Manchester City won't be champions. They might even finish third. I'm bucking my own trend by being ahead of myself this time. The English Premier League is six matches away from conclusion and I'm not only writing off City for the title, I'm also offering reasons and some hard truths. Even for a team living with false dawns, City's tailspin at the tail end calls for hindsights. You want to know why a team that had been scoring with abandon have suddenly abandoned scoring. And how's it possible for a team badly bashed in Basel and Bilbao to rack up impossible points in England. I think I can get away with these five reasons:
1. Fergie and Fourteen Friends: It's obvious that Man Utd is the reason why City failed so spectacularly. But that's not my point. It's the 14 teams outside the top six. Watch teams like West Brom and Wolves "stand up" to Man Utd by giving away only four goals and all three points. Watch them play against City and suddenly it's three points between life and afterlife. There's a certain pleasure in beating City. David Moyes claimed it's his sweetest moment. Swansea is still in denial and disbelief. Stoke celebrated a draw.
2. Vincent Kompany: Almost all EPL team managers agreed that he's the best defender in the EPL, if not Europe. But he missed a dozen league and cup games with injuries and red cards. City crashed out of Carling Cup, FA Cup and Europa crap in his absence. And that run-wrecking loss to Swansea. What's so great about having the best defender on earth if you can't play him?
3. The FA and Foy: A bit of history here. The English Football Association as an institution was founded and organised for the sole purpose of making Manchester United the champions. So the whole machinery, manpower and apparatus, including fixtures, officials and cup draws, must be mobilised toward achieving this noble objective. If City were allowed even half of Man Utd's preprogrammed luck or Foy's favour, City would have won the title by 10 points. Points, not goals. City's only slice of fortune was that last-minute penalty against Spurs. Man Utd played against ten men, I don't know, eight, nine, ten times? I've lost count. But don't worry, once the title is all safe and sewn up by Man Utd, the FA and the referees will even things up. No retrospective action against Balotelli, the FA just announced. More to come. Just wait.
4. Roberto Mancini. Or rather, Roberto Mancini's language skills. His command of the language is built around a vast vocabulary of one word: IMPORTANT. "It's important that we win the next game". "It's important that we win the next 11 games". "It's important that I punch Balotelli everyday". How can he pass on his Serie A (anti) football ideas to his players? And motivate, counsel, blame them? It's impossible to know what's not important. I heard it's a communication breakdown when Kolarov replaced Nasri against Arsenal (Mancini had actually asked David Platt himself to replace Nasri). Lately his English has developed such sophistication that Sir Alex often mistakes it for mind games.
5. Michel Platini: Definitely had a hand in this, only we're not sure how.
6. Balotelli: No. Don't believe all the media mayhem. He's only as guilty as Joe Hart. The only genuine talent in City squad, he's cleverer than Cleverly everyday. Watch his goal at Blackburn again. And those penalty chops. Convenient smoke and mirrors for Mancini's missteps. Keep him.
3. The FA and Foy: A bit of history here. The English Football Association as an institution was founded and organised for the sole purpose of making Manchester United the champions. So the whole machinery, manpower and apparatus, including fixtures, officials and cup draws, must be mobilised toward achieving this noble objective. If City were allowed even half of Man Utd's preprogrammed luck or Foy's favour, City would have won the title by 10 points. Points, not goals. City's only slice of fortune was that last-minute penalty against Spurs. Man Utd played against ten men, I don't know, eight, nine, ten times? I've lost count. But don't worry, once the title is all safe and sewn up by Man Utd, the FA and the referees will even things up. No retrospective action against Balotelli, the FA just announced. More to come. Just wait.
4. Roberto Mancini. Or rather, Roberto Mancini's language skills. His command of the language is built around a vast vocabulary of one word: IMPORTANT. "It's important that we win the next game". "It's important that we win the next 11 games". "It's important that I punch Balotelli everyday". How can he pass on his Serie A (anti) football ideas to his players? And motivate, counsel, blame them? It's impossible to know what's not important. I heard it's a communication breakdown when Kolarov replaced Nasri against Arsenal (Mancini had actually asked David Platt himself to replace Nasri). Lately his English has developed such sophistication that Sir Alex often mistakes it for mind games.
5. Michel Platini: Definitely had a hand in this, only we're not sure how.
6. Balotelli: No. Don't believe all the media mayhem. He's only as guilty as Joe Hart. The only genuine talent in City squad, he's cleverer than Cleverly everyday. Watch his goal at Blackburn again. And those penalty chops. Convenient smoke and mirrors for Mancini's missteps. Keep him.
