***Manchester City v Watford PREVIEW***

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***Manchester City v Watford PREVIEW***

Postby bobby brows » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:04 am

barryconlonsbaldspot has stepped up big time this week to bring the Watford Preview, I've added my review of last weekends game from stealingfiveyards.com

Manchester City v Watford
Saturday 29th August 2015, 3pm KO
Barclays Premier League


I think its engrained in the psyche of every long suffering City fan that when the fixtures came out in July that we may have actually been more worried about Everton away than Chelsea at home. Last week there were so many narratives to be told with Eva-gate, City fans long standing hatred of Mourinho, second versus first, Pellegrini v Mourinho and even the new stand opening that buried under everything was the actual football. So many diversion tactics it diverted one team from playing any football.

This week it was more tentative as we’d won only three times at Goodison in the Premier League era, preparing ourselves for the typical combative style that we usually drop points to as failed to deal with players like Cahill, Felliani, Lukaku, god even Gibson and to be forever told that this was a proper football club because they once produced an England International who they sold to a proper football club who proudly hate scousers.

Fortunately for City, Everton’s days of horrible percentage stuff under David Moyes has been replaced by the more aesthetically pleasing football from Roberto Martinez and whilst a front four of Kone, Lukaku, Barkley and even the chance of a Barry or Clevelery haunting was always there they are much more open at the back these days.

In the two games previous City have had a game where they scored early and then steamrollered the opposition into submission (West Brom) and then getting a break through early on and then hitting a team on the counter (Chelsea). This time it was going to be different so it was good that this was the third type of victory as City started well, created several chances early on, allowed the opposition to come back into the game but then lifted themselves again, something we didn’t do last year, and finally break down Everton’s resistance.

I may have been in the minority but I was as satisfied by the performance as any of the other games as it’s rare when City have won a game for the goals to have come so late after missing several early chances. Usually City will start like a house on fire bag a couple of goals, let the home side back into it and then recede as they tried to defend a lead. This time they started well, resisted when Everton made a late surge in the first half, took the impetus in the second half and just when the game lulled a little they punished Everton for switching off.

City played really well and I’m really loving Jesus Navas at the moment, he comes in for a lot of criticism because he often takes a touch when crossing the ball usually allowing the full back to get the block in but I’ve always thought that because no one can keep up with him he has to take that touch and let the others catch up. Now with both Sterling and Aguero to really aim for he’s been driving them across first time and it’s just a matter of when Sterling will get on the end of one rather than if he will. Defensively he has always covered his own, always the big factor in picking him over Nasri, but he and Sagna continue to link up in a way that he and Zabaleta never managed to work out. He should have scored though. All those extra touches came back at once as he couldn’t work out what to do. Hopefully it was just because he had Sergio in his fantasy team.

I’m delighted with the defence so far and in particular the centre backs as they won every header in front of the penalty area and read the game superbly. I’m delighted Mangala hasn’t gone to Valencia and it shows, once again, that if you give players time to adjust to our league they can make big improvements. I thought he had another good game with two only minor points; the first is not to back heel down the touch line when we are winning 1-0 with 10 minutes to go. Mangala just needed to carry on with what he’d done for the first 70 and hoof into touch, there is nothing wrong with conceding a throw in. The other is the booking he picked up, I’ve some sympathy in the sense that with the midfield partnership of Fernandinho and Toure the back four are going to be exposed on occasion but he just needs to stay on his feet, not get so tight in those situations and force the player wide and rely on his team-mates to cover for him.

Once again I thought it was another performance where every single player in the team contributed in a positive way, the balance, the work rate and the energy is all you can ask for but some of the football was borderline ridiculous. Of course there was one man at the centre of it all.

I don’t know what football they grow up on in Nottingham as according to the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson he is only the 31st best player in the World by virtue Spain of having had a bad world cup but for me David Silva is the best player in the Premier League. Once again his passing, his movement and his vision were world class and he ran the game for the entirety of the time he was on. At half time they were talking about how to stop City and Sam Allardyce basically said sacrifice McCarthy and man mark Silva. The beauty of our team so far this season is that you cannot double up on anyone as the team is so balanced they can expose extra space so well but teams have tried to man mark Silva and failed; the man could find five yards of space in a toilet cubicle.

There so many brilliant moments from Merlin but my favourite was when he was surrounded by three Everton players equally trying to kick him or tug on his shirt, he turned them inside out and still managed to play in Fernandinho, mesmerising! They need to start inventing new superlatives for the man.

Short of Liverpool putting seven past Arsenal tonight (actually hope they do) City will finish the round of games top of the league with a run of games leading up to the Derby on the 25th October that can be described as the right kind of tough but winnable. Its early days but it could be a big start in the title race if they can win the next five starting with Watford at home next Saturday.

Over to barryconlonsbaldspot

Watford

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Gone but not forgotten. Watford owe a lot to Sir Elton John and Vicarage Road has a stand named after him.

