Pep’s records target might leave…

…little room for young players in the remaining 4 matches.

 

In a brief posting the other week, I mentioned my hope of not only seeing the likes of already-used Phil Foden & Brahim Diaz but also Lukas Nmecha, as well as perhaps another EDS player or two.

 

But, silly me…I forgot that having won the League Cup and the Premier League by a MILE our Manager’s instinct-desire for perfection would continue and even suggestions of ‘using the kids’ would only get in the way of his record-busting plans; when declaring, after our 5-0 demolition of Swansea City last Sunday, that he wanted to try to break Premier League records in our remaining games.

 

Fair enough...and if there ARE records to be broken (100+ points? Goals scored? Biggest goal difference? More?) then lets ‘go for it’! If anything, it keeps the players focused over the final few weeks…

v West Ham United

London Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from starting line-up in the last game which, for me Blog-wise, was the Manyoo game: 8/11).

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

____________________Jesus____________________

Sane__________________________________Sterling

___________D. Silva________De Bruyne__________

_________________Fernandinho_________________

Delph__________________________________Walker

__________Otamendi________Kompany__________

___________________Ederson__________________

Subs: Bravo, Mendy, Danilo, Laporte, Foden, B. Silva, Gundogan.

Desperately wanting to, apparently, take a penalty; Ederson ‘in between the sticks’.

A likely & strong back-4 of Fabian, Nicholas, Vinny & Kyle.

The returning from suspension, Fernandinho, sitting in front of those and slightly behind the more attacking Leroy, David, Kevin & Raheem, I’d say.

Gabriel to ‘lead the line’.

Claudio the back-up stopper; a second bench appearance from Benjamin (following a long, long time out with injury), Danilo & Aymeric make up the defensive replacement options. Phil, Bernardo & Ilkay are the more attacking options from the side.

Notable absences:

-       John Stone: Injured (length unknown)

-       Yaya Toure: Not selected

-       Oleksandr Zinchenko: Not selected

-       Sergio Aguero: Injured for at least another 3 weeks / season likely over

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

Yes indeed.

Result? Despite being desperate for a win to keep ‘emselves clear of danger, this should be no contest at all. An away win...IF Pep keeps our players motivated enough, which I’m sure he will.

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

Prediction: Win

Result: Win

Expected weather conditions during the game: Dull & chilly (just 9C) with a chance of drizzle and with a stiff, 15Mph North Easterly wind. Spring in the UK, hey? Roll on the forecasted warmer weather starting at the end of next week…

Small write-up…

Apologies…AGAIN for a-not-usual pre-match write-up prior to our next game v Swansea. This time is ‘cause I’m preparing, with my wife, for a 500+ mile-round car journey to Surrey & back tomorrow to pick up a new rescue dog following the loss of our last one just over 2 months ago.

We’ve won the league!

It seems, in some ways, to have happened with a whimper, doesn’t it? I get that; it would have been nice to-have gone out with a 'blast' against Manyoo but it just didn’t happen. That also came in the middle of two, very humbling encounters with Liverpool in the Champions League, albeit with a brilliant 1^st half performance in the second leg and lot of controversy against us with officials and issues off the pitch over the two legs.

Hello mum? We might win the league this weekend...

So how did we respond? With a very, very good & professional display at Spurs / Wembley...followed by ‘our neighbours’ helping us out by failing to score and lose to the Premier League’s bottom side, West Brom. Thanks for that!

It was odd though – I was listening to most of that game on my own in the garden and found myself simply - and quietly - raising my arms in the air as the final whistle of that game sounded. Job done.

And WHAT a job! Let’s not forget that this season we have played some BRILLIANT football and have show such desire & team spirit to be deserved champions. An understatement...

Sunday…

For reasons I’ve already explained, I’ve not even tuned into Pep’s pre-match press conference. Of course with news of his 'op' Aguero is out for the season and that leaves me with additional hope that not-only should we see the likes of Brahim Diaz & Phil Foden be-given some ‘game time’ for some of the remaining fixtures but also Lukas Nmecha, who I’ve not yet seen play but who I’ve heard some good stuff about. I’d like to see some other EDS players too…

I think we might see some of those against Swansea; perhaps away at West Ham too on the 29^th of April. I think we’ll then see a full-strength team for the visit of Huddersfield, when the trophy is planned to be lifted (but hopefully, by then, I’ll be back ‘Blogging’ for that one and before-time).

Sorry again for the break in service and thanks, as always, for ‘tuning in’.

