Manchester City Starting XI - 07/08

Post by **snout** » 09 Nov 2007, 15:23

Cloggie wrote:
hopefully I will be fit to face Portsmouth on Sunday
"Hopefully" doesn't pay my bills.

How about "expected?"

official site clicky

Post by **Cloggie** » 09 Nov 2007, 16:50

Better.

Still think they're gonna do crap, though.

Post by **snout** » 09 Nov 2007, 21:53

Cloggie wrote:Better.

Still think they're gonna do crap, though.

Well, that's a given!

Post by **snout** » 10 Nov 2007, 09:17

Another update from the official site:

Sven gives update on Johnson injury 09/11/2007 15:58

City are set to be without the services of Michael Johnson for up to four weeks. The midfielder had abdominal surgery on Tuesday after being troubled by an injury for most of the season, but with the surgery declared a success City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is confident that there will be nothing to hinder his return.

“He’s had his operation on his groin problem,” the Manager declares, “and if we are lucky we could have back after the international break but I’m not sure exactly. He will be away for three or four weeks. It’s a pity but we had to do something, because he started the season so well but over the last month he has had problems, being not able to train every second day. As a youngster he needs to train without pain so we had to do something, it’s better this way.”

But there’s better news on Micah Richards, who should return this weekend after missing the win over Sunderland with a twisted knee. Sven adds: “Micah’s back and fit, doing very well and we’ll need him down at Portsmouth on Sunday. I spoke to Steve McClaren this morning and if he comes through OK on Sunday he’ll go away with England of course.”

Post by **RamR** » 14 Nov 2007, 03:11

Is Joe Hart the locked on starter for the foreseeable future?

http://www.4thegame.com/club/manchester ... cking.html

Post by **snout** » 26 Nov 2007, 12:20

The MuEN reports on the fitness of several key players; nothing official from the club however, note!

SVEN-GORAN Eriksson is hopeful a quartet of unwanted injuries will clear up ahead of City's Barclays Premier League trip to Wigan on Saturday. Vedran Corluka and Elano were both substituted during the weekend win over Reading with hamstring injuries, Emile Mpenza left the field with a thigh problem and skipper Richard Dunne reported tightness in his calf immediately after the 2-1 win at Eastlands. Given Rolando Bianchi and Darius Vassell were also absent against the Royals with injuries and Valeri Bojinov is still some way off a full recovery from cruciate knee ligament damage, Eriksson can ill afford a mass of injuries as the campaign hits is most congested phase.

However, the Swede has been buoyed by news from the City medical team that all four players should be fit for the short trip to the JJB Stadium, where Steve Bruce will take charge of Wigan for the first time.

Hopefully, the club website will give us some better information later in the week.

Post by **C.Sativa** » 28 Nov 2007, 13:44

Vassell out for up to a fortnight
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 115182.stm

Post by **snout** » 29 Nov 2007, 12:11

Sven comments on the goalkeeping situation and gives an injury update on the official site:

Sven-Goran Eriksson says he is not looking to make any changes to the Manchester City goalkeeping department. Press conjecture has linked Andreas Isaksson and Joe Hart with moves away from the Club, and just last weekend the likes of Lehmann, Jaaskelainen and Sorensen had their names attached to stories that the Blues' boss was looking in their direction. City have used Isaksson, Hart and Kasper Schmeichel this term, but the Manager insists having three such good keepers is a nice problem to have, saying: "I’m quite happy with the goalkeepers we have here. Absolutely. We are not looking for another goalkeeper at this moment. If something should happen that we lose a goalkeeper for one reason or another in January, yes then we have to be prepared to, but if we stay as we are with the goalkeepers here then we are not looking for any others."

