“It was a good performance from him [Kompany]. It’s not easy after a long time without playing.”, Pep Guardiola – 21/09/2016.
Goals; Sigurdsson (90'+3);Clichy (49'), García (67')
Line Up (4-1-4-1) (match ratings in brackets);
Caballero (6)
Zabaleta (6.5)
Kompany (c)(6)
Stones (6.5)
Clichy (6.5)
Fernando (7)
Navas (6.5)
García (7), (Adarabioyo (5.5), 90)
Angelino (6.5), (De Bruyne (6) 58')
Iheanacho (6.5)
Sane (6.5), (Brahim (5.5) 80')
Stats;Possession, 40%/60%; Shots, 7(4)/9(4); Fouls, 9/10
Referee; Keith Stroud (7)
Line Up (4-1-4-1) (match ratings in brackets);
Caballero (6)
Zabaleta (6.5)
Kompany (c)(6)
Stones (6.5)
Clichy (6.5)
Fernando (7)
Navas (6.5)
García (7), (Adarabioyo (5.5), 90)
Angelino (6.5), (De Bruyne (6) 58')
Iheanacho (6.5)
Sane (6.5), (Brahim (5.5) 80')
Stats;Possession, 40%/60%; Shots, 7(4)/9(4); Fouls, 9/10
Referee; Keith Stroud (7)
A lot of plus points tonight from what turned out to be a comfortable but not emphatic win against struggling Swansea.
Pep Guardiola again rang the changes, with only Iheanacho and Clichy retaining their places from the weekend win against Bournemouth. Showing trust in his whole squad, Pep chose a mix of experience and youth, with City's attacking contingent including starts for Angelino, Garcia, and new boy Sane, and a welcome return in defence for Vincent Kompany after his latest long and well documented injury (although he left the pitch at the end with an unidentified injury).
City were not perhaps the slick well oiled machine we have come to expect in the opening half, but the shape, and philosophy was there to see. Angelino, pushed into forward thinking midfield role, surprised with some of his touches, and even could have had a goal. Garcia was more measured, and again showed his promise as one of the more obviously gifted young players on show. Things would have been more comfortable if it was not for last seasons EFL Cup hero Willy Cabelero, again struggling with the ground work for which he was initially preferred to Joe Hart earlier in the season, and nearly gifting Swansea an opening on a couple of occasions.
After the break City stepped up a gear, and the passing which had been a little slow and labored began to click. The opening goal certainly owed a lot to City's new approach as they broke from front to back via fine one touch passing, before Angelino gave the ball to Gael Clichy of all people to score only his fourth goal since coming to England thirteen years ago, with a deflected strike from the edge of the box.
Once the goal went in City certainly relaxed and it was only a matter of time for the second, this time provided by Aleix Garcia, with an assured first time shot low into the bottom left of the Swansea goal from Navas' pull back. Further bonus for me was the appearance of both Brahim and Adarabioyo as City did more than enough to comfortably progress and earn a tie against Trafford at the swamp (surprise surprise) on 25 October. #CTID
@l0ngwayfr0mh0me
