Manchester City v Juventus.
Look at that. Read it again. Manchester City. Juventus. I don't know about you, but up until very recently, I had never thought Manchester City would be playing Juventus in competitive football. Yet here we are, on the 30th September 2010, hosting them in UEFA's Europa Cup.
Ok, so it's not the UEFA Champions League. And sure, Juve aren't what they once were. But if the Europa League group stages can possibly throw up a glamour tie, this is as close as it's going to get.
So it was with some excitement that I set off for the City of Manchester Stadium this evening. Unfortunately, I left feeling a little underwhelmed.
If I'm completely honest, I fell into the trap of thinking if Fulham beat Juve 4-1 last season, tonight would not pose too much of a problem for City. A silly way of thinking, but that's what happened.
When Iaquinta hit a long rage shot past Joe Hart in the tenth minute it came as a shock to the system. The game hadn't exactly sparked into life but from nowhere Juve were ahead. Disappointing.
Even more disappointing though was City's response. Did they up the tempo, looking to get back on level terms? Well, there was plenty of effort but little end product. City barely created a chance until Tevez cut into the box on 19 minutes and hit the ball wide. It wasn't gilt edged, but it was a chance. Meanwhile, at the back City had a mad ten minutes or so. When Juventus attacked City lost shape and balls from deep defence were being left by everybody and ending up with the Juventus strikers. If we're to achieve anything this season we need to be switched on for 90 minutes and at least make things difficult for our opponents. At times tonight, we did not make it difficult for Juventus at all.
The next chance came on 33 minutes. A ball into the box was nodded onto the post by Gareth Barry. Sadly, Adebayor could not react fast enough to get the rebound in.
Not to worry, there were now positive signs. We upped our game and on 37 minutes Yaya Toure slipped an exquisite ball through the Juve defence for Adam Johnson. Alex Manninger in the Juve goal came for it, but Johnson's first touch made him look foolish. His second found the net. 1-1. Time to push on and threaten the Italians.
And what of the second half? There is little to say. There was a heart-in-mouth moment when Del Piero's free-kick came down off the bar and bounced onto the line in the closing stages. Dedryck Boyata made a second half appearance and looked just as assured at right-back as he did against Chelsea. Vincent Kompany continued to look excellent at centre-back and fully deserved his man of the match award.
Slightly more disappointing was the performance of Manu Adebayor. Handed a start and the chance to impress, he failed to take it. The less said the better to be honest, but I can't imagine he's done his chances of starting a premier league game soon any good.
All in all, an unsatisfactory point to be honest. It's not a bad point, it just doesn't feel like much right now. Winning your home games is important if you want to progress in this tournament. The October tie against Lech Poznan, who won tonight, is now a very big game.
Ciao,
Richard
http://twitter.com/#!/RichardTheBurns
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
Very Superstitious
Manchester City take to the pitch for the second half. All of their players go and take their positions ready for kick off. All of their players, except one.
Kolo Toure jogs to his position at centre-back...then jogs a little bit further. He runs to the edge of the 18 yard box, and then begins to jog across the "D". Once he gets to the corner of the D, he makes a diagonal run to the touchline and corner of the box and plants his feet firmly into the ground. He looks up to his left and applauds the City fans in front of him. Then he turns to his right and offers a slightly less enthusiastic clap to the away fans.
That is exactly what has happened at every game Kolo Toure has played at the City of Manchester Stadium in the last year. It seems he is the superstitious type.
It's not just Kolo - football is littered with superstitous players and managers. Paul Ince famously used to leave his shirt off until he was out of the players tunnel; Fabien Barthez required a kiss on the head from Laurent Blanc before he was ready to play for France at World Cup '98; David James goes to a urinal, waits until it's empty and spits at the wall for good luck before a match (yes, really).
So...why? What makes a professional athlete, who has spent the whole week preparing physically and tactically for a game, spit at a wall for good luck? Anything to give them that extra edge I suppose, even if to the rational thinker their rituals are meaningless and bizarre.
