Blue chews-daze: We’ve got to forget about…

…Tuesday night’s game completely – 3-points in another “league final” is so-very vital.

A few words on our last game…

Frustratingly, I wasn’t able to watch the match and worst still, as it turned out, I wasn’t even able to listen to live commentary on the radio, which is something I don’t mind doing whenever I have to (I know some fans just can’t / don’t like to do that for whatever their reasons).

So, when I woke up at about 2:45am having gone to bed not knowing the score beyond 0-0 at half time, I was nervous as hell and just had to turn my PC on to find out the final score ASAP! Phew…I was SO relieved.

Whenever this happens, I then spend a good chuck of the following morning pouring over everything I can game-wise; trying to take in as much as I can to try ‘n’ guage how we played / what sort of match it was. This comes in the form of reading match reports, watching highlights, watching Pep’s post-match interview(s); looking at a variety of player ratings, reading some fan’s online postings and watching / listening to post match interviews with fans on Ian Cheeseman’s Vlog. Having done so on this occasion ‘post Brighton’, I was a little concerned to both read & hear so many repeated words, such as…

- Sloppy

- Pedestrian

- Slow

- Desperately needing a striker / ‘Number 9’

I think a lot of those comments and concerns were largely aimed at our first half performance (and how well, perhaps, Brighton kept us quiet?); where I understand even some of our better, attacking players weren’t quite ‘up to standard’. I believe nearly everyone improved considerably in the second half and even though 2 of our goals came via deflections; even their manager said that the better side won. Good.

On Friday, the Manchester Evening News picked up on City fans’ grumbling concerns and produced this explanatory piece.

All things ‘taken in’ and considered; I’m hoping that’s a ‘shrugging off’ / shakedown game for us following 4 really tough fixtures that ended in a Wembley-energy-sapping defeat.

3 vital points gained; back to the top of the league and we move on to another “final” (there’s that word again)…

…v Watford

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 10/11).

Kyle, John & Nathan are to be assessed this morning with regards to whether they’ll be fit to be part of the squad to face The Hornets and, so…

Fluid 4-1-5-0 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:

______________________________________________

Foden__________________________________Mahrez

_______De Bruyne___Gundogan____Silva__________

_____________________Rodri_____________________

Zinchenko_______________________________Cancelo

____________Laporte___________Dias______________

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Steffen, Walker, Ake, Stones, Fernandinho, Grealish, Palmer, Sterling, Jesus.

Ed in net.

A likely back-4 to consist of Oleksandr, Aymeric, Ruben & Joao.

Rodders is the deep-lying midfielder; Phil, Kevin, Ilkay, Bernardo & Riyad are the fluid, interchangeable midfield / wing 5 that I reckon will start this afternoon (3:00pm KO BST).

Zack is the reserve stopper; Kyle, Nathan & John might make the bench as defensive replacement options. Fernandinho, Jack, Cole, Raheem & Gabriel make up a more-than-decent group of midfielders, wingers / attackers in ‘the 9’.

Notable absences:

- Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.

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

Deffo.

Result? There’s no doubting that our visitors are in serious trouble league-position-wise as well as continued poor form. If there is any note of optimism going into this fixture for the men in yellow & black, then I think it’s the fact that some of their better results do seem-to-have come away from home this season.

I have seen them ‘up their game’ considerably on rare occasions this season; suddenly looking like a very threatening side who go on to pull off a positive result. Additionally, although it doesn’t appear to be working for him at the moment; Roy Hodgson is a vastly experience, wily ol’ character who is very capable of setting up a very organised & efficient 11 to frustrate and then probe effectively at the opposition.

However, this Watford side gives me the impression that they are very much a team of individuals…similar to a side not a million miles away from the Etihad. That’s not surprising at all when you consider the sheer number of players & managers that come & go each season.

As for us, there are those defensive injury doubts, of course, but even if all three don’t make it; then providing none of the others break down we still have the capability of putting out a very good back-4.

We need to start with a strong 11, which is something I can see myself repeating for most, if not all, of the remaining season. The last thing we need is to weaken the side even ever so slightly and find ourselves 0-1 down and needing a battering ram to break through the oppo’s defences more than once.

Sorry Jack but for me, that means our expensive summer signing starting from the bench for the remainder of the season and coming on only when it seems absolutely right to do so and to give players ahead of him some much-needed rest. I genuinely cross my fingers and hope for progression next season for the England international winger / attacking midfielder but for the most part this season; I don’t think we look as threatening with him in the side.

When I look at their 19^th position in the table and see, P32 W6 D4 L22 – F30 A62 and a run of results under Roy which goes, D L L W L D L L W L L L then it tells me that if we don’t win this match then we don’t deserve to win the league. As long as the players go into the game with the right attitude then I just can’t see that happening. It’s a home win for me and it’ll be nice to see us go 4 points clear, even if that might only be for around 25-½ hours. It would be even nicer if we could improve our goal difference even further today, just in case it comes down to that come 22^nd May.