Manchester City v Hull City

                                                       
Preview
Another game and yet another animal to tame. This time it's the Tigers and it's a must win for our boys in blue.
 
Our tears have dried (only just) and last week's catastrophe in Cardiff is now just a mere malicious, morbid memory. Manuel, no doubt, will have welcomed his minions into training with a slapped bottom or two and words will have been said. One positive is that our Chilean Godfather has been given an early opportunity to kick the squad into shape. Saturday is their test.

City's away record against workmen-like teams such as Cardiff and Stoke is nothing short of appalling. In the past, they've plugged our creativity with ease and drained the magic from the wands of David Silva and Sergio Aguero. The same happened on Sunday and Mr. Pellegrini will have been in search of a remedy.

With one win and one loss, Steve Bruce will be content with his sides start to the 2013/2014 campaign. An opening day defeat to Chelsea was expected, but the introduction of new signings Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore injected Hull with a dose of flair and solidity. They matched Mourinho's side in the second half, but a lack of firepower up top sealed their demise.

However, the Tigers got the better of a rejuvenated Norwich side last Saturday thanks to tricky Irish winger Robbie Brady. Even more impressively, the newly promoted outfit earned the victory with only ten men after Yannick Sagbo was shown a straight red card for a headbutt on Russel Martin.

The Tigers will definitely show some bite on Saturday afternoon, but the blues are a completely different force on home territory. We need to get back on track and so Bruce's Tigers should prepare for a full scale attack.

4-1

Line-Up
Alvaro Negredo's late cameo against Cardiff saw him net his first goal of the season and many are expecting the Spaniard to feature in tomorrow's starting eleven. Despite scoring a cracker to give the blues the lead last weekend, Edin Dzeko is likely to surrender his place to make way for a never seen before Aguero-Negredo partnership. Tasty.

Alvaro Negredo nets a late consolation for City against Cardiff

Matija Nastasic is expected to make the bench, however, he is yet to reach full fitness. Javi Garcia's uncomfortable performance against the Bluebirds could mean a start for Dedryck Boyata.

Key Men

Sergio Aguero
I was frustrated by Aguero last weekend. He held on to the ball for too long and refused to shoot. For defenders, he's always a frightening prospect but his record away from home needs to improve. Despite that, the Argentine's form at the Eastlands is ferocious and he possesses an admirable record against newly promoted teams with 8 goals in the Premier League.


Tom Huddlestone
The English midfielder did a fine job of weathering the storm at Stamford Bridge and always has the ability to test the keeper from long distances. City's midfield is arguably the league's best and Huddlestone will have the job of trying to keep them at bay.

                           

Cardiff City 3 - 2 Manchester City

CARDIFF CITY 3 - 2 MANCHESTER CITY
Gunnarsson 60', Campbell 79', 87'                 Dzeko 52', Negredo 90'


Welsh woe for Pellegrini and co. 

City were dealt a monumental blow on Sunday evening as Malky Mackay's Welsh dragons frazzled Pellegrini's complacent clan.

The Bluebirds took flight early on and fearlessly attacked the wanna-be Premier League champions in front of a ferocious home crowd. Ex-United forward Fraizer Campbell was unlucky not to put his side in front thanks to a string of stops from Joe Hart.

The sloppy mess that was the first half dwindled out and despite the talent on show for the blues, goals didn't look likely. 

Seven minutes into the second half, City's first glimmer of intricacy resulted in a scorcher from Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian striker launched a full scale assault on the top right hand corner following a fancy flick from Sergio Aguero. 1-0 up and still, we never looked comfortable.

The home crowd, bleeting furiously like a herd of maniacal sheep, refused to quieten and eight minutes later, Aron Gunnarsson pounced on a defensive lapse to score Cardiff's first ever Premier League goal. The Lescott-Garcia partnership was proving to be as solid as water and God only knows what Vincent Kompany was thinking. 

Unsurprisingly, things got worse. The Blues decided they no longer wanted to defend from corners and Pablo Zabaleta allowed Fraizer Campbell to nod Cardiff to a 3-1 lead in the space of eight minutes. Joe Hart may as well have been a sausage in front of the net. 

With only minutes to spare, Alvaro Negredo guided a delightful header into the top corner to give his side some consolation. 

The performance was, above all, lazy. Yaya possessed all the urgency of a pensioner taking a stroll on a summer's day; Aguero held on to the ball like a child nursing his new bike on Christmas day and Javi Garcia had rocks in his boots. 

Kompany's absence was a blow to the team, but it wasn't the reason we lost. 

