Trash talk: Manchester City and Chelsea fans go toe-to-toe ahead of Sunday's game at the Etihad

22 Feb 2013 11:19

This week it is Blue Moon and The Makelele Role that go head-to-head for our entirely partisan preview

The ever-popular trash talk returns this week with a focus on Manchester City's big Sunday match-up with European Champions (yes, still!) Chelsea.
Ali Maxwell from The Makelele Role and Ric Turner from Blue Moon square up ahead of Sunday's crunch clash...
What's your form like ahead of the big game?
Ric Turner: Our league form has been poor of late; two points out of a possible nine has effectively ended our title challenge. A 4-0 victory against Leeds in the F.A. Cup was a welcome return to form, but I wouldn't read too much into it given the quality of the opposition.
Ali Maxwell: I’m not even sure you can assess Chelsea’s form under Benitez because results seem to be directly reliant on whether or not the players can be bothered to turn up, rather than whether the waiter can motivate or set them up in any kind of tactical and/or structural system. If I had to assess our form? Poor. 4 goals in February matches against Brentford and Wigan doesn’t reflect the fact that both of those score-lines were hugely flattering for the Blues, while losing to Newcastle and scraping through over two legs against Sparta Prague hardly reflects the form of a club with lofty aspirations. To be honest, how on earth we remain 3rd in the league is an absolute mystery to me…
And how do you rate the opposition at the moment?
RT: Chelsea have also stuttered recently, losing at Newcastle and drawing at Reading. On their day they can be brilliant, but look more fallible than previous Chelsea sides.
AM: Fortunately, Manchester City’s form flatters to deceive in much the same way. Without a win in 3 games in the league (against two lower-end-of-the-table-teams in QPR and Southampton and history’s Liverpool Football Club), City are out of the title race (or should I say procession?) and out of any kind of European football.
What do you think of the opposition manager?
RT: Benitez cuts something of a comical figure at times, and his unpopularity with his own fans will ensure that he isn't given the job on a permanent basis. Incredibly, I have a suspicion he may end up at Real Madrid although I'm not quite sure how. His managerial stock has plummeted since leaving Liverpool.
AM: Not a huge amount, though when one maintains such a strong dislike for one’s own manager, it’s hard to sneer at another club’s boss. Mancini is uninspiring, uncharistmatic and, this season at least, underwhelming. His good looks have faded in a stark and rapid reflection of his side’s ambitions, and the performances of the players have not lent themselves to thoughts of impressive dressing room morale.
And he obviously dyes his hair.

Roberto Mancini

 What will be the key factors for your team getting a result on Sunday?
RT: I think scoring first will be key to the outcome of the game. Our home record in the league is extremely impressive (one defeat in two years), so Chelsea will need to start brightly if they're to win. City will need the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero to be at their best.
AM: Dropping Gary Cahill. According to WhoScored.com, Chelsea have kept 4 clean sheets in 18 PL games with Gary Cahill starting this season, and 5 in 8 without him. Stats don’t always tell the whole story, but that can’t be coincidental. Dodgy against Sparta Prague on Thursday, he’s been under-par for a while now, and Manchester City have the attacking players to tear him to shreds. Otherwise, Torres being able to get on the end of a cross or cut-back would be a key factor to getting a result, but any more discussion or mention of Fernando is sure to give me chronic fatigue, so it’s best to leave it.
Who are the dangermen on the other team?
RT: Juan Mata is the key player for Chelsea, but the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Lampard and Ramires all pose a threat.

Dangerman: Juan Mata is Chelsea's main threat

Reuters

 AM: They list themselves: Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko, Nasri, Silva, Yaya Toure… they’re all world-class players on their day, and could cause us untold problems. However, I don’t think we’ve seen any of them play at a consistently world-class level throughout the whole season, so we can but hope that they won’t fancy it on Sunday, despite their relaxing week off and their penchant for winning football matches at the Etihad.
Which of the other team's players would make it into your first team?
RT: Mata, Hazard, and Ramires.
AM: Kompany, possibly Zabaleta (although Cesar ‘Dave’ Azpilicueta has pleasantly surprised Chelsea fans with his performances in the last few months), Yaya Toure, David Silva and all of the strikers…
Who will you be targeting for abuse at the Bridge?
RT: John Terry because, well, he's John Terry.
AM: Tevez and Nasri for generally being bad blokes (I’ve heard Nasri described as one of the most intelligent footballers around, and also one of the biggest weapons, and Scott Sinclair, for being a hypocrite (leaving Chelsea for two years of first-team football before accepting some oil money and a bench-warming role). Possibly Joe Hart for that horrendous Head & Shoulders advert.

In for some 'druff treatment: City's Joe Hart

What’s your opinion of the opposing fans?
RT: I used to dislike Chelsea fans, and thought they were brash and arrogant about their new found wealth. Then Sheikh Mansour took over.
AM: I was thrilled for them last year, as the first time Chelsea won the Premier League was an unrivalled feeling, and to do it in those circumstances at the Etihad must have been even more special. All the City fans that I know in real life and via Twitter are genuine, proper supporters and so I will focus on them and not the inevitable, cringe-worthy minority of fans that exist at every club but which tend to become the ‘face’ of any club in the eyes of rival fans.
Have you got any special chants lined up for the game?
RT: Probably something highly offensive about John Terry or Ashley Cole.
AM: Regular terrace chant ‘Keep the Blue Flag Flying High’ includes the line ‘We'll never be mastered / By no northern bastards’, so that will be heartily sung. Other than that, some ironic chanting of ‘Where were you when you were shit?’, or possibly some tongue-in-cheek songs about still being in Europe.
What 's your all-time favourite Chelsea vs Man City clash?
RT: The 4-2 win at Chelsea in 2010, after it emerged John Terry had been knocking off Wayne Bridge's missus. Tevez and Bellamy, in particular, were well up for it and made no attempt to conceal their feelings towards Terry.
AM: In recent years you can’t look much further than the 6-0 at Stamford Bridge in 2007. Even Shevchenko and Kalou scored!
Who’s your favourite player that’s played for both teams?
RT: Terry Phelan, hard as nails and had a cracking song. "We've got that Terry Phelan, whoah that Terry Phelan, we've got that Terry Phelan, and he's fast, fast, fast, whoah".
AM: It’s relatively slim pickings, in recent years especially, with Wayne Bridge, Scott Sinclair, Daniel Sturridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips both wearing two shades of blue. Can I say Robinho?!
What do you think the score will be?
RT: 2-1 to City, with goals from Tevez and Aguero.
AM: 1-1