MAN CITY v Tottenham Hotspur – The PREVIEW: City’s Probable Team
23 Nov
After the international break, attention returns to domestic matters and this fixture against Spurs. Manuel Pellegrini faces a tricky choice between Joe Hart and Costel Pantilimon for the goalkeeper’s berth, although the manager has hinted that he’ll keep faith with the Romanian. A personal opinion is that he was right to drop Hart when he did, but it’s now time to bring the England stopper back. In defence, Vincent Kompany is still sidelined, while there is healthy competition for both slots at fullback.
Fernandinho is available again after sitting out the deflating defeat away to Sunderland, so he’ll partner Yaya Touré in the centre, with either Jesus Navas or James Milner featuring in place of the injured David Silva. Sergio Aguero scored twice over the break for Argentina and he’ll be primed to continue his flourishing partnership with Alvaro Negredo.
Here is the side Pellegrini could select:
Referee: Howard Webb.
Prediction: MAN CITY 2 – 1 Spurs – The Blues, on their day, are scintillating at home and have scored goals aplenty recently but the visitors have the potential to be more than tricky customers. I’m backing City to nick an exciting and tense affair, with goals to be scored by Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and Roberto Soldado.
Good dquad except I’d play kolorov in place of clichy based on current form. I think bothsides will score plenty of goals with Nasri and Aguero having big games. City 4-2 Spurs.
I think Kolarov should get the nod over Clichy for this match. His link up play with Nasri has been excellent this season and with Silva injured Kolarov will be key for providing on outlet on the left for Nasri as Kolarov likes to get to the byline more often than Clichy. I also think it’s vital for City to press Spurs high up the pitch so I’m hoping YaYa doesn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities.
When up against sides with pacey wingers I’d always tend to go with Zaba and Clichy but I’m minded that without Merlin, even with Naz in excellent form for us, we don’t have the snap in the creative midfield and make far less scoring chances.
As you say, Aleks Kolarov’s link up play and overlapping runs from deep with Nasri have been a feature of some of City’s best attacking moments this season and at home we should be taking the game to our opponents and Nasty does a decent job of covering Kolarov’s absences when he’s at the other end of the field.
Zeus and Aleks are our best crossers of the ball and it’s going to take guile and variety to break down Spuds efficient defence.
Well I got that last sentence spot on