Reading v MAN CITY: The PREVIEW – City’s Probable Team
13 May
Pablo Zabaleta is suspended following his red card in the FA Cup final so his place will be taken by either Maicon or Micah Richards, while Joleon Lescott is an option to start instead of Matija Nastasic who has looked fatigued over the past month or so. Gael Clichy suffered a torrid time at the hands of Callum McManaman on Saturday but Aleks Kolarov is hardly an improvement on the defensive front.
In midfield, Yaya Touré looked well off the pace against Wigan so Jack Rodwell may be in line to feature, as could James Milner and Edin Dzeko. With, to say the least, uncertainty over the managerial position, it’s almost impossible to second guess the team, but a point is still needed to confirm a second-place finish so I’d expect to see a strong City team.
Here is the side Mancini could select:
Referee: Martin Atkinson – He has officiated three City matches this season, two of which we crushing defeats (Manchester United at home, Southampton away) while he was in the middle when we were victorious at the Etihad Stadium against Swansea.
Prediction: Reading 0 – 2 MAN CITY – It is, in all likelihood, going to be a fairly sedate match with neither side having a great deal to play with. Goals to be scored by James Milner and Sergio Aguero.
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I’m so disappointed with the club right now, not because we haven’t won anything but because they have left us in this situation. I’m not Mancini’s biggest fan but i would like to know if the manager is going to stay or not, it’s unfair to him and it’s unfair to us.
City’s massed ranks of senior managers have been absolutely appalling. The cull should start with this useless load of free-loaders.
The way this has been totally mishandled has done a lot of damage to City’s reputation and image.
For those who have joining the attacks on Mancini you are bad as the pathetic senior management mismanaging the club. Go and support United you plastics.
As much as you may like Mancini, you should keep in mind that it is the club owners financial power that has got us here [do not even thing if it had not been for their money, Mancini would have accepted to coach City]. Do not get me wrong, I like Bobby but if the owners decide to sack him, I would not hesitate even for a nano-second to get behind them. With all said, Bobby will have my ever-lasting gratitude for what he has done for us, esp the orgasmic title win last season!
Bench both Barry the goof, Yaya the slacker and Pair up Milner with Rodwell in the middle that should give enough mobility to DM field. The FA cup loss truly killed any positivity in me and I am on the border of depression!
Barry is no ‘goof’, and don’t give me that crap about the short pass that caused zab to miss a tackle. Barry was one of our better players in the final, and a million passes get misplaced every game, it just stands out a lot more when a player dives in to try and retrieve it.
You could debate on the central midfield partnership, and maybe a change is necessary, but to berate 2 players who played a massive role in our success in the last few years and are still very capable is just wrong.
The goof was a reference to FA cup final game as this post is about and it was a goof. Apart from that, he has been nothing short of outstanding in majority of the games.
Oh well it seems I am wrong as the post is about Reading game not FA. I guess I have quite been shaken by FA cup loss and Bobby’s dismissal that I do not even know which post I am reading. I think I need a week or two to get into right state of mind! I truly feel like crap
With constant talk of designing a long term plan that included being pragmatic in our decision making, it is one thing for us to sack the most successful manager at city in my lifetime, but it is quite another to deal with to the point of being unprofessional and disrespectful.
The last week in general makes me feel almost sick to my stomach but a few years ago I would have longed for problems like this. CTID.
Mancini is sacked, it is official, you can read it below:
http://www.mcfc.com/News/Club-news/2013/May/Club-statement-13-May-2013
I truly feel like having lost a person who is dear to me and I can barely control my emotions. I truly do not know what to say
Looks like i spoke too soon, i don’t think at this point he could have stayed on, but for what it’s worth thanks for the Memories Roberto
Going to Reading game, I can not help to think that this is how it feels to be a Chelsea fan. It sucks!
Yupiiii !!!! The scarf model gets the sack at last !!! we will win 0-5 against reading without him. goals to be scored by tevez (2) aguero nasri and rodwell
honestly, its not like he was bad. just think about it this way. would you rather be runner up in the league, MAKE IT into the champions league, and runner up in the FA cup. or 10th in the league, not even in the group stages, and getting knocked out in the 2nd round. I know that there was a money change and everything but maybe they could have given him another chance. calling his a scarf model is going to far. its not like its easy to manage players. One of the big reasons he got sacked was because of bad relationships with the players, and honestly, its not easy keeping your cool with some of these guys. now, I realize he went way to far sometimes like when he said he wanted to punch Nasri, but if any of us was the manager, we would go CRAZY. plus he has to deal with people criticizing him everywhere he goes. it is VERY stressful
come on man. a coach of his name managing a team of such calibre just HAVE to be good at man managing! Look at our team. He didn’t have a good relationship with nasri hart balotelli dzeko sinclair kolarov kompany lescott tevez. Who can you achieve success this way?
I’m posting here again because i think some people are going overboard, like most fans i like and respect Roberto, but he still had a car crash of a season. So anyone attacking the club for turning into Chelsea are well wide of the mark. It would have been stupid not to have a replacement lined up.
Man so gutted right now. I’m traveling from New Zealand to see my first city game vs Norwich, would have loved to have see Mancini off as I’m eternally greatful for what he did for our club but his champions league record and performances this season have been subpar. Look forward to entering a new era. Ctid. Though I do wonder if this tixki bergestram or what ever really wasn’t a fan of Mancini.. Seemed like things looked very uneasy since his arrival. Maybe he felt Mancini wasn’t the right man going forward..
Just have a good time, seeing the blues play in Manchester with the City fans cheering them on is the biggest privilage, unfortunately not everyone realizes that, i’m sure you will have a great time anyway.
Yeah for sure, it won’t be dampening my spirit on the occasion. Just feel appreciative towards Mancini. Can’t wait to see who they appoint. A new era has begun!
Would love to see Klopp come in, and would love to see a system that utilizes wingers next season. I appreciate the success that Mancini brought City, but he was obviously flawed, mostly in man management (shake your players hands!), and relations with the media. There are managers that can take us much farther than he can, and I am excited personally.