Royal Blue Mersey - Everton vs. Manchester City: Premier League Matchday 29It's a grand old team to supporthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52544/royal_fav.png2013-03-17T14:53:13+00:00http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/rss/stream/38789092013-03-17T14:53:13+00:002013-03-17T14:53:13+00:00Report: Everton thump champions City in a thriller
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<figcaption>Nikica Jelavic leading the celebrations after scoring the second goal | Clive Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>The Goodison crowd brushed aside last week's debacle with a warm welcome for the Toffees, and the Blues responded with a stirring performance to beat defending Premier League champions Manchester City. </p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> as an organization took a lot of flak this week. <span>David Moyes</span> bore the brunt of it as his side went crashing out of the FA Cup quarters with Wembley in sight. The players put in an insipid performance in that game with star <span>Marouane Fellaini</span> substituted to a chorus of boos. Then captain <span>Phil Neville</span> drew criticism from the fanbase for appearing to say that the club need to be satisfied with a top ten finish. In between all that Stan Collymore decided to play an investigative journalist by posing a few probing questions to a 'representative' of the organization which laid bare some of chairman Bill Kenwright's hyperbole and how bleak the situation facing Everton really is.</p>
<p>Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, and after the game against Manchester City. Moyes mentioned in his postgame comments that he would have been very surprised had Everton not come out firing on all cylinders today after last week’s Cup fiasco. There really could not have been a better way for Moyes to mark his eleventh year at Goodison Park than beating his favourite whipping boy <span>Roberto Mancini</span>, and his side responded much like last year's 4-4 fightback at Old Trafford soon after that crushing Wembley loss to the Red half of city. Indeed, rumors of his side’s demise have indeed been greatly exaggerated.</p>
<p>This year's City are not quite the same side that pushed and then finally overhauled a suspect <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a> last season. The current iteration of the Citizens is more frail and likely to get bogged down in midfield, while the defence is equally capable of solid clean sheets as they are of going on walks in the park with Mary Poppins. That and the fact Mancini’s dreams are fraught with visions of him scrubbing his hands <span>awash in Royal Blue, screaming like Lady Macbeth, because a quarter of the points he has dropped in his tenure at City has been at the hands of Everton.</span></p>
<p>So who else had a nightmare of a game apart from <span>Aleksandar Kolarov</span>? <span>Referee Lee Probert, that's who. The official decided he wanted to be a part of this fixture early on, brandishing yellows as he attempted to restrain a ferocious Everton and a resolute City. The assistant on the far side earned a whole load of derision from the stands when he wrongly ruled out <span>Kevin Mirallas</span>’ excellent strike just a quarter of an hour into the game. City were well and truly on the back foot in the half as Everton charged forward, <span>Leon Osman</span> and <span>Steven Pienaar</span> unleashing the pair of <span>Leighton Baines</span> with deft through passes and <span>Seamus Coleman</span> with slaloming runs. Coleman in particular made a mockery of Kolarov on the left wing, as the plucky Irishman tormented the Serb as well as Matija Nastasic, both pressed into emergency left-sided duty with <span>Yaya Toure</span>’s late withdrawal due to illness. </span><span></span></p>
<p><span>Everton finally made the breakthrough in the thirty-first minute as man of the match Coleman laid off a pass for a centrally-positioned Osman to hammer home with his weaker left foot. His 30-yarder was hit with such venom that it swung like a cheap rubber ball as it swerved wickedly away from <span>Joe Hart</span> but in at the left post, leaving the England goalie rooted to his spot. Surely Shane Warne would have been pleased with how that ball ripped away. The Blues continued to threaten with an obstruction call on Fellaini in the box waved away, and the visitors went in at halftime lucky to be down just one. </span><span></span></p>
<p><span>The second half started with City showing they wouldn’t give up their title without some sort of a struggle, a cause greatly aided when the ref showed Pienaar his second yellow of the game. While it was no doubt a foul, Javi Garcia went down and then proceeded to roll around like he had been shot by a sniper perched atop the Bullens Road stand. The home crowd then really stepped in though, their voices </span><span><span>collectively </span>acting as the missing eleventh man as they howled at every transgression and roared the Blues on. The last half an hour followed a pattern: City playing narrow and losing possession outside the Everton box, the Toffees then running down and holding up the ball to win a futile corner, which was promptly sent upfield for the Citizens to pass about laterally until the next turnover. </span></p>
