Manchester City Thread

[NamPikToot]

Come on Wolves, Chitty Citeh are going to get a knee trembler tonight

EDIT

Possibly not, 1-0 to citeh, nostradamus I ain't

EDIT

and Wolves down to 10 men after 20 mins - could get messy

[hallelujah]

Don't think I can handle spending the next 4 months cheering for City.

[Chittychangchang]

Don't think I can handle spending the next 4 months cheering for City.

Gotta be better than cheering for the rags from your piss stained armchair you fvcking numpty

C'mon City

[Chittychangchang]

2 -0!!!!

This is gonna be another hammering.

The Manchester goal machine keeps marching on

[Dillinger]

^ bad night at the bookies mate?

[Chittychangchang]

^ bad night at the bookies mate?

I've got 18000 smackeroos coming my way this year when City win the historic quadruple

[harrybarracuda]

I've got 18000 smackeroos coming my way this year when City win the historic quadruple

Is that Dong or Kip?

[Neverna]

I've got 18000 smackeroos coming my way this year when City win the historic quadruple

How did that work out last year for you, Chitty?

The quadruple is still on as City beat Bristol 3-2.

Price has plummeted down to 22-1 now!!!!

I put £50 on at the start of the season at 150-1

[Chittychangchang]

£100@180-1 back at the start of the season

[cyrille]

^^Hell, why should it be only other people who get to throw his money away?

[Chittychangchang]

^^Hell, why should it be only other people who get to throw his money away?

A bit below the belt that Sybill, although that does appear to be your area of expertise.

Knob jockey.

[harrybarracuda]

Well Manchester Dhabi's Academy (Phil) must have been busy the other night, because the Gunners hammered their U23 side 5-1.

[NamPikToot]

because the Gunners hammered their U23 side 5-1.

Up the Arse, we may do better fielding the U23 team than this bunch overpaid journeymen that call themselves a first team.

[Chittychangchang]

Wembley! Wembley! We're the only team from Manchester and we're off to Wembley

[harrybarracuda]

I see your academy (Phil) got a run out. I suppose the safety of a nine goal buffer means it was worth the risk.

[Chittychangchang]

Legend Vincent Kompany donated his testimonial to the city's homeless.

City go top of the league tomorrow when they beat Everton

[Dillinger]

Legend Vincent Kompany

[cyrille]

The mangled mekon.

Finally heading for the knacker’s yard by the looks.

[Chittychangchang]

TEAM NEWS

Padraig Amond will lead the Newport forward line and hope to maintain his record of scoring in every FA Cup round this season.
Defender Fraser Franks could keep his place after completing his first game in a month against MK Dons on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola is set to make changes with one eye on Wednesday's Champions League clash with Schalke and Sunday's EFL Cup final.
Vincent Kompany remains sidelined along with Claudio Bravo and Benjamin Mendy.

• Man City tie not giving Day sleepless nights
• A Man City fan guide to Rodney Parade

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Jonathan Pearce: The last time these two met was October 1962 when Monster Mash was Top of the Pops. This will be one of the most monstrous shocks ever if Newport can win in their first fifth-round appearance in 70 years.
Beating Leicester and holding Spurs in back-to-back seasons provided wonderful memories. Manchester City could leave them with nightmares if they go even close to repeating their sumptuous form against Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola will make changes with Schalke and Chelsea in the League Cup final to come. But the squad is hugely powerful. Walker, Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jesus could all come in!
The pitch will be a factor and the atmosphere feverish but I can't see a repeat of last season's fifth-round City exit at Wigan.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT

Newport County manager Michael Flynn: "We're playing the Premier League champions and arguably the best Premier League team ever.
"It would be the biggest shock in the history of the FA Cup.
"I know it's easy for me to say, because I'm the underdog manager, but the way football has gone now with the finances and the gulf in facilities and resources they've got, the players they've got and the manager they've got - it will be the biggest FA Cup shock ever."
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "We are going to suffer because they are taller and stronger than us. In some areas they will be better than us.
"They have done incredibly well in this competition. What they do, they do really well. We have watched many games to see what they do.
"It is the cup. We know what happened last season at Wigan. Anything can happen. We will take this very seriously, I am sure about that."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Manchester City went out of the FA Cup to a League One team, Wigan, at this stage last season and City boss Pep Guardiola will be wary of another shock.
I think City will get the job done though. I cannot see Guardiola taking Newport too lightly.
Prediction: 0-2
Lawro's full predictions v Radio 1Xtra DJs Big Zuu & Trevor Nelson
MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• This is their first FA Cup meeting.
• The sides last met in a League Cup tie in October 1962, which Manchester City won 2-1 in Wales.
• City have won the three all-time meetings by an aggregate scoreline of 10-2.

