MAN CITY 2 – 1 Chelsea – MY THOUGHTS
22 Mar
What drama, what tension, what spirit! A quite incredible end to a vitally important game and a result which maintains our title aspirations. In a match full of excitement and nerves, one moment of class from Carlos Tévez and Samir Nasri five minutes from the end secured victory for the Blues and reduced the gap to Manchester United, again, to just one point.
Hitting back at the critics who doubted our credentials, the players displayed vast amounts of character, self belief and togetherness, fighting back from one goal down to record a thrilling triumph. It was nothing more than we deserved, having dominated proceedings throughout, but the tension in the closing stages was palpable and the relief evident when Mike Dean blew the final whistle.
On a night when the team showed such spirit, a handful of individuals stood out, none more so than Samir Nasri. Since arriving in the summer from Arsenal, the Frenchman has underwhelmed, having one promising performance then a couple of average displays, but he finally demonstrated his quality yesterday with a quite majestic 90 minutes.
Right from the start, he looked to control the game, drifting in from out wide to influence matters. His dribbling, at pace, with the ball was sublime, his touch and vision both excellent and he showed a real desire and intent to be the main man. An effort in the first half, a delectable chip over Petr Cech, struck the bar but he went one better to notch the winner following a sumptuous one-two with the returning Tévez. It was a finish, and display, of real class and one which we hope can be reproduced time and time again.
Almost as impressive last night, but without receiving the same levels of adulation, were our two fullbacks, Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy. Both were essential to the way we played, their incredible energy levels and ability to get up and down their flanks allowing the likes of Nasri to drift inside.
Zabaleta, as always, produced a performance which embodied our spirit, full of character, passion and heart. Clichy, likewise, was magnificent throughout and fully justified Mancini’s decision to select him ahead of Aleks Kolarov. Their contributions are often unnoticed, or sometimes ignored, as attention is focused on our more creative players, but they were both tremendous last night and are fully deserving of any praise that comes their way.
It’s impossible to talk about individuals from the game without mentioning a certain Carlos Tévez, whose return was greeted with a mixture of half-hearted applause, plenty of silence and a smattering of boos. Having been summoned from the bench by Mancini just after the hour mark, it was good of Tévez to actually come on, and his introduction did make a difference.
Despite understandably lacking sharpness, his spatial awareness and ability to drift off defenders was still there to see, whilst his ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play was much needed. The assist for Nasri’s winning goal was sublime, the touch and timing of the pass perfect and if he can remain fit, motivated and hungry, he can be an asset.
I must give the final word on City to the fans who, after a slightly frustrating first hour in which there was the occasional groan, rallied behind the players and created a vociferous atmosphere. The electric noise in the final minutes can only have inspired the team to victory and we must recreate that din more often.
Opposition View: To be brutally honest, Chelsea didn’t deserve anything from the game and their performance, a largely backs-to-the-walls display, did nothing to inspire belief. Their exertions against Napoli may well have taken a great deal out of them physically as they struggled to cope with our movement in midfield. Frank Lampard looks a shadow of his former self, whilst it seemed an odd decision to leave Daniel Sturridge, who so mercilessly ripped Gael Clichy to shreds at Stamford Bridge, on the bench. Fernando Torres worked tirelessly up front but was isolated for large periods and grew increasingly frustrated, and it seemed a tired, largely laboured visiting effort.
As for City, a challenging trip to Stoke at the weekend is next and victory there is essential if our success last night is not to go to waste.
If we win at Stoke, and that’s a big IF, THEN i will believe that City can win the title. But for that to happen we have to have Tevez playing for us he is simply a class above our other forwards
Unfortunitely Tevez showed us what we were missing and what we need, his energy is incredible and his ability to drag and stretch defenders creates space for others to shine. We need a replacemnet in the summer market.