It’s a funny ol’ week for City fans. Well, I say funny – there’s nothing remotely amusing or fun about potentially being betwixt and between drubbings that threaten to halt in its tracks our mini-revival.
The general thrust before the Man City game was that, while a win or a draw felt almost beyond the realms of reality, the main thing was to emerge with the belief and confidence still intact. A 4-0 defeat, on the face of it, looked to have just about achieved that, but the manner of it will have left a few scars.
We now face an anxious wait to see if Saturday’s trip to Anfield will add salt into that festering wound, knowing that those pretty patterns weaved around us by Man City will have eaten away at the collective confidence – something that Dean Smith had carefully and painstakingly nurtured through the month of January.
The way in which our City were so comprehensively outplayed by Pep Guardiola’s men must have knocked the stuffing out of them. Hardened pros they may be, but the toil on the mind of chasing a ball around the pitch for 72 per cent of the game and being handed your derriere on a plate in the process is draining.
The prospect of something similar happening in just three days’ time isn’t particularly enticing.
This week at Colney will, of course, be based around the tactical set-up needed to combat Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal” football, but the need to refresh the collective mind is equally important. At the very top level, where players are all technically proficient, it’s a battle of will as well as a battle of skill.
And I have this nagging doubt that the fallout from the Man City mauling will still be weighing heavily as they take to the field at Anfield.
As we reminded ourselves constantly in the run-up to these two impossibly difficult games, neither will define our season, but it does mean we have lost ground on Newcastle – who now look destined to soar off into the distance – and, whether we like it or not, the momentum gained from a good January has taken a nasty hit.
A win at Anfield would, of course, resurrect that in an instant but… well… you know.
The harsh reality is we could end February bottom of the pile again with those above us having games in hand and all with better goal differences. Goal differences that are, by the way, at least 16 better than City’s – something that’s already worth an extra point to the Watfords, Burnleys and Brentfords.
The task remains gargantuan but that mini-unbeaten run had us all believing. And as ever, it’s the hope that kills. It was only ever a small chance but it was a chance.
Anfield awaits and it’s an unhappy hunting ground for sure, but we have managed surprise draws there in the not-too-distant past. Who can forget Holty’s brave-as-a-lion header that beat Pepe Raina to Anthony Pilkington’s cross in 2011 or Russell Martin celebrating the birth of his second child with an unlikely equaliser in 2015?
It can be done. Just not very often.
So, the thrust of this piece (other than being a Wednesday filler)? Not sure really, other than to highlight just how quickly any kind of good work can be undone in the Premier League and how miserable it is when you face Man City and Liverpool on consecutive Saturdays.
I penned a piece of a similarly gloomy intonation for BBC Sport yesterday and was swiftly reminded how quickly I’d forgotten the 3-2 win over Man City in 2019.
Perhaps said gent had a point. Maybe that long awaited win at Anfield is but three days away.
🎵 You may say I’m a dreamer…
Or, as Martin would put it…
Hi Gary
Some suggested yesterday that City contact the FA and asked can the next 2 games be done as a omen as in this weekend counting for league points and progress into the next round of the Cup.
Whichever way you look at, 2 visits 2 Liverpool in such a short space of time is a daunting prospect for even hardened pros.
The bragging rights of some footballers really amaze me in that Trent Alexander says that winning a Micky Mouse cup called the World Team Cup plus 1 league Title and a lucky CL is more than a match for Man C 3 Titles 1 FA Cup and 4 League Cups in the same period disillusioned I say.
Can City maintain the winning streak against the keys teams let’s hope so, can we get an upset on Saturday – YES will it be tough I think so but Liverpool have a midweek game that they can’t take for granted with a weakened team, so will Klopp become complacent or his team lack commitment thinking we are a walk over. All are possibilities but after their draw at Burnley maybe that could happen.
Maybe Storm whatever that is hitting the West Coast this weekend might get the game postponed it’s all in the laps of the God’s
Maybe the music choice could have been a Bachelors Hit
I Believe
Imagine must be every City supporters anthem I would have thought Gary. Though I still remember
“I was born under the Barclay Stand” to the tune of Wandering Star from ” Paint your Wagon”.