Wonderfully, though, the football fan is rarely a rational thinker. And so we have it that football supporters the world over have dreamt up their own quirky superstitions. This seems even more hopeless because we have no influence on what happens on the pitch. But that's hard to accept, I suppose, so we do what we can.
If you're interested (and even if you're not), here are some of those that have afflicted me over the years:
* For the 2007-2008 season, I would have the same order from the chippy prior to every single game. A simple one, this. On the walk up to the first home game (v Derby County) I ordered a chip muffin. We won. So for the next home game (v United) I ordered a chip muffin. We won. Clearly this was working so I stuck with the chip muffin all season, even after we finally lost at home, deep into December that year.
I got pretty bored of that though - I don't think I've had a chip muffin since May 2008!
* Slightly more simple is taking the same route to every home game. That may seem logical, but the route taken is not necessarily the quickest one. If, for any reason, circumstance ever forces us in a different direction then I can't shake the feeling that we will lose. Strange? Yes. Rational? Certainly not.
* My entrance for every home game is entrance J. Those of you who have been to the City of Manchester Stadium will know that at each entrance, there are several turnstiles. Not for me. All but one of those turnstiles is effectively obsolete. I will always take the turnstile to the far left. There may be a queue there, whilst all the others are empty, but it makes no difference. No matter how hard the stewards try to make me use a different one, it won't happen. For if I do, City will lose, and I am not prepared to bear that responsibility.
The beauty of it is that almost everybody has their matchday routine, their special matchday underpants or a special pre-game drink.
Does it make a difference? Of course not. But are we supposed to turn up and think we can't help? It's nice to feel you're contributing in some way, right?
So, The Sheikh can spend what he wants and Mancini can do as he pleases in training, but if I don't use my lucky turnstile, my Auntie stops drinking out of her lucky City cup on matchdays and Kolo Toure stops doing his lucky ritual then we've no chance of breaking the top four.
Right?
Ciao,
Richard
http://twitter.com/#!/RichardTheBurns
Kolo Toure jogs to his position at centre-back...then jogs a little bit further. He runs to the edge of the 18 yard box, and then begins to jog across the "D". Once he gets to the corner of the D, he makes a diagonal run to the touchline and corner of the box and plants his feet firmly into the ground. He looks up to his left and applauds the City fans in front of him. Then he turns to his right and offers a slightly less enthusiastic clap to the away fans.
That is exactly what has happened at every game Kolo Toure has played at the City of Manchester Stadium in the last year. It seems he is the superstitious type.
It's not just Kolo - football is littered with superstitous players and managers. Paul Ince famously used to leave his shirt off until he was out of the players tunnel; Fabien Barthez required a kiss on the head from Laurent Blanc before he was ready to play for France at World Cup '98; David James goes to a urinal, waits until it's empty and spits at the wall for good luck before a match (yes, really).
So...why? What makes a professional athlete, who has spent the whole week preparing physically and tactically for a game, spit at a wall for good luck? Anything to give them that extra edge I suppose, even if to the rational thinker their rituals are meaningless and bizarre.
Wonderfully, though, the football fan is rarely a rational thinker. And so we have it that football supporters the world over have dreamt up their own quirky superstitions. This seems even more hopeless because we have no influence on what happens on the pitch. But that's hard to accept, I suppose, so we do what we can.
If you're interested (and even if you're not), here are some of those that have afflicted me over the years:
* For the 2007-2008 season, I would have the same order from the chippy prior to every single game. A simple one, this. On the walk up to the first home game (v Derby County) I ordered a chip muffin. We won. So for the next home game (v United) I ordered a chip muffin. We won. Clearly this was working so I stuck with the chip muffin all season, even after we finally lost at home, deep into December that year.
I got pretty bored of that though - I don't think I've had a chip muffin since May 2008!
* Slightly more simple is taking the same route to every home game. That may seem logical, but the route taken is not necessarily the quickest one. If, for any reason, circumstance ever forces us in a different direction then I can't shake the feeling that we will lose. Strange? Yes. Rational? Certainly not.
