Swans v City

[93:2012]

Starters

Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Milner, Toure, Lampard, Silva, Aguero

Subs

Caballero, Kompany, Clichy, Jovetic, Dzeko, Navas, Bony

Come on City lets have another good win 'Pride in battle' to end the season and put to bed City finishing above the RAGS.

Finally some stability and no meaningless pointless rotation, shame it did not come earlier.

Big rest for VK, which is what he needs to help him recuperate and refocus for next season.

[gavin]

I'd like to have seen Bony start but still it looks a decent enough side to win. Let's stuff the Jack bastards.

[KunDB]

Bony bound to be well motivated against his old club. Second half appearance surely guaranteed.

A draw will be enough for us to avoid a dreaded pointless meaningless CL qualifying round, we want to leave  for the RAGS the honour of cutting short their pre-season for that.

[Swiss]

Missing out in centre mid again!

[KunDB]

Is our plan today pass the ball to Kolarov atleft back and he boots the ball up field in a punt hoping to find little aguero?

[KunDB]

Great save Joe. Managala 

[Swiss]

Feckin hell! I thought Mangala had played well recently...

[KunDB]

City upped tempo and goal was coming good job Yaya, Happy Birthday.

[KunDB]

From defending a corner to sweeping in a great goal, City at their best. Well done Milner.

[Swiss]

When some says long ball is shit, show them that!

Shame we conceded at the death but I have to say, Swansea are winning the midfield battle.

[gavin]

Poor start but we came good, shame about the Swansea goal but he took it very well. Great that we came straight back at them and could have scored again right away. Hopefully second half we can push on again and bury em.

[KunDB]

Boy have we been unlucky this second half should have had game buried now 2 2

[ebm1991]

Silva is ourstanding!!

[gavin]

The second goal was too easy for Swansea. It was a good take and finish but we shouldn't be allowing them to score from a long ball like that. It is poor to concede a two goal lead. Forgiveable to concede one like their first but the second is too much. We've had to score three away from home to win (hopefully) again.

[The Blue Blooded Maniac]

Its been a great game though!

[gavin]

Could have conceded another like the second then. Absolutely disgraceful at the back whether it's Vinny, Demi or Mangala responsible it's not good enough. Yes, a good game but unfortunately because City can't defend from simple long balls.

[Swiss]

A finish fro Bony at the end there to kill the game.

[KunDB]

Could have conceded another like the second then. Absolutely disgraceful at the back whether it's Vinny, Demi or Mangala responsible it's not good enough. Yes, a good game but unfortunately because City can't defend from simple long balls.

I was screaming one man to mark against long ball crosses and we nearly get caught a second time.

We also left a Swansea attacker have a free header 4 yards out centre of our box from a corner.

Both of these after we had strengthened our defence bringing VK on.

Unbelievable, we deserved overall to win but defensively we got lucky to not concede a third and maybe fourth.

[KunDB]

Joe had a screamer of a game today.

Silva world class and never stops running, working and creating.

Yaya was Yaya+ today with two important goals.

Aguero was lacking touch from the start today and kept giving the ball away, so so unlike him.

Fernandinho was a sending off waiting to happen thank God he was subbed before being red carded.

Man Utd put to bed for this season and with a bit of good fortune so will second spot be later on today.

[gavin]

It is great to watch but at the same time infuriating. Does anyone really think Pelle can organise a defence?

[bry the guy]

Fourth/5th best defence i think we just need to pick a defence and stick to it instead of changing it every game and it will be much better.

[gavin]

We had the best defence. Fourth or fifth best clearly isn't good enough or we wouldn't have scored more than the Champions and be so far behind them. Pelle has been here two seasons now and the defence has only briefly looked anything like at the end of last season. That was more by accident by design too. Pelle may stumble on the answer again but I'd prefer to get someone in who knows how to sort it.

[zacc]

Still trying to work out how Mangala for all that money is working out better than Nastasic was doing?

[Rowley Birkin QC]

Defensively - something of a dog's breakfast. Mangala all at sea on at least three occasions, but Demi and VK (when he came on) didn't inspire a great deal of confidence.

Whatever the limitations of our back four, I still think our defensive problems start in the middle. Yaya's limited mobility piles the pressure on Fernandinho - who simply can't be everywhere. Too often Swansea players were allowed to take the ball deep into our half without a challenge, or so much as a block being put in front of them. Too much space and time to weigh things up and whip long balls in... that's unnecessary additional pressure on our defenders. Good defending starts in the middle - at least try to disrupt your opponent's build-ups. Close down space - make them rush the pass.

