Friday, 30 March 2018

Back to it!

With things settling back down a little with regards to family illness matters and me-personally over a really bad seasonal virus; with Spring having finally sprung in the UK (although expect some snow across large parts of Britain on Monday), a nice 2-½ weeks off work and with proper footy back on the scene; there are plenty of reasons for me to feel optimistic at the moment. 

 

Not forgetting also, of course, that we’re 16-points clear at the top of the Premier League before a ball is kicked this weekend; we are the winners of the 2017 / 18 League Cup and in the last 8 of the Champions League. Plenty of reasons for ALL Blues to have a skip in their step I’d say…


v Everton.


Goodison Park

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game, which, for me Blog-wise, was the Chelsea, home-league game: 9/11).

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

____________________Aguero____________________






Sane___________________________________Sterling


___________D. Silva__________De Bruyne__________

__________________Fernandinho__________________


Delph____________________________________Walker

____________Otamendi______Kompany___________




____________________Ederson___________________


‘Ed’ has the gloves.

A back-4, I think, of the returning Fabian, midweek goal-scorer Nicholas, Vincent & Kyle.

Fernandinho to sit in front of those and with Leroy, David, Kevin & Raheem all ahead of him.

Although Pep said he was much, much, much better, our manager was not committing himself otherwise on whether Sergio will play a part tomorrow evening. I’m saying the Argentine will have been primed behind the scenes ready to step back in at Goodison and for the remaining fixtures of 2017 / 18.

Claudio has back-up to Ederson; Danilo, Aymeric & Oleksandr the reserve defenders (although I’ll chuck-in a reminder that Zinchenko is, in fact, a more natural left-sided attacking midfielder). Ilkay, Bernardo & Gabriel provide some very-high-quality creativity & goal threat from ‘the 7’, should they be needed.

Notable absences:

-       Benjamin Mendy: On his way back to fitness. However, possibly a surprise inclusion in tomorrow’s squad? There are rumours…
-       John Stones: Not deemed safe to play following concussion whilst away with England (a 7-day concussion rule that I wasn’t aware of).
-       Yaya Toure (not selected).

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


Yep.

Result? Well our fabulous form and momentum aside, for me this is a lot about weighing up an-often ‘bogey ground’ vs the fact that we often get the better of a Sam Allardyce side…with a sprinkling of whether we can shift smoothly back into gear following a WHOPPING break of 19 days!

Of course, it’s the same for all teams…but I often don’t like how we first look following an international break and, on that score, we might take some time to get going tomorrow evening; possibly allowing the home side to press us early on and threatening a scare or two. However, if we can ride that out, should it happen that way, we are good at showing patience and eventual momentum and so I’m not too concerned about that.

As for the “bogey” issue – and excusing the similar ‘Wigan factor’ recently – I think we’re just too good now to allow such past traditions to worry us and I’m glad for-us-to-be-facing another ‘big Sam’ side for the 5:30pm KO BST.

We might concede – possibly even first – but this is an away win for me.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: Win
Result: Lost (by a big, 4-0 margin!)

Monday, 12 March 2018

Apologies...

Once again, family illness issues prevented me from producing a Blog-posting prior to our FC Basel game last Wednesday...

 




...and now being ill myself means no pre-Stoke posting for tonight.

 

With a break in games after tonight's fixture and fingers crossed, hopefully normal service will resume in time for the Everton away game on Saturday 31st March (5:30pm KO local time).

Saturday, 3 March 2018

“Tough” fixtures continue to…



…fly our way. But we keep ‘passing the tests’! 

 

And…‘me of little faith’! I predicted Arsenal to score against us at Wembley; possibly twice in that League Cup final match and even predicted a draw against the same team at their ground in the league just 4 days later. When WILL I shake off my ‘old City feeling’, at times, and show full faith in this wonderful team of ours?


v Chelsea


Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game: 10/11).

