Chelsea 2:4 Manchester City: Team Bridge Puts on a Counter Atatcking Clinic
Manchester City’s roller coaster week ended on high with a shocking victory at Stamford Bridge. After a frustrating home draw versus Liverpool and a disappointing FA Cup exit in midweek, City appeared to be on the back foot for the first forty minutes. The Citizens record at Stamford Bridge is one of those statistics you constantly hear from opposing supporters and wish would go away, and initially it appeared the record of futility would continue.
The last City manager to win at Stamford Bridge was Peter Reid, and that was in the first year of the Premier League era. But today, with Fleet Street focused on pre match handshakes and scandal, City hung in the match without conceding but a lone first half goal, and then took control.
Possession stats tend to lie in football. While I have not seen a final number on today, Chelsea certainly controlled possession. But after Lampard’s initial strike, Cheslea’s ball movement was less crisp and the possession ultimately less valuable. Having been handed a blueprint on how to expose Chelsea’s frailties at midweek by Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini deployed Adam Johnson and Craig Bellamy in wide positions to put pressure on Chelsea’s replacement fullbacks. When Adam Johnson fell down on the job (literally in some cases), SWP was inserted to force Flourent Malouda to play deeper than he would have liked, opening up more midfield space for City. Malouda is replacing the injured Ashley Cole at Left Back.
Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy were titanic forces today as they have so often been when City is successful. Bellamy’s pace gave Ivanovic, replacing Jose Bosingwa fits all afternoon, and Tevez had his way with Chelsea’s sloppy center back tandem. Also poor for Chelsea was Obi John Mikel, a replacement for Michael Essien, who is also out injured.
Wayne Bridge acted professionally today, while his opposite number in the tabloids John Terry continued to play the victim. Despite the classless taunts from many (but not all) Chelsea supporters, Bridge had a workmanlike outing which contributed mightily to the Citizens victory. John Terry on the other hand played poorly and continued his history of complaining to the officials every time Chelsea was on the wrong end of a decision.
It should also be noted that Roberto Mancini had tremendous success at Inter in exposing Carlo Ancelloti’s preferred diamond midfield. Today simply continued that pattern, though the venue and sides were different.
(more later)
The Final Say
I really wish Stoke would be relegated. Not because of the way they play, just because I am sick of the sight of them and the players must be too.
But I’m amazed that, given the problems that we had against them in the FA Cup tie that we weren’t more on the ball for the league game on Tuesday. At times, we were like a newly promoted side, watching them pass the ball and doing nothing about it. We learnt nothing about their style of play and to cap it all, Patrick Vieira gets himself suspended for a stupid reaction.
Then we go 1-0 down to ten men after Faye was sent off. What was all that about? We are the team chasing fourth in the league and we couldn’t take advantage of the extra man. I know that when a team loses a man, they can often up their game, but at that point we should have gone for the jugular but instead we concede a goal that really should have been kept out.
It was a bit of poor defending from new boy Adam Johnson but Given should really have done better. There have been a lot of calls this week saying that we shouldn’t lose Joe Hart and on some of Given’s recent performances, you can see why.
Bellamy Bust-Up?
No, surely not. Craig Bellamy involved in a bust-up with a manager? That’s not like him, is it? But apparently Bellamy’s City future has been thrown into doubt after he had a bit of a tiff with Roberto Mancini over training.
According to The Sun, Mancini told the Welsh striker to ‘get out and not come back for three months.’ On Wednesday, Bellers had been ordered to report to one of Mancini’s coaches the next day but he refused. Following this, he was then sent to headmaster Mancini’s office were they had a ‘heated’ discussion and Mancini gave his order.
Of course, Bellers stormed out of Carrington and was asked to apologise by Garry Cook and Brian Marwood. Amazingly, he refused. How about that?
Dour Draw Sees Blues Lose Pace
Another lacklustre performance has again seen the blues drop points. It seems weird talking like this after we have just drawn against Liverpool but this is the standard we are setting now. We have got to beat teams like this if we are to go that one step further. Draws are not going to help when team like Villa and Spurs are breathing down our necks waiting for us to slip.
It could have been worse though. If we’d lost today, we’d be in seventh now, considering Villa’s result against Burnley but we must seriously improve, if not for the FA Cup tie then for Chelsea next Saturday.
That’s going to be one of those games where we want to win but if we lose, it could go some way to United not winning the league. But I’d rather we win at Chelsea and beat United at Eastlands as well. The second we should pull off but the first? We’ll see next week.
Anyway, until next Sunday keep the faith and have a good week.
