The press made a lot of Dunne's comments that 'the pressure is on City' - largely to create the story they want: an anguished Dunne returning to wilfully dent City's hopes and, in the press's wildest dreams, scoring an injury time winner and celebrating madly in full view of Gary Cook. But to continue the tenuous link in my title, Dunne would've been welcomed back with open arms even if his words were a little stronger. And he had full reason to make them stronger.
It is pointless to regret these decisions now but City would've been better off with Dunne this season. Dunne suffered because of what he represented in the eyes of the new management. In a period of such vast transition and overhaul, much of the moves made were to forget the recent past - and Dunne was the last reminder of those times. I remember TLDORC, at the time, using a particularly insightful phrase: "Dunne was no longer the one man stopping City from going down, but was one man slowing down our going up." This was definitely how it was seen at the time, but he has gone on to the success he deserves - culminating in his inclusion in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season. Hughes was not exactly good for the careers of defenders at City - Dunne was one of many who struggled for form under him, but he remains one of the most highly respected players the club has had for years, and I'm sure he will get the welcome he deserves.
On Dunne's assertion that City are the team most under pressure, Norfstander has written a good article on the counter argument. He rightly says that with City only getting stronger, this season could represent the best chance Villa or Spurs have of getting Champions League - especially with not only a further reinforced City side but also a potentially less-dismal Liverpool next season. Despite appearances, City have the luxury of time, Villa and Spurs maybe don't.
The other main story this week regarding this game is the goalkeeping issue. Marton Fulop has come in from beyond Sunderland's bench to play an important part in the push for Champions League. In the mould of Daniel Van Buyten, he could claim an important place in the hearts of the City fans for only a short loan cameo. I imagine he has been brought in to play rather than to cover, and he should take Nielsen's fleeting place in the side.
The injury concerns for tomorrow are Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor - my Player of the Month for April and one of the strong contenders. These would be big losses and I think the latter would mean another go at the 4-5-1 we saw at Arsenal to so little attacking threat.
Both sides are renowned for their strength on the counter attack, so we could be looking at an unlikely end-to-end excitement feast or a gridlock of caution as two teams wait for the other to make the first move. I imagine it will be the latter and therefore patience and concentration will be the watch-words of the day.
In the event of Barry and Adebayor being ruled out, there could be the following team:
4-5-1:
Fulop; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; Vieira, De Jong, Ireland; A. Johnson, Bellamy; Tevez.
Which could migrate into a 4-2-3-1 with Ireland playing in his favourite position. I have almost lost patience with Ireland this season, but this could be his sort of game - and besides the options would be limited without Ade and Barry, especially as Santa Cruz seems to have fallen onto the fringes of the bench.
City would qualify for the Champions League if they draw against Villa and win the remaining fixtures - the crunch game of all crunch games is Tottenham, of course - but a win would put City a little more at ease for that encounter, and we cannot really afford to lose.
*On a more personal note, if you are not bored of reading my views, I have had the honour of being asked to write an article for the official matchday programme tomorrow, under the regular feature "Blue Bloggers". So, if you want to know a bit more about the blog, my life as a City fan, see a few pictures, etc. then look out for me in the programme!
As an Irish city fan - I was dismayed to see Dunne go. At the time, it was suggested that was only because he was Irish. Truth is, while that may have played some part in it, I still really rated him, both as a player and as a man. Gary Cook on the other hand, impresses me less. While football is an extremely lucrative busines for many, I find it ironic that having someone like Richie (deemed unsuitable from a marketing perspective) in the centre of defence would have brought stability and solidified the push for fourth.
ReplyDeleteI've also been reading reports of Given's potential departure recently too. Hart is fantastic, don't get me wrong - but I'm afraid I'd still rather see Shay in goals next season. Surely another loan arrangement could be reached with Birmingham as Joe seems happy there - and Birmingham are definitely happy with him. I just hope this transfer window doesn't end in disappointment, unlike the last one!
E.F.
Great article you wrote for the City programme yesterday. Great memories of the sometimes good but often bad old City days of the past two decades. Wish more City supporters would remember how far we've come in such a short space of time and be happy!
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