Johnny Baguette
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Johnny On The Spot:
#MIDDLE-OF-THE ROAD. Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City continued their Premier League decline across two seasons with groundhog day familiarity in the 171st Manchester derby. That defeat came to the most vapid Manchester united side that this correspondent has ever seen is all the more galling...Once again, a packed Etihad was treated to a shockingly insipid first half showing from the League Cup winners which followed a by now painfully recognisable pattern: An away side and support show up clearly lacking confidence and get passed to death in the opening stages before criminal midfield space affording belief is conceded to them repeatedly. Finally, with their first shot, they score. Then, as we've seen all too often as City's points per game ratio has fallen away from 2.6 points per game three seasons ago to the mid-table meriting 1.6 we are wincing at now, so to did any competitive edge that The Blues could apparently be arsed to muster...Only Clichy, Aguero and Navas left the field with any form of credit for effort at the half time whistle. The Tactical Turtle and his Stretford Galacticos could surely have scarcely believed their good fortune. This was the #SaveOurLouis campaign taken way too far and no longer a laughing matter...Never in a million years will Pep Guardiola, no doubt cringing from behind his sofa in Germany ever tolerate such a meek surrender from his team as we saw in that first 45. And make no mistake either, City lost their mojo in this most bizarre of seasons long before his appointment was announced..The second half opened abjectly and England lost it's number one keeper for what is now a much needed international break for us after he played an apathetic dalliance with the ball and his defence once too often and paid the price...Suddenly up off the bench, The Engineer became animated, saw the glaring light, hooked Demichelis and went for it. This heavily experienced City side whipped up a storm but the rags, finally exposed for the limited side they are, just about held firm and for once avoided having to rely upon the De Gea brilliance that has kept them afloat all season. I use the words "just about" as opposed to "somehow" because right there is one of City's most significant problems. Lack of top quality support up front alongside Kun that can really hurt the opposition. Van Gaal may well be comedy gold, but he has maintained the type of faith in eager young strikers that Pellegrini has not shown in always favouring the inept Bony over the brilliant Iheanacho. But that's another story...We have lost the Manchester derby and it hurts. Wins for the Stretfords are rare in the modern Premier League era with them now having won only 3 out of the last 10 and boy will the Home Counties celebrate it...Today delivered stark reminders on two fronts. Manchester City should have utterly dominated the domestic game across this past 5 seasons but in truth they have come up short when opportunity has knocked to really kick on. The time has come for the club to reassert itself and I have no doubt they will rebuild. But based upon what we have seen in this league campaign, Guardiola, who says he likes a challenge, has got a big one on.
Stats © 2016 Sky Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
#MIDDLE-OF-THE ROAD. Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City continued their Premier League decline across two seasons with groundhog day familiarity in the 171st Manchester derby. That defeat came to the most vapid Manchester united side that this correspondent has ever seen is all the more galling...Once again, a packed Etihad was treated to a shockingly insipid first half showing from the League Cup winners which followed a by now painfully recognisable pattern: An away side and support show up clearly lacking confidence and get passed to death in the opening stages before criminal midfield space affording belief is conceded to them repeatedly. Finally, with their first shot, they score. Then, as we've seen all too often as City's points per game ratio has fallen away from 2.6 points per game three seasons ago to the mid-table meriting 1.6 we are wincing at now, so to did any competitive edge that The Blues could apparently be arsed to muster...Only Clichy, Aguero and Navas left the field with any form of credit for effort at the half time whistle. The Tactical Turtle and his Stretford Galacticos could surely have scarcely believed their good fortune. This was the #SaveOurLouis campaign taken way too far and no longer a laughing matter...Never in a million years will Pep Guardiola, no doubt cringing from behind his sofa in Germany ever tolerate such a meek surrender from his team as we saw in that first 45. And make no mistake either, City lost their mojo in this most bizarre of seasons long before his appointment was announced..The second half opened abjectly and England lost it's number one keeper for what is now a much needed international break for us after he played an apathetic dalliance with the ball and his defence once too often and paid the price...Suddenly up off the bench, The Engineer became animated, saw the glaring light, hooked Demichelis and went for it. This heavily experienced City side whipped up a storm but the rags, finally exposed for the limited side they are, just about held firm and for once avoided having to rely upon the De Gea brilliance that has kept them afloat all season. I use the words "just about" as opposed to "somehow" because right there is one of City's most significant problems. Lack of top quality support up front alongside Kun that can really hurt the opposition. Van Gaal may well be comedy gold, but he has maintained the type of faith in eager young strikers that Pellegrini has not shown in always favouring the inept Bony over the brilliant Iheanacho. But that's another story...We have lost the Manchester derby and it hurts. Wins for the Stretfords are rare in the modern Premier League era with them now having won only 3 out of the last 10 and boy will the Home Counties celebrate it...Today delivered stark reminders on two fronts. Manchester City should have utterly dominated the domestic game across this past 5 seasons but in truth they have come up short when opportunity has knocked to really kick on. The time has come for the club to reassert itself and I have no doubt they will rebuild. But based upon what we have seen in this league campaign, Guardiola, who says he likes a challenge, has got a big one on.
Stats © 2016 Sky Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
