View from Man City

[terryr]

I'm surprised there was so much on their boards. Not all of the Fulham threads were Fulham related or were tediously repetitious, so I've tried to condense what I found 

" With Greatest Respect
We will entertain Fulham in the FA Cup, when Scott Parker turns up with his Fulham team, hoping to upset the holders in their own back yard and possibly hope that they can at least take City back to Craven Cottage in a replay. City will not want to have an extra match forced upon them and the news about injuries is getting better all the time. Fulham have been in and around the play-off spots for the Championship all season and they will relish coming to the Etihad to try their skills against another premier side having beaten Villa in the 3rd round, but what team will Pep put out, that is the question and which team will progress to the hat in the 5th Round Draw.

City Team News
Out

Doubtful
Sane, Mendy, Stones

City - connections - Rodney Marsh, Graham Baker, Peter Beardsley(loanee) Andy Cole, Chris Coleman, Jimmy Conway, Gordon Davies, Dickson Etuhu, Stan Horne(a blast from the past), Niclas Jensen, Terry Phelan, Kit Symons

Famous Fan - Sharon Duce

possible starting Xl
Bravo,
Cancelo,Laporte, Garcia, Angelino
Bernardo, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Fernandinho Foden
Jesus

Match Officials
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick & Edward Smart
Fourth Official: Jonathan Moss
VAR: Jarred Gillett
AVAR: Constantine Hatzidakis"

" Fulham injury update:-

Aboubakar Kamara (AT)
Ankle injury (since 21/01)
Day to day

Anthony Knockaert
Hamstring Injury (since 17/01)
Day to day

Harrison Reed
Calf Injury (since 21/01)
Day to day

Maxime Le Marchand (DF)
Unknown (since 09/11)
Unknown

Aleksandar Mitrovic
Ankle injury (since 11/01)
Early February 2020"

"This has all the hallmarks of a banana skin when complacency is in the squad"

" Sky reporting Knockout should be fit to play."

" Fulham are looking for promotion I expect they'll rotate as much as us and shouldn't be as tough of a match as they potentially could be.

I know Pep won't but I really want to see Ederson in the cups from now on given their increased importance. Give bravo a few league games if he wants to keep him sweet.

Ederson
Cancelo
Otamendi
Garcia
Zinchenko
Angelino
Gundogan
Silva
Foden
Sterling
Jesus

3-5-2 zinchenko as the third cb Cancelo and angelino providing the width and sterling and Jesus upfront as a two.
perhaps giving sterling a different role where he's not stuck on the left with no ability to use his left foot can force out some form from him."

" Can't see past a big City win, with Fulham being in the promotion mix - they'll likely rest a few.
Given up second guessing Peps line ups and formations.
Love to Phil, Tommy, Taylor and Eric start."

" Bravo
Cancelo
Otamendi
Garcia
Angelino
Gundo
D Silva
Foden
Bernardo
Jesus
Sterling"

" Bravo

Cancelo
Garcia
Otamendi
Zinchenko

Gundogan
Foden
Bernardo Silva

Mahrez
Sterling
Aguero

Comfortable win for us this weekend I reckon, 3-0 City."

" Fulham are in the running for automatic promotion back to the PL so may well rest a few players, lets go strong and put them to the sword early on."

" get the game put away in the first half, bring on foden,garcia & doyle to close it out"

" Hopefully Raz can find his shooting boots. Hell... Deploy him up top with Jesus cutting in from the left.

........................Bravo.......................
Cancelo.....Ota.......Garcia....Anglino
........Foden.....Gundo.....Dsilva........
.....Bsilva..........Raz............Jeezus.."

" They're playing Charlton away tonight. Watched them against Boro on Friday and they should have been home and dry in the first half, ended up hanging on for a 1-0 win. They've quite a few with PL experience and Parker likes to have them knock it around- cannot see them defending for ninety, so it should be a good game of football."

" Don't go too weak please Pep, our best chance of coming out of this tricky season with as many trophies as possible is a domestic cup double.
Bravo, Cancelo, Stones, Otamendi, García, Angeliño, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Foden, Bernardo, Aguero
Something like that... wonder how far we are off of Sané returning to the bench?"