As the great David Walker would say, trust our MP. He'll sort things out.

Player Ratings
 Joe Hart 6
Criticism continues to flow. Produced a number of fine stops to keep out Fraizer Campbell early on and although his one on one record is brilliant, he flapped at Cardiff's second.

 Pablo Zabaleta 4
Unfortunately, this could have been the Argentine's worst performance in a City shirt. Lost Campbell twice allowing him to score twice.

 Javi Garcia 5
It's hard to criticise Javi. He's not a centre back, and it showed. Positionally woeful and his pace is worrying.

 Joleon Lescott 5.5
Great in the air, poor on the ball. Nastasic will have no worries about returning to the starting line-up. 

 Gael Clichy 5
The pace of Bellamy can trouble any left back, even those with the speed of Clichy. Allowed Bo-Kyung to skip past him for Cardiff's first and looked uncomfortable throughout.

 Jesus Navas 6
Prevented from having an effect on the game by some brilliant defending. Substituted early on.

 Fernandinho 6
Again, lost the ball too often but his effort can not be faulted.

 Yaya Toure 5
Was given the captain's armband and didn't live up to it. Lazy and disinterested. 

 David Silva 6
Unable to find his strikers with his usually magical passing. 

 Sergio Aguero 5.5
Always busy and always a threat but held on to the ball too long when he could have passed. 

 Edin Dzeko 6
He was kept out of the game until his brilliant finish early in the second half. Hopefully he'll continue to score goals. 

Cardiff City v Manchester City

                                                           

Preview
Pellegrini's men are on the hunt and with the Magpies already slayed, it's time to butcher the Bluebirds.

The opening day of the Premier League allowed the Chilean godfather to assess his main title rivals. Liverpool almost paid for missed opportunities; Mourinho's Chelsea tika-taka'd their way past Hull and United ruthlessly disposed of Swansea. But the weekend launch was just a support group for Monday's main act. 

City disposed of Pardew's French legion in a task as straight-forward as putting the bins out. New signing Jesus Navas had Newcastle chasing him like an owner of an escaped dog and the blues looked irresistible in a 4-0 thrashing. Consistency will be key this season, so can we do it again?

The Cardiff City Stadium has become a real fortress for City's next opponents since its inauguration in 2009. Fifty-eight wins in 104 home games has booked the Premier League in for a fresh injection of Wales and Malky Mackay's side will be hoping to maintain their fine home record in the top flight this season. 

The Bluebirds suffered a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United in their first Premier League game ever and will be relying on a ferocious home crowd to steer them to an unlikely victory on Sunday. New signing Steven Caulker will have the unenviable task of manning Sergio Aguero, but it's a job the young England prospect will relish. 

Vincent Kompany is the latest addition to City's growing injury list and Mackay's men will look to target a weakened back line. We're expected to win, but the Cardiff City Stadium could turn out to be an intimidating dungeon hiding a vicious Welsh dragon.

1-2

Line-Up
Dedryck Boyata, Javi Garcia or even Micah Richards could fill the vacancy left by Vincent Kompany in defence. The Belgian is expected to be out for a month and Pellegrini is likely to go back into the market for an experienced centre back. 

With Pepe rumours rapidly dispersing, Valencia's Adil Rami and Atletico Madrid's Martin Demichelis are on the top of Manuel's wishlist. Although Demichelis has the experience, Rami is more likely to have the pace required for the Premier League.

In spite of City's defensive troubles, the line-up is unlikely to change after Monday night's result. The 4-4-2 formation worked to perfection and it would be wrong to change it.

Key Men

Steven Caulker
The former Spurs defender will have the terrifying task of stopping Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko from scoring on Sunday. Once tipped to be a future Tottenham captain and England regular, Caulker definitely has the qualities to help Cardiff stay up this season.


Jesus Navas
We all expected the Spanish speed demon to hug the right touchline on Monday night; he didn't. However, it proved to be an inspired move by Pellegrini. Navas floated amongst the midfield, running into space at every given opportunity and providing an outlet for David Silva and Yaya Toure. I've said it before but Navas supplies City with a different dimension and a dimension that could hold the key to the Premier League title this season.

Manchester City 4 - 0 Newcastle United: Match Report

MANCHESTER CITY 4 - 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Silva 6', Aguero 22', Toure 51', Nasri 75'


We are top of the league, say we are top of the league!

Pellegrini's boys sent out a message to the Premier League on Monday night as they casually carved into a feast of magpie.

