Manchester City travel to St James’s Park to face Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup final.
The Blues haven’t been in great form of late but after a staggering 10-1 victory over Exeter City in their most recent game in the third round of the FA Cup, will be full of confidence of gaining a positive result.
Newcastle, meanwhile, relied on penalties to progress past Bournemouth into the fourth round of the FA Cup, but will provide a stern test and won’t be willing to give up their Carabao
Cup crown so easily.
Here are five things to look out for as City face Eddie Howe’s side:
Crucial partnership number 1 – Max Alleyne and Nathan Ake
For some reason, I have a nagging feeling that this will be Pep Guardiola’s selected centre back duo against the Toon.
Both players were substituted for rest against Exeter on Saturday – Nathan Ake at half time and Max Alleyne midway through the second half.
Ake is the most senior defender City have available at the moment with injuries to Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol, but has shown slight signs of regression this season, remains very injury prone and will probably leave in the summer.
Alleyne meanwhile has been a revelation in his first week at the club since being recalled from loan at Watford, starting in both of City’s games against Brighton and Hove Albion and Exeter and even opening the scoring against the Grecians.
To add to that, it seems Guardiola doesn’t fully trust Abdukodir Khusanov yet. He can be rash with his decision making and whilst his pace is a superpower, Alleyne probably edges him in terms of ability on the ball, and as of late City have usually been lining up with one left footed centre back and one right footed centre back (meaning in this case Ake + Khusanov or Alleyne.)
There’s obviously the chance that all three of them play, and Ake plays at left back. But Nico O’Reilly has had enough rest across the last three games now, and Rayan Ait-Nouri should also be back from the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning this possibility is slim.
I could be wrong, and indeed would like to see Khusanov start at the back, but I just can’t shake the feeling that this will be Guardiola’s go to partnership.
Crucial partnership number 2 – Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo
Coming onto the second important duo to the outcome of the game, and this has the possibility to be an extremely exciting winger duo for City.
Jeremy Doku has taken a big step forward this season after his first two seasons in sky blue were reasonably underwhelming.
He’s scored just one goal in the Premier League, but is making better decisions in front of goal and has chipped in with four assists, as well as winning several penalties and creating goals without actually being credited with the assist.
Antoine Semenyo, meanwhile, had an excellent City debut, with a lovely cross assisting Rico Lewis before an emphatic goal capped off a very solid first appearance since his £62.5 million move from Bournemouth earlier in the week.
Both players are tricky wingers who love to take on a man. Whilst no-one is as good as Doku in short acceleration and one vs one dribbling in the Premier League, Semenyo is better over long distances and offers a threat in behind, as well as providing more in terms of goals and assists.
They provide a promising glimpse into the future in terms of wide players at the club, and hopefully we’ll see them on the pitch at the same time for the first time at St James’s Park.
Crucial partnership number 3 – Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade
For the home side, they’re beginning to get the most out of the two big money centre forwards they signed in the summer to replace departing star striker Alexander Isak.
Nick Woltemade enjoyed a good start after numerous of Newcastle’s first choice targets – namely Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko elected to move elsewhere, but his goals have dried up a little lately and Yoane Wissa has replaced him in the regular starting XI.
The former Brentford striker joined in the nick of time on deadline day, after he missed training to force a move to the North East with the two clubs eventually agreeing a £55 million fee.
Against Bournemouth, the two played together, with Woltemade sitting deep and playmaking and Wissa acting as the nine (despite the German’s height meaning he’s the more obvious choice to the target man.)
Wissa has been injured for most of the season but likes a goal against City, bagging twice against the Blues for Brentford last season.
The two of them compliment each other with Woltemade’s tendency to drop deep matching Wissa’s inclination to dart in behind, and the two of them could cause City some problems if they start together.
Pep preferring control to carnage
Guardiola has been leaning more into transitions and physicality this season, but before anything else he still likes his teams to play possession based football.
His philosophy that the best way of defending and attacking involves dominating control of the football has offered him so much success that it remains the bedrock of his foundations, despite changes elsewhere with the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal and Erling Haaland up front not fitting his typical mould of player.
Against Newcastle, he’ll be aware that Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and either Joelinton or Woltemade will be tricky to outmuscle physically, but any realistic combination of City midfield is more technical than the Newcastle trio.
The home crowd will act as Newcastle’s 12th man, and more than most other teams in the Premier League enjoy a meaty tackle and upsetting the opposition.
This type of game would be one in the past where we’d see Bernardo Silva on one wing and Jack Grealish on the other. Obviously Grealish is no longer here, but perhaps Bernardo will start wide to offer more control.
Rayan Cherki can play that role as well as creating at the same time, so he’s another option to start. But those expecting all of Doku, Cherki, Semenyo and Phil Foden to start in support of Haaland will probably end up being disappointed.
Trafford’s chance to shine
I mentioned a few months ago against Real Madrid that it was Donnarumma’s first chance to shine in a big game for City.
This will be James Trafford’s.
It’s not gone to plan for the City academy graduate, who rejoined the club in the summer from Burnley.
He was reportedly assured playing time next season after a year as Ederson’s deputy before his contract expired, only for the Brazilian goalkeeper to move to Fenerbahce and be replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma, a man fresh off the back of winning the treble with PSG and only leaving due to manager Luis Enrique preferring a more modern goalkeeper.
Many regard the Italian as the best shot stopper in the world, and at 26 he is only three years older than Trafford, meaning his chances of ever being the regular number one goalkeeper at City are slim.
But Guardiola likes to give his reserve goalkeepers the chance to start in the cups all the way up to and including the final, meaning they can contribute to potential silverware and success.
Trafford putting in a solid and composed performance tomorrow against a team that also tried to sign him in the summer would raise his general reputation amongst football fans, as well as being good for his morale.
