First of all, I KNOW I said I wouldn’t be doing a pre-Newcastle Blog-posting and although I knew there was gonna be a 4-day gap between the Bournemouth home game and our trip to the North East, I just didn’t think I’d get around to a posting over the festive period.
But why ARE we playing on Wednesday night when all other Premier League teams were given a traditional, Boxing Day schedule? That’s what Boxing Day is all about, in this country at least; getting out from-having been in the house the previous day, blowing away the cobwebs and taking in a match!
But, then again, I suppose our players will have-had an extra day’s rest before we face The Magpies…not that they’ll be desperate for some ‘time out’ after they strolled to victory against The Cherries last Saturday.
A word or two on last Saturday’s game…
As soon as I got home from the Bournemouth
match, I text some fellow City-fan-mates and said I didn’t know whether to
class that as a perfectly executed training session against a team we should be
beating or as a masterclass performance.
Apart from a slightly concerning period
where we seemed to be taking it far too easy on the visitors for the last 10 or
so minutes of the first half, it was a ‘walk in the park’ for our lads! The
second half in particular was both a lesson in how to retain the ball and a
pure joy to watch to the very last, brilliant second.
A brief comment on a few players does lead
me to say how strange it when people watch the same game and yet have very
different views.
Firstly, I thought the apparently
unsettled Sergio Aguero
looked a little lost and unable to get fully involved in the attacking
play in the first half and although, okay
yes, he improved a lot as the game progressed - scoring two very good
headers as well as having a hand in another goal - I didn’t think for one
moment that he’d have been given the stadium’s MotM award. Personally, I’d have given it to the ever-improving and surprise
package of the season, Fabian Delph; a
player who has proved to be a most important member of the team in many ways
with new-signing Benjamin Mendy out for most
of the season. He had a marvellous game last weekend.
The Manchester Evening News too made a quote about Vincent Kompany in their player ratings piece which read, “His
passing was also sharp and quick, giving City an edge going forward”.
I actually turned to the fella next to me at one stage in the second half and
said, “I’m don’t want to pick something negative out of such a fine, dominant
performance but Vinny has made 3 really poor passes today that another team
might have punished.
Huh…just goes to show you - same match and
2 very differing viewpoints / ‘memories of’.
Another very brief word on another game…
Going back even further, wasn’t the League Cup victory of Leicester City ‘justice done’?! Cheating, diving-in-the-97th-minute
sod…
 |
| Demarai Gray fools the ref with 1 minute to go of normal time. |
Shame that Phil Foden picked up an injury in that game at a time where we have SUCH a huge
gap at the top of the Premier League (13 as I’m prepping this piece). What I
mean is, as we head into another period of various cup matches, Phil and other EDS players could have started to get some Premier
League time under their belts and give some of the senior fellas a much-needed
break. Hope he recovers well and soon.
Bristol City up next in the 2-legged semi-final.
v Newcastle United.
 |
| St. James' Park |
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct
from starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).
Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:
___________________Aguero____________________
_________________Fernandinho__________________
Delph___________________________________Walker
___________Kompany________Otamendi___________
___________________Ederson____________________
I’ve got
the feeling that with a full 4 days between the last game and this one that our
manager might not feel like he needs to change much, even though the next game
comes just 3-½ days later.
So,
Ederson continues in between the sticks and ahead of him I think it’ll be the
same 4 of Fabian, Vincent, Nicholas & Kyle (Vinny benefiting
from those 4 days and so should make this one, I think, but perhaps
not-then the crazy-early KO away at Crystal Palace
on New Year’s Eve).
Again, the
same central 3 midfielders of Fernandinho, David & Kevin, despite the
Belgium having-had a bug recently and heading into last weekend’s game,
according to Pep. However, I think we’ll see one change beyond those. I can see
Guardiola wanting to perhaps squeeze Gabriel into the side as well as Sergio
for this one and, so, the young Brazilian might start on the left with still-in-form
Raheem on the right.
Sergio,
as I say, surely rewarded for his 2 goals and fine second half display last
Saturday and to keep his confidence up following rumours (again
at this time of year)
of unrest.
Claudio
the reserve keeper; Danilo & Mangala the defensive options from the side.
Yaya should get a spot on a bench that also contains 3 other creative /
attacking midfielders / wingers in Ilkay, Bernardo & Leroy.
Notable absences: John Stones (close
to a return but still not quite ready, I don’t think) & Benjamin Mendy (continues rehab following injury / surgery).
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Oh yes.
Result?
I don’t know a great deal about the players our hosts have but I get the
feeling they have a few who can hurt you but, at the same time, are very flaky
to say the least. In fact, the last game suggests just that, which was a 2-3
away win at equally erratic West Ham.
Their home, league record this season so far tells
the same story with a, P9 W3 D1 L5
F9 A12. I just
can’t see past another away win for City, albeit one where we might leak a goal
at some point.
Last season’s,
corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: N/A
Result: N/A
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