Following Tuesday's news that Darius Vassell is set to sit out the next couple of weeks, Eriksson has also outlined the rest of the fitness situation at the Club, adding: "Tuesday was a little bit the same as Saturday. We had Elano out jogging a bit, but Elano, [Vedran] Corluka, [Valeri] Bojinov, [Emile] Mpenza and Vassell were not training with us. Hopefully for Saturday Elano will be okay, Corluka will be okay, Mpenza I don’t know yet, but Vassell for sure is a no. Bianchi is okay and trained for the first time and did very well. Johnson and Onuoha will almost certainly not be available for Saturday. We had 16 available players last Saturday and I think it will be more or less the same this weekend. Bianchi is available and Mpenza maybe not, so it will be more or less the same situation. Sixteen is okay, but if we go below that, then it will be a little bit dangerous. Then you have to look to take some of the young lads into the squad."

Post by **snout** » 29 Nov 2007, 14:39

Elano definitely out of Saturday's game at Wigan - according to the City official site.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed the Blues will travel to Wigan this weekend without influential midfield star, Elano. The Brazilian international picked up a hamstring problem at the Carrington Training Centre this morning and the full extent of the injury is yet to be assessed.

[...] Despite the blow of being without one South American star, Elano’s injury could give a chance to another, with Geovanni poised to make his first Premier League start since the 1-0 derby win over Manchester United as Sven looks to fill the gap. “That’s something we have to do of course,” he said. “It’s a possibility for Geovanni as well.

Post by **nhat1579** » 30 Nov 2007, 15:22

all the reports i've read (via newsnow) are saying elano is *definitely* out tomorrow and *could* be out for a month.

Post by **happyhoppy** » 30 Nov 2007, 16:39

M Johnson doesn't appear to be in the squad despite being "ready" to play following his op.

Post by **snout** » 01 Dec 2007, 10:07

Sven drops a couple of useful snippets of info on the official site:

Elano absence gives others a chance 01/12/2007 09:00

After the news that Elano will miss this afternoon’s game against Wigan, Sven-Goran Eriksson has outlined that with the Brazilian missing, it gives an opportunity for another of his players to be the Blues’ match winner.

One player who has already proved he can be that is Stephen Ireland after two winning volleys in the last two home matches. The Blues boss is confident Ireland, who could make his 50th start for City today, can take his fine form on the road. Sven said: “He’s doing very well. The two goals he has scored lately have given us four more points and that’s fantastic. He’s in very, very good shape.” When asked if the 21-year-old midfielder can be as much of a headline maker as Elano, Eriksson replied: “I’m sure he can and I think when you score goals, like the last two, that should make headlines. You have to be a very good football player to score goals like that – and he is – he’s still young and will get better and better. Already now he is very important for us and is playing in a role that is maybe not his best but is doing better there and learning more about it. I’m very happy with him.”

Another contender to take Elano’s crown has plenty in his locker, being Brazilian always helps, along with two £11million transfers. A Manchester derby winner to his name already makes him a City favourite, but former Barcelona and Benfica midfielder, Geovanni is ready to stake his place in the starting XI. Of his possible steal of the summer, Sven said: “With Geovanni you know that when he plays something will happen. And even in about half an hour on Saturday [against Reading] something happened. He had a good chance to score, a good shot and headed an assist for the winning goal, so that’s not bad for 30 minutes.”

Sven clearly likes a playmaker to be amongst his midfield ranks and states his case: “It’s very good to have them but what you look for as a coach is good football players. I like more if they are not physically the strongest, winning tackles and things like that, I prefer to have technical players. When you look at football, if you have more than one player who can make the difference, score the winning goal, beat a man, I like that kind of footballer. "

Post by **snout** » 12 Dec 2007, 17:14

The City official site:

Thoughts are already turning to this Saturday’s visit of Bolton Wanderers, and Sven-Goran Eriksson has confirmed he looks set to have a full hand to choose from. The Blues will face a Trotters side revitalised since the arrival of former City midfielder Gary Megson at the helm in October, but Eriksson has confirmed that he has no extra injury worries and that, as anticipated, Elano has resumed training.

