Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany tells Sports Mole that Fulham are ‘more than capable’ of exposing a long-term ‘weakness’ of the Citizens in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany feels that Fulham are ‘more than capable’ of exposing a long-term ‘weakness’ of the Citizens in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola‘s men head into this contest after cruising to a 4-0 win away against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday night, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions at the start of this season to 10 games.
In the Premier League, City sit second in the table after accumulating 14 points from six matches, following up four successive wins with back-to-back draws with Arsenal and Newcastle United, drawing 1-1 with the latter last weekend.
The reigning champions will endeavour to return to winning ways and enter the international break on a high with a victory over a Fulham outfit who have made their best start to a league season since 2003, collecting 11 points from six games which has seen them climb up to sixth place.
Marco Silva‘s side, who have coped well since losing the likes of Joao Palhinha and Tosin Adarabioyo in the summer, have won three times in the top flight this term, including their last two games against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, securing a slender 1-0 win away against the latter last weekend.
Can Fulham’s threatening pace expose Man City weakness?
Taking into account the fact that Man City have won each of their last 16 meetings with Fulham across all competitions – the longest winning run one team has had against another in English football league history – McInerney has unsurprisingly backed Guardiola’s men to come out on top in Saturday’s contest.
However, McInerney has admitted that he is ‘concerned’ by Fulham’s ‘threatening’ pace on the flanks and believes City’s weakness on the transition could be exposed by a ‘functional’ Cottagers outfit that have the credentials to end their horrible losing streak this time around.
Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: “[Fulham are] a really good side who’ve started really well. They’re functional, they’re organised, a couple of changes here and there (in the summer), but they’re still a consistent side. They have a lot of players who have been there for a while, who understand their jobs.
“It’s at the Etihad, so immediately I think that puts City in a much more favourable light. City are favourites by a long way, they always will be when you compare a team like Fulham with Man City’s resources, but there is quality there.
“If I talk about where City have been weak, it’s probably on the transition, and there’s probably not many more threatening teams than Fulham with the pace of [Alex] Iwobi and Adama [Traore]. They are absolutely flying players.
“Antonee Robinson loves bursting forward as well, and then you got the wily experience of a physical number nine in [Raul] Jimenez, who scored at the weekend as well. [Emile] Smith Rowe is a really smart signing for them. City tend to concede spectacular goals – they just do and I don’t know why – and Smith Rowe is that kind of guy I can imagine putting one into the top corner from 20 yards, he’s got that ability, and maybe [Andreas] Pereira as well.”
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McInerney: ‘This might be the game Fulham end horrible Man City losing streak’
McInerney added: “City are still probably reeling a little bit post Rodri, even though the quality that we’ve got is obviously high. If there was ever a time for Fulham to try and undo that horrible losing streak, this might be the game, they might be able to get a point, or maybe nick three points, who knows?
“I still fancy Manchester City’s chances, but we can’t take them anything other than really seriously, and I think Guardiola will know that.
“That pace, though, out wide is where I’m concerned, because City play so high up the pitch, and even with Rodri at his very best, we still weren’t ever quite as good defensively on the counter-attack than when Fernandinho was there.
“Fernandinho was so much more adept at covering ground compared to Rodri, so it’s a weakness of Man City, it has been for a long time and Fulham are more than capable of exposing it.”
Man City supporters are sure to remember the time when powerful winger Traore – arguably Fulham’s fastest and strongest player – scored twice against the Citizens in a 2-0 win at the Etihad for former club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2019.
Traore is expected to start in attack along with striker Jimenez, who has scored four goals this season including three in his last three games, while Smith Rowe, Iwobi and Reiss Nelson – who have netted five goals between them this term – will also be pushing to start for the Cottagers.
Three of Fulham’s four Premier League victories over Man City have come at the Etihad, including their last (1-3) back in April 2009, but last season, they suffered two heavy defeats by an aggregate score of 9-1 against the champions, losing 5-1 in their most recent visit to the Etihad in September last year.
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