Toure on the Portsmouth win

The returning captain - and my man of the match - on today's victory:

"It was an important win for us. If we want to be in the top four then we know that we need to win these kind of games. This League is really tough - it doesn't matter who you play, you have to raise your game and try your hardest to win. That's what we had to do against Portsmouth.

"At the start of the season we dropped a few points to the lower teams. But we are strong as a team and we defended well today after the two goals that we scored."

"We've got Hull next week and then Bolton. They are really important games for us. We need to take the points against the teams who are in the lower part of the table."

Would we have lost earlier in the season playing as we did today? Possibly, but although we were not particularly good today one thing that was noticeable was that the team retained their focus and concentration, particularly in defence.

Earlier in the season, what was hurting us throughout the run of draws was poor decision making and a lack of concentration which led to crucial goals being conceded.

Kudos then to Roberto Mancini for the way in which he has focused on this area - an aspect that will also be key in our next two fixtures, that we realistically have to take six points from.

Portsmouth ratings

Given - A couple of anxious moments early on but rarely tested. 6

Zabaleta - Some good attacking forays until forced off through injury - 6.5

Toure - Returned to the line up and a strong presence in the side. My man of the match. 7

Kompany - Continued his form of late. Hopefully the injury is not serious. 7

Garrido - Lack of pace again evident today and exposed on occasions. 5.5

de Jong - Strong performance yet again but could have received more than a yellow. 6.5

Barry - Not getting into games enough. Place must be under threat. 5

Ireland - Nice ball for the opening goal and added creativity today. 6.5

Petrov - Confident as always, but a little selfish in his decision making. 6

Adebayor - Good to see him back in the side and took his goal well. 7

Tevez - Plenty of energy and running but lacked the quality of late. 6.5

Subs:

Onouha - Slotted in with ease at right back. 6.5

Boyata - Accomplished performance after replacing the injured Kompany. 6.5

Bellamy - Added importance pace late on. 6.5

City 2 - 0 Portsmouth

One by product of the raised expectations at the club over the past 12-18 months has been an attitude where far less patience is afforded. Clearly today was not a particularly good performance, yet it was by no means a poor one. Judging by some of the post-match reaction you wouldn't have thought so though.

Ahead of the game my view (not a lone one I hasten to add) was that the three points were all but ours, and that anything a comfortable and convincing win was expected. Perhaps that was a mentality shared by the players given the evidence of the opening half an hour where it was Portsmouth, and not ourselves, who had the pace and energy. Portsmouth had early chances too, but crucially couldn't take them.

There were more formation changes again today - variants of 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 - which may have unsettled the side too. Mancini is clearly a flexible coach, and not one for allowing the game to remain static at any time.

As manfully as they began, it was evident that this Portsmouth do not possess sufficient quality throughout their side and it was a moment of quality that led to us opening the scoring. The restored Stephen Ireland, picking out the run of Emmanuel Adebayor (a borderline offside call) with a direct ball. Adebayor's first touch was excellent to bring the ball under control and the finish left David James with no chance.

With time ticking down on the first half, the game was all but killed off. Vincent Kompany beating his marker (Tal Ben Haim) at a corner to powerfully head home for the second. Whilst we have thrown enough leads away over the course of this season, it was a relatively safe bet that the game was all but over.

We played better in the second half and there was some good moments and passages of play, but lacked a little cohesion and collectiveness in attack to press home the advantage. Portsmouth missed an opportunity or two themselves to get back into the game late on before Tevez hit the post but there could be no real arguments as to where the points headed.

It was an important victory given results elsewhere this weekend (Villa and Liverpool winning, Tottenham drawing) and we round out January in a healthy position. February looks to be a tough proposition in the league with trips to Hull, Stoke and Chelsea alongside home games against Bolton and Liverpool.

There will be ten games remaining in the 2009/10 league campaign following this set of fixtures. Being in possession of fourth spot at the end of them has to be the requirement.

Portsmouth preview

Whilst a semi-final defeat would be frustrating enough, the manner in which we exited on Wednesday evening will have resulted in a squad of players eager to get back on the pitch and get it out of their systems.

For a choice of opponent, perhaps Portsmouth are exactly what is required. Currently bottom of the league, players not being paid and facing an uncertain future with a winding up order scheduled in February would be bad enough. Added to this though is the fact that they have failed to win in their past fifteen visits to Maine Road/CoMS and face us in the midst of a thirteen game home unbeaten run and a win will see us set new records in that regard and also for scoring in consecutive home games (currently at twenty).

