Tag Archives: Manchester City

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The Manchester Derby on Monday, April 30.

23 Monday Apr 2012

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Last October, Manchester City put six past their bitter rivals, and it appeared to most commentators that only one club from that great city of football could possibly lift the Premier League Trophy.

Well, the wily old Alex Ferguson proved them all wrong – yet again.

And here we are just a week away from the most important game of the Premier League and no one – including Roberto Mancini himself – is giving City a chance.

Yet, City have Tevez and will be able to use that player called Mario Balotelli for this game – as well as a number of other great players.

United have one thing going for them – a manager who was a legend many years ago and who is continuing through the sheer force of his personality, experience, expertise – and many, many other skills – to project a very average team to ever greater heights.

Whether that will be enough on Monday, I very much doubt.

It won’t be a walkover there will be no 6-1 rout this time – but City will win this game and go on to become Champions for the first time.

That’s because Everton by putting four past the leaders over the weekend showed this United side despite being coached by Sir Alex Ferguson are not the United of old.

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⚽️ Mario Balotelli

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

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No Regrets.. 

Jose Mourinho said he was a player that could not be coached.

So, with Manchester City eight points adrift of their fierce rivals, and with that kamikaze striker Mario Balotelli facing the prospect of a nine-match ban some are asking what Roberto Mancini was thinking in hiring the mercurial Italian in the first place.

Well, Balotelli is a wayward talent, who let down his side in the last minutes of that crucial match with Arsenal on Sunday with a completely unnessary foul.

Earlier in the season, with City cruising at the top, his antics could be tolerated even raising a chuckle or two, for the game of football needs characters and this exceptionally talented player is certainly that.

Events of the last month have however changed the landscape, and even the usually calm Mancini is buckling under the pressure.

City are by no means finished, if we have learned anything about the League this year is that being top doesn’t stop you from being beaten by anyone, and Manchester United are by no means invincible.

Some are predicting a mass clear out at the need of the season, starting with the eviction of Mancini as coach.

Well that would be a mistake, City will have learned from this, and they will come back next season a much tougher team – mentally.

No doubt some players will leave, to let go Balotelli however would be a mistake for he has all the makings of a future Eric Cantona.

At the moment, he needs a firm hand perhaps from the owner for Balotelli is a wayward talent, who could like Cantona earn himself a reputation of being a flawed genius.

That is not going happen though, if no one is prepared to put up with him.

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⚽️ Why English Clubs fail in Europe 🏟

09 Friday Mar 2012

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The Manchester Clubs were defeated in the first legs of their Europa League fixtures yesterday. In the case of City, losing by one goal to Sporting Lisbon may have had more to do with their own internal issues than with the quality of their opposition who were well organised and held back only by the resolute goalkeeper that is Joe Hart. City looked tired and out of sorts, and still appear to have problems adjusting to Europe, which given the speed of their progress is understandable.

United however, were outplayed outclassed and well out…everything by a team from Spain called Athletic Bilbao.  That United have a one-goal deficit had more to do more with Athletic missing a number of chances than how Alex Ferguson’s men played on the night.

Yes, we have seen the emergence of a new Spanish powerhouse, however, the question has to asked as to what is to become of the English clubs – the Europa League was meant to be Europe’s First Division, well try telling that Athletic who taught the once great European side that was Manchester United how to play with speed, skill and sheer talent.

Arsenal heroics the other night against AC Milan in the Champions League may have been celebrated by the fans, however the truth is they were completely outplayed in the first leg and all Milan had to do was sit back and soak up the pressure for the return fixture at the Emirates.

Robin Van Persie’s miss at the end was not a real reflection of the gap between the two sides.

And Chelsea, who have never really looked like winning the Champions League title ever, have it all to do against Napoli if they are to progress into the quarter-final.

It’s going to take more than getting rid of AVB to come back from a 3-1 defeat here.

Years ago, 2004 if my memory serves me right, a  cab driver gave me the low down on the English game. He believed that English football just did not cut it against the Europeans, something you could clearly see reflected by the continued failure of the national side  and that those foreign players that were lured by the money to play here lost their vitality so that they never the same players ever again.

Trouble is he was right then, and what he said then, is also true today.

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Luis Suarez refuses to shake Patrice Evra’s hand

11 Saturday Feb 2012

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Kenny Dalglish failed to condemn the behaviour of one of his players today, namely Luis Suarez who having received an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra refused to shake the hands of the aggrieved players hand during Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United.

Instead, he launched an attack on the media and other things.

That a man like the great Kenny can not see that something is wrong here, is perhaps a sign of the times, for when Kenny himself was player racism was just part of the game and as video footage of Stuart Pearce racially abusing Paul Ince showed just one of those things.

24-hour media has nothing to do with this, nor has any repetition, it is attitudes and, though I hate to say this, a man who can inspire a team like Liverpool has fallen short.

He only had to look at Rio Ferdinand’s reaction to Suarez’s behaviour and to listen Sir Alex Ferguson’s post match reaction to know this country is at a watershed when it comes to dealing with racism and football.

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FA Cup Third Round Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3

09 Monday Jan 2012

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Yesterday’s FA Cup tie between the big Manchester clubs was a classic, the type of game that reminds you why football can be such a compelling sport, with echoes of that great encounter between Manchester United and Barcelona some thirteen years ago, something not lost on two of the players who played during that great Champions League semi and who were amazingly still present as players at the Etihad stadium – Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

This was not Brazil v Italy 1982, but it was stil very very good.

Seemingly finished by three goals by their bitter rivals, the last two after the referee had sent off Vincent Kompay in controversial circumstances, City retreated to the dressing room where manager Roberto Mancini showed why this team is currently sitting on the top of the Premier League.

A shift in tactics to make up for the missing player quickly saw results with a stunning free kick from Aleksander Kolarov – from now on the pressure came from City as they attempted to claw back another two goals.

That they failed to do so had more to do with bad luck than the superiority of a United side who despite this victory still looked a pale shadow of its former great self.

With more players committed to the back, the onus was on Sergio Auegro. After missing one clear chance, he did not disappoint again.

With the second in the bag, City kept on trying.

Another Kolarov freekick was struck at the goalkeeper, although United’s Anders Lindegaard did not know much about it.

In the dying seconds, even City’s keeper Costel Pantilimon who had virtually nothing to do in the second half, was attacking in one last desperate attempt to get that goal that would do for the FA Cup holders.

Had City shown the same passion in the first half – perhaps they would not have lost, but there again we would not have seen one of the great counter attacks in recent times.

United won – perhaps avenging the 6-1 League drubbing at Old Trafford – but Alex Ferguson now knows that City have gelled into a team that can no longer be regarded as a poor rival.

Some people are saying that the games between these two big Manchester Clubs are beginning the el classico encounters between Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

If that is the case, then the emergence of Mancini’s City may yet be the biggest challenge facing the United boss.

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