Johnny Baguette
Alert Team
We have ignition. Surely, steadily, the City squad are beginning to click under the guidance of Josep Guardiola. The man himself has confessed surprise at how quickly his new squad have adapted to his methodology. Considering only Yaya Toure has played under the livewire Catalan previously, it is to the players absolute credit that they have got it together rapidly to deliver 5 straight wins this month. It is clear that in each of those victories there has been a noticeable drop in intensity at some stage of the game calling for some unnecessary anxiety in the tribunes, but the wayward phases have been corrected by a change of tack and reassertion of the Blues dominance. One thing for sure is that you don`t need to be an affable Jamie Redknapp, suspicious Thierry Henry or anti-City Niall Quinn employed by Sky to know that if the winning momentum continues allied to increased familiarity with Pep`s requirements for a full match, then some team soon is going to cop for a right battering.
An admittedly under strength West Ham indulged in a dalliance with disaster yesterday but were able as Sunderland did at The Etihad previously to get a foothold in the proceedings when City collectively took their foot off the gas. Each of the two Premier League home games thus far have provided a warning to our new gaffer of what the top flight in England and Wales holds in store of you if you do not kill off any opposition when in the ascendancy. I`d wager further that these were winning situations that City would have ultimately thrown away in last years "lost season."
Irrespective of these deliberations, the football that City served up yesterday was at times simply breathtaking, especially in a close to flawless first half wherein West Ham were reduced to silhouette chasing paper kites in a wind tunnel. City`s slick passing was a joy to behold. Quite how they went in at the break only two goals to the good is a beyond belief job. I had personally become a little edgy of late over the openness that both Pep and some of his men had spoken to the media about the side`s tactics but I am beginning to think that their public words are carefully chosen and are serving to confound the opposition further because as we saw again against the Hammers, the team are as aforementioned cunningly changing tactics when required.
By all accounts, positivity is swirling everywhere around the City Campus right now such has been the galvanising effect of Pep Guardiola and his assistants. This has even stretched to players within the multiple titles winning "old guard" such as Joe Hart and Samir Nasri who have not declared mal-treatment of any sort having fallen out of the competition for places or are uncertain over whether or not to stick or twist. Upon this note, Pablo Zabaleta, Aleks Kolarov, David Silva and Raheem Sterling, a quartet who were signalling career nosedives last season have confirmed within an opening five competitive fixtures that they have found an extra yard of pace alongside rediscovering a will to win.
It`s all good to go and even increasingly hysterical calls from "The Stretford Friends," the legion of media pals still on message with Lord Taggart in looking for angles to destabilise City, calling for an immediate ban for the calf strained Sergio Aguero ahead of the Stretford v Manchester derby have been given short shrift by the City boss. I am right with Pep on this. I venture that we have seen enough already to suggest that we will no longer be as reliant upon the Mighty Atom as we were in the Pellegrini era. What will be will be, Blues. We already know the rank hypocrisy dished out by the FA in such matters whereby a forward coming in for "the treatment" all game has half lashed out, nevermind the historical blind eyes turned towards Elbows Fellaini and Wayne Rugney once David Gill has allegedly had his say. We have also seen a glaring inconsistency in the application of new penalty area wrestling rules this season.
These hacks and learned pundits alike might be better off renewing their hopes for absence at the swap at the reborn Raheem Sterling who has reacted to shrieking abuse of Stoke and West Ham fans by ramming their angst straight back down their throats.
At City we understand the fear. The rags have had a far kinder season`s debut than City have and it`s noticeable how the type of "This is it, United are back" salivating that greeted every win under the ruthlessly sacked Moyesiah and Louis Van Gaal is all the louder following the panicked appointment of "The Latest One" and his stringing together of three competitive wins. If Maureen fails as well, then there really is nobody else to come in. So, this really "is it." Whatever. City are going to come at them from all angles in a fortnight`s time, regardless of the personnel.
Read more: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=570550#ixzz4Ik4Pp6DB
An admittedly under strength West Ham indulged in a dalliance with disaster yesterday but were able as Sunderland did at The Etihad previously to get a foothold in the proceedings when City collectively took their foot off the gas. Each of the two Premier League home games thus far have provided a warning to our new gaffer of what the top flight in England and Wales holds in store of you if you do not kill off any opposition when in the ascendancy. I`d wager further that these were winning situations that City would have ultimately thrown away in last years "lost season."
Irrespective of these deliberations, the football that City served up yesterday was at times simply breathtaking, especially in a close to flawless first half wherein West Ham were reduced to silhouette chasing paper kites in a wind tunnel. City`s slick passing was a joy to behold. Quite how they went in at the break only two goals to the good is a beyond belief job. I had personally become a little edgy of late over the openness that both Pep and some of his men had spoken to the media about the side`s tactics but I am beginning to think that their public words are carefully chosen and are serving to confound the opposition further because as we saw again against the Hammers, the team are as aforementioned cunningly changing tactics when required.
By all accounts, positivity is swirling everywhere around the City Campus right now such has been the galvanising effect of Pep Guardiola and his assistants. This has even stretched to players within the multiple titles winning "old guard" such as Joe Hart and Samir Nasri who have not declared mal-treatment of any sort having fallen out of the competition for places or are uncertain over whether or not to stick or twist. Upon this note, Pablo Zabaleta, Aleks Kolarov, David Silva and Raheem Sterling, a quartet who were signalling career nosedives last season have confirmed within an opening five competitive fixtures that they have found an extra yard of pace alongside rediscovering a will to win.
It`s all good to go and even increasingly hysterical calls from "The Stretford Friends," the legion of media pals still on message with Lord Taggart in looking for angles to destabilise City, calling for an immediate ban for the calf strained Sergio Aguero ahead of the Stretford v Manchester derby have been given short shrift by the City boss. I am right with Pep on this. I venture that we have seen enough already to suggest that we will no longer be as reliant upon the Mighty Atom as we were in the Pellegrini era. What will be will be, Blues. We already know the rank hypocrisy dished out by the FA in such matters whereby a forward coming in for "the treatment" all game has half lashed out, nevermind the historical blind eyes turned towards Elbows Fellaini and Wayne Rugney once David Gill has allegedly had his say. We have also seen a glaring inconsistency in the application of new penalty area wrestling rules this season.
These hacks and learned pundits alike might be better off renewing their hopes for absence at the swap at the reborn Raheem Sterling who has reacted to shrieking abuse of Stoke and West Ham fans by ramming their angst straight back down their throats.
At City we understand the fear. The rags have had a far kinder season`s debut than City have and it`s noticeable how the type of "This is it, United are back" salivating that greeted every win under the ruthlessly sacked Moyesiah and Louis Van Gaal is all the louder following the panicked appointment of "The Latest One" and his stringing together of three competitive wins. If Maureen fails as well, then there really is nobody else to come in. So, this really "is it." Whatever. City are going to come at them from all angles in a fortnight`s time, regardless of the personnel.
Read more: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=570550#ixzz4Ik4Pp6DB
