The words “acute” and “disappointment” were the understatement of the century as the Pedmachine trudged back to his car on Sunday Evening having witnessed City’s exit from the FA Cup at the semi-final stage against a team that in recent weeks looked to be falling apart and following the Fox and Hounds in a bid to get their manager replaced. Perhaps the outcome of this match showed why Arsene Wenger should stay at Arsenal. Having said that the unbelievable assistance they received from the referee and one particular assistant was beyone belief.
For the first time in eternity, Guardiola selected the same eleven as last week. The intent was to attack Arsenal into submission. But whatever intent City have is always dependent upon a back four and goalkeeper that has lost the will and knowledge of how to defend. And to City’s detriment the same old, same old weaknesses were to surface again to ensure that Guardiola continued to create personal history. Only this time it is one of a potless and pointless season, where now the Blues will struggle to achieve a place in next season’s Champions League.
Typically the Blues started this match in upbeat fashion, once again dominating play, but coming up against a team that looked as it lined up with three at the back but in reality it was five behind four midfielders and Giroud. Arsenal were designed to soak up the pressure and try to hit City on the break, although even that seemed unimportant to them in the early stages.
City found space and Silva was getting into his stride when he was booted out of the match by the normally useless Gabriel. Job one done for Arsenal..get rid of Silva, next stop Aguero.
The scythes came out and a timely knee in Aguero’s back from the despicable creature they call Koscielny was only designed to do damage.
In amongst the Ashburton Grove skullduggery City had a perfectly good goal disallowed. A pinpoint cross from Sane bounced off the bar, Aguero slid it home, it came back out and went back in courtesy of Sterling. Somehow the clown of a linesman decided it had gone out of play. TV replays clearly showed it hadn’t. By the time Aguero put two fingers up to the combined harvesters formerly known as Arsenal it should have been 2-0, game, set and match. The goal was simple. Bravo to Yaya, a quick straight ball into the space behind the back four and Aguero was on it in a flash, drawing Cech and netting with ease.
But with it only being 1-0 City, as usual became the architects of their own downfall. Attacking Yaya’s favourite end, where he secured victory over the Stretfords and then Stoke in 2011 and in days when thanks to the like of Kompany and De Jong, oh and Joe Hart, they could hold a lead, City continued to knock on the door but found the woodwork was made of sterner stuff. Then as they had effectively had the first half off, Arsenal introduced a bit of pace and City were all over the place.
Do they ever learn? Time and again the likes of Fernandinho and whichever pair of centre backs are paraded liberally give away free kicks in a place where City simply can’t defend them. Arsenal’s equaliser came from a neat cross from Oxlade-Chamberlain to the far post. It looked safe enough but as Navas got drawn to the man closer to goal, Monreal came up on his blind side to shin the ball home from a difficult angle.
This sent the match into extra time, a commodity City could have done without and set up nicely for the disgruntled star of the Emirates to squeeze home the winner.
Kompany was the culprit twice. First he gave away a needless free kick in a short, wide position. Secondly as City’s jittery defence watched, he failed to close down Sanchez quickly enough as he gleefully slid the ball home to secure a place in the final for a team he looked desperate to leave only a couple of weeks ago.
City never looked like getting back on terms and Arsenal easily saw the game out.
This is bitterly disappointing. It’s almost as if Guardiola knows he cannot get the football he wants out of the players he has at his disposal and has consigned this season to the recycle bin. His inability to motivate what are in the main quality, expensive footballers will certainly be called into question, come his appraisal in June, especially if the Champions League fall beyond City’s agenda for next season.
To set themselves back on track for this and right on cue, comes the Derby against you-know-who, placed conveniently on a Thursday so as not to rock the Stretford Schedule. United are on an excellent run in the Premier League and had they turned their home draws into wins would have been league leaders, I suspect, but then so would City.
For the first time in a long time I’m not confident about us beating the Stretfords. It will need a performance of second-half-Barcelona proportions and right now, I don’t see that in this City team. One thing we know is that we have to score three times as we regularly concede two these days.
Yes, they are missing their goal and not much else machine, Zlatan, the filthy Rojo and their huge so far useless signing, Pogba, but I’d rather see both of them lining up rather than the pace of Martial and Rashford and the pure thuggery of Herrera and Fellaini who will carry the “maim” instruction.
I wonder if Pep will risk Kompany again. At Old Trafford in the League Cup, Vinny stacked his hand at half time and you can bet that with the young pace United have at their disposal it will be a tough night, especially if he goes with Navas at wing back again. There will be plenty of room for Martial to exploit and even he can’t miss all the time.
City have missed Gundogan all season and Jesus since his injury. For me this is not a match to reintroduce Gabriel Jesus, if fitness permits, because you know for sure he will get a kicking. My hope is that Silva returns and Aguero’s injury isn’t match threatening.
We all await Thursday with interest. Only a City win will be good enough and that would put us just far enough away from United to keep City in line for a Champions League place next season, although there are still two or three matches coming up against teams that I don’t relish.
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