I’ve gotta be honest and say that following my recent blog announcement, I didn’t think I’d be quite well enough to produce & publish one ahead of this fixture and both my energy levels and concentration still aren’t too good. I’m gonna keep it as brief as possible.
I think one thing that gave me a lift to want to put extra effort into sitting in front of the computer and attempt to engage the ol’ brain cells was when I watched Pep’s pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon – I don’t think I’ve ever seen him looking so steely-focused. 👍
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| Tottenham Hotspur 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 home league game against Wolves: 8/11).
Fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3:
____________________Haaland____________________
Grealish__________________________________Mahrez
____________Silva______________De Bruyne________
_____________________Rodri_____________________
Ake______________________________________Walker
___________Laporte_____________Akanji___________
____________________Ederson____________________
Subs: Ortega, Gomez, Lewis, Dias, Phillips, Gundogan, Foden, Palmer & Alvarez.
Ederson in net.
In an ever-changing back line, for this fixture I’m going with Nathan, Aymeric & Manuel…and I’ve just got a feeling that Kyle might ‘get the nod’ on the right over Rico for this one. I could well be wrong, of course.
Rodders gets the deeper midfield job once again, while I’m going for an attacking 4 ahead of him of Jack, Barnardo, Kevin & Riyad; although if I’m right I expect Bernardo to have a dual, sweeping / attacking role.
Erling to ‘top the lot’.
Stefan provides the keeper insurance; Sergio is likely to come back into the match-day squad following the loan departure of Joao Cancelo and joining the Spaniard as defensive replacement options is Rico & Ruben. Kalvin, Ilkay, Phil & Cole are the midfielders / wingers on the side, while Julian is the back-up striker.
Notable absences:
- Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.
- John Stones – Out for around a month with a hamstring injury.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Other than that, that looks good to me.
Result? There’s been a bit of chatter and some write-ups in the last couple of days, emphasising the fact that in recent seasons we’ve not-only struggled to win but to-even register a goal in our last four trips to Spurs. That needs to change tomorrow.
On the flip side, I also listened to suggestions that our hosts might not be a very happy camp at the moment and that some of that unrest may be down to increased speculation about their hero, Harry Kane’s, future. They also have their manager unavailable following recent surgery and although I wish him well, of course; if both scenarios are to prove disruptive, then I’ll take that.
I mentioned how ‘geed up’ I personally felt just watching our manager take questions yesterday – his deep staring concentration was palpable even through the computer monitor. If I had that reaction after just 14 or so minutes then I’m guessing the players will have received a right good dose of Pep’s positive vibes in the last week! We also go into this fixture on the back of 3 wins against Premier League opposition; scoring 8, conceding 2 and keeping 2 clean sheets in that time.
I’m gonna take all of that and use it to predict that we’ll reverse the recent Spurs away trend and not only score but win this one. It’s a vital 3 points to City.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:
Prediction: Draw
Result: Lost
(There was no pre-match blog posting for that game as I was away on holiday at the time)
Expected weather conditions during the game: Fresh but nice. 8C & sunny at the start of the game quickly gives way to 6C and starry skies but it’s a crisp, dry late afternoon / early evening for all concerned, at least. Definitely a shades during the day job but a warm coat, scarf & woolly hat job for later on, I would suggest.
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| Solidarity |
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