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City 0 - 3 Inter
- A disappointing end to an enjoyable US tour. This was a lesson in possession football from a clearly superior Inter side. The first 21 minutes were bad enough but when Patrick Vieira was sent off the contest was effectively over. Inter's three goals were a fairly meagre reward for their dominance.
- We started with the same 4-1-4-1 we used against Club América. With Vincent Kompany moved back into defence it was Patrick Vieira playing in front of the back four, with a midfield of Adam Johnson, Yaya Touré, Gareth Barry and Jô. I am desperately hoping that Jô's regular appearances on tour are from a need to find a buyer for him: we've got one month left to get rid.
- Inter dominated early on, we were forced deep but defended well enough. Things became difficult, though, when Vieira was sent off for a swinging elbow on Marco Materrazzi. It might not have been malicious but it was certainly dangerous. This led to a brief spell of unpleasantness (nearly all deriving from Vincent Kompany) and our moving to a 4-4-1. Jô came off, Barry moved wide left, Pablo Zabaleta stepped into midfield and Micah Richards went to right back.
- Once numerically disadvantaged we barely got the ball back. We had no option but to sit dangerously deep. Esteban Cambiasso, always available, was dictating the rhythm of the game and Philippe Coutinho - a Brazilian 18 year old - was finding space between our lines of four at will. We were not defending too badly, but their opening goal was no surprise. Sitting that deep would always leave us vulnerable to the shot from distance and Victor Obinna found the bottom corner six minutes before half time.
- There were a few second half changes but Obinna soon scored another similar goal. With Emmanuel Adebayor isolated up front we could never retain possession as our long balls came straight back. Adam Johnson tried to carry the ball forward a few times but when no-one went with him there was never any end product.
- Inter's deserved third came late on, with teenager Cristiano Biraghi beating Shay Given from 30 yards. City fly back to Manchester today I think and tomorrow will meet up with Nigel de Jong, Carlos Tévez and new boys Jérôme Boateng and David Silva.
3 comments:
I'm not really bothered about the result but am extremely worried about the outcome of this season.
I'm a new fan of football(last 4 years)-since Sven and Thaksin and hadnt supported a team b4 that:couldnt bring myself to support Utd,Arse,Chelski,Liverpool-the popular ones as I felt very attuned to our commitment to youth,the joy of the rollercoaster ride etc etc.Now,everyday i spend a minimum of 6 bloody hours scouring thru the internet on news about our transfers,googling Brian Marwood news,twittering about,reading blogs...I commit 1 month of my yearly salary to buying City merchandise....
All i am asking is for the team to bloody preform to their best-we've won some but I am sure we can do a lot better (after watching other teams to size em for our next game).
Also would some MCFC supporters lighten up?I havent supported MCFC as long as U have but for christ sake
1)'Dunne doesnt roll of the tongue like Robinho in China'-whats the point of attracting foreign interest if local fans are not welcome?
2)The Sheik hasnt supported MCFC for as long as U have either but he has done a lot more than u hostile dicks ever have or ever can?
Just my two cents worth...
It's not so much the team performance (half of them are worried they'll get the boot by the end of the month anyway), but the choice of team that irks me. I know if I was the Sheikh and I am trying to drum up support and create a world-wide presence for the Club, then I wouldn't want anything but the best team out there. FFS, any Yanks watching this lot on tour will not be rushing out to buy a blue shirt - the impact made by these performances is best described as "nothing", in fact it is an embarassment to those City supporters already out here.
You want to leave a "wow factor" behind you when putting on a show - leave the country with an amazing memory of an amazing team, not have them saying "hey remember when Manchester City were over here last season - they were rubbish!" Of course the fact that the scummier side of Manchester are over here at the same time, and doing significantly better overall on their tour does not help one little bit!
We should be seen as the "Harlem Globetrotters" of world soccer - everyone turning out in droves to catch a glimpse of the superstars of the beautiful game, and don't give me all this crap about players needing a rest, for the money they get paid, they should be working 24/7 anyway!
Sheikh, put your foot down and insist on the best in future. It's your money and you can pull all the strings. These guys are representing you on the world's stage and quite frankly they are an embarassment.
I was at the game last night and it was awful. I am an American who became a Manchester City fan before the money. As bad as the football was, it was great to be around fellow City fans who sang when we were down 3-0. I've read quotes about City being relegated to second division and the fans singing, "Macclesfield, Macclesfield, are you watching?" I really want the team to succeed, but no matter what happens I feel like I will always support them. Even with all this money, who can really say that they feel comfortable with the season ahead? Who even "knows" what to expect? These endearing traits made me inherit the club in the first place.
Also, there were scores of Arsenal supporters at the game. There was one banner commemorating legends "Toure" and "Vieira" (but not Adebayor...hmmm). One of my favorite things about this excellent blog is the focus on City legends. I know some of it is done in good humor, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
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