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

____________________Aguero____________________






Sane____________________________________B. Silva


___________D. Silva__________De Bruyne__________

___________________Gundogan___________________


Zinchenko_________________________________Danilo

___________Kompany_______Otamendi ____________




___________________Ederson____________________


Midweek, penalty-saving star, Ederson, in net again of course.

With Danilo likely to find himself on the right of defence for this one (proving his worth in why we signed him to cover on both flanks of the defence when needed), I think we’ll see Oleksandr back on the left. Vinny to go AGAIN? Well…if he’s fit, I think that’s what Pep will go with and with Nicholas alongside him in the middle of the back-4.

Ilkay likely to be the slightly deeper of the midfield / wing 5; David & Kevin ahead of him and with Leroy & Bernardo on the flanks.

Sergio the lone striker again.

Claudio with the standby gloves on; Aymeric & John the back-up defenders. Yaya, Phil, possibly Raheem (Brahim Diaz if Sterling hasn’t recovered in time) and Gabriel provide the midfield and more-attacking change-options from ‘the 7’.

Notable absences: Benjamin Mendy (continues rehab following injury / surgery) Kyle Walker (slight muscle injury?), Fabian Delph (suspended for the 3rd of 3 games) & Fernandinho (injured).

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


Fine with me.

Result? Well…here I go again! With regards to having a ‘wobble’ ahead of, on paper at least, another hard game, I find that, just as I did in a piece I wrote the other week, once again I'm pondering a draw for this one, even not-long-after our last away victory in North London.

Why? Well, on their day, our visitors have some wonderful players who can really cause some damage to ‘the oppo’. And, of course, they are scrapping along with a select few to secure a ‘top 3 or 4’ slot, which is so very vital to ‘top teams’ these days of course.

However, we do seem to be shifting into ‘slipstream gear’ in recent games and are in such wonderful form that I am leaning, quite heavily once again, towards this being another 3-points for our amazing team. I’m going for a City win…and so it quite possibly won’t be.

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

Thursday, 1 March 2018

‘The Arse’ again…



Okay, so it’s absolutely freezing, snowy and blowing a gale and, so, work was a forced 'no goer' and I'm able to push-out a midweek, pre-match Blog posting just hours before the game. 

 

With little time left, then, here’s a ‘basic one’…




v Arsenal


Emirates Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).

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

____________________Aguero____________________






Sane____________________________________B. Silva


___________D. Silva__________De Bruyne__________

___________________Gundogan___________________


Danilo___________________________________Walker

____________Laporte_______Otamendi ____________




___________________Ederson____________________


Some will have to ‘go again’; some rested players come in…

Ederson reclaims the gloves, after a fairly quiet afternoon for Claudio on Sunday afternoon at Wembley, albeit one where he claimed a fabulous assist for the first of 3 goals!

I think Danilo will keep his place against a side sure to want to attack and ‘right a wrong’ just days later; Nicholas & Kyle too but joined, I think, by Aymeric in defence.

I think we’ll see Ilkay deployed slightly deeper for this encounter; David & Kevin to have another start-outing and either side of those, Leroy & Bernardo on the flanks.

Sergio ‘up top’.

Claudio steps aside for this Premier League fixture; Oleksandr & Vinny the defensive change-options. Phil, Brahim, possibly, Raheem and Gabriel make up the midfield and more-attacking options from the side.

Notable absences: Benjamin Mendy (continues rehab following injury / surgery) John Stones (not selected), Fabian Delph (suspended for the 2nd of 3 games), Fernandinho (injured) & Yaya Toure (not selected).

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


Yep.

Result? Our host will be ‘at us’ following their limp display and defeat in the League Cup, I’m sure, and I expect some ‘blood & thunder’ at times; possibly with a sending off or two (hope not of course).

I think, this time, they will score, as I’m confident we will too.

My gut feeling? A ‘fence sitting’ draw.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: Draw
Result: Draw