Ed. Note - Another outstanding preview by Ken Bradley. I hope you all appreciate his Bobby McManon-esque level of analysis. (Did I just say Bobby McMahon? Tune in tomorrow for the ArseAm exclusvie interview)…
I honestly thought that Kevin Keegan would have quit in the yo-yo years. The frustration of the Premiership would have gotten to him, but instead there was no move down and Keegan was king. After last season’s 16th place finish and some poor results this season, the questions of his employment arise yet again. Will he step down or will he be tossed out, or will he rally this team to a a finish worthy the money he’s spent? This match against the Gunners will be an important test for Man City as a club.
Wins against Palace and Charlton are overshadowed by loses to Birmingham and Everton. But in a win at Palace, the negatives of this team seem to scream out……it’s not the players but the management of this squad! There seemed no real organiztion on the pitch. Many runs were haphazard at best and there seemed no communication. There were moments of individual beauty but they were few and far between. It was as if they were playing street ball with no direction to speak of. That, I blame solely on the manager.
Distin and Mills were brought in to toughen the backline, and that would be a strong couple of choices. Add David James in goal and the defense becomes quite formidable. The midfield, with Wright-Philips, Reyna and Sibierski, strenghthen the offensive game. Anelka was already a lethal component to this team so I don’t believe you can claim that they don’t have the personnel.
Most will recognize the afore mentioned players but I would like to showcase a newer name with City. Jonathan Macken got his first start for City in the match against Palace. He did not score but was so incredibly active that he could not be missed. He won the Division 2 Player of the Year in 2000. He spent a couple of years with PNE before being bought by City. Unfortunately he suffered two years of injuries before he really ever factored into the City line-up. After watching his speed and work rate at Palace I believe he may be an up and coming figure. Listed as a striker, in the place of Fowler, he did not let it stop him from being wide on the right and then the left, plus getting into the 6. In the Carling Cup match against Barnsley on Wednesday, Macken scored twice in City’s 7-1 rout.
Last season, City was the only club in the lower 10 to have a plus goal differential. They obviously can score goals and Anelka is one the leagues top scorers (He’s got to lead the league in offside too!). Improvements to the defense should make them a contender for a possible European berth, but it’s the lack of direction on the pitch that will hamper their efforts. The Gunners will certainly face a hostile atmosphere but a coordinated, orchestrated, and all those other ated-word approach should defeat City.
ArseAm Predicts: A team with this much talent should be trouble. They won’t. Arsenal, 3-1.
11 Responses to “Manchester City Preview”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
September 23rd, 2004 at 4:17 pm
Your previews are OUTSTANDING KYGunner!
Citeh… are one of those teams that simply do not match up with the Arsenal very well.
Keegan likes to play a free-flowing open style of offensive football. We LOVE that style… because our players are better than your players. If ManCity lines up and plays their typical styled match, we should drub them… scrub them… and get an ovation from THEIR fans for our wonderful football!!!
I can see 3 or 4 goals for us… but maybe I have just been spoiled by recent history!
September 23rd, 2004 at 4:18 pm
Impossible to make predictions with City. They can be utterly brilliant and utterly dire. I’m just hoping they’re tired. Wish we hadn’t drawn them away in the Carling. If they’re having an excellent day they could easily knock out the kids. (A real pain for impoverished locals like me. Carling Cup home games are the only time tickets are plentiful and cheap. Last year was brilliant - got to Rotherham and Wolves - but the year before we were knocked out in the first round by Sunderland away. Pray it doesn’t happen again!)
September 23rd, 2004 at 5:23 pm
I believe Jonathan Macken cost City 5 million pounds… Now if anyone wonders why City are in a worse financial stage than they were in the Division Two (or new League 1] a few seasons ago…
Ironcially, Macken is in fact a Man Utd youth team product. The fact that Macken is starting in place of Fowler just tells us how far the ex-Liverpool ace has fallen since leaving Anfield. It’s such a shame, as Fowler was such a promising striker in his early years.
As for the match, I forgot it’s Scott or Love_G suggested previously - the only team could beat Arsenal is… Arsenal. A wonderful accessment which I agree with it 100%! At least in the Premiership.
September 23rd, 2004 at 5:38 pm
If Sol plays 90 minutes or even the last 45 minutes we can limit them to one goal perhaps. Give Anelka 90 minutes and he usually finds the net against us. Plus add Fowler and SWP into the mix and we may be looking at 2 goals. A 5-3 or 4-2 game won’t surprise me if Cygan starts. If Sol starts then they won’t get more than 2 goals. I doubt we’ll keep a clean sheet. I hope we do, as always, but I doubt it.