A good win though - with some fine attacking football. Milner's goal was excellent and some superb keeping from Hart when it mattered.

[The Blue Blooded Maniac]

On a plus note Silvas tracking back had been handy. He's more effective defensively than toure

[goat]

didnt miss much then by the look

[KunDB]

As our learned QC has stated, excellent defending starts in midfield. Some would argue it starts in attack, with the attackers playing a role on occasions breaking up momentum and flow.

For me defence is all about the team working as a unit, putting in 100% every minute of every game.

Unfortunately, Pelle seems to think style and moral points are awarded in the PL table. A best to do it right, play with panache and win nought philosophy.

Therein lies the problem with our defence, with Pelle it is all revolves around attack and attractive flowing football. Defence and winning are just afterthoughts, secondary to the main aim of looking good and being entertaining.

[Lekos]

Some people have obviously forgotten winning the League Cup and Premier League last season.  Yes, our defence needs sorting, but let's not pretend playing like this gets us nowhere.

[Tricky Trev]

One could also argue that the title was given to us very cheap. And yes sometimes that is good enough, but for the most part the league will be a lot more competitive than last year. Liverpool almost won it ffs. That says A LOT.

[clevblue]

Some people have obviously forgotten winning the League Cup and Premier League last season.  Yes, our defence needs sorting, but let's not pretend playing like this gets us nowhere.

Yes but my heart won't stand the strain much longer, I need a steady ship for a bit. Definitely not a disastrous season though, although it was looking that way for a while

[KunDB]

Some people have obviously forgotten winning the League Cup and Premier League last season.  Yes, our defence needs sorting, but let's not pretend playing like this gets us nowhere.

I doubt anyone has forgotten the double, but that does not change what has happened this season. The balance within the team needs to be right, we need to adapt style of play depending on opponents and we need far less rotation.

The winning double season was far from perfect and our defence even farther away.

[Rowley Birkin QC]

didnt miss much then by the look

You missed a cracking Milner goal that I am sure you would have appreciated 

And Yaya actually ran on a couple of occasions.

[goat]

so i turn my back for 5 minutes and milner turns into a footballer and yaya lays off the fags eh

makes you wonder where this run of form came from, typical city doing it when the league is gone

[Swiss]

We did our best to feck it up!

Mangala had a bit of a mare! I bet he'll be dropped for vinny in the last game

[Leewonpen]

Vinny didn't do much better, gifted Gomis a free header iirc

[goat]

ill just say pelle out then

are city second or are there still ifs and and shit with arsenal?

[bry the guy]

I think we need 1 point.

[goat]

cheers bry, southampton should be in holiday mode by now

[zacc]

City's GD better than Arse if on same points

[bluebrendan]

so i turn my back for 5 minutes and milner turns into a footballer and yaya lays off the fags eh

makes you wonder where this run of form came from, typical city doing it when the league is gone

Mainly from Pellegrini finally adopting 4-2-3-1 for a run of games. We still look like conceding if play gets within 10 yards of our CBs, that 2nd Swansea goal was a joke - good finish by Gomis but Mangala and Demichelis just allowed him to stroll between them when there wasn't another Swansea player in sight.

[nimrod]

so i turn my back for 5 minutes and milner turns into a footballer and yaya lays off the fags eh

makes you wonder where this run of form came from, typical city doing it when the league is gone

Mainly from Pellegrini finally adopting 4-2-3-1 for a run of games. We still look like conceding if play gets within 10 yards of our CBs, that 2nd Swansea goal was a joke - good finish by Gomis but Mangala and Demichelis just allowed him to stroll between them when there wasn't another Swansea player in sight.

Couldnt agree more with you Brendan, but what I find baffling is what has made him scrap his  4 4 2?............ even at home v QPR

2nd goal was very depressing, I had this 4 - 2 for them feeling (prozac time)

[Swiss]

I think we're on a false run of good form helped by teams who had given up ala West ham. When a team looked like they wanted to play us, we look like rabbits in headlights.

Papering over the cracks with no real solution

[bry the guy]

but swansea were desperate for the Europa

[Swiss]

Definitely, and they showed our weaknesses when they decided to play football. I thought they had the best of the start of the first half and the best of the end of that half too.
Then the start of the second was good for them but their mentality changed when they had something to protect which was suicide allowing us to play. When they went toe to toe in the centre mid, I think they bossed us, which was my point, any team that has a go does well.

I do think we played well in parts, lots of nice passing and movement and some really nice goals.
Toure's first was lucky, Milner's was a nice goal but Franks long ball (very nice pass) was from the edge of our box.