Manchester City vs Portsmouth Preview

Last updated : 26 August 2005 By Keith Allman

The season is well and truly underway now; the giveaway sign is always when you end up travelling hundreds of miles, notice the bank account getting a couple of hundred quid lighter and your general mood slowly goes downhill. The familiar "post-match walking away from the ground depression" is now a feeling to be embraced like an old friend after far too long away.

I'd love to say that we're going to get something this weekend but for some reason, this is the most un-confident (if that's a word) that I've been about getting a result all season. Against Spurs, I thought we'd grab a draw. Against West Brom, I was looking at a point or three. Against Villa, I thought a 2-1 was definitely on the cards. But tomorrow? I just get the feeling that we'll turn up, create some chances, do ok but not enough. And given my previous record for being confident before matches, perhaps it's good for once that I'm not and I might get proven wrong as we romp to a 5-0 away win.

If I'm honest, my general lack of confidence isn't entirely about our own form. Personally I reckon we've got better with every game and it won't be long until we chalk up our first win. But the problem is that Man City are riding the crest of a wave of confidence at the moment; Stuart Pearce has got them buoyed up, they're looking good at the back (which is unusual for a Man City team) and they've got players full of goals - Andy Cole will always grab you a couple and even Darius Vassell, who can usually be depended on to miss a hatful of chances, hit the back of the net in midweek. Our only hope is if David James thinks he's playing for England by mistake and chucks a couple in for us.

Our biggest problem (and it's quite a crucial one) is goals. "Goals win games" and "it only takes a second to score a goal" (amongst other clichés), and sadly for us at the moment we're not getting enough. And the ones we do score go in our own net. It seems obvious to me that the one thing we're missing is a guy who can be relied upon to stick the ball in the back of the net time after time; unfortunately they're not easy to find and they don't come cheaply either. What we have got is LuaLua, who will get you the odd special strike but is hardly a "fox in the box" or a guaranteed 15 goal man; Karadas, who by his own admission won't score many; Mbesuma, who is off the pace and unfit; Todorov and Pericard, who are fighting their way back - which doesn't leave us with much. We're creating clear cut chances too, but just don't seem to be able to get them in the back of the net at the moment (and if you're Skopelitis or O'Neil, can't even get them on target). Obviously pre-match talk will turn to the oft-mocked Karadas, and there's some speculation that he might be replaced by Todorov or Pericard. It's worth a gamble, I guess, and they're going to have to start a game at some point. I haven't seen enough out of either of them yet to suggest they're really fully fit or a threat, but we don't really have time to muck about and bed them in gently and given how Karadas has only managed one shot in three games, it might just be time to shake things up a tad.

Squad news then; Linvoy and Cissé are still injured but that really is about your lot. A full compliment of players to choose from for the gaffer but I just get the niggly feeling that Manchester City at home will be up for three points, full of confidence and will probably get them. Having said that they'll probably beat lots of teams at their place this season. And having said that, I said we'd probably lose to Southampton in the derby. And I said we'd probably lose to Bolton in Zajec's first game. So don't listen to me, basically.