Manchester City v Portsmouth
Match Preview
Sunday, January 31
Eastlands, 13:30
What a difference a Sheik makes …
Not too long ago Manchester City were regulars at the Lower Table Inn. European football was only a dream (thanks Robbie!) and players were sold to keep the club finances afloat.
At the same time Portsmouth was a club on the up. Thanks to a new, wealthy owner big names were brought in and the team steadily climbed the Premier League table. City were a selling club, Pompey a buying one. In short succession David James, Sylvain Distin and Andy Cole were all Redknapped to “a club with ambitions, and with the chance of winning trophies” – S. Distin.
End of January 2010, several managers and a few dodgy owners later, the changes in fortune could not be more contrasting. City – arguably the richest football club in the world – have a fourth spot and Champions League football in their sites. Yet they welcome to Eastlands, a Pompey team in crisis. The South Coast club is in dire straits on the pitch; only 4 wins and 15 points after roughly half of the season played, Pompey are firmly rooted to the bottom of the league. Off the pitch, matters are even worse. The club has continuously postponed paying staff and players wages, facilities are being closed or repossessed and the club’s official web site has even been switched off due to unpaid bills (it’s now back up again, after an agreement was made with the company running the site). The real sword of Damocles hanging over the Southerners, however, is a tax debt due February 10 which could lead to liquidation if not paid on time. Perhaps it’s no wonder that star defender Younes Kaboul is rumoured to return to Spurs for a whopping £11 million fee – a deal allegedly orchestrated behind the backs of manager Avram Grant and Chief Executive Peter Storrie.
Is there any credit left on Porthmouth’s accounts?
But it’s not all doom and gloom in the Hampshire city. The transfer ban imposed by the Premier League has recently been lifted (although with restrictions – the club is allowed to bring in players on loan or free transfer, but is still banned from buying players). As a result Tottenham player Jamie O’Hara has been able to continue his loan spell from the first half of the season. Pompey manager Avram Grant has also used the opportunity to strike a loan deal with Spartak Moscow for the former Arsenal, Birmingham and Cardiff winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.
Another thing for the faithful “Blues” to cherish is the recent form the disarrayed team has been displaying – Portsmouth are undefeated in their last four games. After seeing Coventry off in a replayed FA Cup tie, they went on to beat Sunderland in the fourth round. The streak was continued with a league draw against West Ham last Tuesday.
Meanwhile Manchester City are licking their wounds after Wednesday’s League Cup debacle against the reds from Trafford. From a City fan’s perspective one can only hope that defeat will fan the flames rather than dampen the mood in the changing room. Causing further unrest at City is the agreed loan deal to Santos for starlet Robinho. The Brazilian international hopes to increase his chances of a starting spot in the Brazil team for this summer’s World Cup in South Africa. What City will gain from the deal is less obvious.
Robinho – have we seen the back of him?
There is also plenty of speculation about City’s Zimbabwean striker, Benjamin Mwaruwari, joining the Black Cats. If true then it leaves new City gaffer, Roberto Mancini, little time to find reinforcements to the sky blue strike force.
benji or whoopi?
Predicting the Pompey team for Sunday’s match is very much a process of elimination. With Kaboul probably on his way back to London and with three other players, among them the former Arsenal striker Kanu, still absent due to the African Cup of Nations, it’s slim pickings for Avram Grant. As previously mentioned O’Hara is back from Spurs but it is still uncertain if new loan player, Owusu-Abeyie, will get his international clearance on time. Tuesday’s game against West Ham saw Grant only register three substitutes, but he should be able to travel with a full squad for Sunday’s game.
For City the results in the African Cup of Nations have been more favourable. Both Ivorian centre back Kolo Touré and Togolese strike Emanuel Adebayor are back in the country and fit for a fight. Touré looks likely to replace teenage defender Boyata, who’s gotten plenty of game time under new City boss Mancini. Adebayor is also likely to start in what should be a very attacking City line up.
On the injury list are Lescott, Santa Cruz and no-refund signing Patrick Viera.
With Pompey top scorer Aruna Dindane having left the team (another sign of Portsmouth’s tragic financial state – French club Lens refused to extend the loan deal due to fear of not being reimbursed properly), it is hard to find danger men in the Portsmouth squad to warn about. However, tradition states that ex-City players always score against City and a word of caution has to be said about centre back Tal Ben Haim. After being out favour from day one in Manchester, the Israel international has found his place on the South Coast, becoming a regular starter in the Pompey line-up.
It will be very interesting to see what Adebayor can accomplish after his long absence. A match against the weakest team in the league should be a good opportunity to show his new boss that he is fit for the starting eleven. It will also be interesting to see if Mancini will adapt a more attacking style of play. A 4-4-2 formation with Tevez and Adebayor up front and Steven Ireland the pinnacle of a midfield diamond sounds a tempting prospect.
Prediction… With City being City, and with this looking like the ideal moment for a good ol’ carnage, I fear we will struggle on Sunday. Portsmouth’s off the pitch predicaments also seem to have brought the squad closer together. That said, the difference in quality between the two teams should prove to be decisive. I predict a 4-1 City victory, but only after a very difficult first 75 minutes.
Thank you to mr_nool, a member of www.mancityfans.net for this preview. Special thanks to LMIOMCFDN for editorial expertise also.