london blue 2 wrote:Argh blocked... can you copy and paste?
Ta.
I must admit I was massively surprised with just how defensively Roberto Mancini set his team out last Saturday at White Hart Lane.
A midfield made up of Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong and Yaya Toure is only there to do one thing and that's try to stifle the opposition and deprive their front men of service. Given the number of chances Spurs had to win the game, you could say they didn't carry the game plan out particularly well.
There's a huge amount to like about little Carlos Tevez but to ask him to play upfront on his own and just try and magically make things happen is a little too much even for him. Article continues below...
Sitting on the City bench were such attacking talent as Jo, Emmanuel Adebayor and Adam Johnson and it all came across as far too negative and quite frankly, just not good enough for a side who has spent so heavily over the last couple of years.
Still, they got the draw they clearly set out to get and all in all they'll look back at that point as a good return for their afternoon's work with the added bonus of a clean sheet. A midweek win away at FC Timisoara in the Europa League also included a clean sheet and the game marked the debut of (yet another) new signing Mario Balotelli, who actually scored the winner, so City will consider they've actually started the season pretty well and will fancy their chances against Liverpool in front of their own fans.
Like City, Liverpool's strength at the moment seems to be in defence where a very familiar back five just goes out and keeps thing tight. Upfront, David N'Gog has looked sharp in recent weeks but probably isn't the finished article, Fernando Torres is far from being 100 per cent fit and they'll have to make do without the suspended Joe Cole for this one after his uncharacteristic sending off against Arsenal.
I've said before and I'll say it again: Steven Gerrard is a much greater asset to this side at the heart of the midfield than he is in a second striker's role. Not only does he see more of the ball but he also shows us what he can do defensively in terms of tackling and winning the ball back in addition to creating chances and scoring goals. I've been relatively impressed with what I've seen of Liverpool so far this season and I'm sure they'll improve even further.
That said, an away trip to City may be a little too much for them right now and given that City are carrying the greater momentum and are at home, my money is on Carlitos inspiring the home side to a narrow and priceless win.
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:58 am