Southampton v Manchester City Match Preview

By the time Manchester City kick off their next match against Southampton they could be 10 points behind League leaders Liverpool.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 22: Fans arrive at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on December 22, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

The last fixtures of December mark the turning point in the Premier League, as we move into the second half of the season. At this halfway stage City are on 44 points in the table and Liverpool occupy top spot with 51 points. Liverpool could in theory eclipse the 100 point record tally amassed by City last season. These may be uncomfortable truths for City fans but they clearly illustrate what a poor December we have had so far.

City are in need of a win for a number of reasons. To return the morale of the squad and end the feelings of doom as the Merseysiders race into a lead. To attempt to reclaim second spot in the table and put some distance between us and the chasing pack. To provide some respite from our defence who seem to have an uncanny knack of conceding every single time they face an attack.

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But most of all to reward our fans – many of whom will be making a 450 mile round trip journey on 30 December to the South coast. Travelling in England can be difficult at any time but can be especially arduous in late December as engineering works and weather combine to cause delays. For many of these travelling fans, that sun soaked day last May when Gabriel Jesus scored in the 94th minute to cement our team as centurions will seem a lifetime ago.

The lack of penetration by City in our recent games and the reduced number of shots by our strikers will be of real concern to Guardiola. We have hogged the ball in midfield but summarily failed to make it count. The return of our best and most inventive midfielders – Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva – will help us to unlock packed defences. But any chances we create still need to be taken.

We will have had some more time to prepare for this game than Southampton, who lost to West Ham United on 27 December. Our squad is bigger than theirs to cope with the demands of Premier League football. They have a new manager in role, but West Ham have removed some of that new manager bounce.

City know they will face a barrage of counter attacking football. Southampton will seek to keep the game tight and defend in numbers, pressing our ball play and seeking to turn over play. They will have studied our defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester and be well aware they need to exploit our channels, particularly on the left.

This will be a difficult game for City, but getting a result to arrest the slide is crucial. Consequently i would expect City to play the strongest available side. There is no point in keeping players rested for the Liverpool game as frankly if City fail to beat Southampton then the result against Liverpool is meaningless.

Whether Fernandinho and Jesus are sufficiently recovered is unclear until Guardiola’s press conference but both should feature if available.

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Predicted Starting XI

4-3-3 Formation

Goalkeeper

Ederson

Defence

Danilo, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko

Midfield

Gundogan, Bernardo, De Bruyne

Attack

Sane, Aguero, Mahrez