Boxing Day B*l**x
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:01 amTHE BOLLOX
Roberto Mancini paid the price for failure, can Manuel Pellegrini avoid the same fate?
When Sheikh Mansour made Manchester City his Cinderella club, he probably didn't realise he was buying into a genuine football pantomime.
If 2012 was the year when City got sprinkled with title-winning magic dust, the last 12 months have proved that old habits die hard with the Blues.
For those who claimed the boys and girls of the Kippax had sold their soul during their own Arab Spring of 2008, this year proved that Typical City is still alive and kicking in deepest east Manchester.
And, despite the odd touch of heartache, deep down City's fans wouldn't want it any other way.
Their defence of the title under Roberto Mancini was disappointing alright.
But only City could allow Manchester United to win the Premier League without breaking sweat and then go to Old Trafford to give the champions-elect a footballing lesson.
A few days after beating United, the Blues swept aside Chelsea with another impressive performance in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
Yet when they returned to Wembley the following month to face a Wigan side that was about to be relegated, it looked as if the players had gone on strike just to make sure that Mancini's P45 would be posted without delay.
And so it came to pass that, a year to the day after Sergio Aguero had won the Premier League title 94 minutes and 20 seconds into the last game of the season, Mancini was sacked.
Many City fans were furious.
Mancini had delivered on his promise to tear down the infamous banner on the Stretford End by winning the FA Cup.
Then he had masterminded the greatest-ever finish to a season and handed Sir Alex Ferguson his most desperate day as United manager in the process.
Most City fans could remember when a successful season meant 40 points before the last week in April.
So they weren't going to give Bobby Manc much grief for finishing second in the league and the FA Cup.
But City's owners and executives had other ideas.
Mancini didn't pay the price for results. It was simply decided that his management-by-dictatorship style had run its course.
Even so, the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini was so messy that you wondered whether Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano weren't really Spanish, but the long-lost offspring of Peter Swales.
But then you remembered that this was, after all, still Manchester City.
Pellegrini hasn't got any of Mancini's charm or mischievous sense of humour. He doesn't conjure up press conference soundbites to get journalists' pulses racing.
If Mancini was a modern-day Malcolm Allison then Pellegrini is more like Joe Mercer.
He's a manager who likes his team to do his talking on the pitch.
And his message so far has been to attack, attack, attack.
Against Norwich, the Blues scored seven. Tottenham and Arsenal were both hit for six.
And it says everything that some City fans were furious that their team only scored four in the Manchester derby.
Just to prove that Pellegrini really has bought into the City way of doing things, there have also been defeats at Cardiff, Aston Villa and Sunderland.
It has been a year of change at the Etihad. But, where Manchester City are concerned, some things will always remain the same.
Highlight
City 6-3 dismantling of Arsenal last month will surely be the game of the season. Yes, the Gunners could have scored five themselves, but City could have hit double figures that day.
Low point
Roberto Mancini and the 50,000 City fans who travelled to the FA Cup Final in May deserved better than the 1-0 Wembley surrender to a Wigan team that was about to be relegated.
Player of the Year
Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Fernandinho all deserve honourable mentions, but 2013 has belonged to Pablo Zabaleta to such an extent that checks need to be made to see whether the Argentine with the Manc accent was born in Beswick rather than Buenos Aires.
New Year's Resolution
To stop throwing away points away from Fortress Etihad. City have squandered leads at Cardiff and Aston Villa, presented Chelsea with a last-minute winner and the only time they have failed to score this season was when losing at struggling Sunderland.
There will, of course, always be a price to pay when you embrace a philosophy of all-out attack but every defeat so far this season has come courtesy of basic individual errors.
Personal highlight
The Spanish newspaper headline that admitted City were the last club Barcelona wanted to face in the Champions League before the draw for the last 16 was made, illustrated that the Blues have well and truly arrived in Europe.
Liverpool face Man City title test
Liverpool may be top of the table at Christmas but they face a test of their title credentials when they travel to Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Third-placed City are a point behind the Reds and have a 100% league record at Etihad Stadium so far this season.
Only two points separate the top five.
Second-placed Arsenal are at West Ham, while Chelsea, who are fourth, host Swansea. Everton, in fifth, entertain Sunderland, while Manchester United travel to Hull.
Reigning champions United are eighth, six points off the top four and eight points adrift of Liverpool.