* My entrance for every home game is entrance J. Those of you who have been to the City of Manchester Stadium will know that at each entrance, there are several turnstiles. Not for me. All but one of those turnstiles is effectively obsolete. I will always take the turnstile to the far left. There may be a queue there, whilst all the others are empty, but it makes no difference. No matter how hard the stewards try to make me use a different one, it won't happen. For if I do, City will lose, and I am not prepared to bear that responsibility.
The beauty of it is that almost everybody has their matchday routine, their special matchday underpants or a special pre-game drink.
Does it make a difference? Of course not. But are we supposed to turn up and think we can't help? It's nice to feel you're contributing in some way, right?
So, The Sheikh can spend what he wants and Mancini can do as he pleases in training, but if I don't use my lucky turnstile, my Auntie stops drinking out of her lucky City cup on matchdays and Kolo Toure stops doing his lucky ritual then we've no chance of breaking the top four.
Right?
Ciao,
Richard
http://twitter.com/#!/RichardTheBurns
Sunday, 26 September 2010
City v Chelsea - Post Match
"Rampant"; "Unbeatable"; "Free-scoring"; "Dominant"; "The Best Team in the Country".
You'd be forgiven for thinking that yesterday, City would be facing an impossible task. Merely turning up to make up the numbers. Of course, most journo's and pundits acknowledged that City would be Chelsea's "first real test", but most seemed to be using the line just to have something to say. Most didn't really expect Chelsea to slip up. And who could really blame them? They have been in fine form. Though I might add that anybody who thinks Chelsea have yet to face a "test" does not really understand the Premier League. The same West Brom team that were swept aside by Chelsea on the opening day yesterday won at Arsenal. To steal a cliche then, there are no easy games in the Premier League, no matter how much Chelsea do to try and contradict that saying.
But if Chelsea were the unstoppable force, yesterday City were the immovable object. For all Chelsea's huff and puff, City's door was never going to be blown down. I'll admit to having my concerns prior to the game. I needn't have worried. The same City team that played the perfect Jeckyll and Hyde game against Sunderland (great in the first half; poor in the second) and failed to convince despite picking up three points at Wigan, stepped up their game yesterday.
I should've known. We always do it. I shouldn't have been surprised when Carlos Tevez broke from the half way line and placed a perfect shot through Ashley Cole's legs, past Petr Cech, clipping the inside of the post before hitting the net.
I shouldn't have been surprised when perfect tackle after perfect tackle thwarted every Chelsea attack, eventually forcing Essien into weak long range efforts.
That one goal sealed a thoroughly deserved win then, our third successive victory against The Best Team in the Country.
So, here's my player ratings for yesterday. I've gone with the starting eleven only as none of the substitutes really had enough time to make an impact. Being the traidtionalist that I am, all ratings are out of 10.
Hart - 6 - Not much to say for him really. Thanks to a good defensive performance, he had little to do. He saved well from Ivanovic's rebound in the first half after the ball hit the bar, and he tipped a long range Anelka shot wide (though it was probably heading that way anyway). So, barely tested, but comfortable when called upon.
Zabaleta - 7 - Poor Zabs seems to have become something of a scapegoat recently when things don't go well. I was concerned about his lack of pace before the game but again, I needn't have worried. He was reliable throughout. After picking up a yellow card in the first half I was concerned. I thought he'd become a liability. He does like a rash challenge but he handled himself well and didn't do anything stupid. A solid performance.
Kompany - 9 - He has fully cemented his role as City's "Mr Dependable" now. He always looks calm and yesterday was no exception. This must inspire confidence in him from his team-mates. A very impressive performance and after a couple of seasons of consistent performances there are people beginning to desribe Vinnie as "world class". He's certainly getting there - he could be a rock in our defence for years to come.
K Toure - 8 - Next to Kompany, he is looking a lot better than he did last season. I've lost count of how many perfect tackles he has made so far this season. His timing has become immaculate, time-after-time he gets his foot in just as the opponent is about to pull the trigger. We look to have found our defensive partnership for the season.
