Carlos Tevez steps in for the injured Sergio Aguero to grab the only goal as City clinch the points at Villa. Roberto Mancini sticks to a 4-5-1 formation once again as the visitors grind out their sixth clean sheet in eight to cut the gap at the top to 12 points behind neighbours United:
Aguero Concerns for City
Last night’s team sheet delivered an unexpected blow for Sergio Aguero’s owners after the Argentine was ruled out with a late injury – the forward took to twitter just before the match to deliver his own prognosis:
“I felt a crick in my right knee during last training so I won’t make it against Aston Villa today. It’s a pity I can’t be there for my team at this moment. All I can do is recover, and I’m already on it.”
Although press reports suggest he will also miss the FA Cup clash against Barnsley this weekend, judging by his comments, Aguero certainly sounds optimistic of a quick recovery. While he may not be ruled out for any length of time, the uncertainty that still surrounds Gameweek 29 is a real issue. Currently, City don’t have a fixture with their home clash against Wigan yet to be rescheduled – Fantasy managers are still hoping a decision will be made on this, one way or the other, in order to aid out planning ahead of the weekend’s deadline. Despite having scored just once in his last five, Aguero remains Mancini’s first-choice forward but his 6% owners are already scouring the market for replacements as a result of last night’s absence.
Tevez Showing Form
The Argentine was handed his first start in four as a result of his compatriot’s absence and secured the points with a coolly taken finish. Tevez has now notched in back-to-back Gameweeks, having climbed off the bench to grab City’s second against Chelsea last time out, but questions remain over his starting berth. Once again, Roberto Mancini rolled out a 4-5-1 formation for the trip to Villa – a clear sign that, despite United’s significant lead at the top of the table, the City boss is content to grind out victories; if Aguero is fit, there’s every chance Tevez will drop back to the bench.
Although his decision to send on Edin Dzeko to partner Tevez proved decisive, his hand was somewhat forced after Jack Rodwell was forced off with a recurrence of his hamstring problem; indeed, despite a slim one-goal advantage, Mancini’s caution was highlighted by Tevez’s withdrawal on 75 minutes, as Samir Nasri’s introduction allowed City to return to a five-man midfield, with Dzeko the lone forward. In spite of Tevez’s form, an early return for Aguero, coupled with a likely blank Gameweek 29 and a schedule that sees the champions travel to Everton, United and Spurs in their next five, is more than enough to dissuade Fantasy managers from snapping up Tevez right now.
City’s Defensive Resilience
Similar to neighbours United, Roberto Mancini’s outfit are stepping up in defensive resilience as the season enters the final straight. While United registered their fourth consecutive clean sheet in Saturday’s win over Norwich, City’s 1-0 win was the sixth time in the last eight Gameweeks they have kept out their opponents – three of those clean sheets have arrived in the last five, despite Vincent Kompany’s calf injury absence. Although Pablo Zabaleta owners will be happy to hold, that above-mentioned schedule could deter some from investing in the City rearguard despite their impressive form at the back. Zabaleta’s propensity to pick up points at both ends of the pitch has been crucial over the last few months – he has either scored, assisted or registered a clean sheet in 10 of his last 13 appearances now.
Villa Midfield Problems
With attacking returns in four of his previous five Gameweeks, Charles N’Zogbia was one of the league’s in-form midfielders heading into last night’s fixture. The former Wigan man looked a possible option ahead of a couple of crucial matches – Villa now face the bottom two in a pair of proverbial six-pointers, with a weekend trip to Reading preceding a home game with QPR, but Paul Lambert’s decision to withdraw the Frenchman on 64 minutes perhaps places question marks over his game time. Lambert is also without Fabian Delph for that pair of fixtures – the combative midfielder earned his tenth caution of the campaign and will now serve a two-match ban.
