Positives: Matic gets a much needed rest. His leg is not broken. More likely this injustice should galvanize the team. Mikel is still injured. Hope Jose bloods Nathan or Ruben. If anyone, Jose can still keep us within touching distance of City with some innovative plans and formations. We have 12 more rounds to run the title to the wire. We may need a big one from Ron on the last day. Hope Soton is still in the mix for Europe's places and Ron may very well replace Manny if he does a big one at Etihad. Negatives: Matic is the single most important player to us. JT & Cahill partnership would be crazy vulnerable. We saw Yaya less City. I don't think Matic less us will not be too far from that form. Likely, Scary Mikel & Rambo partnership. I thought we had 50% chance to win the title before today. But Now City have 80%. Matic less matches will decide on the percentage swing either ways. What do you all think?
i think we have been stuttering big time of late and the loss of matic for three games could be terminal .... but as you say this could maybe galvanise the team, this is my only hope. time for this team to show if they really are the champions elect.
Stop panicking we are five points clear and fortunately one of NM's bans is at Wembley. We are five points clear We have a pretty injury-free squad and our players want this title, maybe more than City. Let's hope they beat Barca though
You missed a positive. The FA and the media are now exposed for the anti Chelsea biased ring pieces they are. An unbelievably different response to the Costa incident and the kick in the back plus leg breaker that went completely unpunished. The referee and his assistants should be plying their trade in Battersea Park.
Agree CP, even our bitter rivals fans consider us very unlucky and screwed over. This should be a good positive. We shall see
I think we'll be fine. Only two of the games are league matches, West Ham away will be the toughest but we should have enough within the squad to win there. Chill out and relax everybody. Matic is a huge loss but we have to show the strength of the squad now.
Other than the Swansea game, our league form in 2015 has been utter dog ****e. Bearing in mind we came into December unbeaten. We are not showing Champion form at the moment by any stretch, the good thing is, neither have City, but we are very fortunate that they have been found lacking, especially in their home games. We started off so well too, but the ball is still in our court. I couldn't give a rats ass about the league cup final, if we win, we win, if we don't, we don't. In fact losing it may have the positive effect of galvanising Spurs for the rest of the season to push for a top 4 spot and take points off our rivals (have the played City twice yet?). The two league games Matic will miss will suck, but if we can scrape through and get 4 points from them, then hopefully we will be good. Also, City have to go to Anfield this weekend, and face a Liverpool team in very good form at the moment.
Don't expect the ban to be overturned as technically they can say it was violent conduct. Everyone else knows it was in fact a rather restrained reaction to one of the worst challenges you'll see this year. I say it again, where is the justice in Costa and Matic missing 6 games between them and then this no mark at Burnley getting away scott free?
I think you're being overly dramatic myself. Matic is a great player and will be missed but how you consider we were only 50/50 to win the title when 8 points clear before this weekend beggars belief. City are now still 5 points behind, have dropped a fair few points themselves recently and remain 2nd favourites for a reason. I think we have to improve our performances though. We should have been more than a goal up before the sending off so we are partly to blame. If City lose at Anfield, it'll all change round again.
I have my reasons for my predos. Not being dramatic. 100% trust FA & Ref to do City's job, that is why I gave City 80% chance despite our 5 pts lead. Not saying the above is the only reason, but primary reason. Secondary reasons are our own: Matic is THE most important player in our team. Matic > Hazard, Fab, Costa. Jose needs to adapt and our second best players need to step up. Jose needs to give Remy more chances and confidence for the crucial run in. Blend the youth in rather than trusting Mikel in this crucial time. Cahill should cut out the errors. Looks like too much to ask.
Chelsea denied two penalties whilst city get one in the first 20 secs, the fa are doing their job well
2 game ban, when they did over turn Routledge card few weeks ago . Blatantly FA continues to do us. We need to be 150% to circumvent FA, Refs & City and to get the title - which I don't see. No team can produce 100% output in the business end of the season. City is effectively out of CL, Jose will never do that and get us upto Semi yet again. So we got ourselves an impossible job. So I still give only 20% chance for us even with 5pt lead. I will be freaking glad if I am proven wrong.
The last thing we want is Man City out of the Champions League and I reckon Man City will beat Barcelona away because they'll have Yaya Toure back in the side. Remember, Man City beat Bayern Munich away last season.
Don't see City past Barca. And No surprise with City's FA pull - thanks to certain Red nose who has Etihad as new abode.
In my crystal bollock, I see a Chelsea v Man City European Cup final with Chels winning 2-0 in ordinary time.
