Classy Man City Rout New Castle

Barca’s 7-0 demolition of Levante last Sunday might be phenomenal when you simply look on the numbers without consideration of the type of opponent they have. They may be playing their highly disciplined style of play again but I believe that with what Manchester City showed last night in thrashing New Castle with a 4-0 victory is far better, knowing that the Magpies is not a push-over team. And if only Man City don’t have so many missed opportunities on goal then they must have buried New Castle right from the beginning.

Their aggressive and offensive type of play could have scored them a few more goals especially Eden Dzeko who was so unlucky not to score from several clear chances he has had. But perhaps that has something to do also with the excellent saves and quality goalkeeping by New Castle keeper Tim Krul who was very busy all throughout the match, diving and parrying here and there. Yet even his outstanding effort and somehow luck, must have reached its limit at some point as he surrendered four stylish goals from David Silva, Aguero, Yaya Toure and Nasri.

And I think Sergio Aguero’s 22^nd minute perfectly fired goal into the far corner is probably the goal of the match as it was not only a superbly created goal but it also came from the other half of the field, supplied by Kompany towards Dzeko who mindfully showed great passing skills. He created a perfect back-heel pass straight into Aguero’s path then slotted a low shot that went in off the far post which I think beyond the reach of Krul even with his already outstretch arms. And with the very resounding 4-0 win over New Castle, Man City emerged at the top of the leaderboard.

Image from wikipedia.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Could this be the light at the end of the tunnel for Manchester City?

With two draws and two losses in their last seven Premier League games, Man City surrendered the top spot to arch and city rival Manchester United. While earlier this month, ManU opened an eight point advantage after six successive wins that started last month during the course of Man City’s mishap. And after Manchester City’s loss to Arsenal on 8 April, many have thought that it would be the end of their English Premier Championship bid while Manchester United doesn’t stop winning also.

After Man City demolished West Bromwich (4-0) at Etihad Stadium last Wednesday, this time they crushed Norwich (6-1) at their own turf with Tevez leading the goal scoring with his first treble after coming back from a long suspension and self exiled situation. Fellow Argentinean and team-mate Aguero almost got his own hat trick as well if not only of the post. The win cut Manchester United’s lead to just 2 points although they still have a game left to play on Sunday at home against Aston Villa. Another loss or a draw will surely blow their chance of securing their 20^th English league crown. And if both have the same points at the end of the season, the winner will be decided with the goal difference and the goals scored. As of this time Man City had the upper hand with eight better than their arch rivals.

The back-to-back win, rekindles Manchester City’s hopes into the title race and of winning their first title since 1968. Thus putting some pressure on Manchester United with their surprise defeat at Wigan and ahead of their game tomorrow at Old Trafford.

NB: Image from wikimedia commons.

The Double Champions: ManU and Man City?

The EPL have some interesting match going on today. The first of the most notable game is between ManU and Blackburn. Manchester United is trying to make history in the Premier League by breaking records and re-writing history books. A draw with Blackburn will adjudged them as champions for 2010-2011 EPL season but a loss will give Chelsea a little room to breathe if they manage to win their remaining last two games because an EPL tie-breaker will be decided through goal difference. While Blackburn are trying to escape from a very crowded relegation area and a win will boost their chance to survive from being relegated.

image source

But it is not just about winning trophies, it’s also about trying to fight for survival and avoid being relegated. At the bottom end of the table, the Rovers are not alone in the fight; the Wolves and Blackpool are into it as well. They are only separated by 2 and 3 points respectively, and any slip up will hurt them very badly in their fighting chance to survive in the Premier League. While Birmingham City is trying as well, their luck in their match at home against Fulham tomorrow.

Perhaps, the biggest game that will happen today (at least in my perspective) is Man City’s game against Stoke in FA Cup final at Wembley which also happened to be the venue of the Champions League final between ManU and Barca later this month. It’s on 28 May to be exact but that’s another thing to talk about. Manchester City is facing a defining moment by attempting to end the football club’s 35 years drought and seeking their first piece of silverware.

So, grab a seat and don’t miss English Premier League’s football action. I’m sure you won’t be able to be on two different venues at the same time considering the time strap of the match.