Newport County

• They could become the first club from the fourth tier to reach the quarter-finals since Cambridge United in 1990, and only the fifth to do so overall.
• This is only Newport's second appearance in the FA Cup fifth round - their first was a 3-2 defeat by Portsmouth in February 1949.
• Newport have won just two of their past 11 league games, drawing two and losing seven.
• They have only conceded two goals in seven home games in all competitions.
• Padraig Amond has scored five goals in his last eight FA Cup appearances, including in every round this season.

Manchester City

• City have won all three of their matches in February, scoring 11 goals and conceding just one.
• They have won their two FA Cup games this season by an aggregate score of 12-0.
• However, they've won just one of their last six FA Cup away games against sides from a lower division (D4, L1), losing their last such game against Wigan.
• Sergio Aguero has scored eight league goals for City in 2019 - double that of any other player.
• Ageuro's tally of eight is as many league goals as Newport have managed in their league games in December, January and February combined.

[Chittychangchang]

The Champions investing in the future

[Chittychangchang]

Foden could have had a hatric tonight but he was a true gentleman.

Phil Foden.

He's one of our own.
He's one of our own



oh man city, the only team to come from Manchester oh man city

[harrybarracuda]

Wow that must bump Manchester Dhabi up to 44th.

[Chittychangchang]

Carabao Cup Final: Can Pep Guardiola and Manchester City really win the quadruple?




Ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, we assess Manchester City's chances of winning an historic quadruple this season.
City are still fighting on all four fronts and victory over Chelsea at Wembley this weekend would lead to talk of an unprecedented clean sweep, with Pep Guardiola's side also well placed in the Premier League and into the latter rounds of the Champions League and FA Cup.


Here, we look at the challenges City face heading into the final stretch of the season and assess their chances of taking all four trophies available to them...

Key fixtures

The Carabao Cup final and the entirety of March will prove pivotal in City's pursuit of their first-ever quadruple as they play matches in all four competitions across a matter of weeks.
Important Manchester City fixtures

CL round of 16 first leg	Schalke (a)	Wednesday, February 20
Carabao Cup final	Chelsea (n)	Sunday, February 24
CL round of 16 second leg	Schalke (h)	Tuesday, March 12
Premier League	Manchester United (a)	TBC
FA Cup quarter-final	TBC	W/E of March 16 TBC

City take on Chelsea, who they beat 6-0 on February 10, at Wembley looking to win their fourth League Cup in the last six years.
Guardiola's side will then be hoping to make second-leg home advantage count against Bundesliga side Schalke in their Champions League ties on Wednesday and March 12, the same week they were due to face fierce rivals Manchester United in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports.
However, that game will now be rescheduled as the FA Cup quarter-finals are set to be played that weekend.
How many games would City have to play?



Could fixture accumulation affect City?

City have 11 matches of the Premier League season left to play, but the Premier League champions could be in for a physically gruelling end to the campaign.


0:42


KDB: Nearly impossible to win quadruple
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is keen to play down talk of an historic quadruple this season for City.


















Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is keen to play down talk of an historic quadruple this season for City.

Should City reach the final of every competition, they would play an extra 11 matches if you include the Carabao Cup final, the FA Cup and all the Champions League rounds.
That would bring their total for this season to a huge 64 games, stretching back to their Community Shield win over Chelsea on August 5, 2018, through to the Champions League final on June 1, 2019.
Do City have strength in depth?



Guardiola has used less players than 18 other Premier League clubs this season

Perhaps surprisingly, City have used the second fewest amount of players in the Premier League this season. They match Brighton in using 21 players across the campaign so far. Only Wolves have used fewer (18).

