…we might want to consider getting a plumber in soon.
 |
| Etihad 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 game against Liverpool: 9/11).
A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-2-3-1:
____________________Haaland____________________
____________________Alvarez____________________
Doku_____________________________________Foden
_____________________Silva______________________
_____________________Rodri_____________________
Ake______________________________________Walker
_____________Dias_____________Akanji____________
____________________Ederson____________________
Subs: Ortega, Gomez, Lewis, Gvardiol, Stones, Phillips, Kovacic, Grealish & Bobb.
Ederson back in net after having a rare, Champions League night off in midweek.
Some doubt, for me, about the back-4 and further reading below might explain some of that. After a little head scratching, I’m going for Pep to go for trusted Nathan on the left, Kyle on the right and I think…think he might want to give pairing Ruben & Manuel another go together to see if they can make amends for a…less than polished display last Tuesday night.
Rodders just ahead of those, while I see an attacking 4 of Jeremy, Bernardo & Phil, with Julian in ‘the hole’ in a dual attacking midfield / forward role.
Erling is the furthest forward, of course.
Stefan returns to the bench as reserve stopper; Sergio, Rico, Josko & John are the defenders on the side, although I’m not sure if the intention is to give John any minutes; rather just being in & around the match-day squad, as has been the case in our last two matches. Kalvin and a returning-Mateo are the midfielders on the side, while Jack & Oscar are the wingers / forwards in ‘the 9’.
Notable absences:
- Kevin De Bruyne – Continues to work in the background with the physios monitoring his progress; hopes continue for a January return at the latest.
- Matheus Nunes – Injured. News from his manager on Friday afternoon was that the 25-year-old was weeks…or days [away from a return]. Make of that what you will.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Result? Making early excuses for our visitors, they are absolutely blighted by a mass of injuries as well as a suspension to a key & regular defender. As a result, taking nothing whatsoever away from the sides who have beaten Spurs recently; after a crackin’ start to the season, Tottenham have suffered 3, back-to-back league defeats, which has dragged them from ‘top spot’ to outside of the Champions League places.
Looking at ourselves – a case for
against the defence seems to be a good place to start.
In our last 10 outings in all competitions, we’ve only been beaten once, which was by just a single goal away at Arensal in the league. In that time, we’ve drawn twice and registered seven wins, which all sounds pretty damn good. 👍 Additionally, those 10 games has seen us net a whopping 28 goals! ⚽🥅⚽
There is a however…however.
In that same period of time, we’ve only managed to keep 2 clean sheets whilst leaking 12 goals in the process. By our standards, that’s not so good and if we keep that going, then a side like the one we’re about to face on Sunday will most definitely punish us.
What’s the reason for this recent, unwanted generosity by us? Is it our high-pressing style that’s leaving us vulnerable at the back; particularly now that we tend to use, more often than not, one of our central defenders as a part-time, additional midfielder? That does sound an obvious reason when I read back my own words. Or, simply, is it just poor defending / individual errors? Answers on a postcard…
I think if we show the same rearguard vulnerabilities once again on Sunday and Tottenham take early advantage then we could be in some trouble, as we’re facing a different, more organised, hard-working Spurs who can be difficult to break down, despite being injury ravaged. I’ve also been told that this new-looking Spurs team tend to not give the opposition a second on the ball.
All that being said, with the amount of injuries our visitors DO currently have and the subsequent poor form they’re in; at home, I have to put this down as a City win. It’s still not going to be easy, of course, and if we are to grab all-3 points, then we need to find those higher gears that were clearly missing last weekend against Liverpool, as well as cut out that sloppiness at the back that we saw against RB Leipzig in midweek.
3-points to us. 🤞
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:
Prediction: Win
Result: Won
(Pre-match blog posting from that game)
Expected weather conditions during the game: The dry, sunny, crisp-cold days of last week give way to a cloudier picture. It’s still flippin’ cold, at just 2C for the match, and we could see a little wet stuff falling to Earth in the form of either cold rain, sleet or perhaps-even snow. Thankfully, for fans in the stands, there’s virtually no breeze to speak of as it’ll be cold enough. Bets are off as to whether we’ll see at least one player wearing gloves…
Solidarity
Interesting comment from pep calling for supporters to attend because "we're going to have some fun". Definitely won't be 0 0 but if we defend properly I think we'll be ok
ReplyDelete