Although Yaya's domination, Mancini's Tactics and Balotelli's wink (somehow) made the headlines this week, there were a few other things that were slightly overlooked.
Firstly, as nobody else seems to have mentioned it for more than a paragraph at the end of a 'Balotelli is a loon' article, I will. Tackling has never been the strongest part of Paul Scholes' game. This however does not provide an excuse or any justification for the thigh high lunge at Pablo Zabaleta on Saturday. everything I have read over the weekend seems to come from the same perspective; 'yeah but Paul Scholes can't tackle', neither could Elano or Robinho, you could say the same about Silva in the modern day but not one of those players have ever produced anything of the malice shown by Scholes this weekend. The irony is that Nigel De Jong was stood metres away from the tackle, a guy who has been constantly branded as a thug yet shows more class in a tackle than so many give him credit for. There were certainly similarities between Scholes' 'tackle' and the vicious assault on Alfie Haaland at the hands (and studs) of Roy Keane If Scholes would have caught Zabaleta anywhere near the knee it could have been a career threatening injury. Not for one second have I ever doubted his ability and credentials as a player, but with ten red cards to his name and sickening mindless acts like that I'm starting to doubt his credentials as a man.
Secondly on a much more positive note there were so many stand out performances in the semi final, I normally praise David Silva, Nigel De Jong and Vincent Kompany to the high heavens and whilst there would be every reason to reiterate their class, I have identified two players who usually receive their fair share of criticism. After Joey Barton's harsh words last week, the spotlight has shone a little brighter than usual on Gareth Barry. Typical of his mind-set and work ethic however, he chose the perfect stage to show exactly how important he is to this team. There is a running joke with City fans and others alike that boats have turned quicker than Barry, but his strength, determination of ball retention were exactly what we needed on Saturday he he provided it in abundance. Winning tackle after tackle and apparently covering more ground than any other player on the pitch, Barry was pivotal to the result and together with Nigel De Jong provides the perfect platform for Adam Johnson, David Silva and usually Carlos Tevez to operate, not too mention the freedom Yaya Toure is given knowing that Barry and De Jong are so reliable behind him, the freedom which obviously proved so beneficial once again this weekend.
The second player I want to mention is Alex Kolarov. The player who has received without a doubt the most stick this season from the City fans. Since Kolarov's arrival it has been mentioned time and time again that he could be our weak link defensively. At 25 years old and in only his first season in English football there is no doubt that the best is yet to come from Kolarov although I believe that a glimpse of this was shown over the weekend and many of his doubters were silenced by his competent defending coupled with his effective attacking style. Under Mancini I think his defensive attributes will improve and with a strong pre-season under his belt with the likes of Kompany, Toure and Zabaleta to mentor him he can come on leaps and bounds next season. For the time being, I personally would like to City fans give him a bit of a break, get behind him and encourage him to keep bringing the encouraging aspects of his game into the team.
Another positive we can take out of the game is the mature performance of Mario Balotelli. Not taking into consideration his antics at the end of the game for a second and focusing solely on the 95 minutes that mattered, I was very impressed. As with his performance recently against Sunderland, Mario constantly made dangerous runs, held the ball up, but most importantly he has started to work hard for the team and defend from the front. Showing none of the petulant behaviour he has made infamous, he got on with the game and showed that he can be an important member of the squad. For the first time it seemed to sink in with Mario what it means to wear the shirt. He celebrated at the end of the game exactly how the fans wanted him to and it was genuinely good to see him enjoying himself at last.
More has been made about the 'incident' after the game than I thought was possible. The bottom line is that Mario Balotelli celebrated the win whilst facing United fans, he didn't run towards them or do anything over-provocative, he simply celebrated his team winning with a bit of passion (remember Gary Neville v Liverpool?). Rio Ferdinand and Anderson let their disappointment spill over and in my opinion over-reacted and tried to re-create the scene from Old Trafford with Martin Keown, Ray Parlour and Ruud Van Nistelrooy. How Balotelli came out of that situation as the bad guy is way beyond my understanding and seems to represent a perfect example of some one's reputation going before them.
Finally, whilst not quite worth writing about yet, Carlos Tevez absence in my opinion is not a good sign for his City future, had De Jong, Kompany or any other player on the squad for that matter been in Carlos' situation, I can more or less guarantee that they would have wanted to be at Wembley with the rest of the squad. I don't think his absence can be scrutinised too much, but certainly plants a seed of doubt regarding his summer options.
Now We're No Longer Alone - A Manchester City Blog
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Monday 11 April 2011
Liverpool v City preview
It's been easy for many City fans to overlook the importance of tonight's game with Saturday in mind. With the results going the way they did over the weekend however, the importance of picking up three points has been underlined, especially with Spurs only having one competition on which to focus their attention.