I suppose a point at Anfield would be a bigger shock than Clint Eastwood breaking into song half way through the movie.
Imagine a world with no greed !!! John Lennon was indeed a dreamer, and there would be no place for him in the world of the EPL.
The EPL is more like “Highlander” in that There can only be one. One true winner of the Premiership, the rest are just flotsam distorted by the qualification for the so called Champions League.
Except they are not Champions of anything, in truth the old title of European Cup is much more apt for the present trophy.
I love the look on Roy Keane’s face when he is asked if finishing in fourth place would be a good season for his beloved Manchester United😂 Roy is definitely of the opinion that there can only be one.
Manchester City destroyed a last 16 Champions league team in an hour last night and took their foot of the gas for the final 30 minutes, something they didn’t do at Carrow Road on Saturday. So our lads should not go into the Liverpool match feeling too down at all.
I think it is highly unlikely we will get anything but another good effort by the team is all we can ask.
I know this is controversial but I think Klopp has achieved more at Liverpool than Pep has at Citeh.
Nowhere near the same budget as Pep and he has delivered the Champions League along with an EPL title. So to me Saturday’s match is just as tough.
But then the real games begin. 12 games with only 3 against the present top six, and only one of them away. With Newcastle setting sale for the promised land we need to drag a couple more teams into the relegation scrap to have any chance in truth.
““I was born under the Barclay Stand” to the tune of Wandering Star from ” Paint your Wagon”.”
Now that’s a film!
And if I’m not mistaken, was “sung” by Lee Marvin rather then Clint….
Correct!
Clint’s (best) number was “Gold Fever”.
To me, the most important factor is leaving these two games without any additional injuries. We can just-about get results with a fully fit attack. Anything less and we struggle. So personally, I’d rather come out of Liverpool with zero points and a fit Rashica, than 1pt and an injury.
Optimistically I can see us getting 30pts, or another 13pts from 14 game (or 13 discounting Liverpool). Which I honestly didn’t expect to be writing three months ago.
However, I can’t currently see any of the teams above us getting less than 30. Perhaps Brentford, but they only need 2 wins out of 13 to get there.
Sadly my thoughts exactly re 30 points. Which will not be enough but still now we have avoided the Derby record (least points relegated) we can look to avoid the ‘goals scored’ minimum of 20.? Anything else will be a bonus. Not finishing 20th for example with our goal difference and the fact that Watford and Burnley have games in hand.
With wins at the Carrer against fellow relegation fodder if we could just nick away points from the mid table clubs that 30 could be a competitive 35 or so – Southampton, Leeds, Brighton and Villa away are the key indicator games.
I wonder how trips to grind out a result at Burnley and a midweek in Milan will have affected Liverpool. Maybe we will benefit from their tiring week or maybe you should have checked Half Man Half Biscuit’s back catalogue to see what kind of day Saturday could prove to be.
Citeh did even more of a job on Sporting last night than they did on us. I’m not sure that the players’ confidence following that performance is going to be knocked when playing bottom half teams,
Love that song Gary!
At least we conceded one goal less than Sporting Lisbon against MCFC!
Liverpool is going to be a tough match, but we have great team unity which helps and we thoroughly earned the right to try! I’ll be happy if we play the way we’ve been playing, the guys are all putting themselves out there for us, and the law of averages suggests that sometimes things will go our way.
Either way, play the best we can, hit their goal every time we get the chance, try to match Liverpool in midfield, defend hard and don’t be scared to put their ball into row Zed.
Cheers,
COYYs !!
Man City 5 – Sporting Lisbon 0….Man City possession 64% and this is the CL QF -away. I think NC should take some satisfaction from the result on Sat as it demonstrates just how large, on so many levels, the gap is in the PL and with Man City/Liverpool/Chelsea in particular vis-a-vis the rest of the PL. There were many positives from the past weekend and rather than get down in the dumps, while knowing how these matches were scheduled. there are still plenty of points to play for and survival is still a very real possibility if 30-35 points will be enough. Brentford and Leeds are sinking to the bottom of the table and will join the party. The cup is still half full…