Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur 13:30 11/11/12 SS1

onemorechance

Jermain Defoe of Tottenham Hotspur goes around Joe Hart in the corresponding fixture between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur last season Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Team news:

Manchester City: Silva is back but there's no Balotelli in the squad at all: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany (C), Nastasic, Clichy, Yaya Toure, Barry, Silva, Tevez, Aguero, Kolarov
Subs: Pantilimon, Kolo Toure, Sinclair, Garcia, Dzeko, Razak, Maicon

Tottenham Hotspur: AVB has played on the revenge card - Adebayor starts, with Defoe on the bench. Gallas is making his 300th Premier League start: Friedel, Walker, Caulker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Sandro, Huddlestone, Lennon, Dempsey, Bale, Adebayor
Subs: Lloris, Naughton, Dawson, Livermore, Carroll, Sigurdsson, Defoe

Andre Villas-Boas will know all about losing players' respect. When Chelsea travelled to The Etihad last season he had been out of work for 17 days having suffered his own communication breakdown. However, in the fixture at Stamford Bridge, he had already masterminded City's first defeat in the league that season – albeit thanks to a penalty from Frank Lampard, a player he was attempting to ease from the starting lineup. He will be hoping that, with Spurs now, he can be both the first manager to steer his side to victory at The Etihad since December 2010, and the first to inspire four consecutive away wins for Spurs since 1989.
He'll do so with one striker in the form of his life, and another one desperate to make a rare start to avenge his treatment at City. Jermain Defoe has been revived under AVB, but it's Emmanuel Adebayor – drummed out of City after Mancini's arrival – who is so keen to exact revenge on his former employers. Given his notorious celebration after scoring against another old club – Arsenal – it's clear that getting even is strong motivation for the Togolese striker, something AVB says he has noted.
It could lead to AVB playing the 4-4-2 formation he favoured in the Europa League – but it seems more likely he'll deploy his notorious man-management skills and leave Adebayor on the bench, sticking with a 4-2-3-1, with Clint Dempsey in the hole. He'll be hoping, too, that the Spurs side that turn up today will be the one that beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, rather than the one shocked by Wigan last weekend.

Preamble: Tactics: those little, white mints boasting just two calories per serving. Fresh, refreshing and delightful, it's hard to see why anyone might get into a raving lather about them. Or are those tictacs? Anyway, probably best not to ask Robert Mancini as his recent efforts would suggest he hasn't got much chance of providing a definition.
The Manchester City manager appears on the brink of some great madness. Though his side are currently unbeaten in the Premier League, his grip on things appears to be slippery. The club is awash with rumours of a potential Pep Guardiola takeover at the end of the season, largely thanks to the arrival of Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, and Mancini seems intent on taking the Blackadder way out of a difficult situation.
Rather than stick pencils up his nose and say 'wibble', though, he's been experimenting with an equally mad-looking back three despite his players saying it's not something they'd much practised. Against Ajax away in the Champions League he rifled through four formations in 90 minutes, in the return leg defensive disorganisation led to City conceding what Mancini called "two stupid goals". That led to more disappointment in Europe and a mad few minutes of yelping at officials and a cameraman.
However, Manchester City are on a 34-game unbeaten run at home so despite not always seeing eye-to-eye with their manager, the club's players have always had cause to respect him. Now, though, with increasing chaos on the pitch, you just wonder how much longer that will last.

www.guardian.co.uk

Roberto Mancini to be given time to ride out storm at Manchester City
Despite the availabilty of Pep Guardiola the owners believe in planning for the long-term at Eastlands


Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remonstrates with the referee after his side's 2-2 Champions League draw with Ajax. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

...

www.guardian.co.uk

Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor keen to play against Manchester City
• Striker hopes to make City pay for releasing him
• 'We will take his motivation into account,' says Spurs manager


Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor wants to prove to Manchester City that they were wrong to release him. Photograph: Marc Atkins/BPI/Corbis

...

www.guardain.co.uk

MagicMarker

Which stand will Ade run to if he scores?

onemorechance

MagicMarker wrote: »

Which stand will Ade run to if he scores?

