da betano casino： Manchester City are searching for their third title in four years. It’s almost predictable these days – City’s title wins are punctuated with disappointing trophy-less seasons, but they always seem to come back stronger the next year.
da fezbet： Up until September’s international break, City looked unstoppable. Since then they’ve faltered and stuttered. Yet as inconsistent as they’ve been – sometimes stunningly good, yet they’ve lost five times already this season – they still find themselves right in the reckoning for the Premier League title, as well as having a Capital One Cup semi-final, an unusually kind draw in the Champions League and the optimism that FA Cup third round weekend brings.
After all that City have been through this season, they still find themselves on for the quadruple.
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Hardly surprising, of course, City are one of the best teams in the country and it would be a shock if they were in the same position as Chelsea, for example.
Just as it’s a shock to see Chelsea in that position. In many ways, this is exactly where City should be at this point.
But given the injuries to key players in this Manchester City squad, it’s still a good position for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
To be in this position, but to welcome the returns of Sergio Aguero and David Silva is a huge boost, and so will the return of captain Vincent Kompany in a few weeks. Or so City hope.
A club of any size and with any level of prestuge would feel the losses of such players. Aguero and Silva are majestic footballers, capable of turning any game on its head in a matter of seconds, whilst Kompany is a born leader.
It’s not so much his immense defensive contribution that City miss – Mangala and Otamendi have both played quite well this season, though Kompany is still a better defender – but it’s his leadership they miss in spades. His ability to tackle and head the ball are important, but his ability to marshall the troops and lead from the back are irreplaceable. At least, they seem to be to City this season.
But for all the returning heroes that could come back into this team before they launch their springtime assault on four fronts, there is one player who, season after season, has always been the talisman in City’s midfield.
Yaya Toure was the man who stood up to be counted in 2012, and again in 2014, scoring crucial goals as City won the title in both years, seeming to almost physically lift his side by the collar and drag them to victory in crucual games.
Again against Watford it was Toure who scored the equaliser, a stunning volleyed finish from a near-post corner, but executed in a way only Yaya Toure can. It was crisp, yet nonchalant, as though striking a volley – directly from a corner – into the top of the net was the most natural thing in the world.
That followed another pearler of a strike against Arsenal just before Christmas. On that occasion it didn’t result in points, but it did start a rousing comeback that does give City something to cling to from a defeat to their title rivals.
Toure plays the game his own way. He’s so powerful, so good on the ball and has such a good eye for a goal or a pass that he can do it all himself. His aversion to running around the pitch might make him look lazy, and his defensive workrate has always been in question. But the Ivorian is so key to City’s ability to win trophies that they must forgive him the odd anonymous game.
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After all, Toure looks disinterested even when he’s working hard and playing well. He’ll change for no one, and that’s how City like it. Why would you want him to change?
Getting the star players and the spine of the team back from injury will make City look impressively strong in the coming months, but as in previous seasons, it looks like Yaya Toure will be the key to their success.
If he looks like he blows hot and cold, that’s usually because that’s how he plays the game; in the end he’ll always be there to make the difference if he gets the chance. And if it looks like City have been inconsistent this season, it’s because Toure epitomises City – they play the game their own way, but only three points behind Arsenal and still very much alive in four competitions, City are still on for a very famous season.
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