[Archived] Preview of Man City 1st Oct

[BangkokRover]

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City

18th v 2nd

After picking up 3 points from Arsenal at Ewood last time out. Rovers take on Man City who have started the season very well. City have played 3 away games this season and scored 10 goals including a 5-1 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur at WhiteHart Line. Rovers on the other hand have not started the season well at all and in all honestly the form has been a continuation of the form of last season. Not enough goals in the team and very very few clean sheets. Defeats to Wolves and Everton and also the manner of the defeats. Wolves went 2-1 up and Rovers ran out of ideas and gave up. The game against Everton Rovers missed 2 penalties and when you don't score there is always chance you will get punished.

At Ewood Rovers have been scoring 1.33 goals a game but conceding 2.17 goals a game, while City have been scoring 3.33 goals a game away while only conceding 1.67 goals a game. How Rovers can get anything from this game I have no idea? One thing that does work in Rovers favor is City are playing away in the Champions League on Tuesday to Bayern Munich. Now I will counter the argument that City will be tired by saying City have a massive squad of international players.

Up front City have probably the most frightening front line in the Premier League. Carlos Tévez, Mario Balotelli, Sergio Agüero and Edin Džeko, so even with a midweek game City are going to have an amazing strike force on display at Ewood. In midfield they have David Silva who has started this EPL season on fire and will cause Rovers all sorts of problems. For me the 2 most important players at City for the Rovers game is that Gareth Barry and Yaya Touré, who on the Rovers team is going to command the midfield and to win back the ball?

At the back City are stacked with internationals and quality: Joleon Lescott, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov, Stefan Savić and Gaël Clichy all being quality players. Just as important as being quality players they are playing in a proper defensive system. Something that has been completely missing at Rovers since the start of the season. Samba and Dann should be an excellent CD pairing for Rovers but Rovers are clueless at the back to be honest. I am sure that when a new manager comes in our defensive issues will be solved very quickly.

I will leave it for others to say how Rovers should play, as we all know how Rovers are currently playing at the moment and could make this very uncomfortable viewing Rovers fans.

[ada2020]

I know the preview hasn't been made yet, but I genuinely fear city could get double figures against us.

Can anyone see us keeping city out?

[bob fleming]

Rovers playing Man City with Kean in charge is like going into a gunfight armed with a small pair of nail clippers.

[K-Hod]

Bearing in mind they put 5 past Spurs at WHL...... I'm genuinely terrified of how many they will score against us.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I know the preview hasn't been made yet, but I genuinely fear city could get double figures against us.

Can anyone see us keeping city out?

They play mid-week - so hopefully will get bored after four or five goals

Nobody gave us a chance against Arsenal - though the current City team are far better than Arsenal.

Hope springs eternal - heavy defeat may see the end of Kean - but I would still prefer a victory.

[Veevs]

Dang it can't find a bet online for the biggest defeat we ever suffer.. we no longer even have the players to play defensive football.

[Mercer]

City play Bayern in CL on Tuesday so, hopefully, may not be as 'fresh' and a tad more merciful.

Big questions now with injuries and suspensions (Olsson): wouldn't expect to see Dann (knee scan today), Salgado (hamstring - blessing in disguise !) nor Nelsen (rumours are that he is really, really struggling) against City, though Dunn, Pedersen and Givet should be there or there abouts - key question as to availability might be, how many will fancy it on Saturday ?

Assuming I'm right on fitness, I'd go for:

Robbo / Lowe, Samba, Hanley (no other option), Givet (no other option) / Dunn, Grella, Nzonzi, Pedersen / Hoilett / Yak

Fear this will be damage limitation for our goal difference hence the experience in midfield, however, converse will be the lack of pace in there !!!

A difficult one and a long afternoon ahead I think.

If we lose then I hope we lose badly for, hopefully, our long term future which can only be secured, IMO, by the removal of Kean and Jensen and the demotion of Brunskill (way out of his depth at the moment) to the ressies.

For Kean, injuries cannot be allowed to be an excuse. He said that we have a competitive squad with two players for every place.

[joey_big_nose]

City play Bayern in CL on Tuesday so, hopefully, may not be as 'fresh' and a tad more merciful.

Big questions now with inmjuries and suspensions (Olsson): wouldn't expect to see Dann (knee scan today), Salgado (hamstring - blessing in disguise !) nor Nelsen (rumours are that he is really, really struggling) against City, though Dunn, Pedersen and Givet should be there or there abouts - key question as to availability might be, how many will fancy it on Saturday ?

Assuming I'm right on fitness, I'd go for:

Robbo / Lowe, Samba, Hanley (no other option), Givet (no other option) / Dunn, Grella, Nzonzi, Pedersen / Hoilett / Yak

Fear this will be damage limitation for our goal difference hence the experience in midfield, however, converse will be the lack of pace in there !!!

A difficult one and a long afternoon ahead I think.

If we lose then I hope we lose badly for, hopefully, our long term future which can only be secured, IMO, by the removal of Kean and Jensen and the demotion of Brunskill (way out of his depth at the moment) to the ressies.

For Kean, injuries cannot be allowed to be an excuse. He said that we have a competitive squad with two players for every place.

