Tottenham Hostpur 0 – 1 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
4 May
A third win on the bounce to glide ever closer to automatic Champions League qualification reminded us once again of how quickly attitudes can change in football. From losing the derby just over a couple of weeks ago in dire fashion, when Manuel Pellegrini was on the receiving end of heavy criticism and Louis Van Gaal was being heralded for finding a way to turn his side around, perspective has somewhat shifted. Our local rivals have lost three on the trot, City have won three on the trot and we can now be confident of finishing in the top three and escaping the awkward qualification round for Europe’s top competition.
Has the feeling around the club totally changed since succumbing so meekly at Old Trafford? Frankly, no. There are still serious question marks about the future of the manager and those of several players, and it would take a brave man to predict who selects and who is selected in the starting XI for the first game of next season, but at least this campaign has not been allowed to drift completely. There was a danger after the derby that we would just fold, left with nothing to play for and struggling to show any heart for the fight. That has not quite happened, thankfully, and the players have responded with three victories to put us in a solid position.
This, again, was hardly vintage City. If the home side possessed a striker of Sergio Aguero’s quality, then they would not have left White Hart Lane without any points. City’s defence looked as vulnerable as ever, with Spurs passing through the limited protection of Fernando and Fernandinho without problems and also winning the first header from every corner. Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis were hesitant, nervy and uncertain, dragged out of position and given a torrid time. Fortunately for them, City had a quartet of players at the top of their games who meant we secured the points.
Joe Hart’s involvement in the goal, a swift throw to launch a devastating counter-attack, is worthy of mention, but it was his overall performance – his shot-stopping, his decision making and his authority as the last line of defence – that caught the eye. Two saves, one from Mason and the other late on from Lamela, highlighted the speed of his reactions, whilst his doggedness in not allowing Kane to have a clear sight of goal when through in the second half was excellent. After his troubles last season, when he was dropped and many (foolishly) questioned his future at the club, he has shown great resilience and mental strength to bounce back during this campaign.
There is not a great deal left to say about David Silva and Sergio Aguero. We know how good they are, we know how they can conjure up that one moment of brilliance that wins a game and we must do everything we can to keep hold of them. They should be the two players around whom we build the squad – they are genuinely world class.
Aside from that trio, whose consistency we now take for granted, Aleks Kolarov produced arguably one of his finest performance in a City shirt, matching his customary attacking eagerness with a defensive resilience that has rarely been on show. His first-time crossing is always a threat, but his two last-ditch blocks against Spurs, plus his astute covering and strong tackling were noticeable. As one person tweeted me after the game, even a blind dog finds a bone sometime – and whilst this one performance should not alter transfer plans for Kolarov over the summer, after all the justified criticism he has received it is only fair to praise him when deserved.
So, just three games to go before this forgettable season comes to an end. One more win should be enough to secure a top-three finish, and then we can look forward to the summer revolution.
A pleasing performance. Not top-notch, but everyone was prepared to scrap. Agree with your comments about Kolorov but also thought (after the first 10 minutes) Mangala played well.
I agree about Mangala after the first 10 minutes, I think Demichelis was at fault at times making Mangala look bad.
In terms of the left back situation, I feel a consistent run of games for either Clichy or Kolarov sees an upturn in form, its the constant rotation that seems to effect their performance more than anything.
More of a team performance than we’ve seen for a long time. Everyone putting a good shift in for the shirt and we carried no passengers for a change. First half we looked defensively frail, especially from set pieces. We tightened up in the second half and finally applied some pressure on the ball carrier. However we did carry a threat going forward all game, mainly based around the quality of Silva and Aguero. As mentioned, Kolarov excelled and Hart was back to best. Mangala does have positional issues but improved as the game wore on.
One striker upfront, giving up possession (Spurs and Villa), 5 men defender to see the game through and win ugly. I thought I was dreaming but Pellers seems to have got some sense of pragmatism. Let’s hope he keeps it that way. At times you win with style and at times you need to win ugly [missing from Pellers till now]. That is how Chelsea won the title. Let’s hope he keeps it this way and we finish he season strong
Set pieces!! Set pieces!! Set pieces!! Every corner kick Spurs played was a free heading, though their heads seem to direct the ball away from the post. But throughout the game, a great sense of foreboding comes to me whenever they have a cornerkick or freekick. Our defending of set pieces is abysmal. My man of the match? Joe Hart
I enjoyed the game. Though Pellegrini seemed to have a more pragmatic approach I thought that some of our forward play was good.
Defending was poor in the first half but tightened up in the second when we actually seemed to press the ball.
As others have said, our defending at set-pieces was awful. I think that the constant changing of personnel in defence really handicaps us. I would like to see MP go for the VK / EM partnership over the long term with Zaba and Clichy.
Aguero looks back to his best – I wouldn’t swap him for anyone in the world in the role that he plays. Silva also looks sharp.
Things looking up a little although good performances now are like sweeping the floor after the fire has burned your house down. Too late !
Great result third place is in our hands which didn’t look on the cards two weeks ago, that is massive for us well done j.h & co… Joe’s had a great season all things been said – its good to see him bawling out the defender’s – we need more of that – fair play to Alex & mangala I’m pleased they performed well. Maybe RDS the house valuables are kept in the basement?? Who knows what’s down there. ; )