Johnny Baguette
Alert Team
Johnny On The Spot:
#ENCOURAGING. City have to a certain extent struggled with themselves at times this season making unneccessarily hard toil of a title chase that they almost meandered themselves out of before Christmas. Gradually however, they are working their way back into form and the most positive affirmation that we can relish across Planet Blue tonight is that the trademark team goals are returning. The third one here was sumptuous in it's construction and should send out a stern warning to our title rivals...It could have all been very different though before my Man of the Match Fabian Delph thumped home what was City's 11th goal of the league campaign coming from outside the box to rouse The Blues out of a general malaise. Prior to it, we saw a generally unfocused approach with a recurring inability to chase down second balls. This combined with a constant failure to load the opposition box when one of our players is primed to cross is for me the head scratcher of the season and I'd suggest is designed to stifle counters against what has been a fragile defence. I suggest "has been" because this was more importantly than anything else a third consecutive clean sheet and the fourth in 8 games during which only 6 goals have been conceded across all competitions. The Blues had shipped 13 in the previous 8...Up front, with El Kun really firing again, Manuel Pellegrini's men are building up a healthy goal difference based upon that improving defence. At the business end of a tightening top of the table battle goals could yet prove crucial. The necessity of keeping Agüero fit for the run-in is absolutely paramount...January has been a rocky month for us in recent seasons and it's pleasing to see the often much maligned Engineer keeping City on track in all the domestic competitions in spite of a wretched run of injuries, the latest victim being Aleks Kolarov. The next step wil be to secure back to back league victories for the first time since October. West Ham haven't lost at home since the summer but we can take great heart from this important win going into the next challenge. In the meantime, come on Villa and Stoke!
Stats Courtesy BBC Sport: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/stats.asp?a=561111#ixzz3xQi0Subv
#ENCOURAGING. City have to a certain extent struggled with themselves at times this season making unneccessarily hard toil of a title chase that they almost meandered themselves out of before Christmas. Gradually however, they are working their way back into form and the most positive affirmation that we can relish across Planet Blue tonight is that the trademark team goals are returning. The third one here was sumptuous in it's construction and should send out a stern warning to our title rivals...It could have all been very different though before my Man of the Match Fabian Delph thumped home what was City's 11th goal of the league campaign coming from outside the box to rouse The Blues out of a general malaise. Prior to it, we saw a generally unfocused approach with a recurring inability to chase down second balls. This combined with a constant failure to load the opposition box when one of our players is primed to cross is for me the head scratcher of the season and I'd suggest is designed to stifle counters against what has been a fragile defence. I suggest "has been" because this was more importantly than anything else a third consecutive clean sheet and the fourth in 8 games during which only 6 goals have been conceded across all competitions. The Blues had shipped 13 in the previous 8...Up front, with El Kun really firing again, Manuel Pellegrini's men are building up a healthy goal difference based upon that improving defence. At the business end of a tightening top of the table battle goals could yet prove crucial. The necessity of keeping Agüero fit for the run-in is absolutely paramount...January has been a rocky month for us in recent seasons and it's pleasing to see the often much maligned Engineer keeping City on track in all the domestic competitions in spite of a wretched run of injuries, the latest victim being Aleks Kolarov. The next step wil be to secure back to back league victories for the first time since October. West Ham haven't lost at home since the summer but we can take great heart from this important win going into the next challenge. In the meantime, come on Villa and Stoke!
Stats Courtesy BBC Sport: http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/stats.asp?a=561111#ixzz3xQi0Subv
