MAN CITY 3 – 0 Liverpool: MY THOUGHTS
24 Aug
Well, that stunning victory should silence the critics for a short while at least! After the endless vitriol and negative press spurted in our direction in recent weeks, City produced a battling, exciting and, most importantly, team performance to defeat Liverpool, courtesy of a goal from the superb Gareth Barry and a brace from captain Carlos Tévez.
Our victory was as a result of many factors, ranging from the performances of individual players to the battling qualities of the team as a whole, and I will now pick out a few of those factors which enabled the Blues to so comprehensively defeat one of our supposed closest challengers.
James Milner
Where better to start with than our latest signing, James Milner. This was his debut, and if this showing is anything to go by, City have a fantastic player on their hands. Full of enthusiasm and youthful energy, Milner covered every blade of grass, whether it was in supplying the first goal or tracking back and making a decisive tackle in our own box, the England international was everywhere. His workrate, combined with his trickery and footballing ability, will undoubtedly mark him out as a City star. And what’s more, he delivered some decent corners, which has been a problem for the Blues ever since the days of Joey Barton raising his right arm as a supposed signal, only then to deliver a corner which failed to beat the front man every time!
English Players
‘City ruining football’ has been a common phrase over recent weeks, spouted by journalists eager for a cheap shot at the Blues, but that criticism was proved unfounded yesterday, as we started the game with six England internationals on the pitch. I apologise now for the concatenation of names, but it really does stress the point being made: Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson and James Milner, and in addition, SWP on the bench and Wayne Bridge on the sidelines. A small amount of research tells me that Liverpool and Chelsea only had three on the pitch, Arsenal a mere two and Manchester United, that bastion of English football, a solitary one, and even he has retired from the international game!
Team Performance
For me, what was especially pleasing yesterday was the performance of the team as a whole. Yes, it will take time to properly gel, but it looked as if they were playing for each other throughout the whole match. We pressed as a team, defended as one and attacking with great verve and panache. There were some outstanding individual performances, but the display of the whole team really caught the eye. If we can carry that on, we will certainly be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Sheikh Mansour
It doesn’t harm to have the boss watching, does it! The extremely youthful looking Sheikh attended his first match last night and received a rapturous reception when his name was announced before the game. City fans are genuinely appreciative of all the work he has put in, and whilst other fans moan about our newfound wealth, deep inside they are turning green with envy. The presence of the Sheikh must have galvanised the team into producing that sterling performance, so if he ever fancies coming down on a wet Tuesday night away at Stoke, then that would be fantastic too!
Only 2 New Players
This point, to a certain extent, links back to the earlier one about City supposedly ruining football. For all the money spent and new arrivals at the club, we only started the match yesterday with two of those signings, Milner and Yaya Touré. Three of our arrivals were injured and one was on the bench, so all in all, our critics have been left with rather a large amount of egg on their face!
Strength Still to Come
As has been stated, this was a truly magnificent display, and what’s more, it was achieved without a number of our star players. A man sat behind me at the ground yesterday shouted out ‘this is only our reserve team’ and while that was not exactly true, it does highlight our strength and quality in depth. Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov will prove to be outstanding additions and will strengthen us no end, while Mario Balotelli is sure to keep the fans on the edge of their seats! David Silva and Manu Adebayor were left on the bench, along with Pablo Zabaleta and SWP so the future is certainly looking bright for the Blues.
Thanks for reading. Let me know below if you agree with what I’ve said, or if you have anything to add. Please check back later for player ratings and a Man of the Match poll.
I have to say as a United fan that City’s performance worried me greatly. I watched the game and you were all over Liverpool in every area. Torres and Gerrard were made to look like average players at clubs that would finish in the bottom half.
Milner was outstanding, he doesnt look like someone who is happy to put in a decent performance and collect his crazy salary, he looks like he is committed to the cause, and will play to his best week in week out.
Yaya Touré looks a good signing as well. He just keeps the game ticking and hardly ever gives the ball away.
City look good, a lot better than against Tottenham last week – I would back them to go unbeaten at home this year, possibly one loss to either Chelsea or United but that is all.
Browny – I salute you. Those are the first honest, considered comments on City I have read from a United fan in what seems like an eternity. Nice to see a bit of intelligence, maturity and football knowledge on show for a change. Some really good points in the original article too. In particular the comments around the number of English players in the side. I’m sure that won’t get a mention in the press anywhere as they continue to spout vitriol about our beloved club at every available opportunity. Ruining football my ass.
I agree with all you have said, and you too Browny. Though since we are stronger than last year and the fact that we got the double on chelski, I think we are a good bet to go undefeated at home. United could be our kryptonite though… they always seem to pull out a win from defeat, right at the death…. I had recorded the game due to it being played whilst I was at work, so I was able to back up and relook at many key plays, at both ends. LP just wasn’t on top of their game. They had a few moments when they looked like they were coming to life and really pressed, but City’s boys remained calm and resolved to win the match. They didnt’ start hoofing the ball away when pressured. Instead they were able to play the ball out of danger and move it up the field putting LP on the defensive over and over again. I was really surprised at how well we controlled the tempo and maintained possessin of the ball with the three defensive minded players in our midfield, but they played very well. Beyond my wildest expectations, in fact. GJ is still a bit of an offensive liability but he did just enough and his defensive qualities have the opponents avoiding his area of the pitch…. Though he was one of the key players int he passing sequence that led up to Barry’s goal. I am very excited about what is yet to come for us as city fans this year. I do want to see some of yesterdays bench players and players that didn’t make the bench, make it into the Europa squad and domestic Cup squads… With everyone healthy, I can create a dangerous looking squad, and not use any players from last night’s starting 11…. Milner or Hart for player of the match. Harts double save was unreal.