Oh dear…

I bet I’m not the only City fan who is starting to sound like a stuck record but, once again, chance after chance after chance and nothing but wasted opportunities galore.

But it’s even worse than that…

The words from many different Blues exiting the London Stadium last night: “So slow”. “No Creativity”. “No one wanted to go for it”. “Should have been doing what we were doing in the last 20 minutes from minute one”. “It all changed when Cherki came on”. “We played an hour and did nothing”. “Flat”. “Unimaginative”. “Safe”. “Ultra safe”. “Laking in confidence”.

There was also criticism from a number of fans directed at two big men at either end of the pitch for very different reasons. I’ll let you simply use your imagination about what may have been said about two blokes whose combined height totals 12’ 10”.

Pep Guardiola post match: “This season, the fact that we didn’t score goals for the amount of chances we created…we played shit”.

Honest words from our manager there and not long after that, Guardiola switch rooms and cameras and admitted that by not selecting Rayan Cherki to start, he got it wrong yesterday.

So slow, no creativity, playing for an hour and doing nothing; flat and unimaginative. Are we seriously talking about a side managed by two Peps which contains the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, the much lauded Nico O’Reilly, Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and, later on, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders? REALLY?!

I’ve used this phrase before in my blog postings, it’s one for the oldies, seriously…answers on a postcard please (or in my comments section below is fine too, of course).

Well done to Bernardo Silva, by the way, for a sublime finish yesterday to put us 0-1 up.

Do we give any credit to West Ham United? A team that has found slightly better form (L W D D L W in the league before yesterday’s draw)? They closed us down well in midfield, had numbers in the box and made multiple blocks in their penalty area. I suppose we should considering their position in the table and the fact that they’re scraping for every point they can get. Well done them.

But it still doesn’t detract from the ongoing high numbers of baffling performances from our team where we appear to plod our way through so many games, or half games.

We often give the opposition a sense that they can stop us from obtaining all-three points; grabbin’ something from games for themselves as we waste so many chances and leave ourselves open to counter attacks. This, unfortunately, is the general pattern of play that we all watch now and have been for the last couple of seasons, if we’re being completely honest.

For the most part, aside form perhaps a few top sides, the opposition just isn’t going to change from a ‘low block’, a packed midfield and with the intent on springing a fast break or two, so what then? We have to change, right? Or, at the very least, improve a LOT on what we are capable of doing with the personnel that I’ve just listed…but with a nod to me longing for a young Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.

Hands up…

1.    …if you think we’ll progress in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

2.    …if you think we’ll beat Arsenal in the League Cup final next Sunday?

Following those two little fixtures, it’s then Liverpool at home in the F.A. Cup, Chelsea away in the league followed by Arsenal once again, this time at home in the league also.

I’m not going to ask for more hands up on those last three matches but I bet I’m not alone in feeling, for the time being at least, rather unsettled by that particular fixture list between 17^th March and 19^th April.

Sort it out Blues and quickly before this season - one where we’re somehow just about surviving in all FOUR competitions - suddenly dissolves like a couple of Alka-Seltzer in a glass of water (other medicines are available).

Plink, plink…

They took their chances and…

…we didn’t. The overwhelming message from a good number of travelling Blues in Madrid after our 3-0 defeat last Wednesday.

We played quite well at the very start, at least, but there’s that same ‘ol theme once again of not taking our chances when they continue to arrive by the bucket load; despite, on this occasion, fielding a very attacking starting-11 that contained three attacking wingers / forwards and a striker – Doku, Savinho, Semenyo and Haaland.

Questions

It was a team selection that had some scratching their heads, with others directly questioning our manager and I personally believe that it left us easy to counter attack through far too many times. We often looked a little slow and lightweight in the middle.

We remain slightly inconsistent and a side that is certainly going through a transitional season. For one travelling fan to reluctantly declare that he thought we were outclassed in every department in midweek – a Real Madrid team that’s not fully ‘on it’ by their high standards this season – simply underlines that fact. “Outclassed”. Ouch… 😧

Oh well, back to a very important domestic league game tonight (8:00pm KO GMT).

v West Ham United

London Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game which for me, blog wise, was our away win at Newcastle United: A woeful 3/11, as I completely misread the situation as well as Pep Guardiola on that particular occasion.

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-1-3-2 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):

____________________Haaland____________________

 

 

__Marmoush__________________________Samenyo__

 

__________O’Reilly______________Silva(C)___________

 

_____________________Rodri_____________________

Ait-Nouri__________________________________Nunes

___________Dias(VC)______________Guehi___________

 

 

__________________Donnarumma__________________

Subs: Trafford, Khusanov, Stones, Gonzalez, Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku and Savinho.

Gigi continues in goals.

I’m going for a back-4, occasional 3, of Rayan-A-, Ruben, Marc and Matheus.

Rodders is the deepest of the midfielders with Nico-O- and Bernardo ahead of the 29-year-old.

I think Omar and Antoine will provide most of the width, all in support of Erling who is front and centre.

James continues in his role of reserve keeper and there’s possibly just two defenders on the bench tonight in the form of Abdukodir and John. Nico-G-, Rayan-C-, Phil and Tijjani make up four midfielders on the side and completing ‘the 9’ are wingers Jeremy and Savinho.

Notable absences:

-       Marcus Bettinelli – Not selected.

-       Rico Lewis – Injured with a slight problem in his ankle. When asked for an update on 13^th March, Pep said that he is still suffering with a little bit of soreness. Still unavailable.

-       Josko Gvardiol – Out with a fractured tibia, for which he has had surgery. On 23^rd January, we were informed that it will be at least 2 more months before the Croatian international might be ready to return, which takes him up to the end of March.

-       Max Alleyne – Not selected.

-       Nathan Ake – Not selected.

-       Mateo Kovacic – Continues to train as he attempts to put nine months of injury / rehabilitation behind him. In an update on 13^th March, we learnt that Mateo’s condition is getting better every day. I can’t see it being too much longer before we start to see the soon-to-be 32-year-old included in a matchday squad.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

It looks good but I’d like to see us to try and find a starting place for Rayan Cherki more often if possible.

Result?

I am a little concerned about a Manchester City hangover from midweek, whether that be physically after a demanding game plus international travel and / or mentally. Added to the fact that we will be facing a home side who are scrapping for their very Premier League lives, this won’t be easy.

Following on from that, I’ve just got a feeling that we might start off looking a little shaky and having the home fans behind them, no matter how far they might be away from the pitch; if The Hammers smell blood early on then they might just take the lead.

However, if we do start off a little cold and jittery, I expect us to shake it off and start to move through the gears at some stage.

I do see goals at both ends but I’m going for us to score more. This is a very much needed City win for me.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: Win

Result: Won

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: After a stormy and cold couple of days, particularly in the north and west of the British Isles, it’s calm and quite sunny down south for the match. Unbroken afternoon sunshine turns to dark, clear skies so the match temperature is just 6 or 7C. 🧥🧣🧤🍵🥧🍺⚽

Solidarity