Stalemate Puts Spurs Into Fourth
City and Liverpool played out a dour goalless draw at Eastlands and the result has allowed Spurs to steal in and take fourth place in the Premier League this evening.
Missing Carlos Tevez and Patrick Vieira, manager Roberto Mancini decided to play with Emmanuel Adebayor as the loan striker with former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy on the bench, but they could have done with the Welshman and the Argentine on the field from the start as both teams laboured to a point that could prove vital in the end of season run-in.
There wasn’t much to keep the fans interest in the first half with both teams failing to get a decent shot on target. In fact, it was Liverpool’ Martin Skrtel who had the best chance of the half, heading Steven Gerrard’s corner wide from just six yards out.
In the second half, Adam Johnson bullet cross was met by the unfortunate head of Ryan Babel, who needed some time out to recover from the blow.
Adebayor had a good chance to give City the lead, but his shot was well saved by Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal. Craig Bellamy was thrown on after 68 minutes to a rapturous welcome, the home fans clearly pleased with seeing the Welshman in action following his alleged bust-up with Mancini. He was on in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips and eight minutes later Stephen Ireland was replaced by Abdisalam Ibrahim.
Adebayor could have wont he game for City with ten minutes remaining but for Skrtel’s challenge but both teams had to settle for a point in the end which wasn’t enough for either team to prove their top four ambitions.
Instead, Spurs take over form the two, pushing City into fifth and with Aston Villa’s 5-2 win over Burnley, just one point separates Spurs in fourth and Villa in seventh.
Manchester City 0:0 Liverpool: It Never Comes Easy
In typical City fashion, Sunday represented a missed opportunity. But unlike City of yesteryear, the opposition did not leave Eastlands or Maine Road feeling as if they had gotten the best of the critical tie. The battle for fourth is very much alive after Liverpool failed to take three points in match most with a historical outlook would have considered a lock for the Reds. As this season has progressed both City and Liverpool have resorted to more negative football in big games, particularly away from home. For the Blues it was a coaching change that did this, but for the Reds, Rafa Benitez has seemingly changed his tactics to ensure survival.
The bottom line is that City continue to be right in the race for fourth with a tough set of fixtures coming in the next few weeks.
City’s backline looked surprisingly comfortable and confident without captain Kolo Toure and Micah Richards, both either benched or injured depending on what source you believe. Joleon Lescott had among his better games since joining City from Everton, and Pablo Zabaleta continued his strong recent play under Roberto Mancini.
Going forward, Emmanuel Adebayor, left alone on an island worked hard but was largely frustrated and ineffective as City’s midfield was run over by a stronger unit from Liverpool. Garreth Barry and Stephen Ireland were particularly poor, while Adam Johnson’s initial flashes of brilliance gave way to poor distribution, chronic diving and bad corner/set piece taking.
This match was a forgettable affair, but a result ensures City stays in the race for a Champions League place.
Player Ratings
Given 7
Zabaleta 8
Kompany 7
Lescott 8
Bridge 7
DeJong 8
Barry 5
Ireland 5
Johnson 6
SWP 5
Adebayor 7
Bellamy 6
Ibrahim 5
Match Preview: No Mersey Double Please
City face Liverpool hoping to preserve their unbeaten home record and avoid making at a Merseyside double weekend.
United lost 3-1 at Everton on Saturday and Roberto Mancini will be hoping City fair better against the scousers and put some clear distance between the two as the race for fourth place hots up.
The City manager believes all the pressure will be on Rafa Benitez’ men as they attempt to leapfrog the blues and increase their Champions League qualification chances. “We want to win and so do they, so it will be difficult but more so for Liverpool,” explains the Italian.
“We are above them and they have to try to get past us. We have to be positive, if we can win, we will go further ahead of them so that’s what we must try to do.”
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will be hoping for a similar performance to the one in last season’s fixture when his team came back from two goals down to win 3-2. Victory today will take the Merseysiders two points clear of the blues in fourth place, but defeat will increase the pressure on the Spaniard, whose job has been rumored to have been on the line for a good part of the season.
Team News
Patrick Vieira starts his three match ban and misses today’s game which may give Stephen Ireland the chance to impress. Craig Bellamy could also feature despite the rumoured bust up between him and manager Mancini in midweek. Martin Petrov will also miss the game with a knee injury which could keep him out for a month while Carlos Tevez is still in Argentina on family matters.
Fernando Torres is still out for Liverpool as is Glen Johnson who are both sidelined with knee injuries while Yossi Benayoun is still struggling with a rib injury.
