Manchester City 3-1 QPR
Whilst winning the Premier League is hard defending it is even harder as every team play against you as if they have a point to prove. In this case QPR really did have a point to prove after almost defeating Manchester City on the final day of last season, sadly however the R's couldn't quite make their point.
After being relatively lucky in their previous 2 games Manchester City came out roaring against QPR and immediately looked to open the scoring as the battered the QPR defense. The pressure told from the off and Manchester City racked up corner after corner as their attacks were turned behind by a nervy looking QPR back line who appeared intimidated from the opening whistle. After just 16 minutes Yaya Toure opened the scoring and it appeared as if goals were going to flood into the QPR net. Despite the fear on the QPR defense City couldn't bag a second before the half.
Having gone into the half at just 1-0 the question everyone was asking was "how is this just 1-0?" It was arguably the most 1-sided 1-0 half any of us will see this season with City completely running the game. Out of nowhere QPR equalised thanks to Bobby Zamora who brought the game to the most unlikely of scorelines at 1-1. This was short lived however as City re-affirmed their lead thanks to an Edin Dzeko header.
At 2-1 Manchester City never looked comfortable and QPR chased hard for another equaliser against a Manchester City defense that was starting to show serious signs of fatigue. The more tired City looked the more determined QPR looked to get something out of the game. Sadly however it wasn't to be and in the closing stages Carlos Tevez sealed the victory for the Sky Blue's.
Roberto Mancini will not be happy at the way his team looked so tired or at how they conceded a goal completely against the run of play. Whilst he'll be pleased that his team showed character and determination there really was very little to take positively from this game. City looked fantastic for 40 minutes but they were expected to look amazing for the dull 90, they looked powerful and strong but they again showed real defensive issues that look likely to cost them if they do not tidy up soon.
Despite losing, QPR's Mark Hughes will certainly be taking positives from this match. His team proved that not only could they defend but they could mentally wear a team down. City weren't expected to look leggy they were expected to just look in charge and dominant, but QPR's refusal to lie down will have really ground down on the mentality of the City players who will be realising just how hard this season is. Whilst QPR will take positives they now need to start taking points with only 1 from their first 3 matches they haven't got enough.
Showing posts with label Carlos Tevez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carlos Tevez. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Friday, 31 August 2012
Premier League Week 3-Preview and prediction (Manchester City v QPR)
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.
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.
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Premier League Week 2-Write up Liverpool v Manchester City
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
After being thumped 3-0 on the opening day of the season many, including myself had real fear for Liverpool as reigning Premier League champions Manchester City came to visit in the late kick off on Sunday. Although City themselves hadn't looked particularly good on their opening league fixture they had managed to defeat Southampton 3-2 in a very fun to watch fixture.
Things started badly for Brendon Rodgers' side with Lucas going off injured inside the first 5 minutes however Liverpool showed a real unity and drive and looked like a team with a point to prove. Lead by the Midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and new signing Joe Allen, Liverpool quickly looked like the better team and with their wing backs raiding forward it seemed only a matter of team before the Red's would take the lead. Liverpool would eventually take the lead in around 34 minutes into the game thanks to a rocket header by Martin Skrtel following a Liverpool corner.
Going into half time Brendon Rodgers would have felt the job was half done, Liverpool had not only taken the lead but bossed the game and looked to be in charge. Their lead was undone around 20 minutes into the second half as Carlos Tevez's cross was finished off by Yaya Toure thanks to some very poor defending by Liverpool who appeared to switch off and were punished as a result.
It would take Liverpool just 3 minutes retake the lead as a Luis Suarez free kick from just outside the penalty area was perfectly placed into the bottom corner giving Joe Hart no chance at all. It was once again looking like Liverpool were in charge and they came close to going 3-1 up on a number of occasions though couldn't finish any of the chances off.
With 10 minutes of the match left Martin Skrtel went from hero to zero as he passed to Carlos Tevez who had no issues in going around Pepe Reina to equalise once more. From then on the game turned into an end-to-end struggle with both teams attacking hard looking for a winner though no one could score the decisive goal to seal 3 points.
Liverpool fans should be very happy at the performance, it was a massive improvement from their opening fixture however they will also feel massively disappointed by taking the 3 points from the match. They were the better team and they created the better chances however they twice shot themselves in the foot for the 2 Manchester City goals which were pretty much gifts for city. It'll be a bittersweet day for both Brendon Rodgers and Martin Skrtel, however the positives were there for Liverpool. Gerrard, Suarez, Allen and youngster Raheem Sterling were all excellent and hardly put a foot wrong between them, the team passed wonderfully and looked much like the team that Rodgers would have been wanting them to be. If they continue to improve they could be a very good team, however if this was just a case of "playing up to the champions" then I'd worry, sadly however we won't know about that for at least another week.
For Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini he will be very happy at earning a point here, though he will certainly see this as a point given to them rather than one they truly deserved. Up front they look good, Tevez came close with a shot that rolled across the line and though the strikers rarely got solid chances as the Liverpool defense held them well they looked like they had goals in them. Yaya Toure was again impressive (then again when isn't he?) and after coming on Jack Rodwell, Edin Dzeko and David Silva all changed the flow of the game. Sadly however the talking point about City isn't there attackers but instead their defense which again conceded two goals. This will need to be tightened up and soon if City are going to retain the Premier League title, you simply cannot expect to score 3 goals a game just to win matches. If they can sort out at the back then they certainly should be able to retain the title, if they keep conceding then they are really going to be in trouble
After being thumped 3-0 on the opening day of the season many, including myself had real fear for Liverpool as reigning Premier League champions Manchester City came to visit in the late kick off on Sunday. Although City themselves hadn't looked particularly good on their opening league fixture they had managed to defeat Southampton 3-2 in a very fun to watch fixture.
Things started badly for Brendon Rodgers' side with Lucas going off injured inside the first 5 minutes however Liverpool showed a real unity and drive and looked like a team with a point to prove. Lead by the Midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and new signing Joe Allen, Liverpool quickly looked like the better team and with their wing backs raiding forward it seemed only a matter of team before the Red's would take the lead. Liverpool would eventually take the lead in around 34 minutes into the game thanks to a rocket header by Martin Skrtel following a Liverpool corner.
Going into half time Brendon Rodgers would have felt the job was half done, Liverpool had not only taken the lead but bossed the game and looked to be in charge. Their lead was undone around 20 minutes into the second half as Carlos Tevez's cross was finished off by Yaya Toure thanks to some very poor defending by Liverpool who appeared to switch off and were punished as a result.
It would take Liverpool just 3 minutes retake the lead as a Luis Suarez free kick from just outside the penalty area was perfectly placed into the bottom corner giving Joe Hart no chance at all. It was once again looking like Liverpool were in charge and they came close to going 3-1 up on a number of occasions though couldn't finish any of the chances off.
With 10 minutes of the match left Martin Skrtel went from hero to zero as he passed to Carlos Tevez who had no issues in going around Pepe Reina to equalise once more. From then on the game turned into an end-to-end struggle with both teams attacking hard looking for a winner though no one could score the decisive goal to seal 3 points.
Liverpool fans should be very happy at the performance, it was a massive improvement from their opening fixture however they will also feel massively disappointed by taking the 3 points from the match. They were the better team and they created the better chances however they twice shot themselves in the foot for the 2 Manchester City goals which were pretty much gifts for city. It'll be a bittersweet day for both Brendon Rodgers and Martin Skrtel, however the positives were there for Liverpool. Gerrard, Suarez, Allen and youngster Raheem Sterling were all excellent and hardly put a foot wrong between them, the team passed wonderfully and looked much like the team that Rodgers would have been wanting them to be. If they continue to improve they could be a very good team, however if this was just a case of "playing up to the champions" then I'd worry, sadly however we won't know about that for at least another week.
For Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini he will be very happy at earning a point here, though he will certainly see this as a point given to them rather than one they truly deserved. Up front they look good, Tevez came close with a shot that rolled across the line and though the strikers rarely got solid chances as the Liverpool defense held them well they looked like they had goals in them. Yaya Toure was again impressive (then again when isn't he?) and after coming on Jack Rodwell, Edin Dzeko and David Silva all changed the flow of the game. Sadly however the talking point about City isn't there attackers but instead their defense which again conceded two goals. This will need to be tightened up and soon if City are going to retain the Premier League title, you simply cannot expect to score 3 goals a game just to win matches. If they can sort out at the back then they certainly should be able to retain the title, if they keep conceding then they are really going to be in trouble
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Premier League Week 1-Write up Manchester City v Southampton
Manchester City 3-2 Southampton
The reigning Premier League champions Manchester City got their league season kicked off by facing the newly promoted Southampton who appeared to be in line for a true baptism of fire. What on paper seemed likely to be the most one-sided match of the weekend actually turned into the best match of the weekend as the new boys refused to fold to the reigning champions and put up an incredible fight before finally losing.
The match started badly for City who saw Argentinian international Sergio "Kun" Aguero, last season's top scorer, leaving the pitch with a nasty looking knee injury after just 13 minutes. Things went from bad to worse for City who despite earning a penalty couldn't convert it with David Silva taking one of the weakest penalties we'll see this season.
