West Brom away Review

It feels good to win. I asked for a first half display where City score and apply pressure and cut out mistakes and it happened!! It was like watching City of the first 10 games and much needed confidence boost. Aguero was excellent, he has to start and it was nice to Gundogan proving how good he is. It was a near perfect display and I expect a similar formation may be used against Barcelona midweek. Fernando and Fernandinho sat in front of the defence, they can pull back and can be like having 4-5 defenders, it worked well. Will it work against Barcelona, probably not and they need to play a perfect game to get a good result. Barcelona are quick, they press a little but aren't aggressive with their play, they just dominate. 

Back to WBA, they set to defend and Aguero ripped Pulis's plans up. Gundogan runs the ball through the middle, plays a simple ball into Aguero and slots past Foster, through his legs and into the left hand corner. McCauley was caught too square, allowed Aguero enough space and time to have a little glance and an easy goal. City will take it. When you haven't won for six games, you'll take simple chances. It was soon two. Aguero loses the ball on the edge of the baggies area, they lag with the ball, don't clear and Aguero wins the ball back. He takes a couple of touches, shows Olsson the ball and uses him to curl the ball around and from 20 yards out finds the top corner. Good goal and City are cruising before half time. That was more like it. The only down side was Nolito head butting again. He should have been sent off, he got booked but if he's been booked for reacting and the referee hasn't seen the head butt, he'll have another 3 game ban. It looks the referee saw everything so why the red card wasn't shown, I don't know. To be fair, the man never made a big deal out of it and full credit. I know many that would and would have been screaming for the red. It was 0-0 at the time, so would have changed everything. City got away with one. On the note of Nolito, why does he react back? Just stop and walk away, the defender committed the foul, was getting a yellow card and that's the end of the situation. His actions could and should have sent City to 10 men and a huge challenge on their hands. He needs to stop and just walk away in future. Be a professional. 


By the 78th minute, City calmed down WBA's game plans, they had a clear chance with Bravo sweeping but went over and had a couple of shots, Rondon looked dangerous and McLean looked eager but with Aguero running side ways past two men, chipping a light weighted pass into the centre of the box, all the WBA defenders play the offside trap and Silva leaves the ball for the incoming Gundogan who slots to the right past the sweeping keeper for 3-0. Game done. McLean played Gundogan offside and Silva left it but he was also onside too but he wasn't so sure so left it. The 4th goal late on was a lovely goal, a classic Guardiola goal. It starts from the back. De Bruyne makes his way down the left flank, looks up and with gaps all over the WBA defence from the counter attack, picks out Gundogan who just shoots and the keeper gets a right hand to it but cannot keep it out and City end up winning 4-0. West Brom hit the post late on, just before the counter attack for 4-0, unlucky. West Brom looked ok, they'll stay and play difficult to beat. This result could have been oh so different it Nolito gets the red card he deserved at 0-0 but City escape and City annihilate and was a lot better, with over twenty shots and 8 on target. They need to take that momentum to Barcelona because if we can have ten or eleven shots and get four or five on target and counter, press and utilise set peices, we can cause Barcelona problems. We need to score first because if we don't on Tuesday night, we will lose. Mark my words. So until Tuesday morning for the Barcelona home match preview, I'll see you then and review the match Wednesday. But for now, that was a lot better from City and it's just nice to see some goals, not concede and win!!