It took the budding 2013/2014 champions only six minutes to make Pardew slap his silver side parting when David Silva nodded in an uncharacteristic header. 

With Jesus Navas buzzing around like a drunken wasp and Fernandinho elegantly sprinkling the field with pin-point passes, the City faithful were treated to a glimmering glimpse of what the new boys will bring to the table. We've lacked true width since the Shaun Wright-Phillips days and with Navas, it's most definitely back. 

A further sixteen minutes of blue domination passed before a second goal was added courtesy of surprise starter Sergio Aguero. The Argentine had been battling a knee injury throughout pre-season but his delightful finish into the left hand corner would suggest he's fully recovered. 

Kun all but ensured Pellegrini would open his Premier League account with a win when he tempted the juvenile Steven Taylor into a volatile swipe of the arm. Fortunately, Andre Marriner had his eyes peeled and showed the fool a red card. 


Andre Marriner shows Steven Taylor a red card after an angry swipe on Sergio Aguero

The second half was perfectly prepared for an absolute mauling and once again, it took only six minutes for Yaya Toure to curl a fantastic free-kick in to the top corner of Tim Krul's net. 

With two assists already to his name, Edin Dzeko wanted in on the goalscoring act. Krul was having none of it and produced a number of acrobatic saves to prevent the Bosnian winning some much needed Fantasy Premier League points for myself. 

With thirty minutes left to play, Samir Nasri entered the fray with a point to prove. Fifteen minutes into his arrival, the Frenchman latched on to a stray Zabaleta pass and cooly finished into the bottom corner with his weaker foot. Game over.

It was pure Pellegrini perfection and minus a Vincent Kompany injury, it would have been a fairytale start to City's 2013/2014 campaign. The last time the blues recorded a 4-0 victory on the opening day of the season, they won the league.

Let's hope it's an omen. 

Player Ratings
 Joe Hart 7
The pressure was on the England stopper following a unfortunate blooper against Scotland. Fortunately for him, Newcastle gave him no chance to prove himself and he was left to shiver between the sticks.

 Pablo Zabaleta 7
Made a real effort to get forward, something his 'rival' Micah Richards has no trouble doing. Proved once again why City have just presented him with a new four-year contract.

 Vincent Kompany 7
Completely solid. Unfortunately, his evening was marred by a 'minor' injury. 

 Joleon Lescott 6.5
Had little to do in a game where he was desperate to impress. Still looks a little uncomfortable when on the ball.

 Gael Clichy 7
A trouble free game for the Frenchman who even found the confidence to have a few shots at goal.

 Jesus Navas 8
He offers City a new dimension. He's every defenders worst nightmare when running with the ball and his movement was key in a confident performance.

 Fernandinho 7 
Lost the ball on a number of occasions but recovered well. Once he's adapted to the pace of the league, he'll be a crucial member of the first team. 

 Yaya Toure 6.5
Up until his free-kick, he had a quiet game. 

 David Silva 7.5
He made City's magnificent midfield tick and even scored a goal with his head!

 Sergio Aguero 7.5
Lit up the face of every City fan when his name was read out on the team sheet. He showed why he's one of the best strikers in Europe with a sublime finish and used his intelligence to send Taylor off the field.

 Edin Dzeko 8.5
The Bosnian will be bitterly disappointed he was unable to grab a goal, but he only has Tim Krul to blame for that. Two assists and a constant menace to Newcastle's back line. 

Manchester City v Newcastle United

Preview
It's here. The 2013/2014 title winning season is set to begin and the tears of David Moyes are set to roll down his wrinkling cheeks. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, after all, we do have thirty-eight agonising ninety minutes of football to fix our eyes on before we can slump in our sofas and relax for the summer once more.

The summer of 2012 seems well and truly behind us. A fresh 'holistic' approach has been adopted and City have been the sleeping giant among the transfer related hype of the summer. Business has been done early and our Chilean Godfather has done a delightful job in settling the squad and keeping us out of the limelight. 

Pre-season was erratic, but the flickers of brilliance we saw in our dismantling of Milan provide promise for the new season. Negredo's strength, Navas's speed, Ferna's composure and Jovetic's creative flair are all welcome additions to our tiring squad and although they're not the biggest names in Europe, they want to play for Manchester City.

Newcastle's shambolic start to the summer has been somewhat calmed. Yohan 'Kebab' and Hatem Ben 'Afri' miraculously remain at the club and the stupidity of Joe Kinnear has all but disappeared from the media. The French flight has been supplemented by Loic Remy and the team I tipped for relegation in June should now be safe.

