Skoorb
Alert Team
#Beproud #gameoftwohalves
Manuel Pellegrini should be immensely proud of his young charges who showed no fear and were not afraid to play their football at the home of the Premier League Champions, against seasoned professionals and the same side that had started against PSG in the Champions League in midweek. The BBC left no stone unturned before the game as the chosen hatchet men Shearer and ex-Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux opted to put the boot in to City and Manuel Pellegrini for his team selection. The latter went for the ‘R’ word - claiming City were not showing ‘Respect’ for the competition. The fact that he singularly failed to mention Wenger or Bruce in the same sentence in regard to their managerial decisions to make 9 and 10 changes to their sides the day before. Shearer chose to avoid any mention of the scale of City’s injury list and found it unfathomable that the senior players were not fielded. The less said about him the better I feel but it leaves a sour taste when he could, for example, have elected to express enthusiasm for the opportunity to see how the young players at the club were progressing.
City’s youngsters did not disgrace themselves or the the club. After a spirited and characterful performance in the first half where Tosin Adarabioyo was the stand out debutant for City, they fell away in the second after a flurry of goals early on decided the game. It was to there great credit that Hiddink chose only to withdraw Costa in the 70th minute with the game pretty much in the bag but with Chelsea hitting the post twice and missing a penalty there are few complaints from the Blues at the outcome. There will be less than a satisfactory view of the coin throwing towards City players as they celebrated Faupala’s equaliser. We wait to see if as much fuss is made as there was when Brunt was hit with a coin the preceding day. That immediate response though proved to be the last real threat City offered with the experienced midfield of Chelsea making the most of the possession they were afforded. Pellegrini’s choice to play 4-4-2 gave them a natural advantage in that area and it was duly exploited by the experienced international stars fielded by Hiddink. The City youngsters will have learnt from today’s match despite the defeat. Tiredness and inexperience took their toll in the second half and at times they seemed to just lack that tiny final piece of self-confidence and self-belief but they will acquire that in time. As part of their footballing education this need to be reviewed and analysed by themselves and they will grow from it. Perhaps they can comfort themselves with the thought that the scoreline could have been better had they had a real goalkeeper behind them. This was not Caballero’s finest hour in a City shirt despite a penalty save. Pellegrini’s faith in him I fear has been massively misplaced. I also fear that he may be handed the gloves for the League Cup Final next weekend. Oh dear.
Pellegrini stuck to his word but got no credit from the pundits and commentators many of whom seem to be living in the 1950s when it comes to their attitudes. City have now lost three on the bounce for the first time under his management and the justification for the decision to give the young players their chance was to enable the team to be best prepared for the next two fixtures. Win those and he can the sit back with a sense of satisfaction at his judgement.
However for now Tosin Adarabioyo, Manuel Garcia, Aleix Garcia, Bersant Celina, Cameron Humphreys, Brandon Barker & David Faupala can regard themselves as full members of the City family - they all took big steps today and were not overawed. Although the scoreline is a disappointment they can hold their heads high and look back upon their day’s work with an element of pride. They stood toe to toe against experienced international stars and held their own for the first forty five minutes - they can progress to higher standards, get fitter, continue to learn their trade and follow in the footsteps of Kelachi Iheanacho should they so desire.
Well done young men.
Manuel Pellegrini should be immensely proud of his young charges who showed no fear and were not afraid to play their football at the home of the Premier League Champions, against seasoned professionals and the same side that had started against PSG in the Champions League in midweek. The BBC left no stone unturned before the game as the chosen hatchet men Shearer and ex-Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux opted to put the boot in to City and Manuel Pellegrini for his team selection. The latter went for the ‘R’ word - claiming City were not showing ‘Respect’ for the competition. The fact that he singularly failed to mention Wenger or Bruce in the same sentence in regard to their managerial decisions to make 9 and 10 changes to their sides the day before. Shearer chose to avoid any mention of the scale of City’s injury list and found it unfathomable that the senior players were not fielded. The less said about him the better I feel but it leaves a sour taste when he could, for example, have elected to express enthusiasm for the opportunity to see how the young players at the club were progressing.
City’s youngsters did not disgrace themselves or the the club. After a spirited and characterful performance in the first half where Tosin Adarabioyo was the stand out debutant for City, they fell away in the second after a flurry of goals early on decided the game. It was to there great credit that Hiddink chose only to withdraw Costa in the 70th minute with the game pretty much in the bag but with Chelsea hitting the post twice and missing a penalty there are few complaints from the Blues at the outcome. There will be less than a satisfactory view of the coin throwing towards City players as they celebrated Faupala’s equaliser. We wait to see if as much fuss is made as there was when Brunt was hit with a coin the preceding day. That immediate response though proved to be the last real threat City offered with the experienced midfield of Chelsea making the most of the possession they were afforded. Pellegrini’s choice to play 4-4-2 gave them a natural advantage in that area and it was duly exploited by the experienced international stars fielded by Hiddink. The City youngsters will have learnt from today’s match despite the defeat. Tiredness and inexperience took their toll in the second half and at times they seemed to just lack that tiny final piece of self-confidence and self-belief but they will acquire that in time. As part of their footballing education this need to be reviewed and analysed by themselves and they will grow from it. Perhaps they can comfort themselves with the thought that the scoreline could have been better had they had a real goalkeeper behind them. This was not Caballero’s finest hour in a City shirt despite a penalty save. Pellegrini’s faith in him I fear has been massively misplaced. I also fear that he may be handed the gloves for the League Cup Final next weekend. Oh dear.
Pellegrini stuck to his word but got no credit from the pundits and commentators many of whom seem to be living in the 1950s when it comes to their attitudes. City have now lost three on the bounce for the first time under his management and the justification for the decision to give the young players their chance was to enable the team to be best prepared for the next two fixtures. Win those and he can the sit back with a sense of satisfaction at his judgement.
However for now Tosin Adarabioyo, Manuel Garcia, Aleix Garcia, Bersant Celina, Cameron Humphreys, Brandon Barker & David Faupala can regard themselves as full members of the City family - they all took big steps today and were not overawed. Although the scoreline is a disappointment they can hold their heads high and look back upon their day’s work with an element of pride. They stood toe to toe against experienced international stars and held their own for the first forty five minutes - they can progress to higher standards, get fitter, continue to learn their trade and follow in the footsteps of Kelachi Iheanacho should they so desire.
Well done young men.
