Balotelli’s Wake Up Call
Mario Balotelli has been given a big wake up call from both City and Italy.
The striker was dropped to the bench for City’s game at Chelsea on Sunday and has now also been dropped by the Italian national squad. The effect it has had on him may well save his City career as he has finally admitted he has a problem and has appealed to Italy coach Cesare Prandelli to help him.
“I spoke with Balotelli, he realised that he acted stupidly,” Prandelli revealed. “He said ‘I need help I always ruin everything,’” Prandelli continued.
Being relegated to the City bench would have been bad enough for the young striker, who has previously claimed that he could over take Lionel Messi as the world’s best player, but to be dropped form the national side could just be the kick up the backside Balotelli needs to improve his attitude.
The striker made an immediate impact at City, scoring on his debut as the blues qualified for the Europa League group stages but, after a short period out of action, got himself sent off for the first time after scoring two goals at West Brom. He has gone on to score 10 goals in 20 appearances for City but his recent red card against Kiev has again highlighted the dark side to his game.
There is no doubt that Balotelli has talent and there is no doubt he can score. If he can control his attitude he can be a great player for City and Italy. And the fact that he now recognises the problem is a big step towards rectifying that problem.
Last week, Balotelli apologised and begged forgiveness for his actions. The best way he can justify his request is by letting his performances do the talking. Only then, when we see the real footballer at work, will we be able to forgive him.
City Heading For Spurs Crunch Again
You can see it coming can’t you?
After City’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Sunday, the blues lie just four points ahead of Spurs in fourth place in the Premier League table and looking at the remaining fixtures, it’s going to be a close call with Spurs again and another Eastlands showdown is now looking inevitable.
City have played a game extra than Spurs, so if the Londoners win the game in hand, just one point will separate the two sides. Other than the Spurs game, City have three other home games remaining. Sunderland visit on Saturday, while West Ham arrive on May 1st, with Stoke being the final home game this season. City have the potential to win all four of those games so it will be the four remaining away fixtures that could prove to be our undoing.
The blues travel to Liverpool in the week prior to the FA Cup semi final at Wembley, with trips to Blackburn and Everton all thrown into the mix before another potential FA Cup Final rehearsal against Bolton on the final day of the season. Again, all are winnable but they will be games that we will need to win if we want to finish fourth.
But Spurs also have a bit of a sticky run in as well. They have nine fixtures remaining, but the next four in the league are all at home. Wigan visit on Aril 2nd, while Stoke, Arsenal and West Brom all go to the Lane, before they end that run with a trip to Chelsea. Another home game against Blackpool follows, with a trip to Anfield being their final away game before finishing at home to Birmingham.
So six out of nine games are at home for Spurs, but the also have the rigours of the Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid to contend with, as well as a potential semi final, should they get past Jose Mourinho’s men.
Whatever happens in the next few weeks, City have just got to get their act together for the final eight games, but it is looking once again like the Spurs game is going to be the deciding factor in our season.
What Are AJ & Milner Talking About?
Adam Johnson and James Milner have teamed up with Cancer Research to produce a cancer awareness video aimed towards football supporters.
The City duo have helped produce a video along with the England Footballers Foundation which urges people to have possible signs of cancer checked out. You can check out the video by clicking here.
In the video, AJ and Milner talk about the importance of spotting cancer early and urging others to send a nudge to friends or family about the disease from former England striker Gary Lineker in the form of a new online application called Do Me A Favour.
This recently developed application will see Lineker call your friend by name, state where they live and mention the club they support, before encouraging them to spot the disease early. Cancer Research had one made for me as an example and it is very well done. You can see this here. and the more people that can be aware of cancer, the more can be saved from it. So if you want to potentially be a life save, send someone you know a personalised video. You can do this by clicking here.
Many people are afraid to get checked out, possibly through embarrassment and this applies to both men and women. For men, it is testicular and prostate checks and cervical cancer in women that is particularly embarrassing. But what’s worse? A little embarrassment or death? I know which one I’d choose.
Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care who it attacks. It could affect you or the person sitting next to you, their families or friends. In recent years, I have lost two family members to the disease. I’m not prepared to lose a third. I also don’t want to lose you as readers to something that can be prevented if spotted early.
So if next time you celebrate a goal at Eastlands and you can feel that lump you’ve had for a while but ignored it, swallow your pride and get it checked out. It could save your life.
Not Fit To Wear The Shirt – Or The Bib
That’s my honest opinion of Mario Balotelli.
The striker again received his marching orders following a disgraceful high-footed challenge on Kiev’s Goran Popov with the score at 0-0. Aleksander Kolarov scored a few minutes later but the hill City had to climb after losing the first leg 2-0, turned into a huge mountain. I’m not going to say that his sending off cost us the tie, but it certainly didn’t help.
Faced with scoring another two goals to stay in the competition, City were lucky not to see Carlos Tevez sent off early in the second half for a high challenge, but I think the referee, who had already endured the wrath of the City faithful, lost his nerve a little and only booked the Kiev man.
But, not for the first time this season, it will be Balotelli who will again be making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last week, he had an ‘allergic reaction’ on the pitch due to the wrong type of grass and this week it’s a stupid, reckless tackle that cannot even be classed as a tackle.
If Balotelli wants to have a career at any club, not just City, he needs to grow up and play the game that way it should be played. I look around at some of the young players in the Premiership, younger than the Italian, and they play with so much more maturity and Balotelli would do well to take a leaf out of their books.
But in my personal, honest opinion, I think we would do much better if we got shut of this idiot. Yes he can score goals, yes he can play, but do we really want the baggage that comes with it?
I don’t like to end a rant like this on a dismal note, so I thought I’d share this link with you. If he has so much trouble putting on a bib, how does he get his shirt on?
Milner set for Kiev Return
Article by Elliot Dodd
James Milner is set to make an appearance on the bench against Dynamo Kiev tomorrow after recovering from a hamstring injury, as City attempt to overcome the 2-0 deficit and progress in to the last 16 of the Europa League.
The winger has struggled to find games since the end of January making only four appearances as he has been battling with his persistent injury. However the 25 year-old returned to training this week but is still not fully fit.
Roberto Mancini is taking a gamble on featuring Milner in the squad saying “James is not 100 per cent but he has worked with us for the past week and probably he can go on the bench tomorrow.”
More good news as Nigel De Jong may also be involved after ankle problems experienced last month and towards the end of the FA cup victory over Reading. Mancini commenting on this said “Nigel, after Reading, I hope is feeling very good. He had a problem with his ankle.”
However Mancini believes it will be too much of a gamble to play Adam Johnson tomorrow night. “It would be very difficult for him to play,” but added “maybe it is better for him and us that he continues to work.”
Micah Wants Rooney Revenge
Artice by Elliot Dodd
The City full back who has come into tremendous form at late is out to get revenge on Wayne Rooney’s over head kick which won the match during the most recent derby.
Richards second half header secured a semi-final spot for city at Wembley, which will see the two teams compete to face either Stoke or Bolton in the Final.
Micah admitted city play too well against reading stating “We struggled to break them down” however he goes onto say “we showed great resilience to get through and that’s all that matters.”
As a response to the reports of an argument between Micah and manager Roberto Mancini following the defeat to Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League, he reveals that tempers flared after the match in Ukraine, but was pleased that city bounced back with a win against reading saying “we had just lost 2-0, so nobody was going to be happy. The main thing was we put it right today.”
Our Season Starts Here
Article By Richard Butterworth
If Manchester City are to make a success of this season, the time starts now.
The majority of the remaining fixtures highlight the importance of City’s run in. If we are to go further in the Europa League we’ll have to do it the hard way against a strong Dynamo Kiev team, who are without their talisman Artem Milevskiy.
If we are to finish in a Champions League spot our destiny is in our own hands with games against Chelsea and Tottenham. The fixture against Tottenham is particularly interesting, City are in a good position to exercise the demons of last years game against Spurs. A loss to Spurs however could result in a déjà vu of last year’s disappointment of having to settle for Europa League football for another year.
