Peter Anderson ⚽ No matter what the pundits say, I still don't expect City to win the treble. 

That would be just incredible. When Man U did it back in '99, they had unbelievable luck. Pure skill is not enough, you need all the stars and planets to align perfectly. Much like the Arsenal Invincibles of '03. Surely, they will never be repeated? 

For most of this season City have been out of sorts. Just not purring nicely. They found it hard to incorporate Haaland into the on field dynamic. Cancelo left after a hissy fit with Pep. The defence looked severely leaky. De Bruyne was dropped. On the 7th April Arsenal were 8 points clear and flying. Then City dropped two points at Forest and we had an international break. Something happened, something clicked. City since then have been flying, while the wheels well and truly fell off the Arsenal juggernaut. City have won every one of their last 10 EPL games and dispatched Bayern and Real from the UCL in some style. 

At the moment City look unstoppable. The City Reserves even beat Chelsea's first team with relative ease (sorry Steve R). The performance against Real at the Etihad was as good as it gets. Defence, midfield and attack working in perfect harmony. The supposedly "tricky" tie against Everton proved to be a cake walk. There is no doubt that this is the best Pep side since the all-conquering Messi-Iniesta-Xavi team of the late noughties. And probably the best ever side in English football (when modern methods, nutrition etc are considered). And yet . . .  And yet anyone can lose a final. City lost the FA cup final to Wigan, not that long ago. City can certainly lose one to a highly motivated Man U side desperate to stop their treble being repeated. Man U have already beaten City this year, even if Howard Webb had to apologise for the offside goal being awarded despite Rashford interfering with play.

In the UCL first leg game at the Bernabéu City looked nervous and when City are nervous, they are susceptible to the counter-attack. And Man U certainly have the tools to counter-attack. If Bruno gets the ball in transition, he will have eager runners in Rashford, Martial and Anthony. I have no doubt it will be an epic encounter. A derby cup final. A treble to thwart. Pure drama, no doubt. 

Then there is the UCL final. Christ the night, my nerves will be shot! On paper, an easy fixture, but the Italians know how to defend and ruin a party. Inter did it in 2010 against Pep's Barça in the UCL semi-final. They parked the bus, dived, play acted, broke up the game and faked injury. There was barely 2 minutes of continuous football. I expect similar from Inter this time. Head-to-head they stand no chance, they simply can't allow City to get into a rhythm. 

The UCL is the one that City must win. If this team is to be remembered the way it deserves to be remembered then they simply have to win. The FA Cup will be nice, but I would trade it all day for the big one. Pep has won 5 out the last 6 EPLs, but if he doesn't beat Inter then that will be what he is remembered for. That may be totally unfair but that's the way it is.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports

If Stars And Planets Align

Peter Anderson ⚽ No matter what the pundits say, I still don't expect City to win the treble. 

That would be just incredible. When Man U did it back in '99, they had unbelievable luck. Pure skill is not enough, you need all the stars and planets to align perfectly. Much like the Arsenal Invincibles of '03. Surely, they will never be repeated? 

For most of this season City have been out of sorts. Just not purring nicely. They found it hard to incorporate Haaland into the on field dynamic. Cancelo left after a hissy fit with Pep. The defence looked severely leaky. De Bruyne was dropped. On the 7th April Arsenal were 8 points clear and flying. Then City dropped two points at Forest and we had an international break. Something happened, something clicked. City since then have been flying, while the wheels well and truly fell off the Arsenal juggernaut. City have won every one of their last 10 EPL games and dispatched Bayern and Real from the UCL in some style. 

At the moment City look unstoppable. The City Reserves even beat Chelsea's first team with relative ease (sorry Steve R). The performance against Real at the Etihad was as good as it gets. Defence, midfield and attack working in perfect harmony. The supposedly "tricky" tie against Everton proved to be a cake walk. There is no doubt that this is the best Pep side since the all-conquering Messi-Iniesta-Xavi team of the late noughties. And probably the best ever side in English football (when modern methods, nutrition etc are considered). And yet . . .  And yet anyone can lose a final. City lost the FA cup final to Wigan, not that long ago. City can certainly lose one to a highly motivated Man U side desperate to stop their treble being repeated. Man U have already beaten City this year, even if Howard Webb had to apologise for the offside goal being awarded despite Rashford interfering with play.

In the UCL first leg game at the Bernabéu City looked nervous and when City are nervous, they are susceptible to the counter-attack. And Man U certainly have the tools to counter-attack. If Bruno gets the ball in transition, he will have eager runners in Rashford, Martial and Anthony. I have no doubt it will be an epic encounter. A derby cup final. A treble to thwart. Pure drama, no doubt. 

Then there is the UCL final. Christ the night, my nerves will be shot! On paper, an easy fixture, but the Italians know how to defend and ruin a party. Inter did it in 2010 against Pep's Barça in the UCL semi-final. They parked the bus, dived, play acted, broke up the game and faked injury. There was barely 2 minutes of continuous football. I expect similar from Inter this time. Head-to-head they stand no chance, they simply can't allow City to get into a rhythm. 

The UCL is the one that City must win. If this team is to be remembered the way it deserves to be remembered then they simply have to win. The FA Cup will be nice, but I would trade it all day for the big one. Pep has won 5 out the last 6 EPLs, but if he doesn't beat Inter then that will be what he is remembered for. That may be totally unfair but that's the way it is.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports

2 comments:

  1. Arsenal's invincibles were # 2004 . Saturday's draw summed up Liverpool's inconsistent season - unable to defend , Diaz & Mo running into dead ends , not scoring enough, Keita saving himself for international duty . Top 4 is done & dusted , Spurs & Chelsea players won't need passports next season . City will do a second treble next month , & maybe a quad next season . Anfield Road expansion videos on www.youtube.com look good .

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  2. Citeh were utterly brilliant in the first half against Real. I'm actually hoping they win to wind the Manure up. But everyone agrees this season doesn't count because of the World Cup LOL!

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