West Ham 0 – 0 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
4 Nov
Some elegant football, a sense of security in defence, total control in midfield but, frustratingly, an absence of a clinical touch in front of goal.
There were plenty of encouraging signs yesterday as City continue to search for their best form, not least the intricate passing and movement from the trio of Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri and Carlos Tévez, plus the composure and languid excellence of Matija Nastasic in defence, but without that killer instinct in front of goal, it left supporters ruing what could well have been three points.
The Blues produced spells of attacking flair but with David Silva absent, and Nasri playing in a slightly deeper role, there was a concerning lack of ingenuity in the final third. West Ham battled well and were resilient in defence, denying our attacking stars too much space, but there was a still a feeling post-match that this was a case of two points dropped, rather than one gained.
After a stuttering start to the season in which our defence has been questioned, this was our third clean sheet in four Premier League games and much has been made, rightly, of Matija Nastasic’s calming presence alongside Vincent Kompany. Roberto Mancini clearly has faith in the youngster, having handed him his debut in the Champions League away to Real Madrid, and the Serbian has shown his quality in abundance.
Against the imposing physical threat of Andy Carroll, Nastasic was imperious in the air and allied to his elegance and composure in possession, he has settled extremely well. Joleon Lescott formed a terrific partnership with Kompany last season but was a touch sluggish at the start of this campaign, so Nastasic has been introduced and looks to be the ball-playing centre-half that Mancini craved.
View From A Blue is delighted to offer an exclusive promotion for readers! Banc De Binary, the global leader in binary options trading, is offering a 100% sign-up bonus for us Blues. No fees, no commissions, and up to 500% profit in 1 trade. Start trading today or try a free $50,000 demo account. Claim your 100% sign-up bonus here!
At the other end of the pitch was Edin Dzeko, and his touch on the ball could not have contrasted further with that of Nastasic. Numerous attacks, started by the silky skills and vision of Balotelli, Nasri and Tévez, broke down at the feet of the Bosnian as his inability to hold the ball up either in the air or on the ground thwarted our endeavours.
He has, incontestably, scored some vital goals throughout his City career, but, as he once again failed to impress when given a start, the feeling persists that he is far better used as an impact substitute, someone who can use his aerial prowess to take advantage of wearying defences late on in games. He lacks the technical competence to link-up with those around him so although it might displease him, it seems that the tag of ‘super-sub’ is the one that best suits Dzeko at the moment.
Generally, this was a promising performance but just lacking that crucial cutting edge. Some of the football played was impressive, the control in midfield was exactly what was needed and with the quality of strikers we possess, that clinical nature will return very soon. Should we continue to fashion chances, scoring goals won’t be a problem.
Opposition View: West Ham started brightly, with Kevin Nolan’s expertly taken turning volley ruled out for offside. It was a close call, one which has split opinion but the midfielder’s head looked to be offside and the rule states that if any part of the body with which a goal can be scored is offside, the goal should not stand. It was close, but correct. Otherwise, they threatened sporadically as we controlled possession but their defence was organised, committed and resolute. They are not too pretty to watch but, like Stoke, their game plan is effective.
As for the Blues, next up is Tuesday’s must-win Champions League encounter with Ajax.
How come that yours is the only report that reckons Nolan’s goal was offside.
No denying that attacks broke down once Dzeko received the ball, as much as I like the player and think he is important for us, he is ‘super sub’ at the moment
A few points:
1- A very frustrating game and to add insult to injury is watching the red necks across the town to be showered with gifts of cards and whistles week after week
2- I never expected Sinclair to be a world class player but seriously if he is that bad that can not make a difference in a game like this one, why on earth he was signed. How much worse a promising raw youth player like Jermey Helan can be? At least he can sit on bench and he will be a lot cheaper!
3- By now, there is no inkling of doubt on the mind of any City’s fan that Dezko has a poor touch and he is not suited for City ‘s so called Barca style of play. Is Mancini that thick to grasp this? You have Dezko and Ballo in there and you have all 11 West Ham players in 18 yard box that keep falling and throwing themselves on every inch much like the way leaves fall from trees, and then you still keep insisting play between spaces!
Use the wings to stretch them and send some f… long balls in the box.
4- As much as I like Mancini and I want him to be in charge for some years to come for the club’s stability sake, I could not help to ignore the whispers of the little devil inside me , fully taking advantage of my frustration, who would repeatedly say “Pep Guardiola”
Jeremy Hel;an is at Shrewsbury on loan.
We played pretty well, but not taking 3 here was a huge disappointment for me. United are enormous favorites for the title already. Their last 6 matches, Liverpool away, Spurs home, Newcastle away, Stoke home, Chelsea away, Arsenal home—and they dropped 3 pts total from those, that’s ridiculous
Chinese dry-cured hams have been recorded in texts since before the Song dynasty and used in myriad dishes. Several types exist in Qing dynasty cuisine and are used in dishes of stewing hams.