City v Palace Pre Match Thread

[Len Rum]

As ever, strongest possible 11 please. Changes can be made once a game is won and in the bag.

But a fatigued Negredo, Navas etc will no longer be our strongest 11.

This could be a very very difficult fixture.

Every game is massive now. I think the payers will have the bit between their teeth now and are not going to let up, but we are going to have to make a lot of changes versus Palace, and that will affect our game. Unfortunately we had to play our strongest team v Liverpool so couldn't rest one or two key players in advance.

Didn't Palace also play yesterday?
They don't have the luxury of mass rotation AND have to travel. So our strongest 11 however tired should be more than a match for them as I would imagine they will be equally if not more tired than us.

 

[marco]

absolute must win with this one, this is the weekend we go top as i see arsenal only getting a draw at the best away to newcastle

 

[Marvin]

As ever, strongest possible 11 please. Changes can be made once a game is won and in the bag.

But a fatigued Negredo, Navas etc will no longer be our strongest 11.

This could be a very very difficult fixture.

Every game is massive now. I think the payers will have the bit between their teeth now and are not going to let up, but we are going to have to make a lot of changes versus Palace, and that will affect our game. Unfortunately we had to play our strongest team v Liverpool so couldn't rest one or two key players in advance.

Didn't Palace also play yesterday?
They don't have the luxury of mass rotation AND have to travel. So our strongest 11 however tired should be more than a match for them as I would imagine they will be equally if not more tired than us.

Attack v defence. Much easier to defend and sit there. You don't need the sharpness and bursts of energy required to beat opponents

 

[Brendan110_0]

absolute must win with this one, this is the weekend we go top as i see arsenal only getting a draw at the best away to newcastle

Arsenal will start to feel the constant pressure from us now, we need to get victories throughout January. February will be crucial as they play Liverpool (A,) Manure (H) & Bayern Munich (H), could seriously screw them up.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

The only worry for me is the amount of changes that we have to make. We could be a little disjointed, but will hopefully still have too much for them.

Fernandinho will be rested, with Garcia/Rodwell coming in. Clichy in for Kolarov. Nastasic in for Lescott. Milner in for Nasri/Silva/Navas. Dzeko in for Negredo. With him only just coming back from injury in miraculous fashion, it probably wouldn't be wise to play Zaba in this one, just to be safe. So maybe Boyata will play right back? But then again, Zab is super-human.

 

[Len Rum]

But a fatigued Negredo, Navas etc will no longer be our strongest 11.

This could be a very very difficult fixture.

Every game is massive now. I think the payers will have the bit between their teeth now and are not going to let up, but we are going to have to make a lot of changes versus Palace, and that will affect our game. Unfortunately we had to play our strongest team v Liverpool so couldn't rest one or two key players in advance.

Didn't Palace also play yesterday?
They don't have the luxury of mass rotation AND have to travel. So our strongest 11 however tired should be more than a match for them as I would imagine they will be equally if not more tired than us.

Attack v defence. Much easier to defend and sit there. You don't need the sharpness and bursts of energy required to beat opponents

I take your point but I think that's stretching it a bit. However it is an argument for at least keeping the spine of the time together and playing Dzeko up front. These wholesale change merchants suggesting we play Garcia,Rodwell, Guidetti, Boyata etc really worry me.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Didn't Palace also play yesterday?
They don't have the luxury of mass rotation AND have to travel. So our strongest 11 however tired should be more than a match for them as I would imagine they will be equally if not more tired than us.

Attack v defence. Much easier to defend and sit there. You don't need the sharpness and bursts of energy required to beat opponents

I take your point but I think that's stretching it a bit. However it is an argument for at least keeping the spine of the time together and playing Dzeko up front. These wholesale change merchants suggesting we play Garcia,Rodwell, Guidetti, Boyata etc really worry me.

There's little choice but to make wholesale changes at this time of the season. We could play our best team every game, but then they'll be fucked during the run-in. We need to manage the squad. "The season is long" as Mancini always said.

 

[Marvin]

Didn't Palace also play yesterday?
They don't have the luxury of mass rotation AND have to travel. So our strongest 11 however tired should be more than a match for them as I would imagine they will be equally if not more tired than us.

Attack v defence. Much easier to defend and sit there. You don't need the sharpness and bursts of energy required to beat opponents

I take your point but I think that's stretching it a bit. However it is an argument for at least keeping the spine of the time together and playing Dzeko up front. These wholesale change merchants suggesting we play Garcia,Rodwell, Guidetti, Boyata etc really worry me.

We need fresh legs and some quality but I am not sure Nasri, Silva, Navas are fit to start. We are talking 48 hours and it is impossible to recover in that period. You play a player who has not fully recovered, you risk injury

 

[EL APACHE TEVEZ]

This is one big fuck off banana skin this game,strongest 11 please pelican.

 

[Newman Noggs]

how many fans are c palace taking ?

A look in their forum suggests a shade over 2k which if so would be very impressive.

Can't be as I am pretty sure that we have the Upper Tier.

-- Fri Dec 27, 2013 1:41 pm --

Negredo's injury was it a kick to the calf, or a strain? Anyone from the North Stand see?

Looked like cramp to me. He was pulling his foot back like players do when someone has cramp. He wouldn't have done that if it had been anything serious.