- 3. City are galvanised in adversity
At 3-0 down, with 10 men, in front of an understandably disappointed set of home fans, as well as a constant heavy drizzle of rain, Manchester City trounced in for, what must have been an emphatic team talk. Despite taking off their most creative and talented player – David Silva – as well as Adam Johnson, Manchester City came out for the second half with a sense of belief in attack about them. Setting up in a 5-3-1 formation, with Samir Nasri at the peak of a midfield three that saw Milner and De Jong carry the ineffective Frenchman, and Zabaleta and Kolarov acting as wing-backs, Mancini’s men came out and threatened to humiliate Manchester United for a second time this season, cutting the deficit to just one goal by the 65th minute. The Italian’s tactics and the philosophy that he instilled into the players for the second half were spot on and it was only a well saved free-kick and subsequent quick clearance that kept United’s shirts as the only thing red. Former Manchester City sides would’ve gone on to concede 6 or 7 like Roy Keane suggested they might at half-time: however, under Mancini, City are galvanised in adversity.
- 4. Despite losing, City damaged their opposition
“The momentum was lost, but it’s been restored,” commented Clive Tyldesley as the second-half nearly turned into a horror show for Manchester United, as City got back on top. At half-time, Manchester United’s season was back on track after losses to Newcastle and Blackburn over Christmas: an F.A Cup win against the team that led the Premier League by three points was more significant than just a place in the hat for the Fourth Round. With 45 minutes to come against ten men and already three goals to the good, Manchester United had the opportunity to really hurt their opposition: “over the past 10-15 years, no team has been better at hurting teams than Manchester United,” said Andy Townsend. Within 20 minutes of that comment, United’s 3-goal lead had slipped to just one and there was still 25 minutes and injury time on the clock. In one half of football, Manchester United went from re-establishing themselves comprehensibly to displaying to the nation their vulnerability and weaknesses. Had the first half finished 2-0 to City and the second 3-0 to United, it would have been a much different story; however, despite losing, City damaged their opposition and the win hasn’t done United any good. Once more, the blue half of Manchester has shown up its rivals.
- 5. City remain consistent into 2012
Up until the F.A Cup third round tie against Manchester United, City were averaging 2.71 goals per game at home, in all competitions. In the Premier League, City are scoring an average of 3.1 goals per game at The Etihad; in Europe, City averaged 1.7 goals a game at home and in the domestic cups, they had scored an average of 2 goals per game when playing in front of a home crowd. Against Manchester United, despite the one man deficit, City continued to deliver what was expected of them in terms of goals. If Manchester City can maintain their home consistency in the absence of Yaya & Kolo Toure, 6 points from their three away games: Wigan, Everton and Aston Villa should be enough to ensure the Ivorians return to a table-topping side. Their home games against them saw City collect 9 points, score 9 goals and only concede once – a consolation goal scored by Villa’s Warnock. Manchester City have remained constant into 2012.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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