Man City must examine weakness

Monday, 07/11/2011

by Caroline Oatway, Shoot's Man City blogger

Nothing is ever predictable in football and Saturday proved no exception. Many were predicting another comfortable win for Manchester City in their clash with Queens Park Rangers but it actually turned out to be one of the Blues’ toughest games of the season.

The outcome was probably as expected – City’s five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table has been restored – but the Blues had to dig deep to secure three points against a spirited QPR side.

It has to be said: it was a huge victory. A win is a win, no matter how you achieve it or who it’s against and had City failed to secure three points yesterday, rivals United would have been given a massive boost. Fortunately however, we somehow escaped Loftus Road with the win.

City underestimated QPR on Saturday. We were complacent against a side that have already beaten Chelsea and love nothing better than to get one over on the big teams. I really didn’t have a good feeling ahead of the game and feared the worst, especially in the knowledge that Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips would be facing their former club.

Barton loves nothing more than to prove a point, and what better way to do so than by punishing the side in which he started his career. Luckily the pair couldn’t stand in our way, hard as they tried.

Many would argue that QPR deserved a point, and perhaps they are correct. City didn’t start the game well – sloppy passing and poor decision-making were the downfalls and the Blues struggled to cope with Barton’s set-pieces.

Mancini’s men rode their luck on numerous occasions and it was fortunate that their attacking prowess proved superior on the day. However, it was slightly worrying that QPR had to take the lead before the Blues were kicked into gear.

Furthermore even after getting themselves in front, City then sat back and allowed QPR to press forward for an equaliser – a very dangerous tactic. Rangers threw everything at the Blues towards the end and it has it be said that we wouldn’t have been able to begrudge the home side a point, had they managed it.

The international break will provide City with an opportunity to have a look at the weaknesses that were exposed on Saturday. One thing is for sure: the Blues won’t always be able to claw themselves back into a game having fallen behind, and this needs to be looked at – quickly.

The Blues’ next challengers are high-flying Newcastle. United meanwhile will travel to Swansea, who are unbeaten at the Liberty Stadium so far this season. If all goes well for the Blues, they could potentially stretch their lead even further at the top of the table and would definitely be on course for their first league title since 1968.

But maybe we shouldn’t dare to dream just yet. We Blues aren’t used to winning so often and should perhaps prepare ourselves in case it all goes wrong. For now, let’s enjoy the break.

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