Where to begin with Watford?! Well if I'm going to be totally honest I have absolutely no idea. Elton John is still the owner right? Wrong. Gino Pozzo (no relation to young Jose) added the club to his CFG like collection (he also owns Udinese and Granada) on the eve of the 2012-13 season, replacing Sean Dyche with Gianfranco Zola and so began the loan merry go round that cast Watford as public enemy number one for many fellow Championship sides. During that season Watford had no fewer than 10 players on loan from  Pozzo owned Udinese including the league’s top scorer Mateja Vydra but were beaten in the play off final by Crystal Palace whose manager Ian Holloway was a particularly vocal critic.

With the fuss he made at Lampard’s move to City its only a shame Arsene Wenger wasn't managing in the championship! 

Linking nicely to the match today, that year Zola brought his Watford team to the Etihad in the FA cup where Marcos Lopes became City's youngest ever goalscorer notching the last of City's three goals in a comfortable victory. And if you're all in agreement we'll leave the FA Cup tales there as we all know how that ended.

Another interesting link with today’s visitors can be found with Watford's current manager. Last season owner Pozzo got through 4 managers in 37 days making City's mid 90's manager turnover look positively sane. Eventually something told him Flores, a big name with a good CV including Champions League football and a Europa League winners medal was the right man for the job. So far the Spaniard has repaid the faith shown in him, although how long he is afforded when the going gets tough remains to be seen. Anyway I digress...... Flores and his tenuous City links. The Spaniard has previously managed both a young David Silva whilst in charge of Valencia and an even younger Sergio Aguero whilst at Atletico Madrid. Presumably none of which will help him in the slightest when he attempts to stop them this weekend.


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Flores probably wishes Aguero was still in Madrid.

Fast forward to 2015 and Watford no longer resemble Udinese reserves. They have had a solid start to the season with a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in which they probably deserved more being followed by two more draws, both goalless against West Brom and Southampton. Little can be read into their league cup defeat against Preston as Flores made wholesale changes with this weekend in mind but they should be concerned by a lack of goal threat so far. Taking a closer look at the side Heurelho Gomes is enjoying a renaissance in the later years of his career but still has a howler or two in him.

The back four is likely to consist of Nyom and Holebas at full back with Cathcart and Prodl at centre back. No me neither. Craig Cathcart was with that lot in Salford for a while but is probably better known as being  part of a very leaky Premier League back four with Blackpool. Prodl, is a new signing this year. A 50 cap Austrian international with Champions League experience from his time at Werder Bremen (thank you Wikipedia) and at 6ft 4 he could cause problems at set pieces. At right back Cameroonian international Allan Nyom was also signed this summer after six years at Udinese (obviously) although technically he appears to have spent all of them at Pozzo's Spanish side Granada (very strange dealings.) Left back is likely to be Jose Holebas, apparently a Greek, I would have guessed Spanish. Holebas is another new signing this time from Roma who risked upsetting his new fans when he initially denied signing for Watford despite the move being announced by the club. He's know "happy to be here" apparently.

With such an unfamiliar back four credit must go to Flores for their defensive solidity.

A large part of which is probably a result of the two experienced holding midfielders he employs again both new boys. Big and strong, Etienne Capoue is decent in the air and also fairly mobile about the pitch, most importantly he has recent Premier League experience with Spurs. He is well complemented by the much travelled Valon Berahmi another player with Premier League experience from his time at West Ham. The versatile Swiss midfielder has probably had the best years of his career at Napoli a couple of seasons ago, but still has plenty to offer and will be vital if Watford are to beat the drop. In front of Capoue and Behrami Flores favours three attacking midfielders and a lone front man, much like Pellegrini.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard he doesn't have the same calibre of players available to him and a lack of goal threat is looking to be a bit of a problem for the Hornets. New signing Alessandro Diamanti is likely to start, although his spell with West Ham wasn't a massive success he has an eye for goal and is particularly good at set pieces. Alongside him i expect to see Ikechib Anya one of the few players retained in the first team from last years promotion winning side.

Anya has plenty of pace but often lacks a finishing touch and will be tasked with working hard to shut down City's wide men. Jose Jurado could take the other spot, another recent arrival at Watford he was previously coached by Flores at Atletico Madrid. Finishing the starting 11 is front man Troy Deeney. Prolific in the Championship, he has yet to score in the Premier League but is the sort of strong direct front man that has given City problems in the past.

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Can Troy Deeney fire the goals to keep Watford in the top flight?




Prediction

3-0 City another clean sheet and a comprehensive performance
Please visit my website covering both Manchester City & Manchester City Women http://www.stealingfiveyards.com
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bobby brows
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Re: ***Manchester City v Watford PREVIEW***

Postby Slim » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:06 am

Just spotted something on twitter.

Today's game will commemorate Mike Summerbee's 50th anniversary in association with City.
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Re: ***Manchester City v Watford PREVIEW***

Postby nottsblue » Sat Aug 29, 2015 4:37 pm

Great read pal
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