Manchester City: We Must Be Perfect At Etihad
Of course, it goes without saying. Tuesday night, at the Etihad, Manchester City have to be perfect. Over the season, Manchester City have scored three or more goals in numerous games, including a 5-0 win over Liverpool at the beginning of the season.
Of course, some would say it would have been a boost to have secured the title at the weekend. But could it have acted as a distraction for the players? Don’t get me wrong, I was upset by the way we let the winning position slip. Anyone but United, and maybe it wouldn’t have stung so much, but it was and we move on.
It means we go into tomorrows night game with nothing to lose, and everything to prove. Liverpool fans, and pundits, have already penciled the reds into a Semi Final spot. As City fans though, we have seen impossible scenarios realised.
The first Premier League title is one which springs to mind, with City scoring twice in stoppage time. When it looked as if the title would head to Old Trafford, up stepped Edin and Sergio for the most dramatic endings to a Premier League season.
Further back and you have the play-off final against Gillingham, with two late goals taking us to stoppage time. The eventual penalty shoot-out saw Manchester City victorious when, with minutes left of normal time, we looked dead and buried.
Life for a City fan has never a straight line of success or even failure. The FA Cup game against Spurs, City 3-0 down at the half and a player down. City came back to win 4-3, although we wouldn’t go much further.
The good news for Manchester City is that Liverpool have conceded three or more goals in seven games this season. Manchester City have been that team twice in the League, albeit one was a 4-3 defeat.
As good as they are going forward, they have their frailties at the back. My concern is not about scoring goals, my concern is about not conceding. Against Everton, at the weekend, Liverpool didn’t score. That was only the third time, in the last 21 matches in all competitions, when Liverpool have failed to score.
Away from home, in the 23 away matches in all competitions, Liverpool failed on four occasions to score. That includes that 5-0 victory at the Etihad earlier in the season.