We will go to Anfield tonight bubbling with confidence after our 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland, I can't see a similar result tonight though and see Mancini changing the shape of the team slightly. Gareth Barry will be pushing for a start against the team he almost joined before becoming a blue, possibly at the expense of Adam Johnson who could drop to the bench after a long spell out and his revealed importance to the balance of the team.
Pablo Zabaleta's return to the squad is a big positive, whilst Boyata looked extremely comfortable last week I think Caroll, Suarez and Merieles pose a much bigger threat.
Mario Balotelli should spearhead the attack with Tevez and Silva working impishly around him. The threat of Adam Johnson and Dzeko on the bench should be more than enough to worry Liverpool's depleted defence which is without both Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson.
Any excuse implying we have 'one eye on the cup final' should be banished immediately, this is an important game and will see us once again extend our lead on spurs going into the final games of the season. Until tomorrow morning, our league position and champions league football should be our main focus and we should attack Liverpool tonight knowing they are without some key players. The absence of Gerrard is slightly soured by the presence of Andy Caroll and particularly Louis Suarez who has looked very impressive since joining Liverpool.
I think if our spine of Kompany, De Jong and Tevez will provide a solid defensive platform from front to back which will limit Liverpool's attacking threat due to their lack or any real wingers. Dirk Kuyt doesn't have the pace to exploit Kolarov so keeping him as wide possible could prove beneficial.
As we have shown throughout the season, we have enough attacking threat to take on any team and I don't see tonight being an exception, with the right attitude and pure focus we could very well pick up all 3 points tonight.
Prediction - Liverpool 1 - 2 City - our attacking threat should be able to bail us out of situations such as tonight, the giant Caroll and nifty Suarez partnership could well cause us some problems but I think we'll offer a bit more going forward that they can handle.
We will go to Anfield tonight bubbling with confidence after our 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland, I can't see a similar result tonight though and see Mancini changing the shape of the team slightly. Gareth Barry will be pushing for a start against the team he almost joined before becoming a blue, possibly at the expense of Adam Johnson who could drop to the bench after a long spell out and his revealed importance to the balance of the team.
Pablo Zabaleta's return to the squad is a big positive, whilst Boyata looked extremely comfortable last week I think Caroll, Suarez and Merieles pose a much bigger threat.
Mario Balotelli should spearhead the attack with Tevez and Silva working impishly around him. The threat of Adam Johnson and Dzeko on the bench should be more than enough to worry Liverpool's depleted defence which is without both Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson.
Any excuse implying we have 'one eye on the cup final' should be banished immediately, this is an important game and will see us once again extend our lead on spurs going into the final games of the season. Until tomorrow morning, our league position and champions league football should be our main focus and we should attack Liverpool tonight knowing they are without some key players. The absence of Gerrard is slightly soured by the presence of Andy Caroll and particularly Louis Suarez who has looked very impressive since joining Liverpool.
I think if our spine of Kompany, De Jong and Tevez will provide a solid defensive platform from front to back which will limit Liverpool's attacking threat due to their lack or any real wingers. Dirk Kuyt doesn't have the pace to exploit Kolarov so keeping him as wide possible could prove beneficial.
As we have shown throughout the season, we have enough attacking threat to take on any team and I don't see tonight being an exception, with the right attitude and pure focus we could very well pick up all 3 points tonight.
Prediction - Liverpool 1 - 2 City - our attacking threat should be able to bail us out of situations such as tonight, the giant Caroll and nifty Suarez partnership could well cause us some problems but I think we'll offer a bit more going forward that they can handle.
Sunday 3 April 2011
City 5-0 Sunderland (03/04/2011)
I've thought for a while now that some-one was due a thumping. Whether it was pure coincidence that we really pulled it out of the bag on Adam Johnson's return to the team will remain uncertain, although his impact and direct approach is certainly something we've been missing in recent weeks.
We started off with a very attacking team, perhaps at Gareth Barry's expense as a roller coaster week for him was rounded up by being 'rested'. Dedryck Boyata made his return to the team at right back - the position which casted a slight concern over a few City fans with the absence of Richards, Zabaleta and Boateng (for me, in that order). Boyata looked comfortable from the start, against quick and tricky opponents like Wellbeck and Gyan he took the game in his stride and looked competent defending but just as importantly looked extremely comfortable on the ball, I remember one turn in particular where he turned on the Paulo Wanchope legs and strode delightfully from 2 surrounding Sunderland players.
It seems easy to say this now but we always looked like winning the game even from as soon as 5 minutes in when Adam Johnson had already been given 2 attempts to isolate the full-backs to varied success. The deadlock was broken by some neat interplay between Yaya and Johnson with the latter providing the finish into the bottom corner. The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Carlos Tevez was brought down inside the area only to dust himself down and convert the penalty.
The scoreline was obviously emphatic and certainly send out the right message to Chelsea and Spurs (and Arsenal for that matter). The most encouraging thing though was the mentality of every single one of the players, with massive games approaching quickly we seem to be clicking at just the right time. Nigel De Jong's return to the team is vital, along with Kompany and Tevez we then have the quality throughout the spine of the team to build around.
