Manchester City faces injury crisis
Manchester City faces an injury crisis ahead of the crucial Premier League match against Chelsea this weekend.
The club is missing five first choice defenders; Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Aleksandar Kolarov, Jerome Boateng and Wayne Bridge. Manager Roberto Mancini is worried about the impact this could have
on his side against a rampant Chelsea team.
"We have big problems.
I hope that Micah Richards can recover. If not I don't know who can play left back. We cannot take any risks,"
he said.
There will be a huge strain on the rest of the Manchester City squad to step up and perform against Chelsea. This is hardly ideal preparation to play the best team in the
country.
Play a defender out of position
The problem Mancini faces is that he may be forced to play a defender out of position. Pablo Zabaleta can play in any position along the back four but he has already admitted
that his favoured position is right back. This is not good because Zabaleta will be less effective playing in a less favoured position.
The temptation for the manager will be to play one of his defenders who will not be fit enough to complete 90 minutes. However, the danger here is that the player could
make a current injury worse. This would mean even more time in the treatment room.
Mancini could keep faith with one or two of the younger players that played in the 2-1 League Cup defeat against West Bromwich Albion. Dedryk Boyata is a developing centre
back and Jovan Vidal can play down either flank. These youngsters have a lot of talent and will not learn unless they are thrown in at the deep end.
"I am happy with these young guys. If they do not play then they will never improve," added Mancini.
Betting advice
The odds are stacked firmly against Manchester city. Everything seems to be in Chelsea's favour so get a bet on Carlo Ancelotti's side to win this match. If Chelsea scores
early on then it could be a long day at the office for city.
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