Buzz Lightyear
Alert Team
What a difference a break makes, one might be tempted to say. From the doom and gloom of the Derby and the assorted results in and around that, the return of Kevin de Bruyne was more than welcome yesterday as City tried their best to return to what they might describe as "business as usual".
The opposition might only have been AFC Bournemouth, but with City`s title tilt in tatters, any result against anyone was exactly what was needed ahead of the midweek venture into Europe.
The impact of de Bruyne was noticeable immediately leading one to think that it was not the announcement of the imminent arrival of Guardiola that was the problem, but more the fact that City were unable to vary their play enough without the mastery of the tough Belgian.
Right from the very start, for the first time in a while, City hit the front foot, placing Bournemouth in a vice-like grip of the kind their play has been lacking, pretty much, since the turn of the year. Bournemouth are a lively outfit who do not seem to want to change their tactics to suit the opposition. No nine men between the sticks and a one-out striker going on here. But their initial 4-4-2 formation left them wide open to what City do best when allowed so to do.
And astonishingly, City`s first goal came from a corner. Cynics like me remember City`s last goal from a corner, a great header from Dave Watson! But this one from Navas found its way to the unlikely source of Fernando whose volley into the net was exceptionally competent. So seven minutes in and City at last laying the ghost of the zeros.
Six minutes later came the flashback, the type of goal that since the money came have used regularly to carve open the opposition, the type of goal that has been sadly lacking in the days that have been a difficult ride for the toiling and often ailing Aguero. The minute Daniels decided to try and get himself open running across his own area, the doors opened with the precision of a surgeon`s knife. Silva robbed Daniels and played the ball instantly in the direction of Aguero whose neat one-tow allowed Silva to produce a lightning quick-fire pass to de Bruyne who promptly volleyed home City`s second. The word "volley" tells the tale of this match. Volleys are usually shots taken early and accurately and that is exactly what can be said about City`s first two goals.
Bournemouth were already in tatters and seemingly City hadn`t even warmed up yet. De Bruyne had another chance but his snatched shot missed the target but it was only a matter of time before the scoreboard was brought into action again. In the 19th minute de Bruyne was at it once again with a direct ball towards Navas who for once didn`t hit the first defender with his cross. This time he stood the ball better than inn internet date and Aguero pounced like an angry leopard to outjump the giants and head home number three. Job done and not event twenty on the clock. The hosts were staring down the barrel of a napalm gun and in danger of being burned alive.
Fernandinho could have made it four but his excellent shot rattled the woodwork. Bournemouth were forced to change their formation as they simply couldn`t compete with City in midfield, where de Bruyne on his return from injury was rampant and delivering exactly what this team had missed for twelve matches. He mixed up play well, brought in Silva, Aguero and Navas more or less at will and with the Fernando keeping things tight in front of the back four, the sky could have been the limit for City. But with Bournemouth drawing an extra man into midfield, things started to slow down and on occasions the Cherries had chances to reduce the deficit. Indeed a free header for Cook was superbly batted away at point-blank range by Caballero, who hitherto had been unemployed. It begs the question as to what the outcome of a free header would mean with Zlatan providing the header, but maybe Wednesday in Paris will be another story.
Pellegrini was afforded the luxury of being able to withdraw his key players in the second half. After 55 minutes de Bruyne was replaced by Kolarov, whose competent and positive start to the season appears to have hit the buffers. Silva made way for the returning Nasri with his new hair style looking quite interesting and bringing more than an chuckle from Sue and then finally Aguero was afforded a rest, Iheanacho being introduced.
City today quite easily saw out the game with a demoralised Bournemouth second best all over the field. It`s a long time since we`ve been able to say that. But there was still time for some icing on the cake. Kolarov had already had one attempt stopped by Boruc but with the last kick of the match he sent in a blistering drive which would have taken Boruc with it if he`d been able to get anywhere near it. It was an astonishing shot made more astonishing by the fact that the goal posts remained in situ. Maybe that will give him confidence ahead of the Champions League encounter this week or next week`s match, a no doubt gruelling match-up with Mr Negative`s West Bromwich Albion.
