Manchester City v Newcastle United
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Date: 19/11/2011
Kick off Time: 15:00
Attendance: SOLD OUT
Briefly last weekend they stood first and second in the English Premiership, where they remain the only two teams unbeaten in eleven games. They are in fact two of only ten in the whole top flight of European football to remain unbeaten.
The task facing the Blue Boys therefore at first glance looks formidable, and as the saying goes “something’s got to give”.
It gets worse. Newcastle United have so far this season been even more miserly in defence than City, having conceded two fewer goals. Hard to break down?
A closer look at Newcastle’s season so far, however shows that all of their seven victories were secured against teams currently languishing in the bottom half of the table. They’ve faced top-ten opposition on only three occasions, ending deadlocked in every case. With a cagey one-all at Villa where both teams were there not to lose, and an opening day point in a goalless affair at home to ten-man Arsenal, who were at that time in total disarray, only their fight-back at home to Spurs shows their potential to take something from the big boys.
The last time these two sides met at what was then still Eastlands, it was an uncomfortable afternoon, not least for Hatem Ben Arfa who suffered a sickening leg break.
They even had to think up a name for it
Ironically Nigel de Jong, whose “scissor tackle” some blamed for the injury is the less likely to appear at the rematch. Ben Arfa’s long road to recovery is nearly fully trodden with over 100 premiership minutes under his belt so far this season. At the same time, de Jong, since the season’s opener, has been allowed out only once other than on European nights. Newcastle will however be reluctant to change a settled side, although will miss ex-Red Gabriel Obertan and his lightbulb head out wide. He’s out with a swollen toe, poor lamb, while the return of Cheik Tiote to the Toon’s midfield should “steady the ship”.
NUFC staff work on Obertan
The last time the teams met in Manchester it took a late goal from sub Adam Johnson to secure what some still consider a lucky 2-1 win for City. Since then, however much has changed. While City have built and their squad has at last gelled, NUFC have sold nearly half of their first team outfield players including Captain Kevin Nolan, the “fifty million pound pony tail” our erstwhile son, part time philosopher and pugilist, Joey ”I did it my way” Barton, and New Age Prophet (“I fear for Newcastle”), José Enrique. They’ve also changed managers, and having run out of Messiah’s have traded inexperienced 53 year old Londoner Chris Hughton for “Man of the Moment”, Londoner Alan Pardew, whose achievements include taking Charlton from the Premiership to the bottom three of the Championship, West Ham’s worst run in 70 years, three sackings, oh, and an FA Cup Final . Sadly(some would say) United’s ownership remains the same, but they have been labelled the “surprise package” so far this season, and are either the real deal or “just another Hull City” who will be found out in the return fixtures.
Popular owner, Mike Ashley
City, on the other hand look every inch the real thing and can call on a squad which continues to show its strength in depth. The challenge here is second guessing Roberto Mancini’s selection with Napoli waiting to “greet” City and their followers in Italy’s crime capital on Tuesday night. The next fourteen days will be difficult for both teams, with Saturday being the first of Newcastle’s two trips to Manchester before hosting Chelsea. In the same period City will have 2 more games but possibly the easier fortnight. That said City will have at least one eye on Tuesday’s European outing.
For me, the telling statistic is City’s better scoring rate (netting 2 more goals per game than the Toon), and that is the best clue to the outcome.
City 2 NUFC nowt.
Many thanks to Alex Sapphire of www.mancityfans.net for this weeks Match Preview