<p><span>Ref Probert wasn’t done though, his eagle-eyes spotting Osman’s arm faintly brushing the ball outside the box before it hit Fellaini’s elbow plumb inside the box. No penalty awarded, and the resultant freekick didn't even clear the wall. Tying the game this way would have been brutal for the home side, and a replica of what happened earlier in the season at the Etihad. Instead the out-of-form Nikica Jelavic came on as a late substitute and scored his first since December with aplomb to end the game and City’s title comeback hopes. There were some rumbles of discontent when the starting lineup was announced with <span>Victor Anichebe</span> replacing Jelavic in the side, but the powerful Nigerian stood up City's tank <span>Kolo Toure</span> and in many cases got the better of the Ivorian too. <br></span></p>
<p>This match report would be amiss without a mention of two often vilified Everton players who both put in solid shifts yesterday and need to be commended. <span>John Heitinga</span> has lost more points than he has gained for the Blues this season, but this time he was instrumental in the three points. Alternating between <span>Carlos Tevez</span> and <span>Edin Dzeko</span>, he was strong in the air and quick on his feet and kept both strikers quiet. The other is the forgotten man of Premier League football Jan Mucha. As backup to the dependable <span>Tim Howard</span>, the Slovak goalie has rarely played and often looks rusty when on the pitch. Yesterday however he got better after a shaky start, claiming crosses and throwing himself around to block narrow angle shots the few times City broke through the back four.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2013/3/17/4115236/everton-vs-manchester-city-match-reportCalvin2013-03-16T10:15:14+00:002013-03-16T10:15:14+00:00Everton v Manchester City: Live GameThread
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<figcaption>Michael Steele</figcaption>
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<p>Everton host Manchester City as City try to catch up with Manchester United for the title race and Everton try to book a European spot after a massive disappointment last week.</p> <p>For some reason I feel as if the season is lost. Morale amongst the players should be at a low. The fans are going to jump on any mistakes that occur during the match because frustration is at an all time high.</p>
<p>The truth is, though, that I don't think Europe is plausible at the moment. We just don't have the depth or the momentum to push for a spot and it's a real shame. The should have been the best squad in decades and they could have accomplished the most an <a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton</a> team has in quite a while. Sadly, we will most likely think of this season in the future as the season of "what could have been".</p>
<p>But enough misery talk. We still have 10 matches left and we can still dream of Europe. We will see how realistic those dreams are today by our squad's response to all the unwanted media attention and huge disappointment.</p>
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<p><b>Everton Starting XI: </b>Mucha, Coleman, Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Gibson, Mirallas, Pienaar, Osman, Fellaini, Anichebe</p>
<p><b>Subs: </b>Springthorpe, Oviedo, Jelavic, Naismith, Neville, Barkley, Duffy</p>
<p><b>Man City Starting XI: </b>Hart, Zabaleta, K Toure, Nastasic, Kolarov, Garcia, Silva, Milner, Barry, Tevez, Dzeko</p>
<p><b>Subs: </b>Pantilimon, Razak, Nasri, Sinclair, Lescott, Clichy, Lopes</p>
<p>As always, comment below.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2013/3/16/4111542/everton-v-manchester-city-live-gamethreadSibiGnana2013-03-15T22:38:59+00:002013-03-15T22:38:59+00:00Preview: Everton host defending champions City
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<figcaption>Clive Brunskill</figcaption>
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<p>Can Everton bounce back after last week's debacle at home? Can Manchester City kickstart another memorable comeback of last season's proportions? </p> <p>It will be very interesting to see the reception the home side receives when they come out on Saturday at Goodison Park. Last time we saw the Blues they were busy getting booed off the pitch after a miserable performance in the FA Cup. In between, there has been all sorts of hyperbolic speculation and questionable journalism on the future of this great club.</p>
<p><span>David Moyes</span> will be keen to put last weekend behind him and get the boys refocused on playing football. He marked eleven years at the club this week and the events of the last few days should not be used to judge the entirety of the gaffer's tenure at Goodison. Meanwhile <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a>, unencumbered by the burden of playing European football of any form, have sparkled in the FA Cup and have been in decent form in the League too, although they remain a whopping twelve points behind cross-city rivals <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a>.</p>
<p><b>Team News - </b></p>
<p><span>Tony Hibbert</span> remains the only long-term casualty for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a>, while regular starters <span>Tim Howard</span> and <span>Phil Jagielka</span> will miss this game too with recent injuries.</p>
<p>City's strength lies in their depth - Argentinian strike pair <span>Sergio Aguero</span> and Carloz Tevez will miss out with injuries, but they still have <span>Edin Dzeko</span> and a host of characters behind him to give <span>John Heitinga</span> and Jan Mucha nightmares. Captain <span>Vincent Kompany</span>, <span>Micah Richards</span>, Maicon and ex-Evertonian <span>Jack Rodwell</span> are all also injured.</p>
<p><b>Keys To The Game - </b></p>
<p>The Toffees have had a pretty good record against the Citizens in recent times, and Moyes will be hoping adversity will bring out the best in his team again. When both left and right wings are humming along and Messrs. Jelavic and Fellaini are making a nuisance of themselves in the opposing box, Everton can be quite unstoppable. However, we've only seen that happen very rarely this season.</p>