Although he played for only 55 minute there was little doubt that de Bruyne was man of the match. For many a week we have had to rely on Yaya to provide the spark from midfield, and to an extent he has done that, but he doesn`t vary the play or the lines of attack in quite the same way as we saw from de Bruyne in this match. The Belgian set up wave after wave of City attacking football, from different angles and different areas of the field. His return should give Yaya time to recover from his injuries as the end of the season closes in.
At the back City still don`t look the ticket. Today it was Mangala and Otamendi as the eve turns into night for Demichelis unassisted by of all things a betting scandal. We have known for many a month that if you are connected to a football club then the bookies is the forbidden planet on match days, but there will always be abuse of this.
That Bournemouth at times were able to get in headers and find space in City`s box disturbs me when one examines what Zaltan and Cavani might get up to, while Stretford reject, or rather the player who rejected Stretford, Di Maria, might have time to run riot out wide. The danger bells are already ringing Chez Le Pedmachine.
Amazingly Caballero has already played at this level in the Champions League and I suppose in the absence of Hart and his heroics in the League Cup Final, we have no option but to trust him. We need to be up for it in midfield, defensively as well as offensively, and then accurate up top.
As far as yesterday was concerned it was a great feeling to see some of the football that was played by the Blues adding more and more to our frustrations. Why not every week? I think the solution to that question is that Pellegrini`s squad, like that of most managers is designed to allow him to make game-changing replacements if Plan A isn`t working. The absence of players like de Bruyne, Silva, Aguero and Kompany at times has regularly deprived the manager of these options, leaving his unchangeable City team to produce the "same old" every week and be relatively easy to plan against.
It will be too little, too late for this season as I don`t think even the nuttiest of City fans believes that any more silverware will locate itself at the top of Joe Mercer way in 2016. But it will provide a more satisfying platform for the introduction of Guardiola than what he was looking at a fortnight ago.
writer Pedmachine VMC Journalist of the Year
The opposition might only have been AFC Bournemouth, but with City`s title tilt in tatters, any result against anyone was exactly what was needed ahead of the midweek venture into Europe.
The impact of de Bruyne was noticeable immediately leading one to think that it was not the announcement of the imminent arrival of Guardiola that was the problem, but more the fact that City were unable to vary their play enough without the mastery of the tough Belgian.
Right from the very start, for the first time in a while, City hit the front foot, placing Bournemouth in a vice-like grip of the kind their play has been lacking, pretty much, since the turn of the year. Bournemouth are a lively outfit who do not seem to want to change their tactics to suit the opposition. No nine men between the sticks and a one-out striker going on here. But their initial 4-4-2 formation left them wide open to what City do best when allowed so to do.
And astonishingly, City`s first goal came from a corner. Cynics like me remember City`s last goal from a corner, a great header from Dave Watson! But this one from Navas found its way to the unlikely source of Fernando whose volley into the net was exceptionally competent. So seven minutes in and City at last laying the ghost of the zeros.
Six minutes later came the flashback, the type of goal that since the money came have used regularly to carve open the opposition, the type of goal that has been sadly lacking in the days that have been a difficult ride for the toiling and often ailing Aguero. The minute Daniels decided to try and get himself open running across his own area, the doors opened with the precision of a surgeon`s knife. Silva robbed Daniels and played the ball instantly in the direction of Aguero whose neat one-tow allowed Silva to produce a lightning quick-fire pass to de Bruyne who promptly volleyed home City`s second. The word "volley" tells the tale of this match. Volleys are usually shots taken early and accurately and that is exactly what can be said about City`s first two goals.