From the limited time I have seen of Portsmouth they have appeared to be a spirited, if somewhat limited side, perhaps galvanised into a united mentality by the off-field troubles but surely that is sustainable only for so long. The more that emerges about their current plight, the more obvious the sheer scale of mis-management at the club appears to have been.

They have re-signed Jamie O'Hara on loan from Tottenham but have uncertainty over both Asimir Begovic and Younes Kaboul and looking through their squad they will face an uphill battle to avoid the drop this season unless they can somehow strengthen over the next few days.

I would be incredibly surprised (and disappointed) if Roberto Mancini did not revert back to a 4-4-2 formation to accomodate Emmanuel Adebayor. If so, the likely candidate to drop out would be Pablo Zabaleta, although he did enough in the second half on Wednesday to suggest he would be a better fit than Javi Garrido at left back. Mancini may also recall Kolo Toure to the starting line-up in place of Dedryck Boyata.

With Wembley plans now put to one side (at least until the next round of the FA Cup anyway), focus resumes on our bid for a top four spot. It is no stretch to say that three points really is a must if we have designs on Champions League qualification and a win is exactly what I am expecting.

As emphatic a victory as this one would be very welcome.

Game notes:

• City are unbeaten in their last 13 home league matches since a 3-1 defeat by Fulham in April (W10, D3). If they avoid defeat on Sunday it will be their longest unbeaten top-flight run since an 18-match streak ended in September 1981.
• They have scored in their last 20 league matches at the City of Manchester Stadium. If they score against Portsmouth it will be their longest goal-scoring run since 1958.
• Portsmouth have won just one of their last six league games (W1, D2, L3).
• They have lost 10 of their 11 matches against top-half opponents this season - the worst record in the division. The exception was the 2-0 win over Liverpool in December.
• Pompey have scored 19 league goals this season - only Wolves had managed fewer prior to this weekend's fixtures.
• They have only earned two points from losing positions this season.

Ben Haim departure confirmed

From mcfc.co.uk:

Tal Ben Haim has joined Portsmouth on a free transfer.

The experienced 27-year-old Israeli international defender who made his name in this country at Bolton Wanderers, managed just nine starts for City following his switch from Chelsea last year. He spent the end of last season on loan at Sunderland.

Confirmation of the mornings rumours and brings an end to a fairly miserable time at the club for Ben Haim. At the time of his signing he did look to be a useful addition to the squad that was being assembled.

It became clear though that despite arriving on Hughes' watch, the deal was being put in place prior to his arrival and Ben Haim quickly fell foul of Hughes and was identified as one of the trio of rebels to go behind Hughes' back.

Since leaving Bolton his career really has been on the slide and has now been jettisoned by both ourselves and Chelsea, yet he could be a useful pick up for Portsmouth though as they to try to get their season back on track after the off-field upheaval and loss of key players.

Ben Haim claims Portsmouth move completed

From BBC Sport:

Manchester City defender Tal Ben Haim says he has signed a four-year contract with Premier League rivals Portsmouth.

Pompey, currently bottom of the table after losing all four league games, have not confirmed the deal, but Ben Haim is relishing a move to the club.

"It's a big challenge," said the 27-year-old Israeli international. "I think we can turn things around."

The centre-back, who has had spells with Bolton and Chelsea, last featured for Manchester City in December.

Still no official word from either club, but you imagine this is a done deal.

Portsmouth thoughts

One of things that Mark Hughes will be so pleased with about our start is the manner in which we are winning games.

Most predicted that the make up our side would see us become an attacking jugernaut, dominating sides with our attacking prowess, but equally being exposed and vulnerable in defense.

There is as much pleasure to be gained in being able to carve out professional 1-0 victories away from home as there is to a free flowing 4-0 win. The evidence of the season so far suggests there is a steelier resolve than previous sides, and almost 'un-City' like in being able to string continuous and consistent performances of this nature together. Given the attacking threat we carry, we are also going to destroy a side sooner rather than later.

Clearly plenty of work is done during the week in terms of preparation and tactical approach and the players are responding to the message that is being handed out. The victories that we have seen this season appear to have been a reflection of that.

Again it was impressive that the goal came from a set piece - an area that for so long we have been utterly impotent from. A familiar lament from 2008/09 was the lack of presence in attack, remedied with the players added in the summer and this was again evident yesterday. Suddenly we are carrying a threat from set pieces, an important part of the game that we have rarely capitalised on.

Adebayor has been hugely impressive, being a huge focal point as an outlet for the side, able to keep possession and bring players into the game. Not to mention a genuine goal threat who should add 20 plus goals with ease this season.

