City’s first big test
By David Hamill
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A season that promises much has started relatively well for Manchester City, but their first real test is on the horizon and with it the opportunity to underline their credentials for a top four spot.
In their first three league games, City have come up against a team destined for mid-table modesty, a newly promoted side who are still finding their feet and a club so mired in turmoil that relegation seems a certainty.
And while they weren’t terrib-ly convincing in their three successive wins, City showed they could get results even though they were below par. It’s a habit they have to keep if they want to last the pace with the top sides.
To compete with the best City will not only have to emulate the knack of grinding out wins when they aren’t at their best, but they also have to share the predicament that has hindered their rivals for years – dealing with an array of jet lagged and knock-carrying stars who have just arrived back from grueling treks playing for their countries in World Cup qualifying.
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Nobody is more aware of this than Arsenal, who City host this weekend. Arsene Wenger is used to having the nucleus of his squad spread out all over the world during the international break.
For City to progress they realised they had to buy international quality, and that means signing players who will inevitably end up playing qualifiers in Africa, South America and Europe.
Though City’s squad coped well at Blackburn on the opening day of the season after a round of international friendly fixtures, this time round the majority of Mark Hughes’ players will have been involved in intense qualifying double-headers, when the stakes are significantly higher.
Hughes’s first job when he assembles his group is ensuring they are motivated and ready for another high octane clash so soon after flying from another continent, probably nursing some bruises from heated qualifiers.
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Of course if City show no signs of fatigue and win convincingly, nobody will point to tiredness but it’s important for their mindset not to look at the international break as a ready made excuse if things don’t go according to plan. To be amongst the game’s elite this is something you have to get used to.
Besides, some haven’t traveled as far as others, and the game should see a first league appearance at Eastlands for Joleon Lescott.
After ignoring the calls to keep hold of their captain Richard Dunne (City needed the money apparently) it will be the second time this season that Lescott faces Arsenal. There will be no excuses for not having a clear head if he repeats his haphazard performance from the opening day.
And then it’s off to Old Trafford for the first Manchester derby of the campaign, and the first time in a long time that the City support will go there with expectancy, not just hope.
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The next fortnight will be a telling time for their aspirations. City have maintained from the start that their vast squad need time to gel, but if they become unstuck in their forthcoming league games it will mark the end of the honeymoon and the pressure really will be on.
Tags:
Manchester City,
World Cup qualifying,
Arsene Wenger,
Mark Hughes,
Joleon Lescott,
Old Trafford
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