Bournemouth were already in tatters and seemingly City hadn`t even warmed up yet. De Bruyne had another chance but his snatched shot missed the target but it was only a matter of time before the scoreboard was brought into action again. In the 19th minute de Bruyne was at it once again with a direct ball towards Navas who for once didn`t hit the first defender with his cross. This time he stood the ball better than inn internet date and Aguero pounced like an angry leopard to outjump the giants and head home number three. Job done and not event twenty on the clock. The hosts were staring down the barrel of a napalm gun and in danger of being burned alive.
Fernandinho could have made it four but his excellent shot rattled the woodwork. Bournemouth were forced to change their formation as they simply couldn`t compete with City in midfield, where de Bruyne on his return from injury was rampant and delivering exactly what this team had missed for twelve matches. He mixed up play well, brought in Silva, Aguero and Navas more or less at will and with the Fernando keeping things tight in front of the back four, the sky could have been the limit for City. But with Bournemouth drawing an extra man into midfield, things started to slow down and on occasions the Cherries had chances to reduce the deficit. Indeed a free header for Cook was superbly batted away at point-blank range by Caballero, who hitherto had been unemployed. It begs the question as to what the outcome of a free header would mean with Zlatan providing the header, but maybe Wednesday in Paris will be another story.
Pellegrini was afforded the luxury of being able to withdraw his key players in the second half. After 55 minutes de Bruyne was replaced by Kolarov, whose competent and positive start to the season appears to have hit the buffers. Silva made way for the returning Nasri with his new hair style looking quite interesting and bringing more than an chuckle from Sue and then finally Aguero was afforded a rest, Iheanacho being introduced.
City today quite easily saw out the game with a demoralised Bournemouth second best all over the field. It`s a long time since we`ve been able to say that. But there was still time for some icing on the cake. Kolarov had already had one attempt stopped by Boruc but with the last kick of the match he sent in a blistering drive which would have taken Boruc with it if he`d been able to get anywhere near it. It was an astonishing shot made more astonishing by the fact that the goal posts remained in situ. Maybe that will give him confidence ahead of the Champions League encounter this week or next week`s match, a no doubt gruelling match-up with Mr Negative`s West Bromwich Albion.
Although he played for only 55 minute there was little doubt that de Bruyne was man of the match. For many a week we have had to rely on Yaya to provide the spark from midfield, and to an extent he has done that, but he doesn`t vary the play or the lines of attack in quite the same way as we saw from de Bruyne in this match. The Belgian set up wave after wave of City attacking football, from different angles and different areas of the field. His return should give Yaya time to recover from his injuries as the end of the season closes in.
At the back City still don`t look the ticket. Today it was Mangala and Otamendi as the eve turns into night for Demichelis unassisted by of all things a betting scandal. We have known for many a month that if you are connected to a football club then the bookies is the forbidden planet on match days, but there will always be abuse of this.
That Bournemouth at times were able to get in headers and find space in City`s box disturbs me when one examines what Zaltan and Cavani might get up to, while Stretford reject, or rather the player who rejected Stretford, Di Maria, might have time to run riot out wide. The danger bells are already ringing Chez Le Pedmachine.
Amazingly Caballero has already played at this level in the Champions League and I suppose in the absence of Hart and his heroics in the League Cup Final, we have no option but to trust him. We need to be up for it in midfield, defensively as well as offensively, and then accurate up top.
As far as yesterday was concerned it was a great feeling to see some of the football that was played by the Blues adding more and more to our frustrations. Why not every week? I think the solution to that question is that Pellegrini`s squad, like that of most managers is designed to allow him to make game-changing replacements if Plan A isn`t working. The absence of players like de Bruyne, Silva, Aguero and Kompany at times has regularly deprived the manager of these options, leaving his unchangeable City team to produce the "same old" every week and be relatively easy to plan against.
It will be too little, too late for this season as I don`t think even the nuttiest of City fans believes that any more silverware will locate itself at the top of Joe Mercer way in 2016. But it will provide a more satisfying platform for the introduction of Guardiola than what he was looking at a fortnight ago.
writer Pedmachine VMC Journalist of the Year
