Skoorb
Alert Team
City return to the Etihad this weekend for the first in a sequence of three consecutive home games - first up, Sam Allardyce's Crystal Palace.
Still two points shy of the the mythical 40 points mark Palace are still not free of the icy grasp of the relegation. They can still be caught by 17th placed Swansea (six points behind them) and so any expectations that Sam's men will be 'on the beach' and thinking about drinks with little umbrellas in them should be rapidly put to one side. Last week's experience at relegation threatened Boro is evidence enough that playing sides who are fighting for their Premier League lives is anything but easy and confounds the shallow expectation of many that a 'top v bottom' clash is always a foregone conclusion. It all depends on the circumstances & players who, back in, say, November, weren't really putting in a 100% each game, suddenly realise that their cosy Premier League lifestyle actually is at threat and they might be faced with having to find another club, move the family etc ....suddenly start pulling their fingers out and making that last ditch tackle or tracking their man properly.
Twice City showed the resilience to recover from being behind to secure a point and stay ahead of Maureen's Unconvincables. That point may prove just valuable as the one achieved by the recovery from 1-3 down against Sunderland in the 2011-12 season. Had we lost that game history might have been completely re-written.
Similar resilience will be required on Saturday for the lunchtime kick-off.
Sam will send his players out with the message that their fate lies in their hands, that they cannot rely on anyone else to do the job for them and he will be reminding them that, despite two consecutive league losses, they have defeated both Arsenal and Liverpool (at Candlefield) in recent weeks. Sam was brought in to do what he does best - keep his side in the league - and he will not want the hard work thrown away so I expect Palace to be at their.....err....'combative' best.
In team news it seems likely that Aguero will miss the match after collecting a groin strain late on against Boro once again hampering any chance Pep Guardiola has of attempting to scotch the incessant rumours about Aguero's future at the club by enabling him to field him and Gabriel Jesus on the pitch at the same time. Talk about not having the rub of the green. When Pep sits down at the season's end to review the campaign with the club's senior management he can justifiably point to a number of injury issues which effectively holed his first Premier League season below the waterline and which severely disrupted his plans for the team. At the back the loss of Kompany for such a substantive part of the season deprived him of the 'dream partnership' with the new acquisition John Stones thus inhibiting any sort of defensive stability. Gundogan's absence to a cruciate ligament injury was similarly impactive - the loss of dynamism in the midfield and also denying the team what looked to be a rich source of goals from this area. Goals which could have made all the difference in some games. Yaya Toure slotted back in but was only a partial substitute for the German and has not filled in the goal scoring 'gap' as he has done in the past. Aguero's absences through suspension did not help causing disruption and hampering any momentum and then there was the loss of Gabriel Jesus after his sparkling introduction...........and that's before we get to the egregious decision making of the officials but let'e not open THAT can of worms here.......
Except to say that I hope Mr Michael Oliver has a good game on Saturday and isn't faced with any contentious decisions.....
Finishing off the team news......David Silva and John Stones remain doubts for City. Toure could well return replace Garcia in City's midfield. The absence of Aguero may well lead to City reverting to a back four.
Palace will be missing Scott 'clogger' Dann, Sahko, Tomkins and Wickham. Cabaye is likely to return after missing their defeat against Burnley. Remy is a doubt.
City have won eight of their last nine Premier League matches against Crystal Palace & our opponents have not kept a clean sheet against us in the Premier League since May 1993, conceding in all 11 meetings........but I am taking nothing for granted and am expecting a very tough encounter on Saturday lunchtime. Let's hope Gabriel Jesus can shine and, having gotten a full game under his belt, deliver the sort of performance that can make all the difference in a tight race to secure Champions League qualification.
.......and if we want a contrast to mark just how far our club has come try these history lessons on for size.....
On this day (well ok, on Saturday........ :060: )......
6th May 1950.......Trailing Charlton by a point heading into the final game of the season, a terrible performance saw the Blues beaten 3-1 away at Everton and subsequently relegated to Division Two.
6th May 1989.......Leading 3-0 at half time against Bournemouth and on the verge of promotion, City took their foot off the gas in the second half and concede three goals. City hung on for a draw which threatened their promotion hopes.