Qualifying for the Champions League this year would also qualify as real progress for City. With a fifth place finish last season and the acquisitions of this summer, the squads development can only really be labelled as a success by City playing Champions League football next year.
There is also the impending FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, which is probably going to be the biggest derby in recent memory. The tie sets up the chance for City’s first FA Cup final since 1981 and a chance to finally end the wait for a major trophy, but not only that to beat United in doing so would be a sweet victory. If we beat United then Stoke or Bolton await, and no disrespect intended to either club but you would fancy City against either of these teams in the final.
City also have to contend with tricky fixtures away at Liverpool and Everton. The game against bogey team Everton in particular could prove to be an acid test type game, in which City could display just how far they have come or just how far they have yet to go.
AJ Close To Return
Johnson in action for City against Leicester City
Adam Johnson is set for a shock early return to first team action, after having been ruled out until the end of April with an ankle injury.
Roberto Mancini has previously admitted to ‘struggling’ without the England international, but remained hopeful that he will return to fitness in time for a potential FA Cup or Europa League final.
The 23-year-old is no longer wearing a protective cast that supported his weight, and is hopeful of being involved in England’s crucial Euro qualifier against Wales next Saturday. Roberto however has yet decided whether to grant him permission to play in Cardiff as the Italian would like to see him get a couple of reserve games under his belt before fighting for his place in the first XI
SWP Hopeful That City Can Win The Cup
Article by Elliot Dodd
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Manchester City’s number 8 and all round legend believes that it was “inevitable” that City would draw their bitter rivals in the semi-finals of the FA cup held at Wembley.
Despite SWP finding it hard to play first team football, the England international has found himself playing again at the heart of the team because of a serious injury to he’s team mate Adam Johnson, who is not set to return for a matter of weeks.
SWP has scored some tremendous goals against United, which have proved to be important, and he hopes he can fire City into the final. “It may mean a little bit more to me because I know what our fans have been through,” Wright-Phillips said. “I have been through a hell of a lot with them and hopefully as a team, we can realise their dreams as well as achieving one of our own.”
However with the sky blues playing Dynamo Kiev with a 2-0 deficit at Eastlands on Thursday the winger believes its not the time to talk about the derby clash saying “The players we have are experienced enough to concentrate on the job in hand and not to look too far forward.”
City’s FA Cup semi-final againt United takes place on Saturday 16th April with a kick off time of 3pm. This also means City’s home game against Spurs, scheduled for that weekend, has been postponed.
Thank Micah For That
Those weren’t the words I wanted to use to write this piece but you get the gist of it.
Micah Richards 73rd minute goal spared city from a replay in Berkshire and booked City’s place in the semi final of the FA Cup for the first time since 1981. He directed a header beyond visiting keeper Alex McCarthy, who until that moment had looked like not being beaten all afternoon.
McCarthy produced a string of saves to stop Yaya Toure and David Silva scoring in the first half, while Carlos Tevez and Richards were also denied by the Reading keeper. For a while, it looked likely to be one of those days that we have seen on many occasions down the years.
You know the sort, where we dominate a game, fail to beat the keeper then the opposition go on and score a winner. Thankfully, that didn’t happen today, thanks to Micah’s header and now we go on to face United at Wembley on April 16th or 17th, just a couple of days after my birthday.
I’ve heard a few complaints about drawing United in the semis, but it is likely that we would have played them in the final anyway and to be honest, I’d rather face them now rather than in the final. Why? Because they would raise their game in the final and it would mean more to them to stop us winning the cup than winning the thing themselves.
Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved a derby final and it will come one day, but I’d rather put them out at the semi final stage this time around. Once past United, then we have Bolton or Stoke to contend with and many will feel that the winners of the derby will win the cup.
We’ll have to see on that one, but the main thing is we are through to the last four and all those goals that we should have scored today can be saved for Thursday when Dynamo Kiev visit.
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