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Ahead of Saturday evening's game at the Etihad
Stadium, we spoke again with City fan Howard, from the website
Standing Alone.
He gives us his views on City's season, Pep Guardiola,
their Champions League prospects and more. You can follow
Howard on twitter @howiehok34  I
think it's safe to say it's been an interesting season at the Etihad, how are
City fans viewing it?
I would say it’s fair to say
that the vast majority of us have viewed the season as a massive disappointment,
for the second season in a row. It’s been a strange season for City and in the
premiership as a whole, but the bread and butter of the season, the league, has
seen City put in a string of disappointing performances, and some downright
appalling ones. There has been little consistency, after a sparkling start that
made everyone think we were going to walk the league. Injuries have been
crippling, but that’s only been half the story, as there has been enough talent
on the pitch most weeks to win matches.
And yet it has been failure
concentrated on one competition. City have won one domestic cup, sacrificed
another having coasted through two rounds and now stand on the cusp of a
Champions League semi-final. It seems churlish to complain about all that, but
if you watched them every week you might understand more the apathy and anger
towards our manager. The fear is not finishing in the top four just as Pep
Guardiola tips up.
With Guardiola
set to arrive in the summer, I'd imagine City fans can't wait for this campaign to finish?
What will he need to do ahead of next season?
Yes, ever since his arrival was
announced, it seems the fans and the players have been sleepwalking towards the
summer. I’ve spent many hours defending Manuel Pellegrini, but the end of the
season can’t come quick enough to be honest, especially as the thought of Pep
managing us is a tad exciting, and something the likes of which I never expected
to see at little old City.
As for what Pep will have to do,
well it’s quite simple – organise the team! Make them hard to beat, protect the
defence, have them positioned correctly during matches, know what their duties
are at all time, press harder, be more clinical in attack and make the Etihad a
fortress again – it should be a breeze!
Has Manuel Pellegrini been
treated fairly by the club? How will his time in charge of City be remembered?
Yes he has been treated fairly –
Pellegrini always “got it”. He realised that he had a three year contract, he
realised he was a bridge between the fiery Mancini and the pursuit of Pep, a
holistic bridge at that, and that he was given a wonderful opportunity to win
trophies and earn good money. All managers know the game they are in, and it was
always highly unlikely he would stay more than three years – the extra year’s
contract extension signed last summer was a thank you from the owners for how he
has handled it, as Pellegrini, for all his faults, has always acted with class
and dignity. But he will move elsewhere, replace another manager, and earn good
money, so there’s no need to feel any sympathy for him.
Well placed after a good result
against PSG in Paris on Wednesday, could this be the season City finally
achieve success in the Champions League?
Before Wednesday I would have
said that you’d be mad to suggest that – the prospect of us beating Bayern
Munich or Barcelona seems preposterous when we can’t score at
Norwich or Aston Villa, but we seem to have saved most of our good
performances for this competition, and in a cup, anything can happen. I’d still
say it is highly unlikely – the squad is really good, but it’s not
Barcelona or Bayern Munich good,
and doubts remain over the manager. And let’s not forget, City are not through
to the semi-finals yet – I’d still say the tie is 50/50.
Highlight of the season?
Hard to beat a penalty shoot-out
victory over Liverpool at Wembley. It may only be the League Cup, but twice in
recent seasons the competition has provided the club not only with a trophy but
for the fans a wonderful day out and something to celebrate.
Low point of the season?
Where to start? I’m not sure
there’s one particular point – the major disappointment has come from the slow
ebbing away of our title chances. If I had to pick a point, or a match at least,
it would be one of the home defeats to
Leicester and then Spurs that confirmed we were not only out of the
title race, but simply not deserving of being in it.
City player of the season?
Well there’s not been a host of
candidates due to poor form and injuries. If Kevin De Bruyne had stayed fit all
season I’d have put money on it being him, and maybe a fully fit Aguero could
have topped the scoring charts too, but the stand-out performer has to be
Fernandinho. He gets very little attention, even less media coverage, but week
after week he has been one of the best players on the pitch, and often has to
put in an immense shift in a leaky midfield. Sagna probably deserves a shout out
too.
Anyone been particularly
disappointing?
Plenty. You only have to look at
our defence for a host of candidates. With Vincent Kompany falling to pieces on
a regular basis, the defence has been something of a mess. Otamendi and Mangala
can be imperious, but they can also be disastrous, especially together. Otamendi
is far too rash and needs to stay on his feet, whilst Mangala always has a
mistake in him, though has the attributes to be the best, with a physique to
match. For what we paid, you’d expect far, far, more, but I hold out hope that
Guardiola can coach some sense into them. Elsewhere I don’t think Aguero has
been at his best all the time though he still better than just about everyone
else, and David Silva has been the biggest disappointment of all, putting in a
string of anonymous, jaded performances – however, there’s an explanation for
this, the pain in his ankle constant. He needs rest and rehabilitation, but with
the Euros fast approaching, he won’t get it in the near future. Kolarov has just
been plain crap.
How are City likely to line-up
on Saturday?
Hard to say, because with the
second leg against PSG just three days after, Manuel Pellegrini may spring a few
surprises. Silva is injured, so Nasri might fill in ,and De Bruyne might not
start as he has just returned from injury so can’t be overworked. Yaya might be
back, so expect Fernando and Fernadinho to screen him, Navas and Nasri perhaps
out wide with Aguero up front. Mangal and Otamendi will continue in central
defence, and the full backs could be anyone, but I’ll guess at Zabaleta and
Kolarov.
Thoughts on the game and
prediction?
Again, hard to say. City cannot
be predicted, and I am not sure
West Brom can be either, though they are pretty tepid at the moment,
putting us to shame! However, if you play defensively we could struggle to break
you down, but we should have goals in us, so I will go for an unattractive 2-0
win.
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