The chance to claim third place in the league and assert our ‘top four’ credentials over a strong rival is the aim in tonight’s clash at Villa Park. Mark Hughes has his biggest selection dilemma of the season with a host of attacking players to choose from, and it will be fascinating to see if he picks the right combination to unlock a Villa team that has only conceded five goals in six Premier League matches.
Both teams are in good form with Villa having won four on the run prior to last week’s extra-time defeat to Blackburn. However the absence of first choice right-back Luke Young will give encouragement to City. Either Martin Petrov or Craid Bellamy should fancy their chances against Cuellar.
If Hughes selects the team on current form, then Tevez with his two goals against West Ham would start alongside Adebayor, and Ireland would miss out. Martin Petrov has stepped in and offered more of an attacking threat than Wright-Phillips on the opposing flank. Bellamy looks a cert to start given his form and ability to play on either flank, as well as through the middle.
Only Shaun’s defensive dilligence would justify selecting him ahead of the Bulgarian at present. Against a hard working Villa side, that may be enough to give Wright-Phillips the nod, though don’t expect Petrov to look happy about it! It was noticeable that Hughes took off Wright-Phillips rather than Petrov to make way for Santa Cruz in the West Ham game, indicating that Shaun’s place may be under threat for the first time since his return to City.
In the centre of midfield, de Jong is in great form, and this is just the sort of competitive away fixture for which he was bought by Hughes. Alongside him, Barry is an automatic choice at the moment. The England midfielder won’t want to miss out on this fixture, even if he does get a bit of stick from the locals. I have a feeling it won’t all be jeers and a lot of Villa fans will recognise the service he gave to the club. Barry isn’t the type to stir up controversy, and we’re unlikely to see him do an Adebayor at the Holte End is he scores.
If Zabaleta keeps his place ahead of Richards, this could mean a starting eleven with no players from the Academy. Does anyone know the last time this happened? It must be a few years ago. Such a line-up would be seized upon by those criticising the club for buying a team, but this wouldn’t be valid.
Ireland, Wright-Phillips and Richards would only be absent due to a dip in form, while Onuoha is injured. They are all capable of forcing their way back into the side. It would offer a remarkable vindication of the quality and consistency of Hughes’ purchases. Only Petrov would be a non-Hughes signing.
For Martin O’Neill, there is also a selection dilemma with the return of Sidwell giving him the option of playing three in the middle. Villa fans are amongst the few who want their manager to player 4-5-1 rather than 4-4-2, as they have a much better record using a lone striker.
O’Neill likes to switch between the two, and it will interesting to see what happens. Toure and Lescott ought to be able to contain Agbonlahor on his own, even if he is in freescoring form. Carew has caused us problems in the past and always looks a danger.
The tackling back of Tevez and Bellamy could negate a three man Villa midfield if Barry and de Jong play. If Barry and Ireland were a two man midfield, we’d be in greater danger of being overrun.
At the back we need to mind those set pieces where Martin O’Neill’s sides are always strong. The extra height offered by Richards would be useful here, but Zabaleta’s tackling is a better bet against Ashley Young.
Hughes on Dunne:
“We gave him the opportunity to further his career and I’m sure he’s grateful for that. That won’t stop him trying to beat City because he’s a professional and that’s what he will want to do.
“He was a very good player for City over a long and at times difficult, and that will always be remembered.”
Nigel de Jong:
“The Villa game will be a good marker for the first phase of the season.”
Whichever line-up Hughes picks, we’ll have an excellent bench from which to make changes if required. Santa Cruz will be looking to increase his game time, and could make a difference if things aren’t going our way.
Possible line-up: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, de Jong, Barry, Bellamy, Petrov, Tevez, Adebayor.
Predicted score: 0-3 to City.
External previews:
Blog previews:
Given – Needed to be alert in the second half as West Ham pressed. His finest moment was turning over a stinging shot from Diamanti. 7
Zabaleta – Justified his selection ahead of Richards. The Argentine tackled well, and linked up with the forwards intelligently. 7
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City saw off an initially limp West Ham side with a brace from Tevez and a free-kick from the recalled Martin Petrov. Arguably this was the most convincing performance of the season so far. West Ham kept plugging away in the second half, but there seemed less danger of dropping points than in any of the other fixtures this season. This alone is a sign of how the team is progressing.
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With Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez, City will be looking to a pair of Hammers old boys for the goals against Gianfranco Zola’s side tonight. Like Fulham last week, West Ham are a well organised side who like to play good football, and it will be an interesting test for City.
With all the likely challengers for the Champions League places (except Chelsea) winning over the weekend, the pressure is on for City to immediately get back to winning ways after the derby defeat. It’s quickly becoming apparent how victories need to be consistently churned out if we’re to break into the top four.
It’s not clear how City will line up tonight following the news that Stevie Ireland is set to miss the match following a stomach bug. Gareth Barry has made a faster recovery from the same bug and is set to play.
Hughes could stick with a central midfield trio by bringing in Zabaleta and pushing Barry forward into Ireland’s role. Alternatively Wright-Phillips could be moved infield, with Weiss given a start on the right.
Personally, I’d like to see us start with Tevez and Bellamy up front, and Petrov on the left. Having only two central midfielders may appear to leave us a little light against the footballing Hammers, but Tevez and Bellamy are both excellent at ‘defending from the front’. In addition, De Jong has been in excellent tackling form since his return to the side.
If Hughes wants to spring a surprise, he could start with Santa Cruz. It would be good to see the Paraguyan make his debut at some point, not least because the attack has lacked a focal point in the last two matches when Tevez has been asked to play as a lone striker.
The other selection dilemma is right-back, where Richards and Zabaleta are battling for the starting spot. Despite his problems in the derby, the height and strength of Richards may be useful in defending set-pieces in an otherwise fairly short team. Added to that, Zabaleta looked a little rusty against Fulham, which was a shame given his excellent performance against Celtic in his previous start.
For West Ham, Carlton Cole is the obvious danger-man. Parker, Upson and Green provide the experience in a side that features some cheap Zola recruits (Jiminez and Diamante) and talented youngsters (Collison, Tomkins and Hines). There could be a debut for Guillermo Franco up front. Their recent form hasn’t been good, but this could be deceptive. They were unlucky to lose to Liverpool last week, while Zola and Steve Clarke are canny enough on the touchline to work out any weaknesses in our gameplan.
Inevitably, Bellamy has featured in a lot of the pre-match bluster from both sides.
Gianfranco Zola:
“I loved working with him because he tested me a lot. He has such a fire inside and it can be hard, but if you approach him in the right way he can give you a lot of satisfaction.
“He is honest and is not worried about telling somebody they are doing something wrong. Even to the manager.”
Mark Hughes:
“He loves to play against his former clubs – he had a great time at West Ham and has a lot of respect for Gianfranco Zola and everybody at the club.”
“I know Gianfranco very well, having played alongside him for three years. I count him as a friend. He’s done a fantastic job there in difficult circumstances.”
Hughes on Santa Cruz:
“Technically, he is good enough. I will always remember the first training session he had at Blackburn and the reaction the other players showed when they saw what he had produced. He has the ability that you sit up and take notice of. I blew all my budget on him when I was at Blackburn and that shows you what I thought of him.”
There’s a danger we’ll struggle to break them down if Tevez is played as a lone striker, but hopefully we’ll see the kind of dominant performance we’ve been waiting for this season.
Possible line-up: Given, Richards, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, de Jong, Barry, Wright-Phillips, Petrov, Bellamy, Tevez.
Prediction: 3-0 to City.