WHY CAN'T CITY GET IT RIGHT AWAY FROM HOME?
Another away game another defeat. This City side look a shadow of the team that overhauled Liverpool last season to win their second Premier League title. Performances away from their home have been lethargic of late and it was evident to see in last night's defeat to Crystal Palace. The Potters deserve credit where its due, they've made their home somewhat of fortress and especially against the big boys, they never fail to show up. Chelsea and Arsenal (rather lucky after surviving a late Palace onslaught) are the only sides from the "big 5" that have come away with 3 points from Selhurst Park. United are the only one's yet to visit the daunting stadium.
City were lackluster and confused at times. Their build up play was rather slow when it needed to be fast one touch football against a side that had set up well. At times they reminded me of the Arsenal, wanting to score a goal that will make our jaws drop. This performance was reminiscent of the performances away at Burnley and Liverpool. A team filled with super talent all round the field have been the laughing stock on away games. Aguero just can't seem to get his shooting boots on, David Silva been double teamed on and Toure unable to impact games as he usually does. Jesus Navas is by far the biggest disappointment in my opinion, so much pace but no end product to show from his lightning runs.
With Nasri and Milner, Pellegrini has two options on the bench that would cause more problems to defenses than Navas can. Navas is a talented wide man but he's so predictable I could mark him without any fear. Milner seems to be in all the right places at the right time and chips in with the odd goal once in a while, he may not have the pace Navas possesses but he's movement and distribution are a step ahead of the Spanish international. Nasri would be my automatic first choice in that position, he might have lost some steam when compared to his Arsenal days but we all know on his day he can mix it up with the very best. Not to be misunderstood, I'm not solely blaming Navas but he is one of many players in the camp that don't seem to be in the best of forms.
Pellegrini should address this issue quickly with the Manchester derby coming up next, they'll be wanting to show up a different side than the side that turned up on Monday night. The 4-4-2 formation he enjoys to play seems outdated to me especially when playing against a 4-2-3-1 that most teams deploy nowadays, the risk of being overrun in midfield is quite high. In my opinion, Pellegrini should change to a 4-2-3-1 to ensure enough cover for the back four and to avoid being overrun in the middle of the field. Manchester city's best squad;
Manchester City 4-2-3-1
HART
ZABALETA KOMPANY MANGALA KOLAROV
FERNANDO FERNANDINHO
NASRI TOURE SILVA
AGUERO
So what's not going right for City on away games, is it the formation? Or a case of the players being mentally weak and fatigued?
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