City still subsidising his wages?

willmunny1990

Adebayor first goalscorer 11/1, I'll be having some of that.

The_Kew_Tour

Defoe on the bench. Serious Fail!

onemorechance

He got a hat-trick during the week right?

'When you score a hat trick you pick yourself'

- Sir Alex Ferguson on Chicharito

klose

The tape on the socks rule has to be the most ridiculous rule in the game

SirDelboy18

Football365 ‏@F365
Apparently it's 'astonishing' that Adebayor starts ahead of Defoe. Jamie Redknapp presumably doesn't know anyone who would make that call.

So true.

klose

Spurs can't even get out of their half so far! Gutted Defoe using playing as I only bought him Thursday night on FF :pac:

mark renton

onemorechance wrote: »

He got a hat-trick during the week right?



- Sir Alex Ferguson on Chicharito

Probably just as well one of them was an og, he'll be warming the bench again for quite a while to come...

adox

That looked a peno

Paul Tergat

Spurs were just beginning to get into the game and score

bad from Hart that

ctrl-alt-delete

Excellent delivery, great header, hart might feel he could have done better.

karma_

Shockingly bad goalkeeping from Hart.

mike65

A anyone listening to this on Newstalk? Ken Early must be the worst commentator EVARRRR!
When anything happens in the penalty area quickly he is rendered completely witless - it took about 30 seconds before it all became clear who had scored for who and how.

SantryRed

Don't know how you can blame Hart for that. Ball came zipping at him from what, 5 yards out? Couldn't get his hands up in time. Unlucky rather than his fault.

Professional Griefer

Peno all day long.

adox

I'd like to see the goal in real time again. The header was more or less point blank so maybe Hart had little time to react.

supersean1999

another howler from hart, he gets away with a lot of mistakes from the media, oh sorry i forgot he is english

Kylo Ren

Lovely play from Spurs there.

onemorechance

john47832 wrote: »

Probably just as well one of them was an og, he'll be warming the bench again for quite a while to come...

SAF said he will next week against Norwich, plus he took home the match ball! Great player!

karma_ wrote: »

Shockingly bad goalkeeping from Hart.

He had little time to react, slow motion replays make it seem so much easier than in real time! :pac:

Mr.Crinklewood

Time for teams to target Hart.

Should have been a pen.

mark renton

Plenty more goals in this for spurs

SuprSi

SantryRed wrote: »

Don't know how you can blame Hart for that. Ball came zipping at him from what, 5 yards out? Couldn't get his hands up in time. Unlucky for than his fault.

Agreed, I don't know how anyone can blame him. Downwards headers are extremely difficult to stop, especially from a few yards out.

Insect Overlord

karma_ wrote: »

Shockingly bad goalkeeping from Hart.

Very harsh. As well as the short distance and the power of the header, there was a wicked spin on the ball as it bounced back up.

Columbia

I hate you, City. I spend 90% of the season hoping they'll lose, and watching them win, and 10% of the season hoping they'll win, and watching them lose. It's like they know.

adox

supersean1999 wrote: »

another howler from hart, he gets away with a lot of mistakes from the media, oh sorry i forgot he is english

What? Both commentator and co commentator said he could have done better.

Personally I thought he had little chance of keeping it out. It came to him with huge pace from point blank rage.



Zabaletta should go in the book there for that reaction.

The_Kew_Tour

Should of been Penalty.

Hart should of done better. 5 yards out at point blank range or not.

SuprSi

Jaysus that was a bad dive from Adebayor!!

ctrl-alt-delete

Bit of a dive by Ade there.

onemorechance

Blatant dive!

tayto lover

Poor refereeing there, blatant dive.

Maximus Alexander

Very clever from Ade there. He's gonna wind up Zabaleta something fierce which can only be good for Spurs.

Kylo Ren

Saw this on FB

‎84/1 Caulker. Thank you!!

:O

The_Kew_Tour

Seeing replay confirms what poor play that was from Hart. He basically bundled it into the net himself.