The work that Gareth Barry is doing is perhaps unheralded on a wider scale, but his contribution is growing by the game. Watching him at closer quarters this season has shown him to be a far better player and influence on a game than he looked from afar at Aston Villa. Yesterday, he was again an instrumental figure in a midfield that was harried and harrassed by their Portsmouth counterparts.

An impressive start continues then as we go into a break before the next fixture. Whilst the side deserve plenty of praise for their performance, particularly so given the changes in personnel over the summer we have not faced the stiffest of tests so far.

When we return to action we have a pair of fixtures (Arsenal at home, followed by United away) which will certainly provide a sterner test of what this team has.

Portsmouth preview

A Sunday TV appearance and a debut for the new third kit at Fratton Park.

Although their takeover appears completion, they have been in a state of flux for the past six months or so. So much so that David James openly questioned what was happening to the club in his Observer column. The departed Sylvain Distin also spoke about the circumstances at the club.

Having had a large part of the team being sold off, and a look through their side shows some new and unfamiliar names. They have also started the season on the pitch badly, losing all three of their games in the Premier League, although they did record a win in the Carling Cup in midweek.

On the contrary, we have a 100% record so far, and are yet to concede a goal. The new signings that we have made appear to be integrating nicely and we look to possess an attacking threat we did not have throughout 2008/09.

Having not made changes in midweek, Mark Hughes has to decide if this is a fixture he can draft in one or two from the bench. There are no new injury worries so I suspect we may see a similar line up once again, particularly given the way Tevez and Adebayor look to be combining.

A slight worry for me is both how Robinho and Ireland are fitting into the side in deeper roles than they are accustomed and the system isn't getting the best out of them. Perhaps it will take time as the side and formation settles but there are some strong players on the bench waiting to come in.

We are odds on favourites to win (a rarity last season), yet Fratton Park has not always been a happy hunting ground. Goals are also usually a feature, but I suspect it will be a tight affair tomorrow and a 1-0 victory looks good to maintain our impressive start.

Al Fahim buys Portsmouth

Portsmouth have accepted a bid from United Arab Emirates businessman Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim to buy the club.

The move follows negotiations led by Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie on behalf of club owner Alexandre Gaydamak.

Al Fahim was the initial figurehead of the Abu Dhabi United Group when they took control of Manchester City last year, but is now acting for himself.

>>bbc sport.

For those with shorter memories, Dr Fahim was very much at the forefront in the early stages of the takeover with us last summer, being a very high profile and public figure indeed. So much so, that the actual owners he was representing quickly sought to distance themselves from him and some of the more outlandish statements that were made, opting for a more sober and understated approach that we have seen throughout the past season.

Now he finds himself not only at the forefront of a takeover, but this time the owner himself and at the very least it should liven things up at Portsmouth, who were reported to be struggling financially.

An interesting aside to the takeover, is despite the job performed by Paul Hart and Brian Kidd after Harry Redknapp departed for Tottenham, it is suggested Dr Fahim very much has is own man in mind, Sven Goran-Eriksson.

Portsmouth 2 City 0

If Portsmouth could have hand-picked opponents for a moment of the season so loaded with importance, the list would surely have started with ­Manchester and ended with City. Here, in a 90-minute exhibition of drabness, was a perfect explanation as to why Mark Hughes's team have won only once away from home all season.

>>guardian.co.uk

Could yesterday be explained any more succinctly?

Given a recent spell of more positive form and points return, I really did think the Portsmouth was a pivotal game to show the progress we are making.

With ours being the only Premier League game yesterday, we had the opportunity to banish our away day blues and move up to seventh in the table. Despite the sacking of Tony Adams - which you would assume would galvanise the team, I was confident of the victory.

How wrong I was.

It was both a result and performance that was clearly as frustrating as it was disappointing, another sign that we are taking one step forward then one step backwards.

The City blogs have been out in force in the wake of the defeat, and you'd imagine knives are sharpening all over as given the transfer window has closed, the focus falls firmly back onto Mark Hughes.

• we've got robinho
• tldorc
• news of the blues
• man city blog

What was of concern is Mark Hughes's post match comments:

"Today's performance was not anywhere near the level we needed to be. You have got to roll your sleeves up when you come to places like this to battle for what you , and on occasions we were lacking in that respect.

"You have got to be strong and stand up to the challenge, but we allowed them to take the initiative. You will concede goals as a result of that, and this is the hardest league in the world. At times we forget that, certainly away from home.

"Other teams will not allow you to play, not allow your technically gifted players to have an influence on the game. You have to find another way, get a performance from within and take something from every performance. Today was a performance where some players did not perform to their capabilities, and that is a frustration for everybody.