" How on earth are the bbc gonna spin this one as game for the neutrals to tune in for?"

" Zinchenko as a CB?? Seriously??"

" Against this opposition, in that formation, as a one-off yes. He's hardly likely to be required to do much defending and will be playing more as a holding midfielder anyway just as Rodri would in that position. It's a way of getting both him and angelino some game time."

" Fulham are up to third in the table and what I've seen of them has been impressive at times, can't underestimate them."

" Fulham's two best strikers are both injured. Also now they're within touching distance of Leeds I'd expect them to prioritise the league and will probably play a load of fringe players"

" They have the best part of a week after the FAC match against us until their next league match, at home against Huddersfield who are near the bottom. I can't see them rotating significantly and they will be up for this as a chance to test themselves against the best in anticipation of promotion for next season. As has been said - not to be underestimated. Hopefully Pep and the boys will have done their homework."

" Why does everyone want Bravo? Shocking almost everytime he's been in the net, plus we don't need to keep him happy anymore what with only a couple months left of his contract & the season.
Really hope Guardiola sees it this way and plays Eddie exclusively from now on, especially with the League gone."

"  a vast majority of fans think Bravo is shite and not fit to play in this team"

" Bravo will play, so really that's all there is to it. IMO he should play because there's a bigger picture and we'll win if he plays."

" With Muric on loan, Bravo is the only viable option. Apart from anything else have City not won penalty shoot outs with Bravo in goals over the last two years or so? City also have good record in domestic cups recently."

" This has nothing to do with liking or not liking a player - it's to do with the team having the best chance of success in the cups, especially after the let down of the League. Bravo has very poor this year, so he has indeed done something wrong. We look even more shaky with him at the back than we already are because the guy doesn't seem to be able to save a beach ball this season. If he was to be in decent form, no problem - fine to start. I however would not risk being bundled out of the FA Cup, adding to the disappointment of the current season, because Claudio Bravo has made some immense love up that Ederson wouldn't make.

When push comes to shove winning trophies is all that matters, and we've seen that in the recent past with our keepers. Priortising some personal agreement that he may or may not have with the manager or club is the biggest load of bollocks I've ever heard. He's a 36 year old back up in poor form and on his last legs - if he doesn't like it, he can do one. Shouldn't carry over to the next keeper that takes over from him.

It's not even common practice to play your number two in every domestic cup game, and that's applicable for others team who have better reserve keepers than Bravo. We're already doing the guy a big favour by allowing him to have dibs on these matches. Personally, I suggest you remove your own bias which seems to have given rise to your initial response objecting to the idea."

" For what it is worth I wouldnt play Bravo against Fulham and defiently not against the rags. He not only makes the team nervous he makes most of the Etihad nervous"

" I doubt he makes his team mates nervous. If that was the case I would doubt our defenders quality and character.
That fairy! tale is kept alive without any proof or player interviews or footage.
I'd say you are just extrapolating your own feeling to our players.
Bravo doesn't make me nervous at all. He's a cool passer and easily good enough to play Fulham and rags.
He's well known as a great penalty killer as well if that should happen.
If the Etihad is nervous I can recommend a brand new invention: chanting and supporting loudly does wonders,
for the players and for the singers ;-)"

" Condensed a little but saw this on the Fulham forum and thought it makes sense:

"...I'm usually one for full strength in the FA Cup (not so fussed with League Cup), build momentum, etc, but... Given our injury situation and the run of games, given the dire need to get promoted this year, and given the fact that City will now be taking the cup seriously..., I think we play the youngsters and fringe players. Partly to preserve the players we need for the hard run but mostly (as there is a week after before the next game) for confidence. If we get whacked for six or similar with the full team, its not going to have a positive effect on confidence levels. If we get whacked and it's Stansfield, Riley, De La Torre, Cisse, etc, it's no real biggie and we move on. Easy for the manager to spin to the team then for the next game."

Hope they do come up again.

" Well bloody hell if we don't win this at home we may as well loving give up.
I'm sure Otamendi, Gundogan and Jesus will make it harder than it should be but despite poor finishing, slow build up and VAR we should still have more than enough to get the job done.
Just no complacency!"

" We lost to Wigan. More than once. These are better than Wigan. As you say, no complacency. Treat them seriously, and we should go through with something to spare."

