City form ‘worries’ coach as United battle looms
Print Edition
MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted he is “worried” about his side’s form after it was knocked out of the English League Cup by Newcastle United.
The holder fell to a 0-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday and has now gone three games without a win ahead of Sunday’s derby at home to Manchester United in the Premier League.
To compound matters, influential midfielder David Silva was forced off by an early knee injury, and Pellegrini conceded after the game that he has problems on his hands.
“Of course we must be worried — we didn’t win the three games we played this week,” said the Chilean, whose team has also made a slow start in the Champions League.
“We must be worried about that, but we must find a solution and we must address it. We will see with the players which is the way to try and recover that confidence because it’s not normal to see this team playing the way we are now.”
Silva’s injury was due to be assessed yesterday, but Pellegrini played down the extent of a groin problem that saw Yaya Toure substituted as a precaution in the second half.
“We will see with the doctor,” Pellegrini said of Silva. “I can’t tell you now exactly at this moment. David has a problem in his knee. I don’t know how serious it is. Yaya was a little bit tired with his groin so I didn’t want to risk him.”
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, whose side will visit Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight, paid tribute to Ryan Taylor, who made an impressive return to action after over two years on the sidelines.
The 30-year-old had not played since August 2012 due to serious knee problems, but he set up Rolando Aarons’s sixth-minute opener and foiled City striker Edin Dzeko with a late goal-line block.
“Our staff have been very impressed with his conduct. He is a beacon of light in professional football,” Pardew said.
Meanwhile, Chelsea and Liverpool both landed away games against Championship opposition, with the former set to visit Derby County and the latter handed a trip to Bournemouth. Southampton, which won 3-2 at Stoke City on Wednesday, will visit third-tier Sheffield United.
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