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MIDDLESBROUGH v MANCHESTER CITY TACTICS TALK 17-3-07
Stuart Ward
Boro's attention returns briefly to the league, where beleaguered Man Citeh visit Fortress Riverside in what should be an easy three points for The Boro.
Key Players
Richard Dunne - The big Irish centre half and skipper is a vital part of the Manchester City line-up.
He is the one man who plays with his heart on his sleeve. If a shot needs blocking, or a head needs putting where it is going to hurt, then Dunne will be the man to do it.
He is a big, physical lad, and will probably look to stop the Yak shunting the defence around.
Micah Richards - The young England right back has been one of the finds of the season.
He is a monster of a lad, big, strong and quick. Steve McClaren once described him as the "prototype" defender.
He will probably be up against Adam Johnson, which should be a good contest. He will need to be fast, and his tackling is a bit dodgy at times; after all it was him who gave away Chelsea's penalty which cost them the match in midweek.
Joey Barton - People keep telling me that he deserves to be in the England side, but I am yet to see why.
He is an arrogant, angry little sod and hopefully Arca will lead him in so many circles that he will lash out.
He doesn't score loads of goals but can tackle a bit, so he will need to on his game to keep Arca from pulling the strings.
The Manager
Stuart Pearce - If the media are to be believed, England's new Under-21 coach is one loss away from the sack. He has all the passion in the world, is an eloquent speaker and is no doubt a good coach. Shame he is stuck with a rubbish team that can't score goals then.
Possible Line Up
Isaksson
Richards Dunne Distin Ball
Jihai Barton Hamann Ireland
Mpenza Vassell
At the minute, Manchester City are one of the worst teams in the league.
They are not scoring goals, which is their main problem. Mpenza has been brought in to try and solve this problem and by all accounts looked fairly bright against Chelsea.
The one thing these two will have is pace. I am expecting Woodgate to be rested for the Manchester United match on Monday, so we could struggle if they manage to get in behind us.
In midfield, they struggle for creativity.
Jihai and Hamann are two of the most defensive minded players you will find. Hamann has made little to no impact since his strange move from Liverpool and Bolton in the summer, and Jihai has been a player who has been around forever and done nothing of note in his career.
Barton is apparently the danger man in midfield and I have heard good things about the youngster Ireland.
Ireland likes to get forward a lot, but isn't the best defensively, so hopefully young Morrison will have a bit of space to operate and run into.
At the back, Isaksson has just returned from injury. He is a promising young keeper who arrived with a big reputation but got injured early on. Hopefully he will be a bit rusty and we can take advantage.
In defence, Dunne is the stand out player. While Distin probably has more class, Dunne is the man I would want in my side.
He is brave and strong, and an inspirational leader.
Richards is obviously a good player too, and is seen by many as the next England right back. Johnson will have to continue his rapid improvement if he is to get any joy down the left wing.
Now onto the Boro.
Key Players
Adam Johnson - The young flyer has impressed greatly in the appearances he has made so far, showing a great deal of potential.
If he can continue to run at defences with pace, and get into the box when he hasn't got the ball, he will do well, especially against a team low on confidence like Manchester City.
Richards is a good player, and will physically dominate Johnson, but he is clumsy in the tackle and this is something the Boro winger should look to use to his advantage.
Yakubu - It was proven last season that the big man doesn't react well to being rested, so Gareth will pick him here.
He will be the senior man in the strike partnership today and will need to step up his work rate to match.
He will look to knock defenders around as usual and open up spaces for Gook to move into. He will also need to look to get the goals for himself as some of us have bets to win don't you know.
Lee Dong Gook - I fully expect our Korean import to make his first start for Boro.
He has looked sharp and eager in the brief glimpses we have got of him playing off the bench, it will be interesting to see how he does over a full match.
He will need to look to bring his teammates into the game a bit more than he has done and how he links up with the Yak will be crucial.
The Manager
Gareth Southgate - The Boro boss will have more than one eye on the Manchester United game on Monday, so will sensibly chose to pick some of his fringe players for today's game. He will give the youth a chance and they will reward him.
Possible Lineup
Jones
Parnaby Huth Pogatetz Taylor
Morrison Boateng Arca Johnson
Yakubu Lee Dong Gook
There is no way Southgate will field a full strength side for this match. It is just a matter of deciding whom he will rest.
Schwarzer has had his injury problems recently, so I can see him giving his dodgy back a rest and allowing Brad Jones a chance in goal, while Woodgate will be quite rightly left out in order that he can play against United on Monday.
The defence should still be fairly solid, besides which, Manchester City have lost their last six games, and only scored one goal in that time, so we shouldn't be too stretched at the back.
In midfield, Boateng will probably continue in an effort to keep the form he has shown recently going. Arca may be rested, but presuming he isn't it will once again be up to him to run the Boro show.
Morrison and Johnson will be key for Boro and they will need to show why the fans love them. Southgate will want them to get the ball and run at the fragile Citeh defence and midfield. If they can get at them and cause confusion, the recent bad results will be pushed towards the front of our opponent's minds.
Lee Dong Gook will almost certainly be handed his first start in a Boro shirt, or at least he should.
A home match, against out of form opposition, is the perfect way to get him his first goal.
A major part in that will be Yakubu, who will need to use all his strength to punch holes in the defences and set up chances for others around him as well as himself.
How it will Go
I can honestly see Boro tearing Manchester City apart here. They are on a run of no wins in six and have only scored one. Their confidence must be non-existent.
Boro on the other hand are in great form and will look to gain some confidence at City's expense.
4-1 Boro.
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