Boyata - 8 - I've been impressed by him every time I've seen him (well, with the exception of the Hull away game last season, but we'll forgive that). Yesterday was, as far I remember, his first game at right back in the first team. He handled it well. I've thought for a while now he's going to be a star, and after being in his pocket all game, I reckon Didier Drogba would agree with me. The only thing that costs him an extra mark is the odd moment of inexperience - the tackle that earned him a yellow card in the second half being an example. But we won't dwell on that, he was excellent.
Milner - 7 - Earns his mark for work rate more than end product yesterday. He worked tirelessly for 90 minutes and was up and down the left touchline all game. Few crosses found their target and a few attempted tricks and flicks failed but I'm liking what I see so far.
Barry - 8 - So far this season I have found myself having to eat my words after nearly every game. Last season I was not impressed by Gareth Barry (I made this clear on the Imagine FM Bluemoon Show earlier in the season). I am pleased to say though that he looks a different player this season. Yesterday he showed just how good his vision was, picking out inch perfect passes time and time again and doing a good job of breaking up play.
De Jong - 8 - Imperious. As ever. There's not too much to say here. He goes on the pitch and does his job. Does anybody in world football execute a slide tackle as well as Nigel? He is looking increasingly composed on the ball as well, he is perhaps more skillful than we've previously been allowed to see.
Silva - 8 - His best performance yet. Any concerns about how he'd handle the physicality of the Premier League have surely been banished. He may be slight but he showed just how well he can handle himself. His creative play was excellent and offered a great link between defence and attack. I look forward to seeing him grow into the role in the next few games.
Y Toure - 7 - Not an eye-catching performance in my opinion, but he was solid. Little more to say than that to be honest.
Tevez - 8 - As you would expect, he battled well against physical defenders and as ever, combined it with more than a little skillful play. His goal was excellent. Continues to be worth his weight in gold.
Well, there we have it. That's my little match review.
To steal another cliche, beating Chelsea is excellent. It's how we back it up against Newcastle and Blackpool that will really tell us where we are as a team though. Here's hoping for positive results against Juventus and Newcastle then.
Ciao,
Richard
http://twitter.com/RichardTheBurns
You'd be forgiven for thinking that yesterday, City would be facing an impossible task. Merely turning up to make up the numbers. Of course, most journo's and pundits acknowledged that City would be Chelsea's "first real test", but most seemed to be using the line just to have something to say. Most didn't really expect Chelsea to slip up. And who could really blame them? They have been in fine form. Though I might add that anybody who thinks Chelsea have yet to face a "test" does not really understand the Premier League. The same West Brom team that were swept aside by Chelsea on the opening day yesterday won at Arsenal. To steal a cliche then, there are no easy games in the Premier League, no matter how much Chelsea do to try and contradict that saying.
But if Chelsea were the unstoppable force, yesterday City were the immovable object. For all Chelsea's huff and puff, City's door was never going to be blown down. I'll admit to having my concerns prior to the game. I needn't have worried. The same City team that played the perfect Jeckyll and Hyde game against Sunderland (great in the first half; poor in the second) and failed to convince despite picking up three points at Wigan, stepped up their game yesterday.
I should've known. We always do it. I shouldn't have been surprised when Carlos Tevez broke from the half way line and placed a perfect shot through Ashley Cole's legs, past Petr Cech, clipping the inside of the post before hitting the net.
I shouldn't have been surprised when perfect tackle after perfect tackle thwarted every Chelsea attack, eventually forcing Essien into weak long range efforts.
That one goal sealed a thoroughly deserved win then, our third successive victory against The Best Team in the Country.
So, here's my player ratings for yesterday. I've gone with the starting eleven only as none of the substitutes really had enough time to make an impact. Being the traidtionalist that I am, all ratings are out of 10.
Hart - 6 - Not much to say for him really. Thanks to a good defensive performance, he had little to do. He saved well from Ivanovic's rebound in the first half after the ball hit the bar, and he tipped a long range Anelka shot wide (though it was probably heading that way anyway). So, barely tested, but comfortable when called upon.
Zabaleta - 7 - Poor Zabs seems to have become something of a scapegoat recently when things don't go well. I was concerned about his lack of pace before the game but again, I needn't have worried. He was reliable throughout. After picking up a yellow card in the first half I was concerned. I thought he'd become a liability. He does like a rash challenge but he handled himself well and didn't do anything stupid. A solid performance.
