Newsletter #1923

A one-article edition of MCIVTA this evening but it’s a good’un, as ever, by young Banerjee.

With us on the cusp of the First Pellegrini Derby, or is it the First Moyes Derby… or perhaps the First Without Rufus? Whichever, it all feels rather early in the season but that won’t dampen the atmosphere as both sides seek their first big scalp of the season.

Tuesday saw the welcome return of captain Vinnie and, with Silva back in training, it’s possible we may only be without Clichy at left back. That lot seem to be struggling to get Welbeck fit but there is a sneaky feeling here at MCIVTA Towers that he’ll play.

So let’s puff out our chests, gird our loins, check our pacemakers and give the glorious Boys in Blue the kind of rousing support that only we can.

Bring it on!

KEEP TAKING THE PLZ CITY

What a relief it was to win our first game in our latest sojourn into the Champions’ League. We should have been well in front by the break, but spurned a handful of chances, and we could be forgiven for wondering whether it was going to be our night against spirited opponents. Thankfully City blew Viktoria Plzen away with three clinical strikes in 13 devastating minutes. After those first half misses it was a relief when Dzeko expertly slotted home the opener.

It was a very good, controlled performance from City, when most of our players played well in a fluid showing. Only Jesus Navas might look back on a quieter night when his delivery was not at its best, yet even he forced the Plzen goalkeeper to make an early finger-tip save to push over his rasping drive.

We did give away some free kicks around our box in the first half but we defended them well. Could it be that our team is actually better using man-to-man marking rather than a zonal system?

Good players make a team more than anything else though, and we have a very, very good number four. Indeed, we were so much better for having inspirational Vincent Kompany back. He is a great leader, and breathes confidence into the team. Quick and very strong, excellent both in the air and on the ground, and a superb reader of the game, he brings authority to our defence. Even though one of his back passes was so short that it forced Joe Hart to race out to sweep it away with his feet, Vincent Kompany brought the much needed assertiveness to our game that has been lacking since the opening game against Newcastle. Forgive me if I’m stating the obvious, but his skills are worthy of note and we really miss Vincent Kompany when he’s not in the team.

Yaya Touré controlled midfield superbly throughout. Often criticised in some quarters, his critics take for granted the control and poise that he brings to our midfield. He has time on the ball, athleticism, strength and a great range of passing. His decision-making his excellent, and of course he is capable of scoring great goals, and his strike against Plzen took the breath away, rivalling his crucial strike on our way to the title at Newcastle.

Sergio Agüero was the pick of our team on this occasion and his link play with Dzeko and Nasri was excellent. He was denied by the width of a post after he created a chance for himself with his intelligent dribbling in the first half, and after the break his superb link up play with Nasri resulted in him twisting and turning away from his marker and producing an exquisite finish, low inside the Plzen ‘keeper’s right hand post to round off our scoring.

Samir Nasri had a very good game in midfield, and linked up well with his team mates, and Kolarov was particularly impressive going forward and his delivery of the ball was good too.

With all respect to Viktoria Plzen, their town may be more famous for its brewery than anything else, but winning there was indeed, er, no small beer…

Weak (3.6% gravity, if that) puns aside, well done City!

MCIVTA FAQ [v1112.01]

[1] MCIVTA Addresses

Articles (Philip Alcock)         : editor@mcivta.city-fan.org
News/rumour                      : news@mcivta.city-fan.org
Subscriptions (Madeleine Hawkins): subscriptions@mcivta.city-fan.org
Technical problems (Paul)        : paul@city-fan.org
FAQ (David Warburton)            : faq@mcivta.city-fan.org

[2] What are MCIVTA’s publishing deadlines?

Deadlines for issues are nominally 6pm, Monday and Thursday evenings by email. Unfortunately we cannot accept email attachments.

[3] MCIVTA Back Issues and Manchester City Supporters’ home page/Twitter

http://www.mcivta.com/ is the unofficial Manchester City Supporters’ home page. Created in 1994, it is the longest running of the Manchester City related web sites. Back issues of MCIVTA are also hosted on the site. You can also follow on www.twitter.com/mcivta to get the latest updates.

[4] What is the club’s official web site?

The official club web site can be found at http://www.mcfc.co.uk/ and the official club Twitter page at www.twitter.com/mcfc. The club also has a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mcfcofficial

[5] What supporters’ clubs are there?

The Official Supporters’ Club and the Centenary Supporters’ Association have merged to become the Manchester City Supporters’ Club (http://www.mcfcsupportersclub.com/). The club also recognise the Manchester City Disabled Supporters’ Association (http://www.mcdsa.co.uk/).

[6] Where can I find out about Points of Blue?

The committee operates as an interface between supporters and the club. Points of Blue appears on the club website under the “Fans” heading (http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Fans).

[7] What match day broadcasts are available on the web?

Live match commentary can be found on the club website. The Radio Manchester pre- and post-match phone-in is available on the web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/manchester/.

[8] Where can I find out if City are live on satellite TV?

http://www.satfootball.com/ provides a listing of Premier League games being shown on UK domestic and foreign satellite channels. A useful site for North American viewers is http://msn.foxsports.com/.

[9] Do we have a Usenet newsgroup?

Yes we do: uk.sport.football.clubs.man-city is our home on usenet. If you are not familiar with Usenet, a basic explanation is available here: http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Usenet

[10] Do any squad members have their own web pages?

There are a number available and direct links can be found at http://www.mcivta.com/players/

[11] Do any squad members have their own Twitter accounts?

A list of genuine player accounts is maintained at http://twitter.com/#!/MCFC/players

[12] Where can I find match statistics?

Statistics for the current season are available from the club site, but for a more in-depth historical analysis try http://www.mcfcstats.com/.

DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in MCIVTA are entirely those of the subscribersand there is no intention to represent these opinions as being thoseof Manchester City Football Club, nor of any of the companies anduniversities by whom the subscribers are employed. It is not inany way whatsoever connected to the club or any other relatedorganisation and is simply a group of supporters using this mediumas a means of disseminating news and exchanging opinions.

Philip Alcock, editor@mcivta.city-fan.org

Editor: