Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace: Issues & Decisions That Will Shape EPL Match
If Manchester City are concerned about the packed fixture list facing them, they have an odd way of showing it.
Granted, they did buy themselves a few extra days of rest by conveniently bombing out of the Capital One Cup a while back. While Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool (among others) were slogging through quarter-final matches, City were putting on their fun clothes and enjoying a night on the town.
"Manchester City's first team stars and management team visited Gorilla bar to celebrate Christmas ahead of the busy festive Premier League schedule," wrote Anthony Hay in the Daily Mail.
Even if you do not read the article, it is worth a click just for the pictures. If you ever wanted to know what "a £490 Givenchy Black Rottweiler sweatshirt" looks like on Samir Nasri, you're in luck. Quick aside: Why £490? Why not just make it £500?
By now the Sky Blues have presumably put in the necessary cardiovascular exercise to work off the calories they consumed (liquid or solid) and are ready to face Crystal Palace at the Etihad.
Here are five issues and decisions that will shape Manchester City v. Crystal Palace.
City Might Only Need 1 Goal to Beat Crystal Palace...
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Crystal Palace are no longer managed by Tony Pulis (though, remarkably, ESPNFC.com seems to think they are).
The way Palace attack, though, they might as well be. Mile Jedinak leads the Eagles with five Premier League goals this season. That is good for 17th in the league, which in part explains why Palace are running just above the relegation line in 16th place on the league table.
After a three-goal outburst against Liverpool last month, Palace were shut out in two of their next four matches and scored one goal in each of the other two.
No one in the Palace attack is apt to terrify City manager Manuel Pellegrini or his defenders.
...but Heaven Only Knows Where That Goal Might Come from
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Manchester City's striker dilemma has been well-documented, but if you have not been paying attention, we can get you caught up quickly.
"Premier League top scorer Sergio Aguero is out until the New Year with a knee problem, while Stevan Jovetic is also sidelined. Edin Dzeko had been in line to start against Leicester on Saturday before injuring his calf in the warm up," noted David Lynch in the Mirror.
Not surprisingly, City's injury woes have commenters lining up to chide Manuel Pellegrini for letting Alvaro Negredo leave. Apparently everyone forgot that Negredo was not the healthiest guy in his own right, and that he did not score for City after 2013 turned into 2014.
Regardless, City's offense will have to come from unconventional sources. Jose Angel Pozo looked lively against Everton and was only kept off the score sheet by a strong Tim Howard save.
If Pozo does not start, City will end up in a 4-6-0 disguised as a 4-2-3-1 or what have you. Out of all of those midfielders, one or more of them (Yaya Toure, Frank Lampard, Samir Nasri et al) will have to find the net.
City's Defense Continues to Be Injury-Plagued as Well
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To recap: City's best centre-back (and captain) Vincent Kompany was unfit to play on Dec. 10 at AS Roma in the match that decided City's Champions League fate.
Three days later, Kompany was deemed fit to play at Leicester, i.e., the club residing in dead last place on the Premier League table.
You won't believe this, but Kompany did not survive the 90 minutes against Leicester and is now out (again) for at least a couple of weeks.
Your humble correspondent lives thousands of miles from Manchester and lacks a medical degree, and even I knew that it made absolutely zero sense to rush Kompany back from injury against a club as weak as Leicester.
Predictably, City are putting a happy face on this situation, with manager Manuel Pellegrini giving the dreaded vote of confidence to Eliaquim Mangala in the media. "Of course we have a lot of trust in Mangala," said Pellegrini according to David McDonnell in the Mirror. "That's why we bought him."
Whatever you say, boss.
Is It Time to Give Joe Hart a Rest?
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Manuel Pellegrini has certainly come around on Joe Hart.
At this time last season, Hart was still City's second-choice goalkeeper behind Costel Pantilimon. Thankfully for all concerned, Hart sorted out his form and City won their second Premier League title.
These days, Pellegrini not only trusts Hart. Pellegrini seems incapable of writing an XI without Hart in it.
With shopping days remaining before Christmas, Hart has already started 21 matches for City in the 2014/15 season. Reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero's only Premier League start came at Hull on Sep. 27.
Hart is as confident as ever, and these days that feeling is justified. "I feel good at the moment, I feel like I am doing my bit for the team. When the team is working well, I am doing my bit and the boys are doing it at the other end," Hart said after City beat AS Roma, according to Jamie Jackson in The Guardian.
Pellegrini is in a tough spot with Hart. As long as Hart is winning, it is tough to keep him out of the lineup. But if City lose, Pellegrini would be loath to play Caballero and theoretically risk dropping more points.
Still, Hart cannot maintain his level of play without a break here and there. Can he?
The Premier League's Mediocrity Suits City Just Fine
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Mike L. Goodman of Grantland referred to the unusual look of the Premier League table in late November as "weird." At the time, Southampton were second in the table.
Goodman both presciently noted that "they were in a similar spot at this point last year" and then spit the bit by saying that "Southampton are the only ones who have really put themselves in a strong enough position to likely be in the Champions League conversation over the second half of the season."
While Southampton have fallen to pieces, though, only Manchester United and West Ham United have done much to take advantage of the enormous gulf between Chelsea, City and the rest of the league.
The usual contenders for the Champions League places (Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Liverpool) are all at least 10 points behind City, and again, it's not even Christmas yet.
If City keep picking up the points, and they should against downtrodden sides like Crystal Palace, City can probably afford to slip up here and there against the clubs in the top half of the table and secure their Champions League place for next season at a walking pace.
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