The countdown begins.

So, it was said the other day in the media, we have to win 10 of our remaining games to secure the Premier League title for 2017/18.

 

Of course, should the nearest chasing team drop any points – and I’m very confident that will happen – then that movable target-figure will get reduced, as long as we keep winning.

 

But, for now, this home game against West Bromwich Albion is the first of that ‘target of 10’ from our remaining 14 games.

Shall we have a little look at ‘em?

I just thought I’d do a quick prediction outcome of those remaining league matches, which I will ‘air on the side of caution’ of and, of course, is also subject to change pre-match(s); as injuries, suspensions and general fatigue / possible team-selection-changes ‘kick in’ closer to the fixture dates.

WBA (H)                     -           Win

Burnley (A)                  -           Draw

Leicester (H)               -           Win

Arsenal (A)                  -           Draw

Chelsea (H)                -           Draw

Stoke (A)                     -           Win

Brighton (H)                -           Win

Everton (A)                 -           Win

Manyoo (H)                 -           Win

Spurs (A)                     -           Draw

Swansea (H)               -           Win

West Ham (A)             -           Win

Huddersfield (H)         -           Win

Southampton (A)        -           Win

Total points:                          99

So, with that ‘as honest as I can be’ assessment of our remaining league fixtures – and not looking into exactly where F.A Cup & Champions League matches fall in-between those – there’s your 10 wins…with 4 draws ‘chucked into the mix’.

I think even if we lose one or, dare I suggest, two of those, I think any chasing team is gonna do likewise, as I say. And if we win or just ‘hold off’ at home in the Manchester v Trafford derby then, of course, that changes the picture hugely in our favour in early April.

If I was to scrutinise - and possible alter now - some of those result predictions, I don’t think it would make much of a difference to be honest. For example…

There’s a good chance that we’ll manage a clean sheet against Burnley – they might score one – and, therefore, if we keep chipping at their very stuborn defensive walls and apply all of our creativity and inventiveness at the weekend, then I CAN see us opening them up at least twice and coming away with 3 points.

On our day, I can see us sending Chelsea home with zero points – we beat them at their place when they were more ‘on it’ in general back then and have beaten them at home before.

We might relish the wide-open spaces of Wembley in our away fixture to Spurs and wipe the floor with ‘em!

But, then again, Jekyll & Hyde Leicester might come at us with all their creative & goal-scoring threat blazing and inflict our second defeat of the season. Could happen…

Stoke might ‘do a Stoke’ on us and frustrate us by preventing an away win.

Everton might ‘do an Everton’ and find a way to inflict another Merseyside defeat!

Arsenal away could go either way for me – I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost at the Emirates…but, then again, they can implode at the back, sometimes, and we could grab a good away win.

If ifs & buts were candy & nuts…

As I say, I think all of those possibilities will still see us close to 99 points and will see us lift the crown this season.

v WBA

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).

Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3

____________________Aguero____________________

Sterling_________________________________B. Silva

_________D. Silva____________De Bruyne__________

_________________Fernandinho___________________

Zinchenko________________________________Walker

____________Kompany_______Otamendi___________

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Stones, Mangala, Laporte, Toure, Gundogan, Diaz.

(Sub updated 31.01.2018...with the incoming Aymeric Laporte available to play tonight and Eliaquim Mangala expected at Everton today to have a medical ahead of a possible loan move until the end of the season). Will the next 11 & subs v Burnley contain Riyad Mahrez?

Ederson back in net for the league game.

Oleksandr likewise and most likely joined by Vinny (2 games in 3 days for our Captain? I think they might “risk that” for this game…), Nicholas & Kyle.

Fernandinho the deeper of the midfielders and then Raheem on the left, Bernardo on the right with the brilliant partnership of David & Kevin in-between those.

Sergio ‘up top’.

Claudio steps aside and the defensive subs should look like Danilo, John & new signing Aymeric (welcome fella!). Yaya likely to get a slot on the side for this one, along with Ilkay & Brahim.

Notable absences: Benjamin Mendy (continues rehab following injury / surgery), FabianDelph (injured), Gabriel Jesus (injured still for another week or so) & Leroy Sane (Injured for about a month).

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

Yes indeed.

Result? We’ll eventually knock down their walls as long as we are patient and ‘play our game’. Home win.

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

Prediction: Win

Result: Win

Expected weather conditions during the game: A rather cold and dreary one Wednesday night - light rain / sleet / snow, just 4C and a nagging Westerly breeze should remind fans that it’s still early-to-mid Winter in the North West of England.

One trip to Wembley booked…

…in February for the League Cup, another journey to London continues in the F.A. Cup tomorrow via South Wales. 