“It will be another tough one this weekend, especially with Bolton having won 4-1 on Sunday,” he says. “What is positive for me is that everyone, except for [Valerei] Bojinov of course, was back in training on Tuesday. Elano is back working with us again, and that’s also very good. Obviously it’s great to have him back, he’s very important for us. What’s also good is that he has a full week of training before the game on Saturday, and he will be OK for that.”

Post by **bionika** » 19 Dec 2007, 16:19

Didn't Sven say that after last night's cup game he was going to decide who his No.1 goalie was for the remainder of the season?

I can't see anything in the media about either Hart or Isaksson getting the offical nod

Post by **ishnid** » 20 Dec 2007, 19:49

Hart will be first choice: http://www.football365.com/story/0,1703 ... 03,00.html

Post by **Gravesy** » 21 Dec 2007, 00:41

Who's gonna start this weekend Ball or Garrido?

Post by **Pasty** » 21 Dec 2007, 12:46

happyhoppy wrote:M Johnson doesn't appear to be in the squad despite being "ready" to play following his op.

My mole at City said he has had a set back after the loss to Spurs midweek and could be crocked again. Anyone planning on bringing him in this weekend should do some research

Post by **happyhoppy** » 21 Dec 2007, 13:46

Cornish Pasty wrote:
happyhoppy wrote:M Johnson doesn't appear to be in the squad despite being "ready" to play following his op.
My mole at City said he has had a set back after the loss to Spurs midweek and could be crocked again. Anyone planning on bringing him in this weekend should do some research

Thanks for that Pasty, Cahill in then.

Post by **stay classy** » 21 Dec 2007, 14:06

AGrave88 wrote:Who's gonna start this weekend Ball or Garrido?

I consulted the magic 8 ball, when asked will Ball start this weekend, I got "Better not tell you now", so I gave him 5 minutes, "Reply hazy try again", so I did, "Concentrate harder and ask again".

And eventually "Outlook not so good".

Hope that clears it up for you.

Post by **Pasty** » 21 Dec 2007, 16:38

happyhoppy wrote:
Cornish Pasty wrote:
happyhoppy wrote:M Johnson doesn't appear to be in the squad despite being "ready" to play following his op.
My mole at City said he has had a set back after the loss to Spurs midweek and could be crocked again. Anyone planning on bringing him in this weekend should do some research
Thanks for that Pasty, Cahill in then.

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/sport/story. ... 0&t=soccer

Sportinglife also reporting he may be a doubt.

Post by **snout** » 10 Jan 2008, 16:53

happyhoppy wrote:M Johnson doesn't appear to be in the squad despite being "ready" to play following his op.

Finally some more hopeful news on Johnson, and further progress report on Bojinov, from the City official site:

Michael Johnson will not be fit for this weekend's trip to Everton, but Sven-Goran Eriksson says the midfielder is nearing a return to full fitness. The 19-year-old has been sidelined since the defeat to Spurs at home last month by a recurrence of the abdominal problem that required surgery earlier in the season, but the Manager says he looks set to be available again towards the end of January.

"Michael has started running outside again, so hopefully, he will be ready in a couple of weeks," Sven says. "Of course, it was a concern because he was operated on and then three games later, the injury came back. But the situation looks better than it did one or two weeks ago but we expect him to be okay soon."

Eriksson also confirmed that Valeri Bojinov is nearing a return to full training with the squad, and that there are no other injury absentees for the game at Goodison.

Post by **snout** » 21 Feb 2008, 16:30

The City official site said this yesterday:

Sven-Goran Eriksson has reported that the City squad is in great shape as they prepare for Monday’s crucial game with Everton. The players were given a few days off over the weekend after resuming training in the wake of the historic win at Old Trafford, and the Manager says everyone is ready for the Premier League run-in with European places up for grabs.