But that won't save them from an absolute pounding on Monday night. Pellegrini's men not only have the fans to please, they also have the memory of City legend Bert Trautmann to honour. The German stopper literally risked his life for the club and metaphorically speaking, the fans will expect Vinny and co. to do the same on the 19th. The Magpies have never won at the Etihad and I fully expect their torrid record to continue.

If the blues are going to run away with the title this season, they need to develop a ruthlessness. Mancini enjoyed putting eleven men behind the ball whenever we scored a goal and quite frankly, I'm not prepared to tolerate that again. Our forward line is capable of frightening any European defence; we can bully Newcastle's.

4-0

Line-Up
Choosing City's line-up this season will be like choosing your favourite child. We have plenty of exciting colours in the palette, but which eleven will Manuel Pellegrini pick to paint his masterpiece?

Great things come in twos and that's certainly the case for City this year. Micah/Zaba, Ferna/Rodwell, Navas/Milner, Jovetic/Nasri, Negredo/Dzeko - they all supply us with mouthwatering options. 

Pellegrini has a task on his hands, but with injuries in mind, this would be my starting eleven.

Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Navas, Silva, Jovetic, Dzeko.

Key Men

Edin Dzeko                                                                  
After watching the Bosnian in pre-season, you feel it has to be his year. Mancini's style of play never suited Dzeko and the addition of width is going to suit him. For me, he can contend for the Golden Boot award.                             
                                                                                           

Hatem Ben Arfa
With his injury troubles seemingly behind him, Ben Arfa will be instrumental in Newcastle's 2013/2014 season. His pace and ability to dribble is second to none and I can see him linking up with Remy brilliantly.

The Summer of 2013: An Analysis of City's Buys So Far

August the 19th.

The date we've all penned into our diaries. The only date that matters this summer. The reunion with the love our lives; Manchester City.

Long gone is the summer of 2012. Regretfully, the blues bought poorly and didn't replenish themselves with the necessary nutrients required to defend a Premier League title. Fortunately for us fans, Mr.Pellegrini has ensured we'll have four new exciting players to keep our beady eyes on come next Monday. 

In preparation for the new season, myself and three of my top Twitter followers (@LeslieDOwens, @willking22 and @TheOneRealAdil) got together to discuss what we think of the new recruits so far...

Fernandinho

Quiet, but classy

The reported fee for the midfielder who only has five caps for his country staggered everyone. £30m for any player is a heavy fee and when they're unproven, it's even heavier. At first I prepared for another Jo-esque signing and muttered to myself 'typical City'. 

However, his performances in pre-season immediately changed my mind. He fills the role De Jong left and although his approach may not be as bullish, his eye for a pass is second to none. Rarely will the classy Brazilian lose the ball and his positioning allows Yaya to push forward; something Mancini would never allow. £30m is big money, but Ferna is gradually convincing me it was money well spent.

Leslie Owens 
'With Fernandinho we get a box to box midfielder with Champions League experience, I've been really impressed with how he's linked up with Yaya Toure in the midfield so far. He's in the prime of his career and has a chip on his shoulder heading into a World Cup year'.

William King
'He’s going to be a real fan favourite this season.  He's already endearing himself towards the fans and looks like someone who really wants to play well for the club.  The fact that there’s a world cup coming up means he’ll be pushing even harder for a place in the Brazil squad which can only be a good thing for us. With him and Yaya Toure in the middle of the park this season it’s gonna be pretty scary for the opposition!'

Adil Hussain
'Quite possibly my favourite signing of the window so far. A lot of peoples main argument is where has he been for so long (If he is that good why has he been plying his trade in the Ukraine, hardly known for its spectacular football). We all saw him against Chelsea in the Europa league. A very impressive performance. Him and Yaya together will dominate midfield against any team, be it England or Europe. They are both that good. From what I've seen of Fernandinho so far I can say he has already fitted in perfectly. The best thing about him and Yaya playing alongside each other is that either can choose to attack whilst the other holds. 

Fernandinho has an amazing pass on him, He has some technical skills which we will see in the coming season (being Brazilian it is second nature). The thing that impressed me about him most is going in for tackles. He doesn't shy away which is a great sign for someome coming into the EPL. Providing cover for Yaya whilst he is away at AFCON is another added bonus, not just because we have a replacement but because of what he can do'.

Jesus Navas

Not just a speed demon

Jesus Navas could now be the fastest man in the Premier League, but that's not the only attribute that makes him a perfect signing for Manchester City. The Spaniard loves to hug the touchline and has no fear when it comes to running at defenders. City have lacked width for years now and playing down the middle has restricted our options, making it easier for teams to cope with us.