Teams:
Manchester City (from): Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Onuoha, Toure, Lescott, Boyata, Garrido, Sylvinho, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Barry, De Jong, Ibrahim, Johnson, Bellamy, Adebayor.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Skrtel, Agger, Carragher, Insua, Gerrard, Lucas, Aquilani, Rodriguez, Riera, Benayoun, Ngog, Kuyt, Cavalieri, Pacheco, Spearing, Babel, Aurelio, Degen.
League Form (Last Five)
City: LWLWD
Liverpool: WDWWL
Danger man: Steven Gerrard
Always a threat in the Liverpool engine room but has not been playing his bet lately
Over The Blue Moon Prediction: City 2-1 Liverpool
While both teams are not playing particularly well, I fancy the blues to nick it
The Opposition: Liverpool
Liverpool visit Eastlands in a clash that may have a significant bearing in the race to finish fourth in the Premier League.
The Merseysiders are classed as one of the ‘big four’ but their supporters have endured a long and difficult season which has not been helped by constant speculation surrounding Rafa Benitez’ future and rumours regarding possible takeover bids which would take the club from their apparently warring American owners.
The off-field problems have seemed to take there toll on the pitch and the problems seemed to start following a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea in October. Following that game, they were beaten by a fifth minute beach ball goal at Sunderland, but since the beach ball wasn’t actually registered with the club, the credit was instead given to Darren Bent.
A 2-0 win over United at Anfield was a brief respite as hit self destruct. They were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages and had to settle for the Europa League. A 2-0 defeat at bottom club Portsmouth increased the pressure on Benitez and it was soon followed by being knocked out of the FA Cup in the their round. After only managing a 1-1 draw at Reading, Liverpool should have hammered the struggling Championship club. But Reading took the tie to extra time and scored a remarkable 2-1 of the once feared team.
Following that shock defeat, Liverpool have picked up ten points from the last eighteen available and they now sit a point behind City in fifth place.
Manager – Rafa Benitez
The Spaniard has been in charge at Anfield since 2004 and enjoyed a very successful start and for a while, it seemed like the glory days were returning to Liverpool. His first season saw them lift the Champions League trophy, coming from 3-0 down to level at 3-3 with AC Milan, before winning the trophy on penalties.
The following season, he won the FA Cup and a 3rd place finish and the season after. Benitez took Liverpool to another Champions League Final against Milan but lost 2-0. Last season, Benitez took the club to second place and the closest they have ever some to winning the Premier League for the first time.
Ground – Anfield
Anfield was completed in 1884 but was originally the home of Everton. Liverpool moved their when Everton moved out in 1892 and has been their home ever since. Its current capacity is 45, 362
Ireland May Get His Chance Following Vieira Ban
Stephen Ireland could get the chance to regain some of his form when City entertain Liverpool on Sunday.
Ireland was an unused sub for Tuesday’s clash with Stoke with Patrick Vieira getting the nod to play alongside Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong. But the former Arsenal man is facing a three match suspension, Ireland may be in line for a start against the Merseysiders in a clash that could have a huge say on who gets fourth spot.
City currently lie one place ahead of Liverpool in the table and victory will move them four points clear of their North West rivals while defeat could see the blues slip as far as 7th in the league, depending on results elsewhere.
Ireland recently blamed former manager Mark Hughes for his lack of form, claiming the Welshman often played him out of position and his last league start for the blues came at Hull City when City were beaten 2-1. Ireland said he was rarely allowed to play in his best position meaning he struggled to make an impact.
Meanwhile, Liverpool laboured to a Europa League win on Thursday against Romanian unknowns Unirea Urzinceni. Despite fielding a strong team and almost being ahead within the first thirty seconds, Liverpool had to wit until the 81st minute to break the deadlock and take a slender 1-0 lead to Romania for the return leg.
Big Match Statistics: City v Liverpool
City hope to hold onto fourth place, gained after a 1-1 draw at Stoke on Tuesday, but face Liverpool at Eastlands, a team that City don’t hold a good record against.
The likely outcome of Sunday’s match is a draw, considering seven of the twelve Premiership meetings between the two have ended that way. Of the other games, the blues have won two while Liverpool have taken maximum points on three occasions.
Of the 59 games played in the old first division, City won 22 but the Reds have won 26 and scored ten more goals in the process, 98 to City’s 88. The first time City met Liverpool at home was at Hyde Road in 1863. It was the first game ever played between the two and the first of only two games played outside the top flight.