 

After the Cardiff City preview piece, below are comments on both:

-       Who do you think you are? And…

-       Alexis Sanchez

v Cardiff City

Cardiff City Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game: 8/11).

Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3

____________________Aguero____________________

Sane____________________________________Sterling

_________Gundogan__________De Bruyne__________

_________________Fernandinho___________________

Zinchenko________________________________Walker

____________Kompany________Stones_____________

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Otamendi, Mangala, Toure, D. Silva, B. Silva.

Surely Pep will use Ederson in the net for the F.A. Cup. That’s what I’m predicting.

Vincent is reportedly okay to play and, so, I think we’ll see him slotted in to an otherwise fairly familiar back line. I could be wrong in-guessing that our manager will go for Kyle at right-back in this one but I don’t think he’ll want to put out a defence that is changed too much against a decent Championship outfit and, so, I’m going for Oleksandr, Vincent, John & Kyle across the back-4.

Fernandinho in front of those and in a slightly changed midfield with a Premier League home game coming up against WBA on Wednesday night; I think we’ll see Ilkay in for a rested / protected David who is likely to be joined by Leroy, Kevin & Raheem.

Sergio to ‘go again’ up top.

Claudio back on the side seats; Danilo (could start), Nicholas & Eliaquim the reserve defenders. Yaya, David & Bernardo I think will make up the midfield change-options (no kiddies on the bench for this one, if I'm right).

Notable absences: Benjamin Mendy (continues rehab following injury / surgery), Fabian Delph (injured / unknown return date) & Gabriel Jesus (injured for another week or so, I think, before returning to training).

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

Yep.

Result? Well this is definitely a toughie – the home side have been getting praise-aplenty this season and sit 3^rd in their league and just 2-points off an automatic promotion place.

I know nothing about their players without looking them up (not gonna) and suspect that, with a ferocious home support, they will ‘give us a game’ and even breach our defence once (hopefully no more than that).

But IF Pep takes this one seriously enough and doesn’t focus TOO much on the fact that we have the first of 10 games we need to win in the league, on Wednesday night, in order to clinch the title – and let’s not forget that our players will-have-rested for a near-full 5 days before facing Cardiff following our victory at Bristol City last Tuesday night – then a team anything like the one above should prove too much for our hosts if we’re ‘on our game’.

An away win for me.

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

Prediction: N/A

Result: N/A

Expected weather conditions during the game: Overcast / chance of drizzle with a decent Westerly breeze but flippin’ mild at 11C for early-to-mid Winter.

Who do you think you are?

A very good & interesting TV programme, if you’ve not seen it. So, recently and in 'relation to' (see what I did there?) football, it got me thinking…

Gary Neville:

Previously managed?

No-one

Went on to manage?

Spanish, top-division (La Liga) side, Valencia (for 16 games and where he won 3 matches)

Ryan Giggs:

Previously managed?

Interim-Manager of Manyoo for 4 matches

Went on to manage?

International Manager of Wales

Phil Stanley Laurel-Neville:

Previously managed?

Joint-Manager of Non-League side, Salford City, for 1 game

Went on to manage?

International Manager of the England Woman’s Team

Nicky Butt:

Previously managed?

No-one

Might go on to manage?

Newcastle United?

Paul – I often look like I’m being held against my will on TV – Scholes:

Previously managed?

Joint-Manager of Non-League side, Salford City, for 1 game

Might go on to manage?

The England National Team?

David Beckham:

Previously managed?

No­-one

Might go on to manage?

Harrods?

I mean, have some of these ex-Manyoo players applied for these top jobs by simply handing in a very brief, 1-page CV that says…

Name: Bla, bla, bla…

Contact details: Bla, bla, bla…

Previous & relevant managerial experience: I used to play under Sir Alex Ferguson

References: Available from the previously-named ex-boss (see above)

If so…THESE CLUBS / ASSOCIATIONS ARE ACTUALLY FALLING FOR IT BY LETTING THEM GET PAST THE APPLICATION STAGE; INTERVIEWING ‘EM AND TAKING THEM ON FOR FLIP’S SAKE!

Arrogant? A slap in the face for all those managers out there who, a lot of them I’m sure, would love to move up the ‘managerial ladder’ and manager bigger teams in higher leagues BUT, who, choose-to-instead learn their trade and work hard for many years at lower levels to attain that vital experience & deserved reputation?

I’ll let you decide…

Perhaps they just looked at Pep Guardiola and thought, ‘Well if he can manage the mighty Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City after just one year in charge of Barcelona’s‘B Team’ then, why not, hey?’

