Still stinging a little following the largely
lame effort by so many of our players in the Manchester
v Trafford derby - despite mostly dominating
possession in the 2nd half - I find myself slightly lifted following
the midweek performance; ironically in a game labelled a ‘dead rubber’ in the Champions League, where we’d already won the group before the ball was even kicked.
It’s left me with both positive and still-apprehensive
thoughts going into a Premier League away
game and to a side who have been struggling but, who, have just had their
first, morale-boosting win under their Caretaker Manager.
Which City side will turn
up?
Following the Manyoo defeat…
…these were my thoughts added to what other Blues were posting on-line.
We’ve
been scratching our heads for weeks now, wondering why so many of our top
midfield / wing talent look so 'off' collectively; lacking that 'zip' that has torn most teams apart
for the last 2 seasons. Personally, after weeks of head scratching myself,
I was starting to worry that there was an underlying issue in the background;
an unhappy, somewhat lethargic camp if you like. After yesterday's shocking
performance and despite 2nd half dominance, I'm convinced more than
ever of that because, as so many have said before me, there was no real desire in Blue yesterday.
That's a
real concern for me.
Player-wise
- and I can't believe I'm saying this after the MILLIONS we've spent on it already - we practically need to rebuild
the defence! It's not just about getting in a central defender, it's about
getting rid of a couple of dead-wood ‘centre halves’ and getting in two, top-class
central defenders, if Pep continues to ignore the likes of Eric Garcia & Taylor Harwood-Bellis that
is.
And, FOR
GOD'S SAKE, we
need a flippin' good left-wing back! How many YEARS have we struggled to find
the right fit on that side of the defence?!
And at
the other end, I think we're desperate for a new striker to add to our
desperately-thin forward department. But will that happen in the next 2
transfer windows? How long have so many City fans been screaming for that to
happen; for a team that likes to compete on 4-trophy fronts over long, hard
seasons?! Where are the strikers coming through from our EDS?
I also
have to agree with those who say that Phil needs a good run in the side now to
show us if he does indeed have what it takes to be top midfielder for
Manchester City – we certainly need his pace & energy right now.
I think
Pep is the best manager we've ever had but I have to say that am slightly
concerned about his clear & obvious single-mindedness; a kind of tunnel
vision, which appears to be blinding him in some of his decision making that’s
coming across as kind o’ arrogant.
There…said
it and trying to ‘put it to bed now’.
After
the Dinamo Zagreb game…
I was
only able to watch the first half but I liked what I saw. To any who watched or
who may have since heard, it’ll come as no shock that I want to first mention Phil Foden. For the first 45+
minutes that I saw, at least, he was AWESOME! His run & determination in particular that lead to our first goal
was something very special indeed and so very heartening.
 |
| Terrific night for both Gabriel & Phil |
Gabriel Jesus too looked to be 'working the spaces' better (what is it about him
performing so much better away from home?) and I’m hoping for more of the same tomorrow.
I want
to mention Eric Garcia too – not for the
first time do I find myself saying that he looks so calm and accomplished for
his age. Surely he’s not far off a Premier League start…
v Arsenal
 |
| Emirates Stadium |
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct
from starting line-up in the last game which, for me blog-wise, was the Derby
game: A perfect 11/11).
Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:
____________________Jesus____________________
___________Gundogan_________________________
____________________Rodri_____________________
__________Fernandinho_____Otamendi____________
____________________Ederson___________________
Ederson back in net following no participation whatsoever in midweek. At the time, I simply thought it was a case of protecting
him and giving the other two keepers some pitch & bench time but, apparently, tattooed
Brazilian stopper was ill. By all accounts, he’s fine again now.
 |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko back in action on Wednesday night |
Having had almost ½-hour game time ‘under his belt’ in midweek, our
manager might think that it’s time for Oleksandr to make his starting return
following quite a few weeks out injured. God knows we need a performing
Zinchenko there and that’s who I’m guessing our left-wing back will be tomorrow-late-afternoon. Kyle on the opposite flank of the defence for this one (and sure to be booed by the home fans) and with Fernandinho
& Nicolas in between.
Rodders to ‘sit’ in front of those.
Here it comes…
 |
| Will he or won't he start? |
I think it’ll be very controversial but I can see our manager ‘sticking
Ilkay in there’ ahead of Phil. On the one hand, I can understand Guardiola
wanting to go with a player away from home - and against
a side who have a potent attack - who has operated as a defensive
midfielder to add to Rodri's defensive skills tomorrow. However, as I say, I
think the Spanish boss will come under some serious fire from a lot of City
fans should he choose to do that. Kevin to partner the German in midfield, with
Raheem & Bernardo on the attacking flanks.
Gabriel ahead of those 5 midfielders / wingers.
Claudio back on the side as the back-up keeper; Benjamin, Joao &
Eric the reserve defenders. Recovering from a Derby-day knock; David on the
side with Phil & Riyad as our more attacking, creative players in ‘the 7’.
Notable
absences:
- Angelino – Not selected.
- Aymeric Laporte – From last we heard;
the French defender is about 4 to 6-weeks away from a return.
-
Leroy Sane – Possibly back in contention sometime
in January; the start of which is only 2-½ weeks away.
-
Sergio Aguero – Still injured and when asked
about a ‘return date’, Pep
said that he didn’t know. By my calculations going off what we were originally
told and IF that still stands; he should be
about a week away. However, Pep intimated that the Argentine
isn’t even back in light training yet…
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
No, I’d go with 'Eric
for Nicolas' and 'Phil for Ilkay'. In terms of the latter, I think we need greater
pace & intensity than Gundogan offers and we need to threaten their wobbly ‘back line’ as much as possible.
Result?
I’m very concerned about their firepower and attacking pace against a defence
that is suffering injuries and, like Arsenal’s, is a little vulnerable
generally. I’m particularly concerned about Otamendi in this game and whether
he’ll be ‘run ragged’ and will, then, ‘lash out’ and get himself sent
off. Pace too could be a little too much for Fernandinho ‘over the 90’,
although the 34-year old does still surprise me on that front.
 |
| Alexandre Lacazette |
However, it would appear that Nicolas Pepe has been ruled out of this game with a knee injury and although the Ivory Coast winger / forward hasn't exactly 'hit the heights' expected of him since his summer move to North London; he does have pace and showed signs of why he was brought in, at least, in their last-league-game-win at West Ham. I think 'bad news
for Arsenal' is 'good news for us and our left-wing back'...
The left flank of our defence is always
concerning for me, whoever we put there. Pep could even go for Cancelo on the
left but if it is Zinchenko and he has one of his better games, then my heart
rate will be a little bit lower. I
think the Ukrainian is about the best option we have there…
 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang |
Other than that, our hosts aren’t great in
the midfield and if we can control that area, then their defence is, apparently (I’ve
not studied it closely myself), shocking! They definitely can be ‘got at’.
All-in-all and going with my instincts? This
is a draw with goals in it. My ‘secondary
instinct’, if there is such a thing, is an away win and I’m hoping that ‘reserve
intuition’ is the correct one, of course!
Last season’s,
corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: Win
Result: Win
Expected weather conditions during
the game: While we continue to drown and get wind-blasted ‘up in the north’, conditions 'down south’ for the game aren’t too bad. Overcast, dry with just a very small chance of a few spots of rain; a little breezy, which might take the edge of the otherwise not-too-bad-sounding temperature, for December, of 7C.
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