Bye-bye Zabba. Hello again Champions League?

Waving goodbye to an absolutely City hero will be an emotional one tomorrow evening. I posted this on-line the other day that sums up how I feel about the fella: 

 

“If he continues to play on elsewhere for a season or two, some club is gonna get one HELL of a free-transfer right-back with a big, big heart!

 

"In my all-time 'City 11'", is the biggest accolade I can give him. 

 

Legend - come back when you've hung-up your boots in ANY capacity Zabba”. 

 

What a star!

 

But, as we say farewell to our Argentine battler, rumours are that we’ll be seeing both Yaya Toure & Jesus Navas next season; as both have impressed Pep enough to possibly earn another year contract. Looking back at both the troubles that have surrounded Yaya and the frustrating lack of ‘end product’ over the years from our winger-come-covering right-back, Jesus; it leaves me repeating those famous footballing words, “It’s a funny old game”…

Pressure is still on!

Basically, we need to win one and at least draw the other to be sure of 4^th place. That might even be enough to see us finish 3^rd…but we’ll-then be reliant on ‘goal difference’ with Liverpool. Win both of our remaining matches and we’ll definitely finish 3^rd; leaving the Merseyside club to scrap it out with Arsenal for the final Champions League spot now that Manyoo are ‘out of the picture’ in the league (all eggs in one Europa-final basket for them).

v West Bromwich Albion

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome.

Fluid 4-1-4-1:

____________________Jesus____________________

Sane___________________________________Navas

___________Silva____________DeBruyne________

__________________Fernando___________________

Kolarov_____Otamendi_____Kompany_____Zabaleta

___________________Cabellero__________________

Subs: Gunn, Clichy, Stones, Toure, Nolito, Sterling, Aguero.

Some changes I think seeing as we played “just” 3 ½ days earlier (compared to WBA’s 4-day break)? Perhaps...

Aleks to come in for Gael; Nicholas & Vinny to ‘go again’ and Pablo to have a ‘farewell start’, I would say so.

Fernando might see a rare start tomorrow evening and ahead of him, Leroy, David & Kevin to continue to provide attacking, creative support and joined, I think, by contract-hopeful Jesus.

Gabriel to get another lone-striking role.

Angus as back-up keeper; Clichy ‘drops down’ and should be joined by John; who has now recovered from injury. Yaya has a little break, I’m guessing; Nolito, Raheem & Sergio in there as reserve attacking options.

Notable absences: Outfield player with gloves on (injured for the rest of the season), Bacary Sagna (not selected), Fabian Delph (Injured for the rest of the season), Fernandinho (not selected / rested), Ilkay Gundogan (injured for the rest of the season) & Kelechi Iheanacho (not selected).

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

Fine with that.

Result? Even before the game that took Champions Chelsea (well done) 80’ish minutes to break the Midlands outfit down last Friday, I was going to say that these are a physically-strong side; organised very well by Tony Pulis. They offer little of an attacking threat but we’ll have to be ‘at our best’ to breach their defensive midfield / defence itself.

But I think we will – more than once – and with that; this is a vital home win for us.

Expected weather conditions during the game: Possibly a slightly soggy pitch after 36 or so hours of rain but dry FOR the game…and quite warm / humid too at 16 /17C.

Same ground, same KO time…

…same 3-points-outcome as last Saturday would be just grand, thank you very much!

(Blog published in advance of our manager's pre-match press conference).

Great weekend!

What a fabulous performance it was from City last Saturday over a Crystal Palace side that was run ragged for 90+ minutes! In a strange way, though, it took a good save from Willy Caballero and from a fairly low-powered Christian Benteke header when the score was 1-0 to help us on our way. But apart from that? We were awesome!

Best performance of the season? I’m not sure; the 2^nd half against Barca springs to mind straight away. But it was certainly ONE of the best this season – the pace of the attack and sheer effort / closing-down was both breath taking and excellent. Liverpool drawing and Manyoo losing capped all that off nicely!

More of that please…

v Leicester City

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome.

Fluid 4-5-1:

____________________Jesus____________________

Sane__________________________________Sterling

____________Silva___________De Bruyne_________

____________________Toure____________________

Clichy______Otamendi_____Kompany__Fernandinho

___________________Cabellero__________________

Subs: Gunn, Sagna, Stones, Kolarov, Fernando, Navas, Aguero.

Unless Pep has seen something in training in midweek, I can’t honestly see him changing a team that did so very well last Saturday followed by a week off to rest and ‘go again’. I know he has a strong tendency to ‘tinker’…but I’m going for no changes in ‘the 11’.

