City return to Premier League action on Sunday with a point to prove following the defeat to Chelsea. The two week break has been a welcome one, with several players getting the chance to recover some freshness.
Hopefully Carlos Tevez and Adam Johnson will be fit to face the Wearsiders. Yaya Toure also skipped international duty to regain his fitness. Italian manager Cesare Prandelli kindly elected not to select Mario Balotelli after his red card against Dynamo Kiev.
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City’s impressive run of victories against Chelsea came to an end when David Luiz headed home a Didier Drogba free-kick and Ramires added a late second with Roberto Mancini’s side chasing an equaliser. After playing for an hour with ten men on Thursday, it was no surprise to see us fade after a decent opening period.
When City beat Chelsea earlier in the season, we were the first team to match them physically throughout the game. After a run of 11 games in the last 36 days that wasn’t the case here. Aside from Nigel de Jong, City’s midfield didn’t have the legs to compete with Chelsea over 90 minutes.
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Hart – Once again showed sound handling and judgement. Pulled off several good saves and was unlucky with his attempt to palm out David Luiz’s opener. 7
Richards – Appeared very unlucky to concede the free-kick which led to the first goal. Forced to concentrate on the defensive side of his game, and the focus shown by the new look Micah was impressive. 7
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With the Europa League out of the way it’s time for City to switch focus to Chelsea. The champions have been resting players in readiness for this fixture and Roberto Mancini will do well to come away with anything positive after fielding a full-strength side against Kiev.
Torres, Essien, Luiz all had a midweek rest while Yaya will be playing his fifth full game in fifteen days on Sunday. It doesn’t bode well against a rejuvenated Chelsea looking to reclaim third place.
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