After a very busy end to the transfer window we finally have football back on out hands with that we also have the late kick off of the day as Premier League Champions Manchester City host the struggling QPR.
So far this season City haven't looked very good in all honesty. Whilst they are unbeaten they've struggled somewhat in both games an have actually been behind to both Southamtpon and Liverpool, had it not been for a Martin Skrtel goal they'd have like lost to Liverpool. This is something Roberto Mancini should be worried about, at the back City have looked very poor, defensively weak and whilst it's true that they only played 3 at the back against Liverpool they were still carved open far too easily. Thankfully for City however their attacking forces have been able to bail them out so far this season, though you can't afford, in this league, to score 2 goals in every game just for a point.
City's struggles this season are a far cry from last season where they had the best defensive record in the Premier League (conceding just 29 goals, the best in the league) whilst their attack was just as potent with 93 goals (again the best in the league). Whilst it's true that City have been more fun to watch for a neutral, I dare say that City fans aren't too happy about looking so weak at the back. And whilst we all know that Sergio Agüero is a big loss for City, he's not the cause of their problems so far which have all been at the back.
With City's late spate of activity in the transfer market bringing in the likes of Scott Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Maicon and the surprising Richard Wright yeah I didn't see that one coming either) it could take yet longer for City to finally settle into this Premier League season. Though of course when they do I expect them to start rolling over teams for fun.
Whilst it's true that Manchester City are having defensive issues, so to are QPR who opened the season with a 5-0 reverse to Fulham before scraping a point against Norwich with a 1-1 scoreline. 6 goals against and 1 goal for from the opening 2 games of the season isn't a good start for Mark Hughes who has, like Mancini brought in a lot of players over the summer months (including Stephane Mbia, Esteban Granero and Cesar-who may actually be the only one to start) QPR have got to hope that Cesar can help strengthen the team at the back or they will really be in trouble for the rest of the year.
With just 1 point from a maximum of 6 it's fair to say that QPR haven't been very good, even more damning is that their point has only come from a very soft penalty against Norwich (and even that was missed). Whilst they do have proven quality through their squad with the likes of Robert Green, Bobby Zamora, Park Ji-Sung, Djibril Cisse, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jose Boswinga the team really haven't clicked and dare I say it, a number of those players are likely only there for the money offered by multi-millionaire Tony Fernandes.
As a big boxing fan I often see fights where 2 fighters have poor defenses however one of those fighters has a hell of a puncher. This match appears to look like one of those fights on paper. Neither team has looked good at the back, 10 goals conceded between the two teams so far this season, however City are good on the attack. The likes of Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, David Silva and Mario Balotelli are a real force to be reckoned with. I expect this to be a painful day for QPR against a City team who know they have questions to answer.
Kick-Off: 17:30
Prediction: 3-0
Expected Line Ups:
Manchester City-
Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Y. Toure, Nasri, Tevez, Silva, Balotelli (4-2-3-1)
QPR-
Cesar, Bosingwa, Nelsen, Ferdinand, Fabio, Taarabt, Diakite, Park, Hoilett, Zamora, Cisse (4-4-2)
Notes:
These two met on the final day of last season as City came from 2-1 down to claim a famous 3-2 victory and seal the Premier League whilst in extra time. In that match we had everything including an on the pitch break down by the enigmatic Joey Barton. Expect that story to be mentioned a number of times tomorrow.
Expect goals! City at home last season scored a remarkable 55 goals, more than 3 a game! QPR away from home conceded 41, more than 2 a game!
Players to watch out for-
Manchester City:
Carlos Tevez-It's fair to say that the Argentinian forward is never happy for long but when he's happy he is something special. With the gift he received against Liverpool last weekend he has every reason to be happy. Expect Tevez to have a field day against the QPR defense who will struggle with his strength and creativity.
David Silva-The Spanish magician hasn't been up to his best so far but he's capable of turning a game on it's head when he's on form. Against QPR Silva will be able to get plenty of the ball and plenty of chances to control the match as he begins to look more and more confident.
QPR:
Cesar-The Brazilian shot stopped is expected to start against Manchester City though it's unlikely to take long for him to ask "what am I doing here?" Cesar could well be a very, very busy man against City who will be coming to restore normality in the Premier League. Whoever is in goal for QPR will be called into action a lot.
Djibril Cisse-The French attacker Djibril Cisse has all the traits to give any defense a nightmare. He's powerful, quick and can hit like a rocket. whilst he's certainly not looked his best so far this season, this is a big chance for him to make a mark against a top tier defense. If Cisse comes to the party expect him to be a constant threat on the break.
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