Kompany - 9 - He has fully cemented his role as City's "Mr Dependable" now. He always looks calm and yesterday was no exception. This must inspire confidence in him from his team-mates. A very impressive performance and after a couple of seasons of consistent performances there are people beginning to desribe Vinnie as "world class". He's certainly getting there - he could be a rock in our defence for years to come.
K Toure - 8 - Next to Kompany, he is looking a lot better than he did last season. I've lost count of how many perfect tackles he has made so far this season. His timing has become immaculate, time-after-time he gets his foot in just as the opponent is about to pull the trigger. We look to have found our defensive partnership for the season.
Boyata - 8 - I've been impressed by him every time I've seen him (well, with the exception of the Hull away game last season, but we'll forgive that). Yesterday was, as far I remember, his first game at right back in the first team. He handled it well. I've thought for a while now he's going to be a star, and after being in his pocket all game, I reckon Didier Drogba would agree with me. The only thing that costs him an extra mark is the odd moment of inexperience - the tackle that earned him a yellow card in the second half being an example. But we won't dwell on that, he was excellent.
Milner - 7 - Earns his mark for work rate more than end product yesterday. He worked tirelessly for 90 minutes and was up and down the left touchline all game. Few crosses found their target and a few attempted tricks and flicks failed but I'm liking what I see so far.
Barry - 8 - So far this season I have found myself having to eat my words after nearly every game. Last season I was not impressed by Gareth Barry (I made this clear on the Imagine FM Bluemoon Show earlier in the season). I am pleased to say though that he looks a different player this season. Yesterday he showed just how good his vision was, picking out inch perfect passes time and time again and doing a good job of breaking up play.
De Jong - 8 - Imperious. As ever. There's not too much to say here. He goes on the pitch and does his job. Does anybody in world football execute a slide tackle as well as Nigel? He is looking increasingly composed on the ball as well, he is perhaps more skillful than we've previously been allowed to see.
Silva - 8 - His best performance yet. Any concerns about how he'd handle the physicality of the Premier League have surely been banished. He may be slight but he showed just how well he can handle himself. His creative play was excellent and offered a great link between defence and attack. I look forward to seeing him grow into the role in the next few games.
Y Toure - 7 - Not an eye-catching performance in my opinion, but he was solid. Little more to say than that to be honest.
Tevez - 8 - As you would expect, he battled well against physical defenders and as ever, combined it with more than a little skillful play. His goal was excellent. Continues to be worth his weight in gold.
Well, there we have it. That's my little match review.
To steal another cliche, beating Chelsea is excellent. It's how we back it up against Newcastle and Blackpool that will really tell us where we are as a team though. Here's hoping for positive results against Juventus and Newcastle then.
Ciao,
Richard
http://twitter.com/RichardTheBurns
An introduction
Hello.
Allow me to introduce myself a little bit. As you've probably worked out, I'm a Manchester City fan, I'm 22 and I'm in my thirteenth year as a season ticket holder and I've decided I'd like to try and write a blog. Will it be any good? Well, I hope so.
I'm about to start fairly simply with a bit about yesterday's game against Chelsea, some player ratings and that kind of thing.
So, I'll try and make it interesting and i'll appreciate any feedback anybody can offer - it's my first proper attempt at this so no doubt there'll be some room for improvement.
So...come on in and put your feet up. Please just remember to take your shoes off at the door.
Allow me to introduce myself a little bit. As you've probably worked out, I'm a Manchester City fan, I'm 22 and I'm in my thirteenth year as a season ticket holder and I've decided I'd like to try and write a blog. Will it be any good? Well, I hope so.
I'm about to start fairly simply with a bit about yesterday's game against Chelsea, some player ratings and that kind of thing.
So, I'll try and make it interesting and i'll appreciate any feedback anybody can offer - it's my first proper attempt at this so no doubt there'll be some room for improvement.
So...come on in and put your feet up. Please just remember to take your shoes off at the door.
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