вторник, 20 января 2015 г.

Man City longing for absent Nasri after Gunners defeat

Missing Samir Nasri has rocked Man City

Manuel Pellegrini broke the news on Friday that the champions will be without Samir Nasri for at least the next three weeks.

The Frenchman suffered an injury in training and missed the defeat against his former club Arsenal on Sunday.

Nasri will also be absent when City travel to Chelsea in two weeks' time and with Yaya Toure at the African Cup of Nations, this is bad timing for Pellegrini.

How much will the 27-year-old's absence hurt City as they try to keep pace with leaders Chelsea?

City's strong run towards the top of the table has coincided with Nasri returning to fitness and establishing himself as a key cog in midfield.

In September, City were left without Nasri when he was forced to undergo groin surgery and missed a month.

He came back as a substitute in the Manchester derby victory in early November and was an ever present during City's eleven game unbeaten sequence in the league before Arsenal's Etihad success.

During that spell, the champions hauled themselves back into the title race, reeling back the eight-point lead that Chelsea had worked up in the opening months of the season.

Nasri has managed just one goal this season but it was a priceless strike as he scored the all-important opener against Roma that ensured City's progression in the Champions League.

Pellegrini will be counting his blessings that he does at least have a fit-again and in-form David Silva to call upon now that Nasri has been sidelined.

The mercurial Spaniard has been back to his best in recent weeks, scoring four times in his last six in the league.

Having slipped up at Goodison Park last week, City could ill afford to spill more points and allow Chelsea to pull clear once more.

The Blues win at Swansea on Saturday extended their advantage to five points meaning Arsenal's visit to the Etihad on Sunday afternoon had taken on a 'must-win' feel for the champions.

City now go to Stamford Bridge at the end of January with Chelsea aiming to stamp their authority on the title race for the second time this season.

With Toure on international duty, Pellegrini had enough on his plate before Nasri's setback.

Jesus Navas was handed a start against Arsenal but was once again ineffectual and replaced by Edin Dzeko. Frank Lampard was given 30 minutes to try and rescue City but Olivier Giroud soon doubled the Gunners lead after his introduction.

Can veteran Lampard fill the void left by a man nine years his junior against Chelsea?

Lampard showed when the sides met at the Etihad in September that he will have little trouble in putting the boot into his former club should it come to it.

So far, Pellegrini has used the former England man sparingly, but with Nasri sidelined that may change.

At 36 it comes as no surprise that the Chilean has yet to really lean on Lampard. In scoring the only goal in City's win at Leicester in December the veteran showed he still has the knack of changing tight games.

The trip to Stamford Bridge now looks like being the biggest game of City's title defence, will Pellegrini entrust Lampard with a starting place?

With Nasri out, it's a tantalising prospect that the Chelsea legend could be in the City starting team for the trip to the club that defined his career.

Debate has raged ever since Lampard made the shock return to England from New York in the summer over whether Mourinho made a mistake in letting Lampard leave Chelsea.

City's current plight means we might be about to find out in no uncertain terms.

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