Mancini needs win on home front
By Dave Walker
Defeatists might suggest that Manchester
City’s encounter with Borussia Dortmund will, at best, help decide who finishes
as runners-up in the Champion’s League ‘Group of Death’.
The clever money is on Real Madrid to
emerge as Group winners and Dutch champions Ajax finishing bottom, leaving City
in a straight dogfight with the Bundesliga & German Cup double winners.
It’s imperative that City win their home
games in Group D if they are to have a realistic hope of avoiding the agony of
last season – missing out on the knockout stages despite amassing 10 points.
Confidence should be high among Roberto
Mancini’s side after a convincing win at Fulham and the knowledge, albeit
painful, that they were five minutes away from a famous victory at the Bernabeu
Stadium a fortnight ago.
With a fully match fit Sergio Aguero
restored to the attack, Edin Dzeko continuing his healthy knack of netting
vital goals, plus Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli hungry for the big stage,
City have the firepower to breach Borussia’s backline.
At Craven Cottage,David Silva had his best
game for a while Samir Nasri is looking far more accomplished and Yaya is as
indispensible as ever. Dortmund’s defence of Mat Hummels, Neven Subotic &
Co will have their work cut out.
Had it not been for a sub standard
performance from referee Mark Halsey, City would have recorded their first
clean sheet of the season on Saturday. The defence had a more familiar look
with Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy out wide, but with Matija Nastasic
replacing stalwart, Joleon Lescott, in the centre with Vincent Kompany.
If Mancini has opted for a conventional and
settled back four, it would mean the 3-5-2 alternative going on the back burner,
while City strive to recapture the defensive consistency of the past two
seasons.
Dropping Lescott to the bench may seem
harsh – if it happens – but City have to plug the leaks of recent weeks.
Nastasic, although young, has already shown he can cope with the big occasion.
His mobility against Dortmund’s standout striker, Robert Lewandowski, could be
key to a home win.
Seeing the Germans post a big fat nil would
virtually ensure the win because City hardly ever fail to score at the Etihad. City
will start favourites but, with three points courtesy of a 1-0 home win over
Ajax and further boosted by a 5-0 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach at the
weekend, Dortmund will come with few intentions of parking ‘der bus’.
Dortmund won’t lack for creativity with the
excellent German pairing of Mario Gotze and Marco Reus along with another Pole
Jakub Blaszczykowski posing danger.
Mancini knows that progress to the latter stages
is a must, if he is to realise his ambition of building a blue dynasty and
challenging for Europe’s elite footballing prize.
The Champions League is the sole blot on
his CV, but a win and the prospect of a further six points from back-to-back
games with Ajax, would set the scene for the home tie with Real Madrid.
What better way to confound his critics
than to clinch a place in the last 16 against his nemesis Jose Mourinho and,
who knows, even topple The Special One off the top of Group D.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First
things first…here come the Germans.
Player watch
Samir Nasri vs Mario Götze
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| Photo 1: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe Photo 2: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe |
Had things turned out differently these two
playmakers could have been team mates at the Emirates Stadium, if Arsene Wenger
had been able to prize the young German midfielder away from Dortmund.
With a Premier League champions medal in
his first season, Nasri is beginning to emerge from beyond the creative shadow
of David Silva, and become a match winner in his own right.
Götze – a prodigious young talent at just 20
years – has already amassed 18 international appearances, scoring three goals
in the process.
The two of them can only add value to what
promises to be an open and attacking feast of high quality football.
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