"This was a setback, but we have to pick ourselves up and make sure we are in better shape for our upcoming games."

Yesterday's result and performance it seems was nothing new from what has already been seen this season, yet (and perhaps in a similar vein to Sven) there doesn't appear to be a plan or formation to overcome the wretched away form that has seen us win just once away from home all season. Yet again yesterday, we saw the same changes and alterations that have not worked for the most part of the season.

Away from home we have scored only 14 goals in these 12 games, being shut out 4 times - a terrible return given the attacking options and threat that we possess.

If Hughes is the man to take us forward (and he at least believes he is) then he needs to be able to deliver the answers as I'm certain that if there is no progress come the end of the season, his position will be very much in question.

Portsmouth v City open thread

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Portsmouth v City preview

Given the absence of any other Premier League fixtures this weekend, victory at Fratton Park will see us move up to seventh position in the table - surely putting an end to the talk of relegation bandied about so often in the media so far this season.

Portsmouth have yet to appoint a new manager to replace Tony Adams (although intriguingly Sven has been linked), but the shot in the arm a change at the helm brings is still likely, and something we will need to guard against.

On the field as well, Portsmouth are in a mess at present with a wretched run of form of just two wins (and eleven points) from the past sixteen games Premier League games, and fare badly against us in recent times (including the 6-0 romp earlier this season).

The Stoke setback aside, results have been positive of late for ourselves, with the performances at least consistent if not spectacular. Team wise, I wouldn't expect many changes with the only real question as to who will replace the suspended Shaun Wright-Phillips (Jack throws a few possibilities around here).

Hughes has been effusive in his praise of Elano in recent days, praising the patience he has shown and I wonder if he is tempted to go with the 'hot hand' following his performance for Brazil in midweek which will surely have lifted his confidence. This would likely see us line up
with a 4-2-3-1 formation which would make sense given Hughes's comments regarding adopting a positive approach to end the run of poor form on our travels.

Ordinarily, I would be fairly confident of us taking all three points tomorrow but there is a little of the unknown given Portsmouth's current position. Having said that, we do look to be gelling well with our January additions and if we can maintain a focus on our performance then we should be good for the victory.

Prediction: I'll back us for a 2-0 victory.

New manager syndrome

There was a time when managers were sacked after games against Manchester City, not in the run up to them.

In the wake of Tony Adams sacking, as we did against Nottingham Forest we will go up against a club who have fired their manager prior to facing us.

I've unsucessfully dug around for some stats to back this out, but it is fair to say that appointing a new manager generally provides a shot in the arm to the club in the short term, which of course could provide an immediate problem to us.

There is still plenty of time for a new manager to be appointed at Portsmouth, but I think given the haste in which Adams was appointed, they may be more circumspect this time around. Whether or not it is a permanent or caretaker manager we come up against though, inevitably our opponents are going to be a tougher proposition than the mess Portsmouth have been in recent weeks (admittedly with luck not particularly in their favour).

Portsmouth, it seemed, provided an ideal chance for us to generate some form on our travels, but now with Adams's departure coupled with the suspension of Shaun Wright-Phillips will make Saturday's game in hand an altogether tougher proposition.

Sunday transfer round up - something new

A quiet weekend all round really with the postponement of yesterday's game at Portsmouth coupled with not much of note on the transfer front speculated - as you'd expect really over a weekend with most of the media attention focused on the action on the field.

A couple of new names linked with moves in and out of the club though, with us being touted as a possible destination for Andrei Arshavin. Since rising to prominence on the back of Zenit's UEFA Cup triumph last season and then a (mostly) successful European Championships he has been linked with moves to all and sundry.

A move to Arsenal was expected this January, but there appears to some haggling over the fee and/or personal terms so it is possible we could sneak in ahead of them to his signature. I would be surprised if we were interested though. It seems a classic case of another clubs name being thrown into the mix to elicit a higher bid from interested parties. Besides, as good a player as he may be - although given his age (27) you do wonder why he hasn't 'broke through' earlier - it is difficult to see quite where he would fit into our line up and surely our priorities lie elsewhere?

Jo has been touted as a player who has fallen foul of Mark Hughes, with a couple of destinations speculated, but it is the first time I have heard Newcastle linked with him.

The Mail suggests a loan until the end of the season being a possibility. The article also speculates Portsmouth may want to take Benjani on a similar deal, and that we would encourage a bid from Tottenham for Richard Dunne.

I'd suggest that all three possibilities are nonesense. No way do we counter the possibility of loaning Jo or Benjani to a fellow Premier League side whilst as bad as Dunne's form has been, if Dunne exits, who do play there?