Little change on the bench from last Saturday too; John & Sergio the only possible alterations to the 7 on the side that provided back-up against Palace.

Notable absences: Outfield player with gloves on (injured for the rest of the season), Pablo Zabaleta (not selected / being saved for a farewell bow on Tuesday night?), Fabian Delph (not selected), Ilkay Gundogan (injured for the rest of the season), Nolito (not selected) & Kelechi Iheanacho (not selected).

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

No probs with that at all!

 

Result?

This is what I had been thinking all week and wrote in advance on Wednesday…

With vital points still required to secure 3^rd or 4^th at the VERY least; I say with some regret – fairly confident otherwise that we’ll beat a sometimes-stubborn WBA on Tuesday night and then-also a floundering Watford the following Sunday - that I’m not expecting us to grab ‘all 3’ in the early KO this Saturday.

1.    Apart from a little wobble of 2 defeats and a draw; The Foxes have won 7 from at least the last 10 league games under their new, Caretaker Manager…and key, attacking players have finally got last season’s ‘mojo’ back. The Midlands outfit will be a real threat to our defence.

2.    It just wouldn’t be City to do things the easy way and allow its fans to enjoy & relax a little now, would it?

I’d love to be able to say that this’ll be a home win and, therefore, we’d take a large leap towards Champions League security for next season but, instead, I just have to go with my current instincts and agree with my mini prediction piece from a few weeks back; nailing my colours to this one as-being a draw. Sorry…I hope, in the right way of course, that I’m wrong.

However…

…I had a change of mind and general feeling on Thursday when I read a report that stated our opponents were facing a 'mini injury crisis' to their defence.

They'll still pose a threat to OUR defence, of course – there’ll be goals at both ends in this one I think – but I think we’ll score far more. I’m going for a home win and something along the lines of 4-1 or 4-2. I hope my latter ‘gut feeling’ is more accurate than my previous one…

Expected weather conditions during the game: After a few decent days of sunshine WITHOUT the nagging wind that seems to have plagued us for over a week now…we’re in for some rain during the match. Not exactly a heavy downpour but enough to provide a little sheen to the pitch. Dull, gloomy and a slightly chilly 12C / 13C too for watching fans. Should start to clear as the game comes to an end and so should be dry for the journey home.

Blog annoucement...

Sorry folks, no time for a pre-Palace blog-posting.

 

We've had a week off to rest & re-group after 2 back-to-back draws that have made things..."interesting" for the fight for 3rd & 4th places; I expect a home win tomorrow and...c'mon Southampton & Arsenal!

A belated…what WAS he thinking?!

I received an on-line survey from MCFC the other day regarding how I felt as a fan over the last month.

 

It covered a range of subjects but the very final question required just one word. It asked me for…one word, to describe my feelings towards Manchester City over the last month. I must admit that despite posting mostly positive replies to the other questions, I did make that one word, “frustrating”, which I think sums up a lot at the moment. 

 

I think I probably would have used that word even if I’d have received the e-mail before the Boro game but…FLIPPIN’ ‘ECK! What was Pep playin’ at?!

Baffling decision.

So we tootle off to the pub to watch The Blues and, shortly afterwards, the team news came out. Now the TV graphics don’t always get the formation [against listed players] correct but on this occasion, I had to agree; it looked like it was going to be a 3-5-2!

Now we…MIGHT, under Guardiola, have employed that formation for a brief time during a game when forced to after injuries to personnel and with what we had left…but I honestly can’t recall that. If we did, it obviously didn’t work very well and the decision was made not to do it again [until Boro that is of course].

He had 2-½ days to prep for this game and he does…that?!

I’m still beside myself with puzzlement at our manager’s decision and although he changed it in the second half; by then Boro’s ‘tail was up’ (had been ever since our first 8-minute “dominance”) and they were all over us and our shell-shocked-looking-defence!

And did no-one at City tell Pep about the ‘Boro factor’ in our history? I tried to…

Manyoo had messed up at home again just minutes earlier – drawing ANOTHER one on home soil – and so the situation was there for the taking! Advantage City. But…oh no; he has to d*ck around with it and put us-City fans ‘through the mill’ just a little bit more, didn’t he?

Okay we had players who might have needed a rest after the speed in which this game arrived after the midweek Derby match but…jeeze!

Of course, it’s still ‘advantage City’ over Manyoo but flippin’ Liverpool just had to go and sneak a 0-1 away win last night, didn’t they? We still have a game in hand over the Merseysiders but that goal difference is pretty damn close.

That’s it really – just a little moan before I set off for work. Palace up at home next – a week to rest players and re-practice a 4-4-1-1, 4-5-1, 4-4-2-type formation…