Striker Robin van Persie and midfielder Michael Carrick have respective thigh and Achilles injuries but the Old Trafford club's boss David Moyes hinted the pair could be back soon.
"This is the time when miracles happen," said the Scot. "Let us hope there is one for Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick."
All 20 Premier League teams will be playing on Boxing Day. The game at Hull gets proceedings under way at 12:45 GMT, while the match between City and Liverpool at 17:30 GMT concludes the action.
City have won all eight league games at home and scored 35 goals in the process, including six against both Tottenham and Arsenal and four in the Manchester derby.
But the Reds have the Premier League's top scorer, Luis Suarez, in their ranks. The Uruguayan, who missed the start of the season because of suspension, has 19 goals from 12 games so far.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers played down his side's title chances after a win over Cardiff and thinks Manchester City are the favourites.
Arsenal, who make a trip across London to Upton Park, drew 0-0 with Chelsea on Monday have now gone three league games without a win as they go for a first title since 2004.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, says this season's title race is "unbelievable" as he prepares to pit his wits against Swansea counterpart Michael Laudrup.
New Tottenham boss Sherwood's first game in permanent charge will be against West Brom
Tottenham have appointed Tim Sherwood as their new head coach. The 44-year-old's first game in permanent charge will be a home game against West Brom.
Spurs have failed to win in their last three league games at White Hart Lane and face a managerless Baggies side who are three points above the relegation zone.
Newcastle, in sixth, are one of the top-flight's form teams with six wins from their last eight outings and they host Stoke.
The Potters are unbeaten in four league matches but have lost five and won just once in their eight away games.
Malky Mackay remains in charge of Cardiff, despite owner Vincent Tan sending him an email recently telling him to resign or be sacked.
The Bluebirds are four points off the relegation zone as they prepare to face a Southampton side who have not won in six games.
Play mediaI thought I would be sacked - Mackay
Mackay is eager for the club to resolve their off-field problems to help in the club's battle for survival.
Asked whether the situation might hinder their hopes of staying up, he replied: "Yes, absolutely. You can't have your dirty linen washed in public every week of the year without it affecting the club.
"I'm not saying it immediately affects the players because that's my job to make sure I protect them."
Crystal Palace and Fulham are both in the bottom three on 13 points and they will hope to help their fight against relegation when they play Aston Villa and Norwich respectively.
Bottom-of-the-table Sunderland have 10 points as they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton, whose manager Roberto Martinez is wary of the threat posed by the Black Cats.
"I'm fully focused on respecting a team like Sunderland," said Martinez, who believes Black Cats boss Gus Poyet is capable of bringing success to the club. "We'll have to be at our best."
Man City reject Ibrahim attracting interest from Everton, Southampton and Swansea
Manchester City will push for a compensation fee of £250,000 for midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim.
The Norway Under-21 international has been told he can leave the Etihad Stadium by manager Manuel Pellegrini.
But City are looking for a substantial training compensation figure before allowing Ibrahim - who has been likened to Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure - to leave next month.
A host of Premier League clubs are interested in the 22-year-old, including Swansea, Everton and Southampton, while QPR and Reading are also keen.
Ibrahim, who is back at City following a successful loan spell at Norwegian club Stromgodset, is also attracting interest from Italy and France.
The midfielder was tipped for big things at City, but the club's mega spending sprees has restricted his progress.
He has made three senior appearances for the City since making his first-team debut in 2009.
Manuel Pellegrini outraged over Man City fixture jam
MANUEL PELLEGRINI has hit out at fixture planners for giving Manchester City a crammed Christmas programme.
The Chilean coach claimed his team have drawn the short straw by having to face Liverpool today at 5.30pm and then travel to South London to face Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Title rivals Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea all get an extra day’s rest, with their second game on Sunday.
Pellegrini neglected to mention champions Manchester United also have matches today – at home to Hull – then have to go to Norwich on Saturday.
But in a season where top bosses have lined up to moan about scheduling – which is driven, on most occasions, by lucrative TV deals – Pellegrini took his turn.
He said: “I don’t know if the word is ridiculous but playing 46 hours from one game to another is not the best thing for the players – they cannot recover in 46 hours.
“All the teams must have the same rest, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool all of them play on the 26th and 29th.
“And we play on the 26th and 28th. It’s not fair, it should be the same for all teams.
