Crunch fixture for Man City

Thursday, 24/11/2011

by Caroline Oatway, Shoot's Man City blogger

Another vital league win at the weekend has maintained City’s five-point gap at the top of the table but once again, I’m refusing to get carried away. Call me a spoilsport if you like but I have a worrying feeling that thisweekend could seriously hamper our title chances.

The Blues face Liverpool at Anfield – never a nice fixture. We’re currently 12 points clear of the Merseyside outfit, but that could obviously be cut to nine on Sunday afternoon. If Liverpool are serious title contenders, they need a win and they love nothing more than to get one over on us, even if it would do bitter rivals United a favour.

An uninspiring performance on Tuesday in Napoli added to my concerns for the coming weekend. A 2-1 defeat has placed City on the brink of Champions League elimination and I fear that our confidence will be shot.

We now have to beat Bayern Munich in a fortnight whilst hoping that Napoli lose at Villarreal. It’s a big ask and I’m not personally holding out much hope. What we must do is get ourselves back on track immediately, although that’s easier said than done.

The Blues’ record at Anfield is poor to say the least. We haven’t won there since 2003, when a late Nicolas Anelka double cost Liverpool a Champions League spot. Since then, the Reds have had their fair share of revenge, but that won’t stop them from trying to hinder our title chances. We can just about afford to come away with a point but a loss could be fatal. They would love that.

To add to our worries, our nearest title challengers Manchester United face Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday. And though it pains me to say it, I realistically can’t see any other result than a United win, which means the pressure will really be on us to deliver.

Our lead over the Red Devils could be cut to just two points which means a result for us is imperative. I’m not psychic of course and naturally, I am hoping that Newcastle can do us a favour but Old Trafford is something of a fortress and I’m simply being rational (or downright pessimistic).

Despite my negativity, we are perfectly capable of securing three points at Anfield with our squad. My beloved Blues have proved me wrong on so many occasions this season. It must be noted that we have finally discovered the long-awaited winning mentality, and although it seems as though we are invincible in the league right now, Liverpool will do their utmost to bring us back down to earth with an almighty thud.

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