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 13th 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
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