Although Guardiola is renowned for changing his side's formation throughout a single season, he tends to keep the faith in the same players. Could this be an issue with so many games coming up where the pressure to use your best players increases?
City have a more than capable back-up player in every position of the pitch, but they will be hoping Ederson in particular does not suffer an injury in the next month.


Arijanet Muric has not appeared in the Premier League this season

Claudio Bravo is ruled out until the end of March after rupturing his Achilles back in August, meaning City would have to resort to third-choice Arijanet Muric, who has made just five League Cup appearances this season, as a short-term option if he had a setback.
Top scorer Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne both suffered injuries in November which saw them miss City's first Premier League loss this season away to Chelsea, and restricted them to substitute appearances in their second defeat - at home to Crystal Palace.


Sergio Aguero has scored 11 Premier League hat-tricks

Those results suggest keeping their top scorer and leading playmaker fit, and in the team, could prove pivotal for City to battle on all four fronts.
A first for Guardiola



0:38


Pep plays down quadruple chances
Pep Guardiola has played down Manchester City's chances of winning the quadruple, insisting long-term success is the ultimate goal.


















Guardiola played down City's chances of winning the quadruple in January

Sky Bet odds have City at 20/1 to win the quadruple, but for Guardiola this will be a step into the unknown. No English team in history has won all four major titles in a single season.
Guardiola guided Barcelona to a treble in the 2008/09 season and won a domestic double twice with Bayern, but the Champions League eluded him during his three-year stay in Germany.


Guardiola won the treble with Barcelona in the 2008/09 season

At City he won a Premier League-League Cup double last season, but the 48-year-old has made it no secret he wants to win every piece of silverware.
He said in January: "Who are the best clubs in the last decade? Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona. These are the best three teams in the last decade in Europe, why?
"Because every season they win the league, every season they win the cups, every season they are there and that is what I want."

[Chittychangchang]

Manchester City showed their strength in depth as they came from behind to beat Schalke. Is the quadruple now possible?
A goal down and a man down amid a boisterous atmosphere in Gelsenkirchen, Manchester City's Champions League progress really should have been hanging by a thread. Instead, goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling mean their place in the last eight is all but assured and the prospect of that preposterous quadruple continues to loom large.

Make no mistake, this was the sort of evening that would have seen weaker teams lose belief. The penalty decision awarded for handball against Nicolas Otamendi was particularly harsh. The second penalty looked offside. Then came the red card for the Argentine defender. That is when a team can implode as the feeling of injustice sparks indiscipline.

But City were calm enough to see that out. There was a maturity there, seemingly confident enough to know that even a one-goal defeat would not be terminal to their chances back at the Etihad Stadium. Slowly but surely, things turned in their favour and it was Schalke who made the costly errors at the other end. A 3-2 win puts them in total control.
City's quality is in no doubt but the abiding thought after this latest victory is that their strength depth is what really makes the impossible feel possible where Pep Guardiola's team are concerned. Sane's stupendous free-kick was the strike of an elite performer but even he had been denied a spot in the starting line-up on his return to his former club.

Entering the field in the 78th minute, that was all the time that he needed to make his dramatic impact. Such are the options that Guardiola has at his disposal. When Otamendi committed that yellow card offence midway through the second half, the coach was able to turn to club captain Vincent Kompany to steady things at the back.
Gabriel Jesus was not fit enough to make the trip and that left Sergio Aguero as the only striker available. But Sterling has the qualities to play that role now and when Aguero, the scorer of the first goal, was withdrawn, it was he who took up the mantle. His calm finish, capitalising on Bastian Oczipka's mistake, reflected his improvement in front of goal.



Guardiola didn't even need Riyad Mahrez, the club's record signing. He is into double figures for goals this season but remained an unused substitute on this occasion. City can do that when they have four players who have scored more than him. The same can be said of Phil Foden, who scored twice against Newport last time out, but stayed on the bench here.
One or both might return to the fold for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday, when City's embarrassment riches could mean another embarrassment for Maurizio Sarri. That's followed by a run of three Premier League game that they will need to win to keep up the pressure on Liverpool. But, for all Guardiola's attempts to downplay it, the quad is on.

[Chittychangchang]

10 -1 now, the odds were 180-1 at the start of the season