“First of all we have to beat Liverpool, then we see what we will do against Crystal Palace. It’s not easy to pick the same team after a break of 46 hours.”
City will have to try to stop Luis Suarez today, with the Anfield ace in sensational form, having scored 19 goals in 12 league games.
But Pellegrini insisted he had no special tactics for dealing with the Uruguayan striker.
“We have no special plans,” he said.
“He is a player that is in a good moment but we must continue playing the same way at home.
“He has always been a very good striker. But Liverpool are not only Suarez – they are a very good team, it will be a tough game and we hope we can continue winning at home.
“I repeat we are not playing against Liverpool thinking of Luis Suarez.
“We are playing against Liverpool thinking we must repeat what we are doing at home this season.”
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is planning a £48m raid for Napoli's Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, 26, who played under him at Real Madrid. Sun
Manchester United manager David Moyes is to make a £30m bid for Atletico Madrid's attacking midfielder Koke, 21, when the transfer window opens. Daily Mirror
Moyes has also been told that if he wants to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, 24, it will cost up to £40m. DSSC
The Old Trafford side are also poised to make a move for Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana, 25, who is rated at about £15m. Daily Star
Roberto Martinez says Everton must wait until the end of the season to open talks on a permanent deal for Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry, 32. Guardian
Arsenal have been quoted £22m if they want to sign Newcastle's French midfielder Yohan Cabaye in the January transfer window. DSSC
Liverpool are ready to reward manager Brendan Rodgers, 40, with a new contract worth more than £2m a year. Rodgers has only 18 months left to run on the three-year deal he signed in 2012. Daily Mirror
West Brom caretaker manager Keith Downing has denied rumours striker Nicolas Anelka is coasting to the end of his career at the club, and insists the 34-year-old former France striker will have a part to play over the holiday period. DSSC
Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, 24, has thanked his girlfriend's father, former Dutch great Johan Neeskens, for his help as he prepares to return after 13 weeks out injured. Neeskens was part of the Dutch side who were runners-up at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. Daily Star
Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana has freed himself up for the World Cup by getting married on Christmas Eve. The 25-year-old was due to tie the knot with fiancee Emily Jubb on the day of England's first match in Brazil but they brought the big day forward. Sun
Roberto Mancini paid the price for failure, can Manuel Pellegrini avoid the same fate?
When Sheikh Mansour made Manchester City his Cinderella club, he probably didn't realise he was buying into a genuine football pantomime.
If 2012 was the year when City got sprinkled with title-winning magic dust, the last 12 months have proved that old habits die hard with the Blues.
For those who claimed the boys and girls of the Kippax had sold their soul during their own Arab Spring of 2008, this year proved that Typical City is still alive and kicking in deepest east Manchester.
And, despite the odd touch of heartache, deep down City's fans wouldn't want it any other way.
Their defence of the title under Roberto Mancini was disappointing alright.
But only City could allow Manchester United to win the Premier League without breaking sweat and then go to Old Trafford to give the champions-elect a footballing lesson.
A few days after beating United, the Blues swept aside Chelsea with another impressive performance in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
Yet when they returned to Wembley the following month to face a Wigan side that was about to be relegated, it looked as if the players had gone on strike just to make sure that Mancini's P45 would be posted without delay.
And so it came to pass that, a year to the day after Sergio Aguero had won the Premier League title 94 minutes and 20 seconds into the last game of the season, Mancini was sacked.
Many City fans were furious.
Mancini had delivered on his promise to tear down the infamous banner on the Stretford End by winning the FA Cup.
Then he had masterminded the greatest-ever finish to a season and handed Sir Alex Ferguson his most desperate day as United manager in the process.
Most City fans could remember when a successful season meant 40 points before the last week in April.
So they weren't going to give Bobby Manc much grief for finishing second in the league and the FA Cup.
But City's owners and executives had other ideas.
Mancini didn't pay the price for results. It was simply decided that his management-by-dictatorship style had run its course.
Even so, the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini was so messy that you wondered whether Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano weren't really Spanish, but the long-lost offspring of Peter Swales.
But then you remembered that this was, after all, still Manchester City.
Pellegrini hasn't got any of Mancini's charm or mischievous sense of humour. He doesn't conjure up press conference soundbites to get journalists' pulses racing.
If Mancini was a modern-day Malcolm Allison then Pellegrini is more like Joe Mercer.
