As the dust settles after Sanchez-Gate, Manchester City finds themselves back on the road yet again for the 4th round of the FA Cup when they travel to Wales to face Neil Warnock`s Cardiff City.
Not for City the relative comfort of a tie against a side currently in 21st place in League Two and perched on the trap door of relegation from the Football League, a side that has only won two of their last six matches. No that is reserved for Preening Maureen and his Stretford Galacticos and the bright orange and juicy fruit of his newest “I always wanted to play for U*d” signing. Good old Rio eh? Found the warm ball in the bowl perfectly?..well after two rehearsals.
But enough of this??.
Pep and his players will be focused on getting the job done in Wales against yet another side pushing for promotion to the Premier League. Having secured they place at Wembley next month in the League Cup Final with two hard fought victories over Bristol City, Pep will clearly have no illusions about the task ahead on Sunday afternoon. He is now well schooled in the ways of English football where no match is a ‘Gimme` and you can be tested if you let your guard down – as Lee Johnson`s men proved right up to the final minutes of the tie at Ashton Gate. Pep saw what Bristol City had to offer at the Etihad and, in paying them due respect in the second leg, was vindicated in doing so with only Kevin De Bruyne`s last kick winner made absolutely sure of the win.
He can expect much the same graft and effort from Neil Warnock`s Bluebirds. Cardiff have been excellent for much of the season and they currently sit third in the Championship, two points behind second-placed Derby County and set for final push for a return to the Premier League. However, they’ve lost four of their last six in the league, their worst run of form this season. Their 4-0 win over Sunderland and last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday has arrested a run of four consecutive league defeats.
Unsurprisingly for a side managed by Mr Warnock, Cardiff play a direct style, with long balls up to frontman Kenneth Zohore likely to be a clear tactic. City will have to be prepared for that threat and I am quite sure that note will have been taken of the recent errors within our defensive line in dealing with this threat. Zohore has pace that could cause problems and he will be charged with gathering any long balls and bringing others into play. Although he has only scored 4 times in 20 appearances this season, he has an all-round game that is key to Cardiff`s style.
Joe Ralls and Marko Grujic will be given the task of disrupting City`s creativity in central areas. Ralls, in particular, is well-versed in disrupting the opposition and has been one of Cardiff`s most consistent performers this season. Grujic, on loan from Liverpool who he joined in January 2016 for £5.1 million, is a Serbian international with plenty of technical quality.
Cardiff’s main attacking threat is likely to be Junior Hoilett.
The winger has scored eight goals this season and brings the kind of pace and trickery that can cause any side problems. Considered inconsistent by many in the past, the 27-year-old has found his groove at Cardiff and is now one of the best players in the Championship.
Team News
Cardiff – Danny Ward, Matt Connolly, Aron Gunnarsson, Lee Peltier and Craig Bryson are currently injured for the Bluebirds.
City – Jesus and Delph remain sidelined alongside Foden and long term absentee Benjamin Mendy
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistant Referee: Simon Long, Simon Beck
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
Cardiff, in front of a noisy, partisan crowd, will look to start quickly and press City in an attempt to disrupt their play. Pep has been to watch them when they defeated Mansfield in the 3rd round replay – perhaps the ticket was a birthday treat from his wife – but that scouting mission will only have provided so much information given that it was away from home and against lower league opponents rather than other sides challenging for promotion.
We can expect the Cardiff players to raise their game in front of their passionate home crowd as they try to secure the scalp of the Premier League leaders. Neil Warnock, everyman`s salt-of-the-earth archetypal ‘they don`t like it Up ‘Em` & `take no prisoners` manager, would absolutely love to be able to get one over on his more lauded opponent and his ‘fancy dan` players. He will undoubtedly have instructed his players to ‘get amongst them` and I think we can expect some ‘robust` challenges.
Let`s hope Mr Mason and the two Simon`s are watching and apply the laws of the game correctly without any ‘we`ll give you a bit of leeway because you are playing better opponents so that tackle through he back of Raheem Sterling was fair play` thrown in. We`ve had enough of that in the games against Newcastle and Palace thank you very much.
Pep is likely to rotate his squad and with Kompany having made the bench for the Bristol match I wouldn`t be surprised to see him start perhaps alongside either Stones or Otamendi. With the days of Mangala looking increasingly numbered given the potential arrival of Laporte I suspect he may not even make the bench. But I could be wrong about that….Sterling may well get a start and with Jesus still sidelined and Aguero chomping at the bit following his hat trick last weekend the question may be whether Pep continues to play him and use the desire and hunger that always emerges when a striker is finding the net, or give him a bit of a breather and start him on the bench. I am going with the former. I expect Gundogan to start in place of David Silva and alongside the evergreen Fernandinho. Walker took a knock and was withdrawn against Bristol so Danilo may get the nod at the back on the right with young De Bruyne lookalike Zinchenko continuing his footballing education on the left. Ederson between the sticks methinks.
Predicted XI
Ederson
Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Zinchenko
De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan
Sterling, Aguero, Silva B
Subs:
Bravo, Walker, Otamendi, Toure, Silva D, Sane, Diaz
This is the FA Cup, another competition which Pep will be keen to do well in. Facing Championship opponents once again in a cup competition (after Wolves and Bristol City) may, despite all my joshing, not be a bad thing. City`s players cannot even contemplate taking their foot off the gas either collectively or individually and I am sure Pep will have driven this message home.
One game at a time boys, one game at a time. The time to squash the juicy oranges at the top of the tree will come but for now deal with what is in front of you. Stay focused and get the job done – no replay please.
Come on City!!!
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