It has been mooted that Manchester City are considering setting up a training camp in London, similar to the CFA next to the Etihad. Well against Fulham, City had a full on vision of what training in the Capital might look like.
It was back to the business of the Premier League as the City train hitched up at Craven Cottage, essential to point the hosts in the direction of the Championship. Not only did City achieve that with ease, but Fulham seemed more than delighted to assist them.
Having given Liverpool a bit of a scare last time out, Guardiola had to ensure his charges were in the right frame of mind to endure another difficult assignment and there was no danger it would be otherwise.
In fact, it took City only five minutes to hit the front as ex-Stretford Fonsu-Mensah, cantankerous kicker extraordinaire, found Bernardo Silva with a misplaced pass. The Portuguese genius accepted with thanks, stepped inside and drilled a tidy shot around Sergio Rico. Class shot, class player. I wonder what odds you’d get at Novibet promo code for Sergio to repeat the feet and add to his ever-growing scoring tally for City in our next clash.
City kept up the heat but squandered a couple of chances before the equally generous Bryan brought in Bernardo once more. He slipped in Aguero who from the narrowest of angles slotted a trademark strike over Rico to complete the scoring.
So, 27 minutes gone, City 2-0 to the good, end of story.
The Blues spent the rest of the match going through the motions of denying Fulham the ball and keeping them as far away from Ederson as possible. They mustered no shots on target and less than 35% possession against a side of unprecedented quality and with City in conservation mode, Fulham were glad to escape the hiding their poor brand of football deserved.
There’s not much to add to this report except for the glowing and heartfelt tribute to Bernard Halford whose 47 years of top-class service to Manchester City could not have escaped unnoticed. I had a number of years working on projects with Bernard and even met up with him on occasions as we walked our dogs around Failsworth. Believe me, this man was a genius and is already sadly missed throughout football. There really was “Only one Bernard Halford”
City know that seven more Premier League wins will bring the title to its favourite location again come the middle of May. The fixture schedule is challenging, but in this mood, and with Aguero scoring freely, it is not beyond possibility.
Cardiff may well provide a stiffer test on Wednesday. They are not known for their glamour and are often prepared to close the boundaries of legality, but with the squad now almost at full strength again, one hopes it will be possible to once again be top of the pile by 2200hrs on Wednesday – given, of course, that there are no squeakies at Shamfield today.