The width Navas will bring us also makes the prospect of Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo even more exciting next season. The Bosnian, who everyone loved to hate last year, now has service and Jesus could bring back to us the days of Shaun Wright Phillips.

Leslie Owens

'Navas is going to be a key player for City as he is bringing in a lot of what we've been missing under Roberto Mancini. I'm impressed with his crossing ability and blistering pace down the touch line. The width he brings in will open up plenty of opportunities for all of our strikers including Negredo and Jovetić'.

William King

'This guy is going to terrorise full backs throughout Europe this season, let alone the Premier League.  He has pace, he has skill, he has intelligence he has everything you’d want in a winger and in the friendlies he’s been involved in he looks like he has bags of confidence.  I love the way he goes around people and as soon as he picks the ball up you know he’s going to cause problems for the opposition.  I think he’s going to be our best signing this season.  I think he could score 9/10 goals this season but his assists will be right up there with the most in the league'.

Adil Hussain

'Navas is someone we have been crying out for not just last season, but the season we won the league as well. Yes we had Johnson when he played but he didn't have the pace to match Navas. Wide play is something we will benefit from now, aiding the tall forwards waiting in the box. From the short time we have seen Navas at City I can say he has become a favourite for the fans.

I can't wait to see him depose defenders in the league. He has a lot of experience at International level and I don't see him having any problems fitting in at City. His pace will provide much needed support on the wing and also when chasing back, this will be a benefit for Zabaleta'.

Alvaro Negredo

The battering ram

Another I had my doubts about, but he's swiftly removed them. His performances in pre-season have provided a great deal of encouragement and the tussle for first team appearances between himself, Dzeko and Aguero next season will be mouthwatering. Not many attackers have the strength to shrug off the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Javi Martinez, but our man Alvaro certainly does.

He may pass up a few chances, however, he WILL keep going. His aerial abilities combined with his strength will give Premier League defenders another top striker to deal with next season and having Navas on the wing will definitely make him feel at home.

Leslie Owens

'Negredo is the perfect striker in a sense that he will shoot and won't get down on his misses as he knows he is going to score. With the upgrade in talent around the new signings, they will turn into stars'.

William King

'He has been really impressive in the pre-season games, looking for the ball all the time and not scared of running with the ball.  He’s linked up well with Dzeko as well which I think gives us more options when coming up against physical sides like Stoke and Everton (two grounds we have struggled with away from home). He looks really eager to impress and has a good work ethic so I think he’ll be a success this season.  I’d expect him to bag around 15 goals for us which would be a pretty good return for someone in their first season'.

Adil Hussain

'Negredo is what he is; a box to box striker. All his goals last season came from different areas of the box, however I think we have seen something extra to his game in pre-season. The ability to run with the ball and use his strength ward off defenders, like he did against Martinez and in the Barclays Asia Cup. Surprisingly he isn't a slouch either. He showed he could run with a decent pace and his biggest attribute has to be his positioning in the box. He seems to know exactly where to catch a cross. Having his old team-mate Navas providing service can only be a positive. Once he hits some finishing form he will be an invaluable member of the attack'.

Stevan Jovetic

The young creator

I don't class Jovetic as one of four strikers. For me, he'll be operating on the left and cutting inside. His natural creativity will make that position easy for him to occupy and with Navas on the right, he'll provide some much needed balance.

It's a top signing, but pre-season has left me with a lot of questions, none of them negative. I still think we've got a lot to see from Jovetic. He has the potential to be a Premier League legend, but Pellegrini has the unenviable task of deciding where he'll fit into the squad. He's an exciting option and should knock up a number of goals and assists in the 2013/2014 season.

Leslie Owens

'Jovetić is a team player and likes to play off the striker while also making runs that remind me of Tevez. Great passing skills and can bring in a few goals'.

William King

'I think he might be the weaker of our summer signings only because he’ll be competing with the most players for a place in the starting 11 – Silva, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Negredo, Dzeko and Aguero.  His versatility might be a bit of a hindrance for him.  That said, he’s looked really intelligent on the ball and seems to have settled in well with his new team mates'.

Adil Hussain

'I was unsure about Jovetic's involvment if I'm honest as I didn't think we needed anyone else to play behind the striker. He has appeared on the left wing and from what I saw this seems to be the better option for him as he is quick, strong and direct. Dare I say it he reminded me of a young Tevez in the short role he played in both the AC and Bayern game. It maybe too early to say but i'll leave that for him to answer'.