Saturday, December 15, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Matchday Three: AJAX 3-1 MANCHESTER CITY
This disastrous defeat in Amsterdam pushed City one step closer to the Champions League exit door and saw Mancini's tactical competence called into question.
The Premier League champions had led through Samir Nasri but ended up being comprehensively defeated and looked like a side with no identity or clear tactical plan.
Mancini faced huge criticism for an unusual decision to switch to a three-man central defence with the game still in the balance - that included a confused-looking Gael Clichy playing as a centre-back - a move that backfired as Ajax scored a decisive third goal, prompting the manager to swiftly change back to his original system.
After the match, Micah Richards added salt in the Italian's wounds by telling the press that the players did not practice the tactical switches in training and that many were not sure of what they were doing in their new roles.
Matchday One: REAL MADRID 3-2 MAN CITY
Manchester City's Champions League campaign could have been so much different had they been able to hold on to a lead in the opening matchday against Real Madrid.
Leading 2-1 in the Bernabeu with less than five minutes remaining, Roberto Mancini's men somehow managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory. First they allowed Karim Benzema too much time to turn and strike an equaliser, before Cristiano Ronaldo beat two men before cutting inside and driving a shot past Joe Hart.
What would have been a morale-boosting victory was all of a sudden a dramatic last-gasp defeat and City's confidence looked dented in their remaining Group D games.
The first signs of both mental weakness and defensive frailty had been shown and, after a pointless first game, the pressure was on for their remaining fixtures in the competition, with ground to make up.
From a Ronaldo rocket to tactical troubles - how it all went wrong for Manchester City in the Champions League
The Premier League champions have been dumped out of Europe after failing to win any of their six group games. Goal.com looks back at their disastrous continental campaign
5 Dec 2012 07:30:00
Getty
By Chris Myson
The 1-0 defeat to a weakened Borussia Dortmund side on Tuesday night was a tame end to another disastrous campaign for Manchester City in Europe.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Nigeria Player of the Week Nigeria Player of the Week
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| Mali U-17 | 0-2 | Nigeria U-17 |
Garba Manu's cadet squad went to Bamako wiith high expectations and fulfilled this by defeating the Malians 2-0. They qualified for the African U-17 Championships 4-0 on aggregate. It is the first time since 2007 that Nigeria will present a team at the U-17 tournament. In this maiden Goal.com Nigeria player of the week award, we recognise the impressive feat of the collective and hail their commitment to the task before them. We hope that the team will continue to do the nation proud.
| Congratulations to the Golden Eaglets, Goal.com Nigeria's 1st 'Player' of the Week winner! |
Honourable Mention
| Brown Ideye - Dynamo Kiev The Dynamo striker scored his 13th goal of the season in a 4-2 defeat of Hoverla Uzhhorod last weekend. Ideye is surely making himself indispensable to the national team selectors ahead of the 2013 Afcon. |
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