100% his fault.

Kylo Ren

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Seeing replay confirms what poor play that was from Hart. He basically bundled it into the net himself.

100% his fault.

Imagine if it was De Gea? Social networks would be imploding with jokes.

Insect Overlord

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

100% his fault.

Thought it was 100% Caulker's fault meself...

tayto lover

Kolorov and Zabeletta are not very good footballers in my opinion.

mark renton

onemorechance wrote: »

SAF said he will next week against Norwich, plus he took home the match ball! Great player!

Not sure why he took the ball as one of those goals was headin for the corner flag before it was diverted... Plus I dont think AF has the nuts to leave either VP or Rooney on the bench for any regular amount of time

SuprSi

Think that should've been a peno too - that's 2 now City could/should have had.

klose

FFs when will Richard wright get a game!

Knex*

tayto lover wrote: »

Kolorov and Zabeletta are not very good footballers in my opinion.

Zabeletta is one of the best full backs in the league IMO. Very underrated.

As for Kolorov, I rate him and have done so even since before he joined City. Would love to have him at Liverpool tbh.

supersean1999

adox wrote: »

What? Both commentator and co commentator said he could have done better.

Personally I thought he had little chance of keeping it out. It came to him with huge pace from point blank rage.



Zabaletta should go in the book there for that reaction.

its in general, i think he gets it pretty soft, he does make a good few mistakes, zabaletta will get red here yet if he continues

SantryRed

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Seeing replay confirms what poor play that was from Hart. He basically bundled it into the net himself.

100% his fault.

Nah, not 100% his fault. He couldn't get his hands there quick enough with the pace it came at. If he had stood tall it would have bounced off him, but no keeper does in that situation.

Kirby

Some of you lot need to cop on. Hart isn't exempt from criticism just because he is english and plays for your team. It goes down as another one hit straight at him that ended up going in anyway. It's a howler and deserves to be judged as such.

I like Neville alot, but if that had happened to one of the foreign keepers in the prem he would have ripped them a new one. Happens to Hart? "Joe could have done better". It's hilarious.

onemorechance

john47832 wrote: »

Not sure why he took the ball as one of those goals was headin for the corner flag before it was diverted... Plus I dont think AF has the nuts to leave either VP or Rooney on the bench for any regular amount of time

Because he can!

SantryRed

Kirby wrote: »

Some of you lot need to cop on. Hart isn't exempt from criticism just because he is english and plays for your team. It goes down as another one hit straight at him that ended up going in anyway. It's a howler and deserves to be judged as such.

I like Neville alot, but if that had happened to one of the foreign keepers in the prem he would have ripped them a new one. Happens to Hart? "Joe could have done better". It's hilarious.

It's no where near a howler.

supersean1999

john47832 wrote: »

Not sure why he took the ball as one of those goals was headin for the corner flag before it was diverted... Plus I dont think AF has the nuts to leave either VP or Rooney on the bench for any regular amount of time

i bet he would if they went on strike for 6 months :eek:

Kirby

SantryRed wrote: »

It's no where near a howler.

This isn't sunday league. Any shot or header that is hit straight at the keeper should be saved 100% of the time. He bundled it into his own net. It's a howler.

adox

Kirby wrote: »

Some of you lot need to cop on. Hart isn't exempt from criticism just because he is english and plays for your team. It goes down as another one hit straight at him that ended up going in anyway. It's a howler and deserves to be judged as such.

I like Neville alot, but if that had happened to one of the foreign keepers in the prem he would have ripped them a new one. Happens to Hart? "Joe could have done better". It's hilarious.

Hold on. Most if not all of us who have defended Hart on the goal a) aren't English and b) doesn't play for our team.

Maybe reel your neck in a bit and try a bit of that cop on you seem so intent on handing out.

Insect Overlord

Kirby wrote: »

Some of you lot need to cop on. Hart isn't exempt from criticism just because he is english and plays for your team.

I'm a Manchester United fan. Keep trying though.