September 23rd, 2004 at 10:26 pm
I would doubt HIGHLY that City score 2 or 3 goals against us… they shouldn’t see that much of the ball?!!
Cygan has been adequate. I hope Sol rests. We don’t need him against City… bring him on for the last 20 minutes… we will be just fine, as we have been for the first 5 matches… UNDEFEATED.
September 24th, 2004 at 4:03 am
well, for some of us who are dying to see SWP play for us:
He is a Wright - and the Wrights have a big love affair with Arsenal. At the moment I do not want to say we are buying him but he is one of the interesting players on the right flank in England. Could he be at Arsenal one day? It is not impossible but I don’t know yet. -Wenger
half of your wish granted.
having said that, as wenger rightly said, we got pennant and ljungberg there at the moment. can’t see wenger buy him in the near future unless somehow, and i don’t wish for that, either pennant or ljungberg moves.
and by the next 2 or 3 years, i think SWP will just be too much for wenger to afford.
not that it matters, we got more than enough to take on europe with current squad after all.
September 24th, 2004 at 10:11 am
I would prefer Sol to come on as a sub in the second half as playing him for the full 90 minutes may risk his recovery from injury. Although City has Anelka and SWP, Toure and Cygan should be able to hold the fort and restrict City to just one goal.
If Gilberto is not match fit, it will be interesting to see if Wenger starts Edu or Fabregas alongside Viera. I would prefer Edu as he has not had much of a run in the first team this season so far. Also I hope that van Persie makes an appearance on the field as a sub. He has the game to trouble the City defenders.
September 24th, 2004 at 10:47 am
I really hope Wenger goes after SWP sooner than later. He will definitely strengthen our right side and I fancy his game is much closer to Ljunberg’s (and also to some extend Reyes) than to Pennant’s. With the fixture congestion coming up as Arsenal contends on multiple fronts, his inclusion will definitely improve our chances. I know Pennant has improved as a player and as a professional but I still think he is at best a backup to Ljungberg and SWP (if Wenger buys him).
Just like Ljungberg & Reyes, SWP has the game to trouble any EPL and Euro teams.
September 24th, 2004 at 11:03 am
Excellent, excellent review.
For some reason I have a hunch that Sol is going to come out to start. He’ll be itching, and nothing makes Wenger happier than an early lead before they can adjust to damage City’s belief straightaway. By 25 minutes in we should have one if the play is as open and disorganized as its been. Lots of frustration on the pitch with them, lately. And barring a flurry by us, another before the end of the half. Then I can see Sol coming out for Cygan.
As for midfield…again that may be decided on how much experience Wenger may feel he needs. If his thinking is beat them early, Edu may get the call. If the lead is big enough by the last half hour, and we look like we’re firing, we may see Cesc beside Vieira. Gilberto’s not 100%, so tomorrow may be his day to show his stuff again. If the battle is well in hand, Flamini may even get the last ten.
Ideally, we should be able to rotate and change the compexion of our central defense enought to keep them guessing straight through to the Carling Cup and our home tie. And I’m with Stagg?I seriously hope they come to fight, with SWP breaking loose all over the box. All we need is a few ambitious passes to gobble and we’re OFF!
September 24th, 2004 at 4:25 pm
Too late, I think. If we were going to buy him it would have been at the beginning of last season, when he was just beginning to show his brilliance in the pre-season UEFA cup early rounds, but, alas, we stuck with Pennant instead. There’s his baby brother, Bradley, of course?
September 24th, 2004 at 10:14 pm
hurm if you read the article, it seems that wenger has kept tab on him for a lonnng time. why he did not make a move? not sure. maybe he did approach before, but like many other overpriced brit players, SWP was well beyond wenger’s budget.not to worry, seems that wenger got more budget than ever in the next season.
personally SWP is not on the top of my wish list for a right winger, but i think it’s cool to have a Wright playing for us, and SWP is as good as any right winger in the country. and he can play as attacking fullback too ^^
bradley is also a very good prospect, but if i am not mistaken he is a striker, another area where we got a whole bunch of young monster (van persie, lupoli, reyes,….)
since we talk about mancity, well i dont mind us buying kasper schmeichel though. from articles i read, he looks promising.