Barclays Premier League:Newcastle 0 - 2 Man City

                                 MATCH PREVIEW

 

 

These are strange days at Newcastle United at the end of a calendar year which started with a glorious win over Manchester United, but which is drawing towards its close with Alan Pardew seeking to end a run of one win in 10 games by beating Manchester City.

Newcastle are just two points above the relegation zone, and nobody could have foreseen that back in August.

So what has gone wrong? Well, it would help if Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba could start scoring together rather than in shifts; when Cisse is hot, Ba is not, and vice versa.

The added toll of the Europa League may be a factor, but their progression from the group stage of that tournament was relatively pain-free and there is a sizeable squad to call on.

I would suggest that the fact that their two most influential midfielders, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, have started only three Premier League games together has been particularly damaging.

Perhaps Newcastle did not freshen up their squad enough in the summer? I'm sure that Pardew will be keen to do some business in January.

Manchester City's summer transfer policy must also be put under the spotlight.

I don't see that any one of their summer buys has strengthened their squad at all, and I can't help feeling that Nigel de Jong could still have made a valuable contribution.

At the moment they seem to be lacking direction and unity. Cold, purposeful professionalism of the sort offered by Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Edin Dzeko and Vincent Kompany seems to be lacking in too many of the rest of the group.

There are individuals at City who seem happy to step forward when there is glory to be had, but happy to hide when there is a free-kick to be defended - as has been well documented. Samir Nasri's foppish, flinching, foot-waving, powder-puff attempt to avoid being hit by the nasty hard ball at the end of last week's derby was just embarrassing.

City need to show some guts this weekend, or they may find they are pursuing new career paths on less favourable terms elsewhere before too long.

The reality, though, is that if underachievement continues, it will be Roberto Mancini who carries the can rather than his players, to whom he continues to display admirable public loyalty.