Manchester City v Stoke City: Match Preview

Premiership Form: City: DWDLW Stoke: WDLDL
Odds: City: 4/9 Draw: 10/3 Stoke: 13/2
Last Meeting: Stoke 1-0 City (31/01/09)

Ding! Ding! Boxing Day comes at the pace of a Tony Pulis forehead and with it long ball merchants Stoke City bring their own unique flavour of fantasy football to The City of Manchester Stadium where, statistically, since August City have handed out more draws than a well known Swedish furniture manufacturer.

Countless column inches have documented and speculated off the field events at Eastlands over the last seven days but it’s a case of cometh the hour, cometh the Mancini as finally, on Saturday some football will actually do the talking. New boss City Roberto Mancini has had less than a week to cast his eye over and prepare his side for the visit of Stoke, but such is the expectation on the Italian’s shoulders now, anything less than three points just won’t do.

Last Time Out

At 7pm last Saturday it was easy to forget that City had played just hours before. The match versus Sunderland was a brilliant spectacle for any impartial spectator: a 7 goal thriller with a penalty and a sending off to boot. The difference on the day was the spirited performances of Craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz. The fact that they had been chosen ahead of Galacticos Robinho & Adebayor, at least one of whom arguably contributed the downfall of Mark Hughes, seemed significant at the time. However the real plot holes in Hughes’s City tale all centred around the team’s defence. We the reader would later learn that Hughes’s final chapter was already written, and so it was that this particular comical defensive display became only a footnote.

Whist a 1-0 defeat at Villa Park may look respectable for Stoke on the outside, on closer inspection is was more of an injustice. Proving that it’s not just City referees are currently out to annoy Mamady Sidibé had what looked like a perfectly good goal chalked off for a supposed push on Villa defender Stephen Warnock. Later that evening Alan Hansen would go on record to state that the goal should’ve stood, when he breaks ranks with he defender’s union a clear sign of wrongdoing. Stoke’s direct attacking approach really merited at least a point, but it was their awful finishing that consigned them to defeat.

Team News

The appointment of a new manager throws up some interesting questions with regards to tactics, formation and team selection. According to this insightful topic over at Mancityfans Mancini’s defenders are there to defend (Mark, take note), attackers to attack and midfielders to, well, midfield. Is it, then, this Bertolli-like simplicity which will transform draws into wins and plug the gaps in our leaky defence? City fans will certainly hope so, but something tells me that our problems are a bit more complex. To add some actual team news to what is supposed to be the team news section City’s injuries read: Lescott, Bridge, Johnson and recent edition Onuoha. Richards is doubtful.

Ryan Shawcross, arguably Stoke’s best player this and last season, could return from injury against City if things sweeten up for him. Apparently the central defender is having sugar injections into his groin to help speed up a heeling process. Reports have yet to confirm whether Shawcross’ groin takes one lump or two. Elsewhere German battering-ram Robert Huth returns, along with his busy fists, after a recent ban. It may be difficult for Pulis to change the team elsewhere as he will view City as a similar beast to Villa, where his team fought so well. Though don’t be too surprised if Pulis puts out a lion tamer, juggler and unicyclist.

Key Men

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Captain Erratic: Kolo Toure

With Lescott out of the kitchen for a short while, the heat has really been turned up on Kolo Toure in recent games. In all truth Toure’s had a shocking start to life at City but this will hardly come as a surprise to Arsenal fans who witnessed his decline last season. Since contracting malaria in the summer of ’08 Toure’s speed and strength don’t seem to have recovered to an acceptable level. Spats with former Arsenal defensive partner William Gallas, who is currently having a fine season, may have eluded to this but his weak performances this season have it more or less nailed on. Toure will have to be strong against Stoke’s lofted balls into the box if we are to get our first clean sheet since November 1st.

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Instrumental: Tuncay

Despite this whole preview focusing on Stoke’s towering strength it is the little Turkish talisman who is the current form player for The Potters. The £5m man was pivotal to the decent Stoke display against Villa and was the provider in everything good Stoke did. Luckily, I think we have the defence to cope against players of Tuncay’s ilk, but not of those he will be whipping balls in for.

Look Mum’s Prediction

Dare we draw this one? You can almost feel the vultures circling. Oddly I’d feel more confident with the previous manager than I do with the new one for this particular match. However I still predict a home win. 3-1.

Thanks to LookMumI’mOnMCF.net of ManCityFans.Net for writing this preview

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