He's a manager who likes his team to do his talking on the pitch.
And his message so far has been to attack, attack, attack.
Against Norwich, the Blues scored seven. Tottenham and Arsenal were both hit for six.
And it says everything that some City fans were furious that their team only scored four in the Manchester derby.
Just to prove that Pellegrini really has bought into the City way of doing things, there have also been defeats at Cardiff, Aston Villa and Sunderland.
It has been a year of change at the Etihad. But, where Manchester City are concerned, some things will always remain the same.
Highlight
City 6-3 dismantling of Arsenal last month will surely be the game of the season. Yes, the Gunners could have scored five themselves, but City could have hit double figures that day.
Low point
Roberto Mancini and the 50,000 City fans who travelled to the FA Cup Final in May deserved better than the 1-0 Wembley surrender to a Wigan team that was about to be relegated.
Player of the Year
Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Fernandinho all deserve honourable mentions, but 2013 has belonged to Pablo Zabaleta to such an extent that checks need to be made to see whether the Argentine with the Manc accent was born in Beswick rather than Buenos Aires.
New Year's Resolution
To stop throwing away points away from Fortress Etihad. City have squandered leads at Cardiff and Aston Villa, presented Chelsea with a last-minute winner and the only time they have failed to score this season was when losing at struggling Sunderland.
There will, of course, always be a price to pay when you embrace a philosophy of all-out attack but every defeat so far this season has come courtesy of basic individual errors.
Personal highlight
The Spanish newspaper headline that admitted City were the last club Barcelona wanted to face in the Champions League before the draw for the last 16 was made, illustrated that the Blues have well and truly arrived in Europe.
Liverpool face Man City title test
Liverpool may be top of the table at Christmas but they face a test of their title credentials when they travel to Manchester City on Boxing Day.
Third-placed City are a point behind the Reds and have a 100% league record at Etihad Stadium so far this season.
Only two points separate the top five.
Second-placed Arsenal are at West Ham, while Chelsea, who are fourth, host Swansea. Everton, in fifth, entertain Sunderland, while Manchester United travel to Hull.
Reigning champions United are eighth, six points off the top four and eight points adrift of Liverpool.
Striker Robin van Persie and midfielder Michael Carrick have respective thigh and Achilles injuries but the Old Trafford club's boss David Moyes hinted the pair could be back soon.
"This is the time when miracles happen," said the Scot. "Let us hope there is one for Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick."
All 20 Premier League teams will be playing on Boxing Day. The game at Hull gets proceedings under way at 12:45 GMT, while the match between City and Liverpool at 17:30 GMT concludes the action.
City have won all eight league games at home and scored 35 goals in the process, including six against both Tottenham and Arsenal and four in the Manchester derby.
But the Reds have the Premier League's top scorer, Luis Suarez, in their ranks. The Uruguayan, who missed the start of the season because of suspension, has 19 goals from 12 games so far.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers played down his side's title chances after a win over Cardiff and thinks Manchester City are the favourites.
Arsenal, who make a trip across London to Upton Park, drew 0-0 with Chelsea on Monday have now gone three league games without a win as they go for a first title since 2004.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, says this season's title race is "unbelievable" as he prepares to pit his wits against Swansea counterpart Michael Laudrup.
New Tottenham boss Sherwood's first game in permanent charge will be against West Brom
Tottenham have appointed Tim Sherwood as their new head coach. The 44-year-old's first game in permanent charge will be a home game against West Brom.
Spurs have failed to win in their last three league games at White Hart Lane and face a managerless Baggies side who are three points above the relegation zone.
Newcastle, in sixth, are one of the top-flight's form teams with six wins from their last eight outings and they host Stoke.
The Potters are unbeaten in four league matches but have lost five and won just once in their eight away games.
Malky Mackay remains in charge of Cardiff, despite owner Vincent Tan sending him an email recently telling him to resign or be sacked.
The Bluebirds are four points off the relegation zone as they prepare to face a Southampton side who have not won in six games.
Play mediaI thought I would be sacked - Mackay
Mackay is eager for the club to resolve their off-field problems to help in the club's battle for survival.
Asked whether the situation might hinder their hopes of staying up, he replied: "Yes, absolutely. You can't have your dirty linen washed in public every week of the year without it affecting the club.
"I'm not saying it immediately affects the players because that's my job to make sure I protect them."