How times have changed.
Never forget where we have come from.
Come on City!!!!
Still two points shy of the the mythical 40 points mark Palace are still not free of the icy grasp of the relegation. They can still be caught by 17th placed Swansea (six points behind them) and so any expectations that Sam's men will be 'on the beach' and thinking about drinks with little umbrellas in them should be rapidly put to one side. Last week's experience at relegation threatened Boro is evidence enough that playing sides who are fighting for their Premier League lives is anything but easy and confounds the shallow expectation of many that a 'top v bottom' clash is always a foregone conclusion. It all depends on the circumstances & players who, back in, say, November, weren't really putting in a 100% each game, suddenly realise that their cosy Premier League lifestyle actually is at threat and they might be faced with having to find another club, move the family etc ....suddenly start pulling their fingers out and making that last ditch tackle or tracking their man properly.
Twice City showed the resilience to recover from being behind to secure a point and stay ahead of Maureen's Unconvincables. That point may prove just valuable as the one achieved by the recovery from 1-3 down against Sunderland in the 2011-12 season. Had we lost that game history might have been completely re-written.
Similar resilience will be required on Saturday for the lunchtime kick-off.
Sam will send his players out with the message that their fate lies in their hands, that they cannot rely on anyone else to do the job for them and he will be reminding them that, despite two consecutive league losses, they have defeated both Arsenal and Liverpool (at Candlefield) in recent weeks. Sam was brought in to do what he does best - keep his side in the league - and he will not want the hard work thrown away so I expect Palace to be at their.....err....'combative' best.
In team news it seems likely that Aguero will miss the match after collecting a groin strain late on against Boro once again hampering any chance Pep Guardiola has of attempting to scotch the incessant rumours about Aguero's future at the club by enabling him to field him and Gabriel Jesus on the pitch at the same time. Talk about not having the rub of the green. When Pep sits down at the season's end to review the campaign with the club's senior management he can justifiably point to a number of injury issues which effectively holed his first Premier League season below the waterline and which severely disrupted his plans for the team. At the back the loss of Kompany for such a substantive part of the season deprived him of the 'dream partnership' with the new acquisition John Stones thus inhibiting any sort of defensive stability. Gundogan's absence to a cruciate ligament injury was similarly impactive - the loss of dynamism in the midfield and also denying the team what looked to be a rich source of goals from this area. Goals which could have made all the difference in some games. Yaya Toure slotted back in but was only a partial substitute for the German and has not filled in the goal scoring 'gap' as he has done in the past. Aguero's absences through suspension did not help causing disruption and hampering any momentum and then there was the loss of Gabriel Jesus after his sparkling introduction...........and that's before we get to the egregious decision making of the officials but let'e not open THAT can of worms here.......
Except to say that I hope Mr Michael Oliver has a good game on Saturday and isn't faced with any contentious decisions.....
Finishing off the team news......David Silva and John Stones remain doubts for City. Toure could well return replace Garcia in City's midfield. The absence of Aguero may well lead to City reverting to a back four.
Palace will be missing Scott 'clogger' Dann, Sahko, Tomkins and Wickham. Cabaye is likely to return after missing their defeat against Burnley. Remy is a doubt.
City have won eight of their last nine Premier League matches against Crystal Palace & our opponents have not kept a clean sheet against us in the Premier League since May 1993, conceding in all 11 meetings........but I am taking nothing for granted and am expecting a very tough encounter on Saturday lunchtime. Let's hope Gabriel Jesus can shine and, having gotten a full game under his belt, deliver the sort of performance that can make all the difference in a tight race to secure Champions League qualification.
.......and if we want a contrast to mark just how far our club has come try these history lessons on for size.....
On this day (well ok, on Saturday........ :060: )......
6th May 1950.......Trailing Charlton by a point heading into the final game of the season, a terrible performance saw the Blues beaten 3-1 away at Everton and subsequently relegated to Division Two.
6th May 1989.......Leading 3-0 at half time against Bournemouth and on the verge of promotion, City took their foot off the gas in the second half and concede three goals. City hung on for a draw which threatened their promotion hopes.
How times have changed.
Never forget where we have come from.
Come on City!!!!
