…our cup-run successes into some real league form in this crucial run of fixtures coming up and starting tonight.
Rotation should help
Due to a recent holiday, announced before the last game, I didn’t get the watch live our game against Aston Villa
in the League Cup. Saw the highlights, read
the reports and all sounded very good indeed.
Impressive line-up I thought and I read some other comments
from Blues before the game who thought so too. I was saying this the other day – injury to ANOTHER key player in Kevin De Bruyne might now see our manager having
to think a bit more savvy and, in particular, choose some personnel to start
games that some City fans have been screaming about for some considerable time
now (I’m thinking, for the most part, various combos of Delph, Fernando & Fernandinho…as well as Toure
being used in a more ‘as & when’ basis).
Of course special mention has to go to Kelechi Iheanacho who appears to be living up to
our expectations since seeing him pre-season in the summer of 2014. I also read a report post-Villa that
Fernandinho (again!) would have been pushing for MotM had it not been for the
young striker’s performance – the Brazilian really has come into his own this
season!
Other notable occurrences from our 4-0 F.A. Cup win at Villa Park was the late inclusion of not one, not two but THREE EDS
competitive-game debutants in Angelino, Cameron Humphreys and Bersant Celina. And, I have to include, the use of Bacary
Sagna as a central defender – a back-line-4 suggestion from me post-West Ham (I’ve
gotta blow my own trumpet sometimes…)
So…4-0 away to Villa in the cup and all done without (fit
& available) Joe, David, Yaya & Sergio!
All of a sudden after a season of
treatment table nightmares – and
despite still so many key injuries – the squad is looking like a decent
squad.
Onto it then…
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome…
4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1:
____________________Aguero____________________
Sterling__________________________________Navas
_____________________Silva_____________________
_____________________________Toure____________
_____________Fernandinho______________________
______________________Hart_____________________
It’s a league game and, so, Joe to regain his place ‘between
the sticks’.
Martin was completely rested at the weekend and although I
would stick with the back-4 that faced Villa on Saturday; I can full understand
Pellegrini wanting to rest a player, in Bacary Sagna, who has been almost ‘ever
present’. Martin, then, joins 3
players in Gael, Nicholas and Pablo who all featured in the Midlands just 3 days ago.
Fernandinho did, of course, play in that same game but was
withdrawn with 12 minutes of normal time remaining. I think, therefore, that our
manger will ‘go again’ with him; and will join a rested Yaya & David in the middle
of ‘a 5’. Making up those numbers I can’t see any option but to go with Raheem
& Jesus again.
Sergio to regain his place as a lone striker.
Willy ‘back on the bench’ and re-joining the bench
should be fit-again Aleks. Bacary & Cameron make up the other defenders on
the side. Fernando the defensive midfield option; Brandon & Kelechi the
attacking changes if needed.
Notable absences: Vincent Kompany (injured), Kevin De Bruyne (injured), Fabian Delph (injured / slight knock), Samir Nasri (injured)
& Wilfried Bony (injured).
Result? Usually a tough place to visit,
although we destroyed them in the League Cup there this season. Key for me is
the rested personnel at the weekend and, with that in mind, I’m going for a
good performance and a comfortable City win in the end (with perhaps a few
heart flutters in defence from time to time).
Comment
Now I’m sure
that news had many Blues ‘punching the air’ with joy and ‘clinking a few
glasses’, which is very understandable indeed! I, on the other hand, was convinced anyway that this was a ‘done deal’ a
long while ago and was very please, if not jumping around the room shouting, “Whu-hooo!”,
as the news broke.
I was, however, slightly disappointed to-then
read a few “city fan” comments on one site at least; that it also confirmed the
departure [with glee] of Manuel Pellegrini and can only, from those on-line messages, say
that they were either numpty City fans or embitteRED Manyoo fans in disguise (and secretly expressing
concern / disappointment). I say that, not
least, because we have a manager who has been the most gentlemanly Manager we’ve
ever had since ‘Sir Joe’.
Not only that…but we still have a
Manager who won the Premier League and League Cup in his first season and
who also ensured that we were the league runners-up last season AND, who, has engineered
matters so far this season that we are still in all-4 cup competitions come-February…
My opinion on
the announcement and the ‘timing off’?
Brilliant!
Why?
Well for any
player at our club ‘worth their salt’; this should
be a fillip for both them and the team in general. Whether it’s a case of
them-now giving their boss ‘their all’ for the rest of the season [giving him a
trophy-filled send-off] and / or trying to ensure that they are in next season’s
and beyond plans (I’m sure Pep will be
scouting / monitoring our season-remaining progress); I’m convinced they will
be ‘upping their game’. The only
exception to that – and I pray that I’m wrong – might Be Yaya; who I’m
sure won’t be part of any Guardiola plans regardless...
The future, as always, is bright…
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