Johnny Baguette
Alert Team
JB revels in the return to form of players who have been missing in action for too long...
The instant the fine header that was Sergio Aguero`s 142nd goal of his Manchester City career flashed past a despairing Shay Given, even at this fledgling stage of a new season there was an immediate gut feeling that whatever followed at the bet365 stadium, the result would not be in doubt. City would prevail, and so it came to pass.
Yet a predominantly City controlled match had a sense of irony about it, considering some of our previous tail between the legs performances in the Potteries. Last December`s meek 2-0 defeat came months before Manuel Pellegrini went public about Josep Guardiola`s impending arrival. It is in these cyber-pages throughout last season that we debated the belief amongst a large section of Blues that 'the tools are there.` Only the classy John Stones of the starting XI was not led by Pellegrini last season. If the suggestions are correct, then the previous flagship signings of Ras Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne were 'Pep approved` and considering how the Blues determinedly went about their business again here, there should be no surprise that the England forward looks to have broken free of his chains. Clearly the existing tools are there and in a revelatory week we have been provided an object lesson in how to use them.
Not only Sterling is enjoying a resurgence in his City career. Key area personnel Pablo Zabaleta and Aleks Kolarov have an air of renewed focus about them. It is heartening to see title winning players who appeared destined for a giant skip outside The Etihad during the turgid days of early May now coming out fighting. It is this particular aspect of Guardiola`s City that many of us across Planet Blue are finding the most pleasing. The preparedness to 'mix it` when required in their quest to get the ball. From the moment rag assassin Phil Bardsley launched into an astonishingly unreprimanded and unreported early leg breaker tackle at the canny David Silva who leapt out of the road, we were served repeat reminders that the Stoke of old is still knocking about no matter how much the club tries to change its identity on and off the pitch. A hungry City, hunting down the ball in packs responded robustly when required. While I am on that subject, it was depressing to hear that the Stoke crowd are still prone to crass bandwaggoning as they yet again took to booing Sterling on the Candlefield massive`s behalf. Inexplicable.
The Stoke faithful`s efforts would be better focused upon getting behind their own side who played to growing swathes of empty red seats through the final fifteen minutes as City reasserted their dominance. On this evidence, Stoke are going to struggle this season. They don`t create enough going forward and at the back they often resembled 'Stoke Bucharest` they were that poor. In truth, only referee Mike Dean`s scrupulous interpretation of new penalty area set piece wrestling rules gave them a sniff in this fixture.
Not that I wish to take anything away from City. Outside of the erratic Willy Caballero, a team playing it`s third big game inside a week including continental travel looked well drilled and composed again save for a ragged spell in the second half following Dean`s intervention. Stones was imperious and for me the clear and present man of the match. The squad have obviously been working hard at deploying their strict manager`s directions, their collective joy at each of the eleven goals they have plundered across 8 days is evident and mirrored by that of an effervescent backroom staff pitchside.
Blues, it`s all good right now, the complexities of Hartgate aside about which I recommend the piece by Dan Taylor in the Guardian this weekend.
Factor in the imminent arrival of the hugely experienced Claudio Bravo, the fresh when restored legs of Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gündogan into the mix to lighten the load and the mid-season arrival of Gabriel Jesus alongside what we sincerely hope will be the renaissance albeit in differing capacities of club legends Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure.
Essentially, if Guardiola can continue to generate desire and hunger in players who have been treading water for months, then this season harbours rich promise.
Read more: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=570142#ixzz4HyBHOBuJ
The instant the fine header that was Sergio Aguero`s 142nd goal of his Manchester City career flashed past a despairing Shay Given, even at this fledgling stage of a new season there was an immediate gut feeling that whatever followed at the bet365 stadium, the result would not be in doubt. City would prevail, and so it came to pass.
Yet a predominantly City controlled match had a sense of irony about it, considering some of our previous tail between the legs performances in the Potteries. Last December`s meek 2-0 defeat came months before Manuel Pellegrini went public about Josep Guardiola`s impending arrival. It is in these cyber-pages throughout last season that we debated the belief amongst a large section of Blues that 'the tools are there.` Only the classy John Stones of the starting XI was not led by Pellegrini last season. If the suggestions are correct, then the previous flagship signings of Ras Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne were 'Pep approved` and considering how the Blues determinedly went about their business again here, there should be no surprise that the England forward looks to have broken free of his chains. Clearly the existing tools are there and in a revelatory week we have been provided an object lesson in how to use them.
Not only Sterling is enjoying a resurgence in his City career. Key area personnel Pablo Zabaleta and Aleks Kolarov have an air of renewed focus about them. It is heartening to see title winning players who appeared destined for a giant skip outside The Etihad during the turgid days of early May now coming out fighting. It is this particular aspect of Guardiola`s City that many of us across Planet Blue are finding the most pleasing. The preparedness to 'mix it` when required in their quest to get the ball. From the moment rag assassin Phil Bardsley launched into an astonishingly unreprimanded and unreported early leg breaker tackle at the canny David Silva who leapt out of the road, we were served repeat reminders that the Stoke of old is still knocking about no matter how much the club tries to change its identity on and off the pitch. A hungry City, hunting down the ball in packs responded robustly when required. While I am on that subject, it was depressing to hear that the Stoke crowd are still prone to crass bandwaggoning as they yet again took to booing Sterling on the Candlefield massive`s behalf. Inexplicable.
The Stoke faithful`s efforts would be better focused upon getting behind their own side who played to growing swathes of empty red seats through the final fifteen minutes as City reasserted their dominance. On this evidence, Stoke are going to struggle this season. They don`t create enough going forward and at the back they often resembled 'Stoke Bucharest` they were that poor. In truth, only referee Mike Dean`s scrupulous interpretation of new penalty area set piece wrestling rules gave them a sniff in this fixture.
Not that I wish to take anything away from City. Outside of the erratic Willy Caballero, a team playing it`s third big game inside a week including continental travel looked well drilled and composed again save for a ragged spell in the second half following Dean`s intervention. Stones was imperious and for me the clear and present man of the match. The squad have obviously been working hard at deploying their strict manager`s directions, their collective joy at each of the eleven goals they have plundered across 8 days is evident and mirrored by that of an effervescent backroom staff pitchside.
Blues, it`s all good right now, the complexities of Hartgate aside about which I recommend the piece by Dan Taylor in the Guardian this weekend.
Factor in the imminent arrival of the hugely experienced Claudio Bravo, the fresh when restored legs of Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gündogan into the mix to lighten the load and the mid-season arrival of Gabriel Jesus alongside what we sincerely hope will be the renaissance albeit in differing capacities of club legends Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure.
Essentially, if Guardiola can continue to generate desire and hunger in players who have been treading water for months, then this season harbours rich promise.
Read more: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=570142#ixzz4HyBHOBuJ