As we hit the halfway mark of the transfer window, lets hope for a more prosperous week than the one we have just had as time is beginning to tick away.

Portsmouth match postponed

From portsmouthfc.co.uk:

Today's Premier League match against Manchester City has been called off due to a frozen pitch.

The decision was made by referee Mike Dean after an inspection of the Fratton Park pitch.

Temperatures last night dipped to below -7 degrees centigrade and have been well below freezing every night this week.

Earlier this week a dozen diesel heaters were hired to blow hot air on the pitch as ground staff did everything possible to ensure the game went ahead.

Portsmouth open thread

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...assuming the game is still on of course given the pitch inspection this morning:

Referee Mike Dean will inspect the Fratton Park pitch this morning to see if today’s Premier League match against Manchester City can go ahead.

Temperatures last night dipped to below -7 degrees centigrade and have been well below freezing every night this week.

No indication of what time the inspection will be, but it doesn't help most City fans who are already likely to be on the road.

Portsmouth v Manchester City preview

[tldorc preview, premierleague.com preview, bbc sport preview]

Billed in some quarters as a relegation tussle, with the loser seemingly mired in a scrap between now and the end of the season.

As I've posted previously, January could be a very big month in terms of our aspirations for the remainder of the season and a win over a side in flux would be a welcome start to the month.

Neither side approach this game with much form, with Portsmouth on a run of four successive defeats whilst we have posted only one win in six. Recent form should be on our side as we of course defeated Portsmouth 6-0 earlier this season, yet Fratton Park has not yielded much return previously with only one win in six attempts.

Whilst we have struggled to get players in during the transfer window so far, Portsmouth have the opposite problem and have seen key players Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe depart Fratton Park.

Team wise, we could once again be under strength with Stephen Irleand (suspension) likely joined on the sidelines by Shaun Wright-Phillips (hamstring) and Robinho (thigh). As witnessed last week, these absences could be critical in terms of our hopes of coming away with all three points. Wayne Bridge, however, will be line to make his debut.

It will be a difficult taks ahead but it could well be a nervy Portsmouth side we come up against. I'd like to see Hughes approach the game with a confident approach (even if we are shorn of our main attacking threats) as opposed to trying to keep the game tight and steal a win.

Fratton Park is never an easy place to go to with a real atmosphere usually generated, but I'm confident that we can come away with a victory and will go for a 2-0 win.

Some quick notes:

• We have drawn four and lost four of the last eight away league games since our only Premier League victory on the road this season; 0-3 against Sunderland on 31 August.
• The value of a clean sheet is highlighted by the fact that we are one of three clubs holding a 100% Premier League record from matches in which clean sheets have been kept; won five of five.
• Our current tally of 22 points after 20 games is their worst return for five years.

Portsmouth game in doubt

According to The News:

The wintery weather has meant the Fratton Park pitch is rock hard, forcing Pompey to bring in 12 giant blowers from Bristol in a bid to thaw out the pitch.

The freezing temperatures have seen a flood of matches called-off across the country this week, with pitches ruled unplayable.

But the Blues hope Saturday's crucial game will be able to go ahead as planned.

And they will be buoyed by the expected rise in temperatures before Saturday's 3pm clash.

I know we are struggling for form at present and have the off field distractions of Hughes's future and transfer speculation to contend with, but if anything, Portsmouth are in a far worse position than ourselves and it could be an ideal fixture to kick start a decent run in January.

Diarra agrees Real move

Real Madrid and Portsmouth have confirmed that midfielder Lassana Diarra has agreed to leave Fratton Park to join the Spanish club in January and will undergo a medical tomorrow. Pompey agreed a deal with the Spanish giants for the 23-year-old midfielder earlier this week, with the fee reported to be in the region of £20m.

>>telegraph.co.uk.

At least this brings this saga to a close, without our reported interest ever becoming official - in terms of a bid at least.

Diarra would undoubtedly have been a good addition to our current squad, not least for it would allow Kompany to move back into defence.

Back to the drawing board for Hughes then.

Hughes still keen on Diarra

"He's obviously a player I like. He's a good player, but
he's still a Portsmouth one. Things may develop for him but the window isn't
open at this moment so we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

>>telegraph.co.uk

There was a piece in today's Express that suggested whilst Diarra favours a move to Madrid, he is willing to listen to other offers, which could obviously sway things in our favour.

As coy as Hughes was being with his comments, it is clear that he would like to sign Diarra but like I have posted previously, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up at Madrid.

It has been an up and down week with all the speculation and stories surrounding Diarra, and will only escalate the further we head towards January.