Clarets to eventually draw 2-2. It was toward the end of our 14-game unbeaten streak which included 12 wins. That stretch of form was definitely the best the Blues had played, when we had no fit recognized strikers and just before Yaya Toure left us to go on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

The Baggies have changes dramatically since. Tony Pulis has taken over in Birmingham, guiding the team from hovering over the relegation zone to 13^th in the Premier League, in a good position to avoid the drop. They also made it to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, only to be halted by Aston Villa, also under a new boss in the shape of Tim Sherwood. West Brom have bounced back from back-to-back losses against rivals Villa in league and cup to claim a 1-0 home victory against top-half-of-the-table Stoke City last time out, grabbing an early goal and defending for their lives at the end. That may well be their strategy at the Etihad on Saturday: defending and hitting us on the counter. Having pulled a 1-0 victory over Europe-seeking Southampton out of the bag three weeks ago, this team is no foreigner to the upset.

The Citizens need the three points from this game more: not only to they have Chelsea to chase at the top of the table, but Arsenal and Man United are breathing down the Blues’ backs. A draw could see City drop to third behind Arsenal (1 point behind) and become level on points with Manchester United, although they have the superior goal difference. Needless to say, a victory is what we need.

But how can that be achieved? West Brom play a 4-2-3-1 rigid at the back, with former Blue Joleon Lescott leading the back four. Prying the team apart by flooding men forward and with intricate passes might just work, like in the game against Crystal Palace in mid-December. Both teams also can hit us on the counter with loads of pace, with Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye the men on fire at the moment. This shouldn’t be a stroll in the park for City, but I, along with the millions of Blues all around the world, will certainly be expecting a sound victory right before an international break.

Both sides have injuries to worry about too. On the home side’s front, vice-captain Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, and James Milner are all looking to miss the clash, while for the Baggies starting No. 1 Ben Foster will be the most apparent absence on the teamsheet, with replacement Boaz Myhill looking to impress. Jonas Olsson and Brown Ideye face late fitness tests, while Victor Anichebe and Callum McManaman definite absentees.

Having no more room to slip up, the Citizens need to win this game. West Brom will be a tough test, but shouldn’t prove too difficult for them to handle. With the backing of an unfilled stadium, City will run out 3-0 victors tomorrow, proving to be too hot to hand by Alan Irvine’s men.

My XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Clichy; Nasri, Fernandinho, Lampard, Silva; Jovetic, Bony

By Rob Ming