" Not directly related to this game but I like the fact that City have Fulham at home, and Man Utd have Tranmere away on a bog of a pitch and Utd are going to have to play their strongest side (surely Martial, Greenwood and James will have to start?)
Ideal preparation for midweek."

" Pep Guardiola on his team selection this weekend: "It doesn't matter who plays when all of them are fit. The selection is good. The players have the responsibility to try and win the game, it doesn't matter my selection."

Pep Guardiola on @Laporte recovery: "He played more than 70 minutes in his first game, he played well but he is not going to solve all the problems that we have. He is one more player and if we can use him we will use him."

Pep Guardiola on plans for the winter break: "A few days off and after, train again here to prepare for Arsenal. I want the guys to stay with their families and themselves and in this case I decided to be here."

Ppe Guardiola has confirmed EVERYONE is fit, except for Leroy Sane, ahead of the @EmiratesFACup Fourth Round.

Pep Guardiola on @edersonmoraes93 and penalty duties: "If he needs to take a penalty, he is going to take it."

Pep Guardiola on whether he has made a decision on who will take #ManCity penalties: "Yes." , Pep Guardiola on whether he can reveal who that player is: "No."

Pep Guardiola on loan moves for Eric Garcia or Taylor Harwood-Bellis this month: "Eric Garcia, it is impossible. I think Harwood-Bellis is going to stay until the end of the season. I don't know if there were any offers from the Premier League."

"If Harwood-Bellis had a loan offer, maybe we would consider it for his development.""

"I feel sure Pep will pick a strong team. Fulham are more of a threat than the Rags, who are 3-1 down at half time and have lost their only passable forward to injury. My theory, anyway."

" Don't underestimate Fulham they're third in the Championship for a reason"

" Whilst I take your point, Leicester are 3rd in the Premier League but we still leathered them!"

" Well said mate, it's not like you to be negative in absolutely every single game City are involved in ;)"

" We are prem league champions for a reason"

" To be fair i dont think Pep underestimates any team , winning seven out of the last eight domestic trophies is your confirmation"

" It's rare nowadays that you get a championship team looking for promotion take the cups seriously. They've got more important and realistic goals for their season, I'd be surprised if they didn't make as many changes as we are likely to."

" No chance, they'll go full strength, nobody wants to be spanked by City."

" Mitrovic missing for them is good for us, he's a proper handful and I reckon he would've caused us problems. Not sure who else are their goal threats."

" Knockeart, not sure if he is fit though?"

" Supposedly out."

" Manchester City defenders Benjamin Mendy and John Stones have recovered from the injuries that caused them to miss the win over Sheffield United.
Aside from long-term absentee Leroy Sane, manager Pep Guardiola has a full squad at his disposal.
Fulham's top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic is unavailable because of an ankle injury.
They could also be without Harrison Reed, Aboubakar Kamara, Anthony Knockaert and Maxime Le Marchand."

" Fulham manager Scott Parker: "The main message from me to my players is go there with big courage and big heart, and a determination.
"If you go to places like the Etihad and play against teams like Man City with no real conviction and don't try to put your stamp on the game, nine times out of 10 you roll out of there with a loss.
"Let's go there with courage, let's have a belief about us, and let's try and put our stamp on it."

" That's a lot of talk about stamping ..."

Fulham have lost just once in eight matches in all competitions.
However, they have won only once in five away games (D2, L2).
Fulham have not conceded a goal since the third-round win against Aston Villa, keeping three clean sheets."

" Id go with sterling up top
Save both kun and jesus for the rags."

" Pep Guardiola: "The problem with [Real] Madrid is after 12 or 13 days rest, we have just one game against Leicester. One game before Madrid. The players need rhythm. Against Fulham I'm going to play players who didn't play in Sheffield..."
"In the [Manchester] United game I am going to play players who don't play on Sunday. I rotate quite a lot, try and keep everybody involved. Maybe I had to think about that in Christmas, but I don't think now is the time to make people rest."
Way to telegraph team news.."

" Does anybody know how many fans Fulham are taking tomorrow???"

" With their top scorer out and 4 first starters in doubt its quite possible that Fulham might send out significantly under strength starting line up."

COYWS