City prove they’re more than pretty passers
(Happy New Year, my friends)! All the betting best for 2019, the year of ingulube – that’s pig, for my non-Zulu people.
Wow, what a banger couple of weeks we have been treated to over the festive season. We had an absolute classic played just over 24 hours ago, with a topof-the-table clash in the English Premier League. The game lived up to the hype and, dare I say it, Liverpool were 11 millimetres away from possibly securing their first league title in 27 years. It’s the inches, they say, kids. All about them inches.
Unfortunately this weekend, the league is not on and it’s “cup-set” time in the United Kingdom with the FA Cup on the go. Last night it was Tranmere Rovers from Merseyside hosting Tottenham Hotspur. Hope you took the visitors on the handicap, according to my muthi source Dez B, bafethu.
In the rest of the games, we have to fly through them like the number of over-priced golf balls we went through, at Mount Edgecombe CC, in a ‘House of York’ golf outing. Burnley v Barnsley, Manchester United v Reading and West Ham play Birmingham. Then there is Chelsea hosting Forest and Everton against Lincoln. These are all the top games featuring Premier League spans, and are the most likely to be televised this weekend.
All the home teams should do the business. But, this is the MANCHESTER City showed in their 2-1 win over Liverpool on Thursday night that for all their famous technical ability and attractive passing, they can fight as hard as anyone when the stakes are high.
The presence of captain Vincent Kompany, whose appearances have been restricted by injury this season, set the tone for a City side who matched Liverpool for effort and aggression throughout a compelling Premier League match.
But while Kompany has long been a warrior-leader, there were other players who demonstrated they are not just pretty passers.
Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, who has made such a valuable contribution this season with his precise passing and clever dribbling, constantly harassed the Liverpool backline.
Raheem Sterling, whose pace and directness troubled Liverpool, never tired of chasing back and limiting the effectiveness of Andrew Robertson’s trademark forward surges.
And of course Brazilian Fernandinho, whose absence was sorely felt in City’s recent poor run, was a rock in the centre cup, so we punt at our peril.
In some local shandiz, Kaizer Chiefs host Mamelodi Sundowns in the big game at Soccer City. Then Polokwane tackle Usuthu, AmaZulu, and Highlands play host to Orlando Pirates.
In the Chiefs against Patrice Motsepe’s millionaires spectacle, expect more pain for the Glamour Boys, especially with Itu Khune missing in action.
In fact, unlike the English FA Cup games I spoke of earlier, I am backing all the visitors to land grab the three points in the local-and-lekker stuff.
Then we have the best and original form of cricket on the go at the minute, with all of the southern hemisphere boytjies in of midfield, with his timely interceptions, physical confrontations and ability to break up Liverpool counter-attacks.
Those who witnessed City players around the dressing room after their warm-up and before taking the field, were certainly not surprised by the aggressive way they played.
Pep Guardiola’s men thumped their chests and yelled at each other, clearly pumped up and ready for a battle.
“It came from our guts, a desire you can’t describe. We are a better team when we play with emotions,” said Kompany.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with a tremendous performance, we went toe to toe with a very physical, very aggressive team and we matched them if not more,” he added.
“The 12th man is more than just the fans, it’s a desire, something from within you can’t describe and today it was there and it made us a better team and we are a better team when we play with emotion.”
If there was one player who seemed to be lifted by that emotion to a new level of competitiveness it was Bernardo Silva and his contribution was noticed by his manager.
“He did everything,” he reflected. action at home.
The Black Caps and the Proteas should do much of the same and wrap up their respective series tomorrow, but India have spoilt the clean sweep – as per the Bones’ preChristmas call.
A man named Che Pujara has been the revolutionary for India, and I hope that all of your 2019 missions are done with the same dedicated attitude shown by the man of the series who hails from Rajkot.
What’s more, he doesn’t even chow the meat we chowed on all December.
He prefers his buffet to be of the bowling variety, and he has feasted royally on Aussie
“He won all the duels. He is the smallest one. He shows that to play football, it doesn’t matter, you have to be good. Of course I would prefer to have a taller team or more physical but Bernardo is incredible.
“It is a long time since I see a performance like he did in all terms, he is precise, he is clean, he is clever, he even fought with (Virgil) Van Dijk,” he said, referring to the way in which Liverpool’s towering Dutch defender had the Portuguese playmaker snapping at his heels.
Sergio Aguero, whose stunning strike opened the scoring, showed a willingness to dart across the Liverpool back line in search of openings and to close down Juergen Klopp’s side as they tried to play out from the back.
Guardiola rejected the idea his team had adopted a more direct style for the crunch match but acknowledged this was the kind of intensity City would need to show if they are to succeed at home - and in Europe.
“All credit to these incredible players,” he said. “That is how we have to play in the Champions League. We had a lot of pressure but we were not scared, we had no fear”. | Reuters
pavlova pitches. Kudos must also go out to Virat Kohli for the unapologetic leadership he shows and his consistency as the best batsman in the world. Hands down, baba.
He is a thorn in any side, whatever format, and you have to get through him to win the World Cup.
This year may well be Mzansi’s best chance of bringing the trophy back and rid ourselves of the Choker Label, but good luck putting your money on them.
That sterling rate ain’t cheap, and we are hardly in the pound seats when it comes to ODI cricket.
Talking World Cups, let’s move onto the oval shaped ball. This is truly the year of World Cups... and the pig, apparently!
The William Webb Ellis will
be hosted in Japan for the very first time, showing just how much the game has grown.
For me, this year’s edition has the potential to be to be the best Rugby World Cup, followed by New Zealand 2011 and South Africa ‘95. In that order.
The next seven months becomes hell-of- a-crucial for the big nations in the build up to the crunch in the east. There are as many as six teams who could win this, and that is a tantalising prospect.
In domestic fare, we have the English and French leagues on the go and halfway through, while the PRO14 is also back on this weekend.
The weekend’s highlight for us locals is the boys from Bloemfontein, who you should bank on upsetting Zebre.
Sangoma out