Blog announcement.

With a high-degree possibility that I will be heading off tomorrow morning for a much-needed, small weekend break there will be no pre-Spurs Blog-posting.

Sounds like we have 'a few out' for various reasons and after a bruising week, we'll do well to come away from Spurs with a point or more. But I am still optimistic after a full, 4-day break from last Tuesday's game and, so, I think we'll 'grab a draw' at least. 

 

Feckin' crazy KO time (7:45pm BST on a Saturday night) gives travelling City fans a headache if not staying 'down there' or travelling by road as, I've heard, the last train leaves at 9:36pm. And with word that there will be at least 23, top-flight team fixtures being at that time next season, I really am starting to get peed off with those who both make and accept these decisions (possibly more on that on my Blog after the season ends). 

 

I'm hoping to still watch the game whilst away and will be urging my team on wherever I end up watching it.

 

Sorry, again, for the break in service and to all Blues, look forward to lifting the Premier League trophy very soon!

 

Thanks, as always, for reading and I'll be back soon...

They let the fans down…

The party was beginning at half time and although well-seasoned City fans would NEVER count a 2-0, half time lead as ‘a given’ – especially against the league’s 2^nd-place team and in a derby – we were in control and should have put it out of sight before the break.

Missed opportunities…

 

D'oh!

2-0 up and cruising and then…”STERLING!” Miss…

2-0 up and cruising and then…”STERLING!” Miss…

2-0 up and cruising and then…Sterling has a longer-range effort / chance and hit it at the keeper.

2-0 up and cruising and then...Gundogan nips in for a well-timed run & headed chance but, once again, it’s straight at the keeper.

So, we get to half time and the talk in the concourse and at the bar was how the HELL weren’t we at least 4-0 up?! Other chatter was along the lines of very poor officiating but, I need to add, I thought they were very poor for both sides throughout the whole 95 minutes. There should have been sendings off for both sides, we should have had a penalty and there were even blatant throw-ins that were awarded to the wrong side! Very poor…

Even at 2-0 Gundogan was, once again, a threat and clipped the post early in the second half.

But…did anyone else noticed the ‘Matrix moment’ that turned the game? I can see it in my head right now as though I took a picture of it and as soon as it happened, I nervously murmured to my mate that it was very lax play and was leading to a Manyoo attack. Sure enough and in under 90 seconds….BANG! Goal number one for the visitors and we know the rest.

What was that moment? It was when the otherwise brilliant Fernandinho suddenly slowed right down / lost all urgency but also where he was lacking supporting options from his colleagues. We just seemed to almost…STOP! Of course, Manyoo saw this straight away, snatched the ball off us, which eventually lead to a throw-in on the Colin Bell-Stand-side after a run by Sanchez; leading to the visitor’s first goal.

Have that!

And to think, it looked like the ‘writing was on the wall’ for us when Vincent Kompany produced a carbon copy [from a previous derby-encounter], thunder-header to make it 1-0; despite being illegally grappled with as our Captain stamped his mark.

 

Worrying yet again

Why is it, lately at least, that we appear to be so easily rattled? Why is it also that, at times, we look like a team who thinks we can just stroll through games and that the opposition shouldn’t DARE make us rush our own game? And I say that after watching, throughout the whole season, such composed performances AND some very, very spirited ones from a squad of talented players who, overall, appear to be also highly motivated and very close-knit.

Anguish

But lately? Hufffff…we just seem to crumble whenever pressed or when we’re shocked by an opposition goal, which then appears to rock us back onto our heals (I’ve seen signs of the latter earlier on in the season too).

Okay, when we unbelievably went 2-3 down yesterday our boss made changes and the players stepped up, once again, and tried to 'right a wrong'. We hit the post, as I’ve said; David De Gea made a WONDERFUL save, we had another attempt scrambled off the line and, as I’ve already mentioned too, we should have had a nailed-on penalty (including a sending off in the same incident) late on in the game.

But, following last Wednesday’s fiasco away to Liverpool, to-then chuck that one away yesterday when we have so much quality on the pitch really makes it feel like the players, at least, let the fans down yesterday when history & records were within 50-minute’s touching distance.

Bloody hell! It was hugely disappointing but it's not THAT bad...

For a variety of reasons there won’t be a pre-Liverpool Blog-posting for Tuesday night’s game. I HOPE our players redeem themselves but should we get through, we’re gonna have to start showing a LOT more professionalism than they’ve displayed in the last 4 days.