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Further City thoughts & short Chelsea Cup preview
Further City thoughts & short Chelsea Cup preview
In the light of Kenny's comments of a couple of week's back regarding his team selection for tomorrow night's League Cup game, I thought I'd attempt to consider a team of players who did not play the full 90 minutes yesterday. Doni, Kelly, Carra, Coates, Aurelio, Maxi, Spearing, Bellamy, Carroll. Which leaves space for two others, possibly the incredible Kuyt plus a youngster of note. Actually, doesn't look that bad, does it?
Who knows what the manager will finally decide on but he's made it clear that this is a trophy he covets?
The hints seem to be there that Chelsea will likewise be looking to downsize, so it'll be interesting how many of their recognised first-teamers get chosen.
Back to yesterday and the thought occurred to me how prophetic my early season observations have been about Kenny. I suggested then that in an earlier life he had a habit of seeing his teams quietly and almost unobtrusively begin to build up little sequences, sometimes while the quality of play was at times lacking. In case you haven't noticed, the unbeaten run of his side is now in double figures.
Fascinating also the amount of humble pie many pundits are now having to eat regarding Charlie Adam; Henderson too and for sure in his case, I must plead guilty. Which for me, only goes to show how Kenny and Clarky have almost certainly had a vision which involved certain players and bit by bit are now being proved right. Of yesterday's heroes, we know Adam coped for Blackpool while Lucas has already established himself at Anfield, but the inexperienced Henderson has had plenty to prove and for sure, didn't look at all out of place in yesterday's cauldron of power, passion and no little skill.
With regards to City, one look at the Manchester derby shows clearly what they are capable of and certainly it took Liverpool half an hour to get to grips with the best side they've played this season. However, for the next half hour they were every bit as good as their eminent opponents. My own opinion is that the game changed not on the sending off but on the very introduction of Balotelli, who didn't even bother to stroll around up front. What television will not have shown was that when the ball was in the City half, unlike Aguero, he hardly moved a yard. The only time he did was when he fell over when clean through.
Talking of TV, MOTD provided an interesting insight last night when Colin Murray was a touch scornful of some of Michael Owen's observations. "But you chose the bits to leave out!" he declared. That I found very interesting since Owen refused to get overly complimentary about Liverpool but even less so about his Manchester neighbours, who looked an excellent side to most of Anfield. So which bits did he leave out? Well, having been to the match, I can tell you a great deal, but most of it showing City in a good light. You might say it was understandable given his employers but then surely anyone who appears as a pundit on MOTD should at the very least attempt to be even handed. From someone who is nobody's fool and who has made a career out of purposefully sitting on the fence, I was not impressed.
As for Mancini's post-match comments regarding Balotelli, I cannot help but feel a camouflage was being swiftly put in place to distract from a bad tactical substitution. The player's flailing arm was at best ill-advised; at worst a dangerous stiff arm; he didn't get a straight red but a second yellow. I cannot conclude anything other than the man acting the role model as a gross liability.
Incidentally, with Carra's recall seeming likely for tomorrow night, there's an excellent article by Chris Bascombe on the Telegraph website, where the player basically openly comes to terms with the implications of his recent injury, his age and inability to get his place back at the first time of asking. For those of us non-professionals who are, as they say, knocking on a bit, I guess it's something that we've all had to address at different stages of our lives. As it is, the mid-30's must be the soccer player's equivalent of the male menopause.
Finally I have to make a mention of Gary Speed's untimely death, During my time with Intersky he was often part of the racing scene along with his Newcastle teammates, Shearer, Lee, Woodgate and Given. I wasn't the slightest bit surprised to see the last named sobbing away ahead of the Swansea-Villa game yesterday. I cannot lay claim to a friendship with the Welsh Manager, but he certainly came over as the most ordinary of guys with no airs and graces at all. What an absolute waste of a decent human being.
Mike Hopper