Swansea 1 – 0 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
12 Mar
A thoroughly and undeniably deflating afternoon in Wales. Our insipid defeat, lacking any sort of desire, passion or drive, combined with Manchester United’s victory over West Brom, has relegated us to second place in the Premier League and the momentum, which throughout the season had been with the Blues, has shifted into the hands of our rivals.
The difference between the sides is just one point and is most certainly not insurmountable, but having been atop the table since the start of the campaign, the pressure is now on City to show resilience, togetherness and character to battle back. This felt like a hugely important weekend in the title race and although we are by no means confined to second place, it will be a tough ask to overcome United.
In a tight game, we rely on our more creative players to make the breakthrough but unfortunately, too many individuals were well below-par. When opposition defences are stubborn and organised, hopes turn towards the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero in the expectation that they can conjure up a moment of brilliance. However, they all had off-days, seemed totally bereft of ideas and as a result, we never really looked like scoring.
Roberto Mancini has received large amounts of criticism, as is the norm (sadly) these days following any defeat, for his tactics and although the final score was incredibly frustrating, his decision to replace the ineffective Gareth Barry with Sergio Aguero after only 36 minutes impressed me. We know he’s a manager who doesn’t mind an early substitution if he believes the game is not going the way he intended, and the introduction of Aguero certainly enabled us to gain a foothold in the match.
The presence of both Mario Balotelli and the Argentinean up front allowed us to exert more pressure on Swansea’s backline, thus allowing them less time and space in which to play out from defence. It was a decision which didn’t produce a goal but it was one that highlighted Mancini’s pro-activeness, an acceptance that change was needed and if the players had showed that sort of dynamism, we may have returned to Manchester with at least a point. As it was, despite having plenty of possession in the second period, we lacked incisiveness and it was the manner of defeat, as much as anything else, which was so disappointing.
Opposition View: Swansea, with no intention of hyperbole, were outstanding. The way in which they controlled the midfield and thus possession in the opening half hour was magnificent and their passing, so easy on the eye, was crisp and intelligent. If I were to be critical, their lack of end product would be a concern, as for all their dominance, Joe Hart was barely forced into action. He saved one penalty from Scott Sinclair but was otherwise virtually untroubled and this is one area which the Swans can perhaps work on. However, that is knit-picking. Their overall style was excellent and they are deserving of all the plaudits that come their way.
As for the Blues, we now return our attention to the Europa League and the visit of Sporting Lisbon on Thursday before that game is followed a week later by a home fixture against Chelsea. We must put this setback behind us, focus on winning again and if we can recapture our early season form, nothing is impossible.
I’ve read a lot of analyses of the game and, sadly, I could only listen to radio coverage, so I’ve not seen it but I felt, especially in the first half when we just couldn’t get our foot on the ball, that it was crying out for Pizarro. A bit more savvy with his passing than Nige and Barry clearly wasn’t having his best day.
Secondly, I say it a lot and it’s not always true, but I almost invariably feel that when Adam Johnson comes on, it’s almost a concession of defeat. He so rarely changes a game, whenever he’s introduced!
Think you are wrong about Johnson as we had won our previous 4 league games where Adam had started and not conceded a goal !! Think the problem is Roberto’s continuous tinkering with the team .
You didn’t see the game, your a lucky man……This was the worst kind of City performance….You know what i mean where absolutely everything goes wrong. I have said it before and i know people will think i’m an idiot but Aguero will not simply do when it comes down to it in this league. He is a player of flair and class for sure but in tight games where the team is nowhere near their best…..We need Tevez this game and the rest of the season screams out for him….Please hae him on the bench aganst Chelsea Roberto!!
I think we’re also lacking a real midfield general. Barry has played very well this season but for all his talent, he’s not a natural leader. When the going gets tough, you need someone to show character and take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Our season effectively starts now. 10 games to go and we need to win every one of them. Do that, and we WILL be champions.
Our defeats this year have been by the scores of 2-1, 1-0, 1-0 and 1-0, while the rags have score lines of 6-1, 3-0, and 3-2 (to a bottom dwelling club) in their losses.
Shows that we have been unlucky as opposed to poor at times. We are still yet to surrender more than 2 goals in a match. But 1 more loss is 1 more loss.
If United win the league this year it will be very deflating. We have clearly been the better squad, but United will have their slip-ups. We just need to keep fighting.
I disagree with you, De Jong should have gone off for Brry as he had already been booked by that stage and can be a huge liability at times
From the beginning, the objective was never to win the title though it would definitely be great if we do so. We need to look at last year and the year before, and then anyone would realize the scope of stride the team has taken by leaps and bounds. And Mancini should be backed up even if the team loses the next 10 games.
I agree, a very deflating loss, but all this our players had a poor game, the fact is Swansea did not allow them to play, they did not have a poor game, they did not raise there game to out class Swansea, that’s what the Swans did, each and every one of them raised there game because the leader were coming to town.
They even had some of there highly regarded players injured and suspended, they had there trouble as well, end of day they dealt with it better then we did.
If we are going to win this league we need to man up against teams that are playing better then us, does not matter who they are, Swansea were no push over and we went into that game as if they were, I’m just glad we played them in the opening game of the season, I think them at home now would be a different game.
COME ON MAN CITY…
We were shocking on Sunday and poor against Lisbon. We have, however bounced back well throughout the season and quickly eliminated rumours and rumblings from the media and fans. Victories against Lisbon and Chelsea which of course being at home we are well capable of, can help us regain our momentum and shut the media up and fill the fans with optimism again. United have been impressively getting results, usually by a mixture of fortune and experience. But despite us being knocked off the top for the first time in months, lets not forget that we HAVE been the best team in this league all season, or that we outclassed our closest rivals beyond all doubt on their own pitch. Ten games to go, including United at home, lets hope we can do enough. CTID