City commence this week’s action in the Premier League with the early kick off when they take on Alex Neil’s Norwich City.
With Leicester City bandwagon showing no signs of sustaining a puncture, breaking an axle or suffering any sort of breakdown whatsoever just yet there is zero margin for error in City’s pursuit of the title or indeed the need to secure an automatic Champions League qualifying position. Avoiding the necessary complications of pre-season disrupting qualifying fixtures must remain just as much a priority as progressing as far as we can in this season’s competition. The Stretfords play Wet Spam in the FA BBC Disrespect Cup this weekend so this presents a chance to eek out some space – never hurts to see that gap – which might add to the pressure on both of those clubs as they step on our coat tails.
Norwich v City Head-To-Head
All the Sky Blues can do is muster as many points as remain available and let destiny take its course. The horizon is tinged with a brighter colour as the return to fitness of De Bruyne, Delph and Samir Nasri grows closer but those thoughts must be pushed to one side for the time being. What is needed this weekend is a thoroughly professional job and the securing of the points without shipping any injuries as City prepare for two significant home fixtures against Dynamo Kiev and The Stretfords. Those fixtures will be in Pellegrini’s mind especially the former as he would dearly love to be afforded the luxury of being allowed to remove Aguero from the field of play at the earliest opportunity.
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Achieving this aim will be aided greatly if his players can avoid the sort of sterile fare they served up during an immensely frustrating first half at the Etihad last weekend. Faced with the standard banks of defending opponents sitting deep in their own half and demonstrating limited ambition City created a few chances but were thwarted by excellent saves from Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. Those chances were the high points in a half which City seemed content to build slowly rather than up the tempo and move the ball quickly – a pattern which has been all too familiar in the past. It took a characteristic burst of pace and a moment of genuine quality from the talismanic Sergio Aguero early in the second half to create the opening which Yaya Toure took advantage of. Surging into the penalty area Aguero feinted to cross, delightfully sat two Villa defenders on their backsides before finding Silva. His composure set up Toure and we had lift off. The collective sigh of relief around the Etihad could probably have been heard in Ashton-Under-Lyne.
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In City’s favour this week might be the fact that although playing another side sat with their feet dangling trough the Premier League’s Relegation Trap Door (a bit like the Transfer Window only it rarely ever ‘slams shut’ quite so emphatically) on their home ground. Whilst they will be tempted to set up defensively, the urgings of the home crowd might be hard for them to resist the urge to be more adventurous and thus leave more space for City to exploit. Whether Pellegrini will again opt to deploy Bony alongside Aguero in a bid to give the opposing defenders something else to think about rather than ‘where is Aguero?’ is a key question.
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Bony seemed to spurn a golden chance to convert an exquisite cross from Clichy early on in the game but in his defence I am convinced he received a well time shove in the back just as he had set himself to slot the ball home – the defender did just enough to not get penalised and timed the push so that Bony had no time to readjust his position. Had that gone in I think he would have been more energised and we could have been looking at a cricket score. I suspect Pellergini may well stick with him this week. The remainder of the side probably picks itself despite the looming Champion`s league game – the ability to play a settled team is a luxury which has been ill afford the City manager this season and so he may opt to retain the same formula to start the game. Should his side gain a decent lead then he will look to rest his key players – Aguero, Toure, Silva – at the earliest opportunity.
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Norwich sit in 18th place. They last won a football match on 2nd January with City starting the subsequent rot when they defeated them at Carrow Road in the FA BBC Disrespect Cup. Their record in 2016 reads W1 D1 L9. They did serve up a 4-5 ping-pong game against Klopp`s People’s Champions during this period so can clearly find the net if given the chance – indeed they actually led that game 3-1. Concentration will be required from Kompany, Otamendi & Co – no room for complacency, no Pipe-and-Slippers approach.
Get the job done and move on.
Come On City!
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Norwich City manager Alex Neil looks ahead to his side’s Premier League clash against Manchester City at Carrow Road.
Manuel Pellegrini
‘We cannot have the same points as Tottenham and Leicester if they win all their games.
‘But if they win the title (we need to make sure) it’s because they win all their games and not because we couldn’t win ours.
‘We’ll focus on trying to win at Norwich and we’ll see the way the other teams manage the pressure between now and the end of the season.
‘The most important thing is that we don’t have margin of error. We need to win our games.’
Sky Sports’ Scott Minto at Ephesus Restaurant in Orpington previews Norwich v Man City.
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