Sven says, “Everybody’s back in and training, which is good news for us. We have all the players fit now, touch wood, which bodes well for the rest of the season with 12 games to go. The only one not ready to play as yet is [Valerei] Bojinov, but hopefully in a couple of weeks he’ll be available.” The 22-year-old Bulgarian has bounced back from a devastating cruciate ligament injury, thanks in no small part to the work of MCFC doctor Mark Whitaker, head physio Ally Beattie and fitness & conditioning coaches Stefano Marrone and Jon Webb. “Valeri has worked so hard and is very keen to come back," Sven continues. "He’s tackling and doing everything in training but he was out for a long time. It will take time before he’s in competition for a place in the side. He’s enthusiastic, which is understandable with such a long break, but I hope he’ll be available in about two weeks.”

Michael Johnson is back in full training but did not feature in Tuesday’s Pontin’s League reserve match, so is Sven hopeful that the midfielder could be available for Monday? “I hope so, we’ll wait and see either on Thursday or Friday but he is training. He had some slight pain on Monday but today he looked good again.”

Post by **snout** » 21 Feb 2008, 16:34

The City official site said this today:

Sven-Goran Eriksson is pleased with the depth of striking talent at his disposal as we enter the business end of the Barclays Premier League campaign. The City was squad has recently been bolstered by the addition of Felipe Caicedo and the impact of Danny Sturridge since his return from a long-term hip injury. Benjani also announced himself with a goal on debut, while Valeri Bojinov is also close to a return to match fitness.

Eriksson expects Ecuadorian international Caicedo, signed from Basel in January, to gradually settle in despite having made a brief substitute appearance in the 2-1 win at Old Trafford. Sven says, “He’s not used to English football at all, and even though he has a little bit of international football under his belt it might take time before we see the real Felipe Caicedo. But you can see that’s a good player, he has a good left foot and is very strong. We’ll give him some time and probably sit on the bench to jump in every now and then which I think will be good for him.”

Sturridge has found the net no less than nine times at various levels since returning to fitness last month, most recently two on Tuesday this week in a 3-0 win for the reserves over Preston, with Caicedo grabbing the other. The Manager adds, “Danny needs games, he was away for a long time but it’s amazing, he seems to score in every game that he plays in! That’s a good habit to have. Both he and Caicedo are players for now but for the future as well.”

Post by **snout** » 25 Feb 2008, 16:00

The official site quotes some typical Svennish:

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been playing his cards close to his chest over his selection options when City take on Everton on Monday night. The Blues have not played since beating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford just over a fortnight ago, but the Manager can now pick Elano and Vedran Corluka once again following the suspensions that kept them out of that game - but does he want to change a winning team?

"It is good to have decisions," says Eriksson. "It is good for everyone at the club, even the players. It is good to have competition for places. Many times during the year there hasn't been competition. The rest of the season is very important and to have a big squad is very good. Hopefully we will not have any more big injuries before the season finishes. It is now not easy to make the first eleven and it is not easy to make the eleven plus the bench either. To touch a team that wins at Old Trafford? I don't know. Maybe... maybe not. We will see."

Helpful... not!

Post by **Spinynorman** » 25 Feb 2008, 19:48

Man City vs Everton

Man City: Hart, Onuoha, Dunne, Richards, Ball, Vassell, Gelson, Hamann, Ireland, Petrov, Mwaruwari

Subs: Isaksson, Elano, Corluka, Caicedo, Castillo

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Neville, Carsley, Osman, Pienaar, Cahill, Yakubu

Subs: Wessels, Johnson, Nuno Valente, Fernandes, Anichebe

Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)

Post by **snout** » 29 Feb 2008, 12:28

The official site

Michael Johnson looks to be near to a return to first team action this weekend. The midfielder, who turned 20 last weekend, has been out of the side because of an abdominal problem since mid-December but after a couple of runs in the reserves he is back in contention for the game against Wigan, as Sven-Goran Eriksson says: “Michael has been training with the first team this week, and he looked good on Thursday. We will take another look at him on Friday, but he is certainly available for us again. I’m not sure of he is 100% yet, but he should be available for Wigan.”

