Nasri Stakes A Claim, As Poor City Take Points, City 2 vs. 1 WBA

“Kun had just a kick - it’s not a problem for Tuesday”

, Manuel Pellegrini – 09/04/2016.

Goals; Aguero (19' Pen), Nasri (66'); Sessegnon (6')

Line Up (4-2-3-1); Hart, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolorov, Navas, Fernando, Delph (Toure 60'), Nasri, Bony (De Bruyne 60'), Aguero (Clichy 90')
Stats;Possession, 62%/38%; Shots, 13(4)/13(2); Fouls, 10/
Referee; Mike Woods

Not a game to live long in the memory. With the upcoming Champions League game verses PSG obviously weighing heavily on Pellegrini's mind, five changes were made from the side which robustly fought for the two two draw in the Parc des Princes in midweek. If the hope was to inject some energy into the display, it was misplaced. This was a lethargic display at best, and all the absent players were missed, especially Kevin De Bruyne.

The one bright point was Samir Nasri. In his first start since September, and omitted from the CL squad due to his long standing thigh injury, Nasri alone looked like a player who wanted to prove a point. His touch began somewhat rusty, but his inherent technical ability quickly started to shine, and this, with a tenacity to work off the ball, was refreshing. On a sodden Saturday evening City were bereft of the zip and guile which had made the Bournemouth game so refreshing last week.

City started brightly enough with four corners in the first four minutes, but as soon as West Brom started to show some fight, they started to struggle. The impact was immediate, as City gave away a comical goal, to what was the Baggies' first shot on target in over 190 minutes of football. Referee Jones stood in the way of Nasri running to receive  the ball, West Brom sprayed the ball left to McClean, and a simple cross found its way to Sessegnon, and with Kolorov failing to block the shot, and Hart forgetting to cover his near post, it was 1-0 to the Baggies on 6'.

City were on the back foot, but luckily the only three players to turn up in the first half managed to combine to get them back in the game. Aguero took a clip to his achiles but still managed to get the ball to Nasri on the left, who played in Kolorov and as the Serbian ran in on goal, Sessegnon clipped his right leg, penalty. Up stepped Aguero, and cool as you like, shot the ball low and hard to the right. Despite guessing correctly and diving early, Foster still didn't stand a chance, so well was the ball hit. 1-1, Aguero scoring his 130th City goal on his 200th appearance for the club. Despite trading blows, that was the end of any real chances for either side in the first half, although West Brom wasted a free-kick, blasting into the wall on 31'.

If the first half ended in lack-lustre fashion, the second half start was worse. With Aguero's long range effort on 54' being the only bright spot, as the Argentinian forced a save to Foster's right. Wilfried Bony was just awful, and Fabian Delph looked horribly ring rusty, so it was surprise when both were substituted on 60' making way for De Bruyne and Toure respectively. The change had an almost immediate effect, with two half chances being created for Aguero. Then on 65' De Bruyne seized the ball on right, played the ball into Navas, and the Spaniard's low pass found Aguero, who first shot and then deflected the rebound to Nasri to score from three yards. The Frenchman was delighted, quite rightly, and it was fitting for him to score given his excellent performance. City 2-1.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, City then fell back again into their shell. The rest of the second half becoming a micro replay of a lot of City's displays this season; plenty of possesion, too many passes, over-engineering the attacks, players off the ball too static, and no-one taking a chance and getting into the box when crosses came in from Kolorov or Navas. Still the 2-1 win is what was needed on the day. Arsenal and West Ham had dropped points earlier, in their 3-3 London derby, and the result leaves City only two points behind Arsenal in third. Top four is very important, and this result, the first back to back league wins in six months, is a positive step towards that goal. With the news that Aguero's injury late on is minor, today has been a good day, despite the insipid performance.

@l0ngwayfr0mh0me