Manchester City v. West Bromwich Albion Match Review

Tevez increases his stats to 49 goals in all competitions with a hat trick in this thriller against W.B.A resulting in a 3-0 win for Manchester City!

Mancini decided to change his formation a tad using a line-up of: J. Hart, K. Toure, P. Zabaleta, J. Boateng, A. Kolarov, G. Barry, V. Kompany, Y. Toure, J. Milner, C. Tevez, and D. Silva.

Pros:


I can't stress enough how great of an addition Kolarov has made to the team since he's been back from his ankle injury in the beginning of the season. I'll be the first to admit that Kolarov had some trouble adapting to Mancini's form of play, but lately with injuries to both Adam Johnson and Balotelli he has really shown his ability to play. Mancini did something really well here with the formation allowing Kolarov to float on the left side of the field and worry less about being the last line in defense. By putting him slightly above the bottom four (Zab, Boateng, Toure, Kompany), it gave Kolarov the ability to be where he was needed most. The more often we can get Kolarov about 30 yards from the opposing goal, the better, as he has a rocket of a shot. We saw this in action when his shot slammed against the cross bar from about 35 yards out.

Based on how they play, I'm assuming Tevez and Silva must be  the best of friends. Their short quick passing is a beauty to watch and continuously leads to goal after goal. The quick action in the box that lead to the second goal sent shivers down my spine.

In addition, I applaud Mancini's continued involvement of James Milner. He's a player I equate to someone like Dirk Kuyt of Liverpool. Milner works hard in offense and defense but isn't necessarily flashy and almost works behind the scenes

Cons:


Regardless of the 3-0 ending score, our defense was far too shaky many times against a relegation fighting side. Joe Hart had to step in to make a couple pretty strong saves because our defense was not as strong as I'd like them to be.

Man of the Match:


Tevez of course. As a striker myself, I can understand the amount of pressure placed upon a person taking a penalty kick, let alone 2! Plus, as I have stated before, the 2nd goal was absolutely stunning and he deserves so much credit for dodging the defense as he slot it past the goalie.

Overall Effect:


With Manchester United losing against Wolves 2-1, City's win effectively puts them back in the title race. And the result of Liverpool v. Chelsea will also have a huge effect. Hopefully Liverpool can slow down Chelsea as they build a final push at the end of the season with their new striker Torres.