Another selection issue for the Manager is the three-game suspension for Martin Petrov, but he does not see it as simply a case of bringing in the versatile Nery Castillo on the left flank. “We will have to wait and see,” Sven adds, “because I think we have a couple of options out there. Obviously there is Castillo and Stephen Ireland can also play on the left.”

Post by **snout** » 07 Mar 2008, 13:49

The official site:

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been boosted by the news that Elano will be available for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Reading. The Brazilian hobbled off during last weekend’s draw with Wigan after failing to shake off the effects of a foul by Michael Brown in the first half, and the Manager thinks that his playmaker can expect similar treatment at the Madejski Stadium. “Elano will be fit for the weekend,” says Sven. “He did everything today and trained yesterday as well so he is OK. We’ll be glad to have him available. [...]"

Eriksson is facing a reshuffle in defence however, with the news that Nedum Onuoha will miss the trip south with a slight injury. “He has a hamstring problem, but he will be available for Tottenham. Hopefully he is back in training again on Monday,” says Sven. But there is better news on Micah Richards, who is on target to get back to full fitness after last week’s operation on cartilage in his right knee. “I expect to see him again before the end of the season, the surgeon who operated on him said six weeks, and we are expecting that to be the case.”

Post by **snout** » 13 Mar 2008, 10:32

The official site:

Sven-Goran Eriksson is playing the waiting game over injuries to key defenders ahead of Sunday’s game against Spurs. Richard Dunne was forced off during Saturday’s defeat at Reading with a cut to his shin that required nine stitches. Michael Ball twisted a knee after all three replacements had been used, forcing to see out the game at less than full capacity, and of the injury situation Sven says:

“Michael Ball almost for certain is out, and Richard Dunne according to the Doctor is 50-50 to play at the moment. Nedum [Onuoha] will start training with the rest of the group on Thursday, so hopefully he will be OK. Micah [Richards] is, of course, is still out but that is the situation at the moment. We can’t take any decisions just yet, and hopefully Richard will be available. [Vedran] Corluka will probably play at centre half, together with Onuoha.”

Dunne initially carried on after tackling Stephen Hunt, before the seriousness of the cut to his leg became clear, but the Manager is hopeful that his skipper will be available this weekend. “Richard’s a tough guy, and if there is any chance he can play against Spurs then he will do. Not only have we not scored recently, we have conceded some easy goals and we need him, and the others, to be fully fit. We were not doing that in the first half of the season, which is why we had so many good results.”

Post by **croll** » 14 Mar 2008, 15:36

linky

Michael Ball says

Of his own injury, which looks set to rule him out of the Spurs game on Sunday, Michael is confident that he will only be out in the short term.

“It’s not serious, Richard and myself will not be out for too long, Nedum looks like he will be back soon. Hopefully we’ll have a full-strength side again with a week or two.

Post by **snout** » 15 Mar 2008, 11:22

The official site:

City take on Tottenham tomorrow at the City of Manchester Stadium with Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson facing defensive injury problems and a question mark over the fitness of captain Richard Dunne.

Ahead of the game, Sven confirmed: "We have Micah Richards out and we don’t know if Richard Dunne is out or not. If he can train on Saturday morning then he might play but we’re not sure. It has been very sore for him after having nine stitches in his leg. He’s done some running over the last couple of days, but we’ll see after Saturday. It's not the perfect situation of course having both Richards and Dunne maybe out injured, but we'll see tomorrow, Dunne is a tough guy so let's hope."

Otherwise on the injury front, the boss added: "Michael Ball is out, [Valerei] Bojinov is out of course, but Nedum Onuoha is back and that is good." With the good news that Onuoha is fit again after a hamstring injury, Eriksson can at least field a back four with Premier League experience, but admitted: "We have very few options. We only have four defenders without Dunne. It’s not the best but the four defenders we have are good and I hope they can cope, and I think they can."

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Manchester City Starting XI - 07/08