Mancini eyes keen midfield battle

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Roberto Mancini will be asking his midfielders his to raise their game once again when they face Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Patrick Vieira's three match suspension means that the City manager will not be able to select the trio of the Frenchman, Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong as he has preferred to at times since Vieira's return to fitness.

That means that Stephen Ireland could be one option for Mancini, who sees the battle with Gerrard, Mascherano and Aquilani as key to the result of Sunday's sell-out showdown.

He said, "Without Patrick we really only have Nigel, Gareth and Stephen as midfielders. I have asked a lot of them so far and probably will do against Liverpool, but they have done well for us.

"To win we will have to concentrate at
all times and play to our maximum. We
can’t leave any space for them. It will
be a very different game to those
against Stoke, we need to put our way
of playing on Liverpool which I think
we should be able to."

With the two sides so close in the table and with so much at stake, Mancini has echoed Shaun Wright-Phillips in asking for City's fans to influence proceedings as much as they can.

"They will be most important to us on Sunday, we need them because it is such a big game against a good side that is so near to us in the table. They can push the team on and be like the 12th player."

mcfc.co.uk

[Mase]

I'd rather he put SWP in instead of Pat and just go with 2 wingers.

[King Kev]

I'd rather he put SWP in instead of Pat and just go with 2 wingers.

I agree. I reckon 2 wingers on our wide pitch against Liverpool will be far more effective than they were on Stoke's narrow pitch.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

I think SWP will play.

[Whassat]

Code: Select all

                 Given
           Lescott   Toure   

Richards                         Bridge

SWP        Kompany   Barry       Bellamy   

                De Jong

                  Ade


Seems like a likely setup considering our options...

[Scorchio]

Code: Select all

                 Given
           Lescott   Toure   

Richards                         Bridge

SWP        Kompany   Barry       Bellamy   

                De Jong

                  Ade


Seems like a likely setup considering our options...

Prefer:

Given
Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

SWP De Jong Barry Johnson

Ireland

Ade

But expect your team with Johnson instead of Bellamy. Maybe even Zabba as another DM and SWP on the bench as I dont think Mancio rates him.

[Kiss_The_Goat]

Code: Select all

                 Given
           Lescott   Toure   

Richards                         Bridge

SWP        Kompany   Barry       Bellamy   

                De Jong

                  Ade


Seems like a likely setup considering our options...

Prefer:

Given
Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

SWP De Jong Barry Johnson

Ireland

Ade

But expect your team with Johnson instead of Bellamy. Maybe even Zabba as another DM and SWP on the bench as I dont think Mancio rates him.

I'm thinking, going on the article on the site that they'll line up like this:

.......................Given..........................

Richards.......Toure.....Lescott........Bridge..

...........Ireland....De Jong.....Barry............

SWP.........................................Johnson.

.....................Ade.............................


or if the Tevez thing has been a load of mind games and hes back for tomorrow it'll be...


.......................Given..........................

Richards.......Toure.....Lescott........Bridge..

...........Ireland....De Jong.......Barry............

...................<--- Johnson --->.....................

.................Tevez.............Ade..............

[Original Dub]

Code: Select all

                 Given
           Lescott   Toure   

Richards                         Bridge

SWP        Kompany   Barry       Bellamy   

                De Jong

                  Ade


Seems like a likely setup considering our options...

Prefer:

Given
Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

SWP De Jong Barry Johnson

Ireland

Ade

But expect your team with Johnson instead of Bellamy. Maybe even Zabba as another DM and SWP on the bench as I dont think Mancio rates him.

I'm thinking, going on the article on the site that they'll line up like this:

.......................Given..........................

Richards.......Toure.....Lescott........Bridge..

...........Ireland....De Jong.....Barry............

SWP.........................................Johnson.

.....................Ade.............................


or if the Tevez thing has been a load of mind games and hes back for tomorrow it'll be...


.......................Given..........................

Richards.......Toure.....Lescott........Bridge..

...........Ireland....De Jong.......Barry............

...................<--- Johnson --->.....................

.................Tevez.............Ade..............

It would be the mother of all mind games... not a fucking chance in hell mate!

I'd start with either Ireland or Jinky but not both... if Bellamy is fit. If not then I'd also play De Jong in front of the back four, Kompany into the middle.

[avoidconfusion]

Let's not kid ourselves here. This is the formation Mancini will play:

----------------Gven
Zabaleta Toure Lescott Bridge
De Jong Kompany Barry Garrido
--------------Richards

[Somerset Blue]

Let's not kid ourselves here. This is the formation Mancini will play:

----------------Gven
Zabaleta Toure Lescott Bridge
De Jong Kompany Barry Garrido
--------------Richards

I think Mancini will probably use his full entitlement of 11, so expect Sylvinho to be 'up front' with Richards!

[ant london]

I can't watch this today and, well, I'm actually quite glad.

I think we are going to get dicked, and I think it will be a horror show to watch if the last few games' "performances" are anything to go by. I haven't felt this negative about watching us for bloody ages. I felt more positive under Pearce when I felt at least he was making the best out of a bad position.

Keen midfield battle....why don't we actually try to outplay the Scousers rather than just grinding them down. Please please please let Roberto make me look silly and overly negative today. I want to be proven totally wrong.

[avoidconfusion]

I can't watch this today and, well, I'm actually quite glad.

I think we are going to get dicked, and I think it will be a horror show to watch if the last few games' "performances" are anything to go by. I haven't felt this negative about watching us for bloody ages. I felt more positive under Pearce when I felt at least he was making the best out of a bad position.

Keen midfield battle....why don't we actually try to outplay the Scousers rather than just grinding them down. Please please please let Roberto make me look silly and overly negative today. I want to be proven totally wrong.

Got the same bad feeling as well. At the beginning of the season I thought we could beat anyone and we did for the first 5 games. But even when we started drawing I felt we could beat anyone.

Now I am shitting myself before every game thinking we will get battered.

[Whassat]

I can't watch this today and, well, I'm actually quite glad.

I think we are going to get dicked, and I think it will be a horror show to watch if the last few games' "performances" are anything to go by. I haven't felt this negative about watching us for bloody ages. I felt more positive under Pearce when I felt at least he was making the best out of a bad position.

Keen midfield battle....why don't we actually try to outplay the Scousers rather than just grinding them down. Please please please let Roberto make me look silly and overly negative today. I want to be proven totally wrong.

Got the same bad feeling as well. At the beginning of the season I thought we could beat anyone and we did for the first 5 games. But even when we started drawing I felt we could beat anyone.

Now I am shitting myself before every game thinking we will get battered.

We have far more to loose now than we did at the beginning of the season, when all we could do was look forward with anticipation on the forthcoming matches. We are sitting 4th and with a wee bit of luck and the team putting in some effort we just might win not only this game but finish in a CL spot.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

The only thing I fear is the same kind of performance we have been served up in the last bunch of games. Of course midfield will be a battle , that's the way Pool play, but we have to have some real desire to win the game and that means a midfield that actually supports the attack. I do think if we play it their way we might come unstuck.

[david yearsley]

The only thing I fear is the same kind of performance we have been served up in the last bunch of games. Of course midfield will be a battle , that's the way Pool play, but we have to have some real desire to win the game and that means a midfield that actually supports the attack. I do think if we play it their way we might come unstuck.

This is the key to the rest of our season imo along with belief - just as it was down to Hughes before it ´s now Mancio´s task to get them "at it!"