Outmuscled City must regroup quickly in advance of four games in twelve days that will decide this season’s destiny. Post match reaction to the Goodison bullying…
Roberto Mancini:
‘It is incredible how we lost that game. I thought that after the first half it would be impossible for us to lose. We had many chances to win the game but in the end we defended too deeply for fifteen minutes and invited Everton to play long balls. If you don’t concentrate for 90 minutes or however long the game lasts then this can happen. We also have to learn that it doesn’t matter who scores the goals. Players have to be less selfish…I don’t think we will have a problem with qualifying for the Champions League but Tuesday will now be a 100 per cent hard match.’
David Moyes:
‘It was a great turnaround. It didn’t look likely at half time. They were dominant and we were perhaps fortunate to go in at half time at only 1-0 down. We changed the system round a little bit at half time and I don’t know if it was the system or if it was us but we got a lot closer to people and looked more attacking, a bigger threat.
‘We set out to try and contain Man City. It’s very difficult to contain Silva, I think he’s as good as anyone else in the Premier League and all the teams that play against him are going to find that.
‘The team Man City put out could play in the NBA, it was like the New York Knicks trying to pick them up and it was really difficult to match that…What we showed was an incredible spirit amongst the players to really try and compete because City have undoubtedly improved. They are a much better team than they were a year ago and I found it very difficult to plug the gaps in the first half. The players’ attitude got us the result I think.’
Nigel De Jong:
‘Nobody likes to lose a game, especially a game like this. It was an unnecessary loss. We dominated the first half but didn’t create that second goal.’
‘It is a very important week for the club, for the fans and all the squad as well. It is do or die at the moment for Manchester City.
‘Fourth place is in reach…We have the chance to win the FA Cup after 35 years. It is going to be a big week and we all have to be positive…We have got everything in our hands still…now we have to focus and get the three points against Tottenham.’
IN THE VMC FORUMS:
fifthcolumnblue:
‘Mancini has no experience of teams like Everton and Stoke who set out to maim, hack and kick their opponents – that sort of play doesn’t exist in Italy, nor do the refs let the crap meted out by the cloggers go unpunished as they do here in England.
“Mancini needs to pull his head out of the sand and stop thinking pretty football will win against these cloggers. We need to toughen up, and if necessary fight long balls with long balls.’
snowleopard:
‘Typical that two of our last four games are against our biggest bogey sides….Everton and Spurs…just to add further low levels to our fingernails!!’
citizhun:
‘If teams need to resort to playing like Stoke to beat them then we might as well all give up watching football. We switched off defensively twice yesterday and got punished – same at ours when we battered their goal for the virtually the full 90 minutes. What we need to do is concentrate for 90+ minutes in every game. Our style of play will win us many more games than we’ll lose, and will win us the game on Saturday.’
CITY BOY 1000:
‘If we take our chances when we are in the ascendancy then we will win. We might also need to beat Stoke in the league as well. The only plus point is that both games are not at the Britannia where they play their best stuff.’
Stu MCFC:
‘…painful to watch, its like a re-take of so many games where the same thing has happened and we’ve shown minimal urgency to get a goal back.’
Adz The City Man:
‘Why is it that our side seems to have no ability to conjure up late pieces of magic/luck to nick a result. Bar Dzeko V Blackburn I can’t remember us scoring later than 75 minutes that has actually affected the result.’
Philly Blue Moon:
‘It appeared the team has one eye on the Tuesday game, which now carries extreme weight for the rest of the season. Win and we have secured fourth place. Lose or draw and face a Stoke team and hope to hell we can muster something. Incredibly poor showing.’
THE CITY V SPURS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOWDOWN PART TWO:
Join the debate in the VMC City Chat Forum
as City and Tottenham prepare to go head to head in the race for fourth. Can City finally see Spurs off?
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