<p>City on the other hand will attempt to take advantage of the lead-footed <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110473/johnny-heitinga">Johnny Heitinga</a> by deploying the quick <span>David Silva</span> on him. Mancini's sides have tended to look bewildered whenever they play Everton, so they will attempt to not give the home side the bigger share of possession. Despite the absence of Kompany, City have been solid in defence recently.</p>
<p><b>Match Facts - </b></p>
<p>- <span>Leighton Baines</span> is only player in the League to be in triple figures for both defensive contributions (156) and crosses delivered (101).</p>
<p>- Everton have only won two of their last seven matches across all competitions.</p>
<p>- Against City however, the Blues have won six of the last eight times they have played at Goodison.</p>
<p>- Everton need just two more goals to make it a total of 600 Premier League goals.</p>
<p>- <span>Leon Osman's</span> next start will mark his 300th for the club.</p>
<p>- City have recorded four straight clean sheets in their last four games in the League and Cup.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2013/3/15/4109368/everton-vs-manchester-city-match-previewCalvin2013-03-15T20:09:24+00:002013-03-15T20:09:24+00:00Q&A: RBM chats with City blog Bitter & Blue
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<figcaption>Osman vs. Silva will be a key positional battle | Alex Livesey</figcaption>
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<p>We talked with Nayir of SB Nation's Manchester City blog 'Bitter & Blue' about how the defending champion's season has been going. </p> <p>'Bitter & Blue' is the SB Nation blog for Premier League defending champions Manchester City, and we had the pleasure of chatting with them ahead of Saturday's game at Goodison Park.</p>
<p><b>RBM - 12 points behind, 10 games to go. The big question for most football fans is, can City pull off a miraculous comeback again?</b><br> B&B - We are a hopeful bunch. That's for sure. But we (the majority, anyways) remain realistic. We will do everything we can to secure as many points as possible, but it's really all on United. It's their title to lose at this point. If they slip like they did last season and drop points left and right, we'll happily charge up behind them. But regardless of that, <span>Roberto Mancini</span> will hopefully have the boys playing out the season in respectable fashion. The players won't give up, that much we do know.</p>
<p><b>RBM - City have really sparkled in the FA Cup. Failing a late League run, will the Cup be enough to keep Mancini's job?</b><br>B&B - The Cup should be enough. Even if we don't win the Cup, I'd still expect Mancini to be there next season. I think with some of the directors City have brought in recently (Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano, previously employed by Barcelona), stability and a focused approach to long term success of the club has been placed at the forefront now that the club have gained success domestically and put a foot into European competition. So, I wouldn't expect Mancini to be sacked. It would be unfair to him.</p>
<p><b>RBM - How did City do during the January transfer window? Who did they bring in, and who was on their way out?</b><br> B&B - City didn't bring anyone in during the January window except for a couple youngsters, which I think was the right move at the time. The players who were rumored to leave were almost all new signings from this past summer, but it was far too early to call it quits on them, and I don't think they played poorly enough to leave either. Only Mario Balotelli left the club, and I guess that was the best move for both clubs. Us City fans will miss him, but if funds from his transfer and possibly <span>Edin Dzeko's</span> exit in the summer can help package a deal for a <span>Edinson Cavani</span> or Falcao in the summer, just about everyone would be okay with it.</p>
<p><b>RBM - Where does the team stand in the injury situation, do they have any significant injuries? Who is in form and who's not?</b><br>B&B - We've got a lot of injuries at the moment. <span>Sergio Aguero</span>, Maicon, <span>Jack Rodwell</span>, <span>Micah Richards</span>, and <span>Vincent Kompany</span> are all still a bit away from fitness and will not feature this weekend. <span>Samir Nasri</span> had a bit of a knock but will probably be on the bench. Those in great form at the moment include the Toure brothers, <span>James Milner</span>, <span>Carlos Tevez</span>, <span>David Silva</span>, and Matija Nastasic. The rest are all doing alright, though I'd say <span>Joleon Lescott</span> has been generally out of form all season.</p>
<p><b>RBM - Finally, a score prediction for Saturday? Who do you think will be the star performers on Saturday?</b><br>B&B - Though <span class="sbn-auto-link"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a></span> have been our bogey team over the past few years, we are in great form at the moment and Everton apparently are not. I'm inclined to go with a 2-0 City win but you really never know when these two teams meet, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a hard-fought draw. A visit from City might provide the inspiration Everton need right now. I think Nastasic will continue to shine at the back, and this is the type of game that <span>Pablo Zabaleta</span> is always up for. I'd expect Milner's industry to be a key factor for us, as well as link-up between Tevez and Silva.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2013/3/15/4107456/everton-vs-manchester-city-q-a-with-bitter-and-blueCalvin