Stoke 1 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
16 Sep
A point at the Britannia is something we have become accustomed to in recent years but although we can take a great deal of heart from the fact we more than coped with Stoke’s phyiscal, but limited, approach, there is a tinge of frustration at not being able to grab all three. Javi Garcia’s header and Edin Dzeko’s lob came ever so close to securing the win our display deserved but at the end of season, we may look back and conclude that this was a point gained rather than two lost.
This was a performance characterised by attrition as opposed to our usual fluency, and the character and togetherness shown in the face of the home side’s at times thuggish style suggested much. Whereas in previous seasons we may have succumbed to an early goal and struggled to make an impression on a game, yesterday highlighted how much we’ve kicked on. A thoroughly dominant second-half showing merited all three points but as it is, we are still unbeaten having already traveled to two of the toughest grounds in the country.
Roberto Mancini named a side that clearly took the international break into serious consideration. Of those who had gone away with their countries and featured twice, only Joe Hart and the two centre-backs, Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany, were handed a starting berth. The manager evidently wanted to keep matters fresh for this game and looking ahead to Tuesday’s mouthwatering contest with Real Madrid.
Javi Garcia made his debut and scored the equalising goal with we have been told is a trademark header. However, I was a touch underwhelmed with his overall performance, something which may seem a tad harsh to say bearing in mind it was his first appearance in a City shirt, but although there were promising signs, I think he’ll need to step it up a few notches with Gareth Barry now lurking. Garcia’s positional sense was sound, dropping in to form a back three on occasions when City had the ball but it was his passing which disappointed me.
He seemed nervous, perhaps understandably, and his touch on ball I felt was hesitant and overly cautious. Whilst Barry, last season, kept it simple, he also played with urgency, setting a quick tempo to our play and showed glimpses of incisiveness. Garcia, for me, played it too safe and will have to improve in terms of quality of possession, but there were enough signs to suggest he will.
Scott Sinclair was another debutant and he has taken some flak in certain quarters but I actually thought he was the best of the trio (Maicon and Garcia being the others). His defensive willing, tracking back and ability to tackle would have pleased Mancini enormously and the difference between the former Swansea man and Adam Johnson in that regard was manifest.
On the ball, he displayed some nice touches and looked capable of beating a man either with trickery or pace. There wasn’t too much in the form of end product but that will come with time. It was, in my eyes, an impressive debut at a ground where he may have struggled.
The third if the new-boys, Maicon, is a lovable eccentric. Typically southern-Brazilian in his relaxed manner, he looked far more comfortable bombing forward than he did when faced with a pacy winger in his own half, but as with the other, his performance hinted at more to come. His decision making in attack was sometimes poor, but he looked at home taking on men and displayed pleasing quality in the final third. He will have tougher tests defensively, but he looks like an excellent option as a marauding wingback when we play 3-5-2.
Opposition View: Stoke have the quality of player to play a far more attractive style of football than they currently do. The likes of Kightly, Etherington and Whelan are all excellent footballers but their approach yesterday was limited to say the least. It was very much a route one, hoof the ball to Peter Crouch style which proved effective once but then failed to muster any chances. There was no attempt to pass the ball or get it out wide and use their wingers and I’m sure it’s frustrating to have to observe that every week. Add in the thuggish Charlie Adam and Andy Wilkinson and that’s certainly not a team I’d pay money to watch.
As for the Blues, the tantalising Champions League encounter with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu is next before Arsenal visit the Etihad.
Considering this game and the previous games [except Liverpool one], the winning margin would have been considerably higher, had it not been due to City being unfortunate or as some say “bad luck”. A lot of those chances if replayed 8 times, 7 out of 8 would find their way in the net. As an example put nice and simple by another city fan in a different blog, “a 100th of a second was the difference between Garcia’s header bouncing in off the post and bouncing back to Begovic for a cover, or bouncing out into that melee in front of goal, where there were as many blue shirts as red and white.”
Unless the lady luck has left us by some divine intervention where our draw would be the 1 failure out of 8 week in and week out, goals are going to come galore!
As usual from all the big teams they criticse because they aren’t good enough to beat us, give me 300 million and i will play great football, get knocked out in the champions league first group stage and this year get humiliated by Real Madrid, your not a football team you r a bank that can’t and won’t ever balance the books,unlike u we r in the black!!!
If you guys had 300m, you would be better off funding a basketball team. Since having money destroys a football team, why not eh? With crouch as your star player,even the us national team would bow down to the powerhouse that is stoke city basketball club.
City are a complete Joke of a club, now their got a bit of money and bought a trophy or two, they actually think they have achieved something.
No you’ve bought a title, and on goal difference against the weakest compition the premier league has ever seen (mainly due to your tapping up of rival players).
It is really quiet sad, as for Mancini, any other Manager could have achieved the same if not more with the same resources.
City are a joke of a club, the supporters have become the biggest joke running around like a teenage boy thinking he has the hotest girlfreind when everyone else knows she’s on the game.
City used to have a history of Royale & Ball etc. and players that played for the shirt and not money. that has been lost and tainted by the modern plastic club and the fickle fans that believe that buying the title means winning it.
You need to get laid.
Ouch. A hint of jealousy? I wonder what you’d be saying if your team had all that money, makes me wonder, hmm?
>> City used to have a history of Royale & Ball etc. and >> players that played for the shirt and not money.
In any PROFESSIONAL sport, the athletes / players play for money as it is a job and career much like your daily job. Everyone with Job works for a paycheck and everyone tries to maximize his/her return. If you fail to understand this simple concept, either you are a United fan or mentally retarded which is basically the same.
Blue Moan Moan Moan ! Say something original and get off the bandwaggon