Liverpool won that game 1-0 and the following season they played out a 1-1 draw at Hyde Road in front of 30,000 people. Overall, from 73 league games played, City have won 24 to Liverpool’s 30.
Outside the league, the teams have met 21 times but City’s record is slightly better. From those 21 games, City notched up seven wins to Liverpool’s eight. Liverpool won twice at Maine Road in the FA Cup (4-0 and 1-0) while City have a solitary victory from four games, a 2-0 4th round replay win in February 1973.
City v Liverpool Home Record
| PL | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| Premier League | 12 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| First Division (Old) | 59 | 22 | 11 | 26 | 88 | 98 |
| Second Division (Old) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| First Division (New) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Second Division (New) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| League Totals | 73 | 24 | 19 | 30 | 101 | 115 |
| FA Cup | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| League Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Europe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Others | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| War | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 30 |
| OVERALL TOTALS | 94 | 31 | 25 | 38 | 133 | 153 |
Interesting Yet Useless Match Facts
City’s biggest home win over Liverpool was 6-0 in 1935, while the heaviest came five years later when Liverpool won 7-3 at Maine Road.
The biggest attendance against Liverpool at Maine Road was for an FA Cup 5th road match was 70,640. The game ended 0-0
The teams first met in 1863 but City had to wait until 1903 to record their first home in. The game ended 3-2.
Liverpool are unbeaten in four at Eastlands.
Some former Liverpool and City players you might remember
Steve McMahon, Steve McManaman, Peter Beardsley, Nicolas Anelka, Robbie Fowler. Albert Reira
And some you might have forgotten about
Paul Stewart, Nigel Clough, Mark Seagraves, Paul Walsh, David James
Match Stats Courtesy of www.MCFCStats.com
The Most Important Point?
If the Blues somehow manage to finish 4th in the Premier League this season, chances are we will look back on Garreth Barry’s late equalizer as the most important goal City has scored since promotion back to the Premier League.
The City performance while visibly poor, and perhaps aided by some poor officials decision, can count as a job well done. Stoke is a very tough side to break down at the Britannia, and City’s late flurry of goal scoring chances despite not having Carlos Tevez or Craig Bellamy available, speaks highly as to the motivation for this current City side.
A less resilient and determined team would have lost last night. This result bodes well for City’s 4th place chase. Ultimately, I still believe has too much quality and historical pedigree to be overtaken, but should the Blues actually achieve this lofty ambition, we will look back on Tuesday’s night’s draw as the key result.
Match Report: Gift Wrap 4th Place And Send To Anfield
City moved into the top four when a Gareth Barry strike cancelled out a Glen Whelan goal to give City a share of the Spoils at The Britannia Stadium.
The home side also had Abdoulaye Faye sent off for a professional foul on Emmanuel Adebayor but the blues still couldn’t capitalise with an extra man and laboured to a disappointing 1-1 draw.
It was another away performance that left City fans frustrated and onlookers scratching their heads wondering how the blues have reached the lofty heights of the Premiership top four on such performances.
It should have been a game where the blues used one of their games in hand to put some clear daylight between us and the chasing pack but they allowed Stoke to dominate the game and clearly hadn’t learnt from Saturday’s FA Cup tie as Stoke rattled the blues in the early stages.
Rory Delap was causing all sorts of havoc with his long throw-in’s and the home side should have taken the lead when Mamady Sidibe shot weakly when unmarked and allowed Shay Given to make the save.
Stoke harried the blues defence and City, missing the presence of Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy, struggled to get new boy Adam Johnson involved and they were grateful at the half time whistle that they went in still on level terms.
Just seven minutes into the second half and Stoke were reduced to ten men. Adebayor escaped Faye’s shackles but the Stoke man clearly held Ade’s shirt but incredibly, referee Alan Wiley missed it. But his assistant had seen the shirt pull and Wiley duly dispatched the red card. The initial miss of the foul was the second in a hat-trick of blunders by the official after he had earlier missed Patrick Vieira’s stamp on Whelan.
Down to ten men, it was somewhat inevitable that Stoke would take the lead and they did so in the 72nd minute. Adam Johnson’s poor clearance fell to Whelan whose shot squirmed from the grip of Shay Given and nestled in the back of net.
City fought back and snatched a point in scrappy circumstances. Adebayor headed on for Barry, whose initial shot hit the post but bounced straight back to him and Barry hooked the ball home.
Not the kind of performance City wanted and, on this showing, it is little wonder Liverpool are going into Sunday’s match full of confidence. The club have paid a lot of money for the stars that are just not performing. If this continues, they might as well gift wrap fourth place and send it to Anfield.
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