Despite creating a number of chances City we're being held by on equal footing for much of the first half, until Carlos Tevez broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. It seemed as if this could open the floodgates and that City could begin to run away with the match however they failed to bag a second before half time. At the start of the second half City seemed almost certain to finish off the match as Edin Dzeko had a catalog of chances to double the Blue's lead. It seemed almost certain that City were going to eventually double their lead but then, out of the blue Southampton managed to draw level via a Ricky Lambert strike. Amazingly, just minutes later Southampton actually took the lead as Steven Davis finished off a counter to double the tally for the Saints and it appeared as if a giant upset was on the cards.
In a similar fashion to how they won the Premier League last season City showed true resolve and managed to pull level just 4 minutes after going behind with Dzeko finally converting a chance. The goal suddenly opened up the game with both teams coming close to scoring a 3rd, though it City who eventually managed to bag the decider with 10 minutes left as Samir Nasri, the stand out player on the day, put the ball past Kelvin Davis to secure the 3 points.
Despite being run very close Man city have got some positives to take from this game. They showed real resolve in fighting back from 2-1 down and really did dominate the game (having almost 65% of the possession). Sadly for City however the game had more negatives for them than positives. Firstly the injury to Aguero looked very serious, whilst I'm not aware yet of how bad it was, it certainly looked nasty, losing Aguero for a few months would be a giant loss to City. Secondly their shooting was terrible for much of the match, especially Dzeko who could have bagged 4 or 5 though only managed to bag a solitary goal. Thirdly, and possibly most worryingly, their defence was caught out looking very poor for the Davis' goal which actually came from a City corner. The champions certainly need to improve on this performance if they are intending to retain the title, though I'd be shocked if they look this poor next time out.
The newly promoted Southampton should hold their heads very high after the match, not only were they in the lead against the champions at one but they held their own with the City for vast swathes of the match. Despite the fact they were helped by City's wastefulness around goal they showed they weren't intimidated by the champions and will take a lot of heart from the fact they were so competitive. Whilst many maybe tipping Southampton to go down, this performance seems to suggest they are a team who can stay up and give anyone in the league a good game. Nigel Adkins' should be proud of his men and if he can get them playing like this every week they will be safe.
The reigning Premier League champions Manchester City got their league season kicked off by facing the newly promoted Southampton who appeared to be in line for a true baptism of fire. What on paper seemed likely to be the most one-sided match of the weekend actually turned into the best match of the weekend as the new boys refused to fold to the reigning champions and put up an incredible fight before finally losing.
The match started badly for City who saw Argentinian international Sergio "Kun" Aguero, last season's top scorer, leaving the pitch with a nasty looking knee injury after just 13 minutes. Things went from bad to worse for City who despite earning a penalty couldn't convert it with David Silva taking one of the weakest penalties we'll see this season.
Despite creating a number of chances City we're being held by on equal footing for much of the first half, until Carlos Tevez broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. It seemed as if this could open the floodgates and that City could begin to run away with the match however they failed to bag a second before half time. At the start of the second half City seemed almost certain to finish off the match as Edin Dzeko had a catalog of chances to double the Blue's lead. It seemed almost certain that City were going to eventually double their lead but then, out of the blue Southampton managed to draw level via a Ricky Lambert strike. Amazingly, just minutes later Southampton actually took the lead as Steven Davis finished off a counter to double the tally for the Saints and it appeared as if a giant upset was on the cards.
In a similar fashion to how they won the Premier League last season City showed true resolve and managed to pull level just 4 minutes after going behind with Dzeko finally converting a chance. The goal suddenly opened up the game with both teams coming close to scoring a 3rd, though it City who eventually managed to bag the decider with 10 minutes left as Samir Nasri, the stand out player on the day, put the ball past Kelvin Davis to secure the 3 points.
Despite being run very close Man city have got some positives to take from this game. They showed real resolve in fighting back from 2-1 down and really did dominate the game (having almost 65% of the possession). Sadly for City however the game had more negatives for them than positives. Firstly the injury to Aguero looked very serious, whilst I'm not aware yet of how bad it was, it certainly looked nasty, losing Aguero for a few months would be a giant loss to City. Secondly their shooting was terrible for much of the match, especially Dzeko who could have bagged 4 or 5 though only managed to bag a solitary goal. Thirdly, and possibly most worryingly, their defence was caught out looking very poor for the Davis' goal which actually came from a City corner. The champions certainly need to improve on this performance if they are intending to retain the title, though I'd be shocked if they look this poor next time out.
The newly promoted Southampton should hold their heads very high after the match, not only were they in the lead against the champions at one but they held their own with the City for vast swathes of the match. Despite the fact they were helped by City's wastefulness around goal they showed they weren't intimidated by the champions and will take a lot of heart from the fact they were so competitive. Whilst many maybe tipping Southampton to go down, this performance seems to suggest they are a team who can stay up and give anyone in the league a good game. Nigel Adkins' should be proud of his men and if he can get them playing like this every week they will be safe.
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