Another positive sign is that the players are starting to make themselves regulars and letting their form choose the team; Lescott again was immense today and showed Asamoah Gyan the kind of defender he really is. Lescott looked quick, incisive and strong in the air as well as learning to play to his strengths and play an easier less direct ball from the back. Lescott's partnership with Kompany is improving with every game and they look to have a great understanding of each other; 5 clean sheets in 8 games goes a long way to prove this. David Silva is another player, along with Yaya and Tevez who have cemented their first team positions and gelled really well together.
Considering he normally makes all the headlines for the wrong reasons I think it's important to talk about the way Balotelli played today. Mario certainly has his critics and doesn't help himself, but as I heard someone behind me today say; 'when that lad finds his brain and wants to play, it's going to be a special day'. I don't quite think I can take that much from today performance but I can say that his work rate and attitude were the best I have seen since his arrival, he tracked back with his man every time and chased down defenders giving them no time on the ball. With the ball he looked calm and confident and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Another performance like that next weekend (away at Anfield does pose a whole different situation) and then I could just begin to trust him and think about his inclusion at Wembley.
With late goals from Vieira and Yaya coming after Silva nipped in and finished nicely from 8 yards the scoring was complete. I did also particularly enjoy the comedy of errors from the delightful Character that is Lee Cattermole as he inexplicably tee'd up Yaya Toure for the final goal.
Fine performance all round today, with no more worries at right-back and the rest of the cogs turning very smoothly we have every reason to be confident heading into another big game next Saturday and and even bigger one the next.
I imagine Roberto Mancini to be sat at home with a smile on his face thinking about that performance, the positive reaction from Mario Balotelli and the re-playing of his display of impeccable technique bringing a ball down from 60 foot with one touch on sky plus.
Forza Mancini.
We started off with a very attacking team, perhaps at Gareth Barry's expense as a roller coaster week for him was rounded up by being 'rested'. Dedryck Boyata made his return to the team at right back - the position which casted a slight concern over a few City fans with the absence of Richards, Zabaleta and Boateng (for me, in that order). Boyata looked comfortable from the start, against quick and tricky opponents like Wellbeck and Gyan he took the game in his stride and looked competent defending but just as importantly looked extremely comfortable on the ball, I remember one turn in particular where he turned on the Paulo Wanchope legs and strode delightfully from 2 surrounding Sunderland players.
It seems easy to say this now but we always looked like winning the game even from as soon as 5 minutes in when Adam Johnson had already been given 2 attempts to isolate the full-backs to varied success. The deadlock was broken by some neat interplay between Yaya and Johnson with the latter providing the finish into the bottom corner. The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Carlos Tevez was brought down inside the area only to dust himself down and convert the penalty.
The scoreline was obviously emphatic and certainly send out the right message to Chelsea and Spurs (and Arsenal for that matter). The most encouraging thing though was the mentality of every single one of the players, with massive games approaching quickly we seem to be clicking at just the right time. Nigel De Jong's return to the team is vital, along with Kompany and Tevez we then have the quality throughout the spine of the team to build around.
Another positive sign is that the players are starting to make themselves regulars and letting their form choose the team; Lescott again was immense today and showed Asamoah Gyan the kind of defender he really is. Lescott looked quick, incisive and strong in the air as well as learning to play to his strengths and play an easier less direct ball from the back. Lescott's partnership with Kompany is improving with every game and they look to have a great understanding of each other; 5 clean sheets in 8 games goes a long way to prove this. David Silva is another player, along with Yaya and Tevez who have cemented their first team positions and gelled really well together.
Considering he normally makes all the headlines for the wrong reasons I think it's important to talk about the way Balotelli played today. Mario certainly has his critics and doesn't help himself, but as I heard someone behind me today say; 'when that lad finds his brain and wants to play, it's going to be a special day'. I don't quite think I can take that much from today performance but I can say that his work rate and attitude were the best I have seen since his arrival, he tracked back with his man every time and chased down defenders giving them no time on the ball. With the ball he looked calm and confident and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Another performance like that next weekend (away at Anfield does pose a whole different situation) and then I could just begin to trust him and think about his inclusion at Wembley.
With late goals from Vieira and Yaya coming after Silva nipped in and finished nicely from 8 yards the scoring was complete. I did also particularly enjoy the comedy of errors from the delightful Character that is Lee Cattermole as he inexplicably tee'd up Yaya Toure for the final goal.
Fine performance all round today, with no more worries at right-back and the rest of the cogs turning very smoothly we have every reason to be confident heading into another big game next Saturday and and even bigger one the next.
I imagine Roberto Mancini to be sat at home with a smile on his face thinking about that performance, the positive reaction from Mario Balotelli and the re-playing of his display of impeccable technique bringing a ball down from 60 foot with one touch on sky plus.
Forza Mancini.
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