Mostly agree with that side, although I think Givet will come into the centre and Morris might get a crack at left back. Somehow need to protect our back four very very well. Stringing Pedersen, Nzonzi, Grella, Simon across midfield with them all sitting deep might manage something. Just look for Hoilett on the counter.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Rovers might need some of this after the game:

I can only see a hammering when you consider our form and in particular a leaky defense compared to their form and a team stacked with loads of talent.

5 or 6-0 to City and Kean stays in his job.

[67splitscreen]

Rovers might need some of this after the game:

I can only see a hammering when you consider our form and in particular a leaky defense compared to their form and a team stacked with loads talent.

5 or 6-0 to City and Kean stays in his job.

To be applied liberally before and after, 5-6-0 will be a good result, Kean will be lauding up how we managed to minimise their attacking threat, with five fouls and an offside being the turning point in the game.

Shots on goal, Rovers 1 City 30.

[sijoco]

Very much looking forward to this one. It's chance to pit our wits against another club (like ourselves) pushing for a Champions League spot. I think the sight of two teams playing their beautiful passing games will be a wonder to behold. All out attacking football from the first whistle l can't wait. This one will be first on MOTD without a doubt.

6-0 to City.

[ABBEY]

7-0 rovers kean is awesome the venkys are brilliant! Or 0-9

[Billy Castell]

My prediction-an absolute bumming. We may be lucky and get 2-0, but it will be a game where Man City could have scored 20, but hit the post, missed loads of sitters etc. I hope if we do lose 10-0 or something the chicken chokers are in the crowd to watch their golden boy ruin their new toy.

[Andy]

To be fair, it really doesn't matter what the score is as long as we get the ball into their dew-covered half 20 times.

[Amo]

4-1 to City.

The scoreline will belie City's utter domination and host of wasted chances as they soundly defeat Rovers in first-gear.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Any truth in the rumour they'll be selling scorecards instead of programmes ?

[m1st]

Any truth in the rumour they'll be selling scorecards instead of programmes ?

Lol, Tyrone!

I seem to remember something like that being the theme of the cartoon on the back page of the Daily Mail on the morning of the home game v. W. Ham, 2 days after we'd won 8-2 @ Upton Park on Boxing Day, 1963.

At the time we were flying, a bit like Citeh are now. Nearly 29,000 of us saw W. Ham win 3-1.

I don't know what omen, if any, to draw from that analogy.

[roverandout]

honestly feel we are going to get absolutely tonked on saturday, im not going to go for any 'pie in the sky' scorelines like 9-0 or 8-0 but a 5-0 drubbing is definately realistic. How will our defence cope with the movement of aguero or the vision of silva? let alone the likes of dzeko, tevez, balotelli, toure, johnson, barry.... my head hurts. Add to that, they have one of the best defences in the league. A master tacticion against a bumbling idiot, 5-0 would do me right now.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Lol, Tyrone!

I seem to remember something like that being the theme of the cartoon on the back page of the Daily Mail on the morning of the home game v. W. Ham, 2 days after we'd won 8-2 @ Upton Park on Boxing Day, 1963.

At the time we were flying, a bit like Citeh are now. Nearly 29,000 of us saw W. Ham win 3-1.

I don't know what omen, if any, to draw from that analogy.

You've got a good memory ! I remember delivering the same paper with that cartoon on my paper round in 1963. Went to the home game as well ! Wish I'd have kept a copy.

[perthblue02]

My heart says we might get a surprise 1-3 defeat my head say's a lot worse, but the after match presser is sure going to be a classic , here's my guesses.

"Bad referee decision cost us the kick off otherwise we would have touched the ball in the first 20 minutes"

"the fourth goal should have been offside"

"If Jason's shot had been in the right direction and on the floor and the grass was slightly more moist a goal at 5-0 would have seen us back in with a chance"

" The half time break came at the wrong time as we had just got the ball in the City half "

"Plenty of positives from today's game and once Myles knows which way we are kicking , where to stand on the pitch he will do ok, can't blame him for any of the goals as he was wandering about in the Man City half at the time"

"99% of fans back me as heard today with the shouts of " You do know what you are doing" " Your just a bold handsome bas****" " Your getting the sack (of we support you letters) in the morning"

"statistics don't lie we had the better of the game 2 shots , 1 on target = 50% - City 120 shots, only 54 on target = 45% on those figures we were unlucky to lose"

[pick32]

11-1 city

[ABBEY]

Odds ? Or score

[AllRoverAsia]

It's 1.55 am Tuesday morning in Bangkok and I'm the only person signed into the MB.

Is that possible?

I feel I'm all alone.....................hope SKean hasn't put a hit team onto you. :!:

It's gone up to 7 , TGFT

[NeRvOuS Wr3Ck]

Think we will be well and truely stuffed on sat,I hate to say that but at the moment i think anyone can beat us.Under hughes i felt we were unbeatable but now thanks to that idiot we are a laughing stock.

[LeChuck]

I wonder what sort of team we will put out with all the injuries? Whoever is fit, we need a solid midfield and as many experienced players as possible.

............... Robinson

Lowe Samba Hanley Pedersen

................. Grella

Vukcevic N'Zonzi Dunn Hoilett

................. Yakubu

Not happy with Pedersen at left back but he a] is the only other left footer we have, and b] can't be worse than Givet. City aren't overly physical so he could be ok. It's not a game for trying Henley or anyone like that, it won't be an easy atmosphere by the sound of things.