City v Bolton - Guess the Team

[Goaters 103]

Time for the weekly Mancini rotation guesswork game. Working on the premise that those who didnt travel too much, or play too long, in midweek will get first dibs, we can assume the following

Hart plays as he's a staple
Zabba and Micah both played so take your pick
Kolarov played midweek, Clichy didnt so Clichy is selected
Lescott didnt play so he gets the nod alongside Vincent
Ya Ya didnt play, Barry and Milner only played 45 so they all get the nod
De Jong played 90 so he sits this one out
AJ played 60 mins so he gets a game
Merlin played 60 so he too plays
Mario didnt play so he does too
Edin, Sergio and Samir all played full games so they go on the buxom wench

Using this flawed logic, lets guess the teams as follows: -

Hart

Micah
Kompany
Lescott
Clichy

Milner
Barry

AJ
Big Ya Ya
Silva

Balotelli

[Dubciteh]

Hmmm,

I think he mancini goes with

Hart
Richards Komps Lescott Clichy
barry yaya
Silva Nasri
Dzeko balotelli

I think Aguero needs a rest and Dzeko some playing time.

[freshie]

Bollocks to resting Sergio. He's just hit a rich vein of form and should start if fit

[Chinners]

I fancy Mario, Aguero and Dzeko to all feature and score just like against Blackburn. Fucl knows what the rest of the side will be

[CityGer]

I've been making some decent money from backing Aguero to score and from other various bets based on us winning and him scoring.

No reason not to get stuck in again tomorrow but fearful that Bobby may rest him one of these days.

[Ted Hughes]

Hmmm,

I think he mancini goes with

Hart
Richards Komps Lescott Clichy
barry yaya
Silva Nasri
Dzeko balotelli

I think Aguero needs a rest and Dzeko some playing time.

The one reason for Dzeko not starting, imo, would be because Mario didn't play midweek & Dzeko did. Imo if Dzeko doesn't start tomorrow after not starting v Blackburn it strongly suggests that Bob doesn't trust him. If he rates him as highly as the others, then he should be playing him in these games, as he's currently playing less than our other forwards.

Be interesting to see, if Nasri starts, whether we play with the same fluency as v Blackburn, which was a step up. If not & we look sluggish again, then I think he could be part of the problem. Imo, on the whole we have mostly looked better when AJ plays or when neither play, than we do with Nasri in the side but it could just be coincidence.

[Blue Since 76]

Must win game against a team who SHOULDN'T trouble us. That probably means two of Milner, Barry and de Jong to provide the protection and allow the full backs to get forwards. Assuming Silva and Yaya are guaranteed starters then it's two from three in the forwards. Unless he thinks Bolton are really bad, in which case Nasri/AJ may get a start in place of one of the more defensive players. Worry is that he thinks Silva needs a rest.

In these type of games we need to be getting +3 goal difference, just in case. There's not many games left where you would expect to pile on the goals, so we need to make them count. A good energetic start, get a goal and then just keep going. Football when you're scoring and keeping the ball isn't that tiring.

City to win 4 - 0

[john@staustell]

Bollocks to resting Sergio. He's just hit a rich vein of form and should start if fit

Well we need him to play both Lisbon and Swansea, fresh and with a hungry appetite, so I'm for starting Dzeko and Balotelli tomorrow.

[littlebig]

Strongest team possible from here on in please

[gillie]

Bobby has stated all our remaining league games are cup finals so we should be playing our strongest team imo.

[bigblue]

Hart

Micah
Kompany
Lescott
Clichy

Milner
Barry

AJ
Big Ya Ya
Silva

Balotelli

Think you got it spot on. The one thing I could see Mancini changing from above is AJ out and De Jong in, with Milner moving further forward. I just don't know if Roberto trusts AJ enough to start 2 games in a row.

[halnone]

Aguero needs to start imo.

[mr_nool]

Aguero needs to start imo.

I got him as fantasy captain, which is a sure sign he won't start but will be subbed on in the 88th minute.

[BlueinBosnia]

The one reason for Dzeko not starting, imo, would be because Mario didn't play midweek & Dzeko did. Imo if Dzeko doesn't start tomorrow after not starting v Blackburn it strongly suggests that Bob doesn't trust him. If he rates him as highly as the others, then he should be playing him in these games, as he's currently playing less than our other forwards.

I think Dzeko really needs to start this match. He played well in midweek, and has performed well in his last 2 appearances for us, possibly suggesting he's on one of his crests.

[blues-clues]

Bolton will surely park the bus so we need as many attacking options as possible so we can get a result similar to or better than we did against Blackburn.

The entire game will be played in Bolton's half apart from when they kick off after each goals where the ball has to go into our half by law.

I rally don't see the need for a goalkeeper at all. Joe can half the week off. The groundsman can mow our penalty area during the match and knock back any balls that accidentally end up back there.

3 Defenders should be more than enough and we wont need much in the way of defensive midfielders either. Gaz-Baz and Nige can play cards with Joe.

Richards, Kompany, Kolarov

Johnson, Milner, Yaya, Nasri

Silva

Balotelli, Dzeko, Aguero

I wonder what odds you would get on City winning 12-4?

[CTID Hants]

A Golden oppurtunity this weekend, as i honestly can see Spud's doing the RAGS and us battering Bolton (this should easliy be 5-0 if not more).

I was looking at Lisbon and there form/position etc and they do not look like a threat at all to me, so IMO tomorrow could really count physcologially.

Hart
Richards Kompany Lescott Clichy

Barry YaYa
Silva Nasri
Kun Super Mario

Dzeko on after half time by which time we will be already 3 up. Perhaps at the same stage bring Silva off and give Milner a run out?

[Im_Spartacus]

Can't see any reason not to play Aguero, although he played for Argentina the game was only in Switzerland and I can't see it having been much more than a kick about/exhibition match.

Hart

Clichy
Lescott
Vinny
Zabba

NDJ
Yaya
Silva

Balotelli
Aguero
Nasri

[clawbaggio]

Did Nasri pick up a knock mid week playing for France? I would play Kolarov. He actually did ok last week and I would rather play him in the games where we should be battering the opposition and Clichy against the better teams. Not Dzekos biggest fan, but fuck it, give him a go. If did ok in the first game at theirs

[phips]

Aguero needs to start imo.

I got him as fantasy captain, which is a sure sign he won't start but will be subbed on in the 88th minute.

Likewise. Im debating that choice now.

I think Silva and Aguero need to be rested but everytime I say that Mancini doesnt.

[johnny crossan]

I think it's impossible to predict Mancini's team and bench - I have tried many times and have always failed and I am the champion guesser in another place

Hart
Richards
Kompany
Lescott
Clichy
Yaya
Barry
Silva
Milner
Aguero
Balotelli

Bench: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Savic, Pizarro, Johnson, Nasri, Dzeko.