Why Manchester City and Swansea should be keenly anticipating Saturday’s clash

Why Manchester City and Swansea should be keenly anticipating Saturday’s clash

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Manchester City’s loss at the Britannia Stadium to Stoke was quite sobering for Manuel Pelegrini’s side, while Swansea’s heavy defeat to Leicester City puts even more pressure on Garry Monk and his players.

The Citizens had a great run during October, with only one draw in Manchester Derby, but late November proved numerous shortcomings in the squad. On their last three travels, Manchester City were unable to find the net, losing on two occasions. But Pellegrini’s side was particularly off-beat on Saturday against Stoke. Mark Hughes’ firing forward trident of Bojan, Marko Arnautović and Xherdan Shaqiri harassed City throughout, pointing out all the bad in their game.

Swansea City will travel to Manchester in a bad moment. If their trip to Anfield 10 days ago was not what Monk needed, this time around it will be even tougher for his side. The Jacks were poor once again in Leicester City’s 3-0 dismantling of them at the Liberty Stadium. Riyad Mahrez’s hat-trick has deepened the crisis at Swansea to only one win in last 11 matches and Monk is running out of time to change things around. Yet, what must be pointed out is that his players have severely underperformed for weeks now.

City need to end poor form

Only three wins in the last six matches – from which one came against Hull in League Cup and another against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League – is not even close enough to the expected levels at the Etihad Stadium. Vincent Kompany’s injury has been the biggest problem for this team, as City conceded in only one match when he was on the pitch. Without the Belgian defender, the Citizens have been leaking – not once have they recorded a clean sheet.

Pelegrini needs to end this below-par phase if his team is to enter the title race in a more convincing manner. Martin Demichelis and Nicolas Otamendi seem a weak pairing in the middle of the back line, while it remains strange why Pelegrini left out Fabian Delph against the Potters. The former Aston Villa player was outstanding against Southampton – even contributing with a goal – and his place in the starting XI was supposed to be secured. Manchester City need goals, but more importantly, they are in urge of defensive solidity. Swansea may not hurt them, but Arsenal and Leicester City are waiting right around the corner.

To be or not to be for the Swans?

It is hard to tell if this will be Monk’s last match as the Swansea manager or whether he will even make it through to Saturday. His team is in disastrous form, sitting rock-bottom in the Premier League form table. One point in the last five matches and six in the last 11 outings says enough, and yet it remains tough to find the culprit. Monk’s insecurities in changing things around cannot be a reason anymore as he has been rotating in search of the best solution.

Almost all of the 11 players on pitch seem unconvincing, lacking real character when in need of goals. A two-goal comeback in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth was important but it did not bring any real changes in the way the players are performing. Ashley Williams is often left exposed due to the vulnerable midfield in which Leon Britton cannot be considered as a good defensive midfielder for the top-flight standards. His lack of physical presence was easily exploited in all of the last three matches. Swansea need to become ‘fighters’ and then the cream can eventually rise to the top.

Indication of changes

Manchester City ended the Champions League group stage just as they were hoping – defeating Gladbach 4-2 on Tuesday and securing first place and most likely and easier draw in the first knockout round. After a good performance in midweek, Pelegrini’s side will have a good opportunity to continue improving towards the most important part of the season – a hectic December-January period. A good run of fixtures could easily see them sitting top of the table halfway through the league.

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Swansea are on a different type of crossroad. Monk is reported to be very close to getting sacked and his destiny could be decided even before the Manchester City game. Another loss on Saturday could even see them slide into the relegation zone – very much an uncomfortable position – and how the squad reacts will be crucial. December always seems as an indicator of how the season could end.

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