A word on Alexis Sanchez?

Well I am sick of hearing his bloody name mentioned every few seconds but, why not…

Now our wonderful club had already moved into world of ‘big money’ - joining those both in this country and around the world who had been spending BIG for years and years - when this fella was rumoured to be moving from his Italian side, Udinese. And, for that reason, we were linked with the Chilean, attacking forward.

So…I looked him up (including footage of course) and instantly thought, wow! This is a player I want at City!

Sadly – and of course there was no competition back then – a certain Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala decided he’d have him over at Barcelona, before leaving the player to it; as the Spanish boss moved to manage 'The Bavarians' / 'Reds' in Germany.

Then…there was a rumour that he was no longer required at the Catalan side and EVEN a rumour that he was interested in a move to the Premier League! 'This is it', I thought; this is our chance to grab a player who I believed would bring so much to our growing football club & team and would be the darling of City fans for years to come.

No. He was wooed by the smooth, French tones of one Arsene Wenger and the glitz on the London lights, as he switched tapas for pie & mash & cockles. I have to admit I was a little stunned and quite gutted at the time…

But wait! All of a sudden, we acquired the services of the same Manager who had overseen the player’s move from Italy to Spain and, sure enough, we were, this time, VERY strongly linked with the player! 'It was destiny', so I thought. So much so, in fact, that in the summer of 2017 we began a bidding process.

However, stubborn Arsenal / Arsene wouldn’t budge from their valuation of a whopping £60M for a player who had less than 12 months left on his contract and although I think we tried and tried to pay somewhere reasonably-close to that figure (and reasonable for a player who both wanted to move and was fairly close to becoming a ‘free agent’) they weren’t ‘avin’ it' and we told ‘em to ‘do one’…although we said we might be back in the Winter transfer window, thank you very much indeed.

Winter arrives…and, sure enough, despite us FLYING and banging-in goals aplenty, we stick-in another reasonable £20M bid; this time for a player who had around 6 months left on his current deal.

But then some cheeky scamp from just West of Manchester stuck his / their oar in and effectively snapped the player from out of our reach by, effectively, paying £35M for him; a considered valuation for Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a ‘swap deal’ for a player who Manyoo had purchased for around £27M in July 2016 and who had 2-½ years left on his contract.

That brings us up to date.

My very last thoughts on the whole saga?

Manyoo did a great bit of business in a way – they looked at our stance of not budging from our very fair valuation for the Arsenal attacking player; nipped in with a deal that would appeal to the North London club - in that The Gunners would be getting a player-replacement of similar age who didn’t play in a completely dissimilar position to their outgoing winger / forward – and got a very good player indeed.

Low centre of gravity; can play left, right and centre in an ‘attacking line’ as well as deeper in an attacking midfield role. He’s Strong, pacey, creative and a goal-scorer; he’s very rarely injured or injured for long and has a really, really good spirit and work-rate. A perfect Pep-type player really…that’s why he once signed him and tried twice again in the last 5 months.

Have Manyoo paid over the odds? Of course they have – don’t be blinded by this, ‘Mourinho is a genius and has simply got rid of a player he didn’t want and swapped him for a better one’ crap! £15M might ‘roll off the tongue’ these days without a second’s thought but that’s basically what Manyoo have paid over the closer valuation for a player who would have gone for free in 161 days’ time!

And then there’s the wage.

What is it supposed to be? £600,000 per week? Someone said in the media that’s more than Messi gets? Just flippin’ stupid and if WE'D have done that, we wouldn’t be getting this, “Ooooo…what a shrewd signing that is”. We’d have got, instead, “Oh here come City again; blowing everyone else aside by spending 'over the odds' and ruining football again with their money!”.

Would he have improved us? As a player on the pitch I think he’d have slotted in perfectly to our system and with the players we have already, yeah.

However, even if we’d have paid him £100,000 less per week than Manyoo have thrown at him, I think, personally, it may well have soured the atmosphere in the dressing room with the likes of already-established - and quite brilliant-attacking players we have - in Sane, De Bruyne, David Silva, Sterling, Jesus & Aguero to name just a few.

Anyhoo…I think we’re 'keeping our powder dry' with regards to spending on a new attacking player / striker until the summer and I think we’ll see a stellar name come in, in the summer, of the likes of Mauro Icardi or Antoine Griezmann.

And, let’s not forget, it looks like we’re already using the ‘money saved’ on not getting Sanchez by signing a much-needed boost to our defensive department in Aymeric Laporte and, one-for-next-season in midfield, Fred. Goodbye Vinny (and thank you!) & Mangala in the summer…