Crystal Palace and Fulham are both in the bottom three on 13 points and they will hope to help their fight against relegation when they play Aston Villa and Norwich respectively.
Bottom-of-the-table Sunderland have 10 points as they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton, whose manager Roberto Martinez is wary of the threat posed by the Black Cats.
"I'm fully focused on respecting a team like Sunderland," said Martinez, who believes Black Cats boss Gus Poyet is capable of bringing success to the club. "We'll have to be at our best."
Man City reject Ibrahim attracting interest from Everton, Southampton and Swansea
Manchester City will push for a compensation fee of £250,000 for midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim.
The Norway Under-21 international has been told he can leave the Etihad Stadium by manager Manuel Pellegrini.
But City are looking for a substantial training compensation figure before allowing Ibrahim - who has been likened to Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure - to leave next month.
A host of Premier League clubs are interested in the 22-year-old, including Swansea, Everton and Southampton, while QPR and Reading are also keen.
Ibrahim, who is back at City following a successful loan spell at Norwegian club Stromgodset, is also attracting interest from Italy and France.
The midfielder was tipped for big things at City, but the club's mega spending sprees has restricted his progress.
He has made three senior appearances for the City since making his first-team debut in 2009.
Manuel Pellegrini outraged over Man City fixture jam
MANUEL PELLEGRINI has hit out at fixture planners for giving Manchester City a crammed Christmas programme.
The Chilean coach claimed his team have drawn the short straw by having to face Liverpool today at 5.30pm and then travel to South London to face Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Title rivals Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea all get an extra day’s rest, with their second game on Sunday.
Pellegrini neglected to mention champions Manchester United also have matches today – at home to Hull – then have to go to Norwich on Saturday.
But in a season where top bosses have lined up to moan about scheduling – which is driven, on most occasions, by lucrative TV deals – Pellegrini took his turn.
He said: “I don’t know if the word is ridiculous but playing 46 hours from one game to another is not the best thing for the players – they cannot recover in 46 hours.
“All the teams must have the same rest, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool all of them play on the 26th and 29th.
“And we play on the 26th and 28th. It’s not fair, it should be the same for all teams.
“First of all we have to beat Liverpool, then we see what we will do against Crystal Palace. It’s not easy to pick the same team after a break of 46 hours.”
City will have to try to stop Luis Suarez today, with the Anfield ace in sensational form, having scored 19 goals in 12 league games.
But Pellegrini insisted he had no special tactics for dealing with the Uruguayan striker.
“We have no special plans,” he said.
“He is a player that is in a good moment but we must continue playing the same way at home.
“He has always been a very good striker. But Liverpool are not only Suarez – they are a very good team, it will be a tough game and we hope we can continue winning at home.
“I repeat we are not playing against Liverpool thinking of Luis Suarez.
“We are playing against Liverpool thinking we must repeat what we are doing at home this season.”
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is planning a £48m raid for Napoli's Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, 26, who played under him at Real Madrid. Sun
Manchester United manager David Moyes is to make a £30m bid for Atletico Madrid's attacking midfielder Koke, 21, when the transfer window opens. Daily Mirror
Moyes has also been told that if he wants to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, 24, it will cost up to £40m. DSSC
The Old Trafford side are also poised to make a move for Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana, 25, who is rated at about £15m. Daily Star
Roberto Martinez says Everton must wait until the end of the season to open talks on a permanent deal for Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry, 32. Guardian
Arsenal have been quoted £22m if they want to sign Newcastle's French midfielder Yohan Cabaye in the January transfer window. DSSC
Liverpool are ready to reward manager Brendan Rodgers, 40, with a new contract worth more than £2m a year. Rodgers has only 18 months left to run on the three-year deal he signed in 2012. Daily Mirror
West Brom caretaker manager Keith Downing has denied rumours striker Nicolas Anelka is coasting to the end of his career at the club, and insists the 34-year-old former France striker will have a part to play over the holiday period. DSSC
Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, 24, has thanked his girlfriend's father, former Dutch great Johan Neeskens, for his help as he prepares to return after 13 weeks out injured. Neeskens was part of the Dutch side who were runners-up at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. Daily Star
Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana has freed himself up for the World Cup by getting married on Christmas Eve. The 25-year-old was due to tie the knot with fiancee Emily Jubb on the day of England's first match in Brazil but they brought the big day forward. Sun