Sun. May 21, 2023
Barclays Premier League
Manchester City (23-7-7, 76 points, 5th) vs. Dover (23-8-6, 77 points, 4th)
Manchester City Stadium, Manchester, UK
Betting Odds: Manchester City: 4-6 (Favourites) Draw: 9-4 Dover: 7-2
Past Meetings: 1W 2D 7L
Historically, we're awful against this team but they've never been more vulnerable, with the sale of Enrique really hurting the club all season. They were three-time defending Premier League champs and four-time defending Champions League holders but won't win either this year. That said, a win against us and they are back in the Champions League next year. A loss or a draw to us will keep them in fifth and allow us to experience Champions League football for a third consecutive year. Young striker
Jelle Hoegee is up to 25 goals in 35 games, as he's starting to take over the starting reins. Bruno and big signing Mario Brito will need to be watched as well.
Shanon Andrea will be back in today and I want to go with a speedy defence so
Salim Loucif moves to the centre,
Kostas Zagos comes in at right fullback and
Claudio Contreras is on the bench.
Graham Allan is in at right midfield for the suspended
Gianluca Bolis. We will play tight at the back with a counter mentality.
Dover: 4-4-2 Counter
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, R. Hamon, S. Loucif, K. Zagos
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Allan
S - S. Andrea, Chiquinho
Bench - D. Traore, C. Contreras, Mancini, E. Harvey, H. Cruz, Z. Bardi, P. Moses
City are in their traditional 4-5-1 with Hoegee alone up front. Joe Hart is in goal. Come on guys - do it for the travelling supporters!
2' - We have possession right from the opening kick and look dangerous. We get the ball and move it up the left to Bamba and he heads it into the penalty area. Shanon Andrea burst into the box and quickly shoots, stunning Joe Hart, who wasn't ready for the quick shot and the ball is IN THE NET! Fucking FANTASTIC START BOYS!
DOVER GOAL 1-0
21' - City has had some good possession but no shots on target. Now we have it deep down the left and it's out to Renato Gaucho. He sends a deep cross into the box and for some reason, Chiquinho is WIDE OPEN. He has the net at his mercy and it's IN! I look to the sidelines to see if it's offsides and the assistant is running back to midfield. THIS IS AWESOME!
DOVER GOAL 2-0
24' - Hoegee is looking dangerous on two consecutive highlights and on this one, he gets a shot on goal but it's right at Wilke.
26' - Hoegee again with a turnaround shot and Wilke makes the big stop!
27' - And now I regret not having the 6' 6" Claudio Contreras in the game, as City press and the ball is delivered high into the area. Loucif goes up against Hoegee but City's tall and talented striker gets up higher and heads it over Loucif and a pinching Ingo Wilke and the ball falls under the cross bar and IN.
MANCHESTER CITY GOAL 2-1
I immediately drop Neil Cairney and Andrea Rocca into unfamiliar DMC positions, essentially moving into a 4-2-2-2.
39' - We are playing super defensive yet still letting these guys through our defence. Crazy. A through ball is perfect and there is Hoegee again - he makes no mistake putting it into the near side and City pull level from two behind.
MANCHESTER CITY GOAL 2-2
We move back into our normal 4-4-2 counter.
43' - Neil Cairney gets a yellow card.
45' - We steal possession and work a quick counter. Rocca delivers a pass to Andrea then he touches it over to Chiquinho. He's got a man on his tail as he moves toward the outer edge of the area and he sends a ROCKET BLAST past Hart, off the crossbar and DOWN OVER THE GOAL LINE AND IN! Late half DAGGER!? Chiquinho has two and we have a lead back!!!
DOVER GOAL 3-2
HALFTIME - W H A T A M A T C H!!!!!. This is ridiculous how good it is! We have 58% of possession (!!!) but they outshot us 9-5 (5-3 on target). We're definitely taking advantage of our chances. I am going to pull back big time. Tight formation, deep as can be, etc.
51' - Joe Hart makes his first save of the game off a Chiquinho shot from distance.
58' - We are completely sitting back right now - this isn't Dover football but it is right now! City get a chance and a ball comes through to substitute Gylfi Sigurosson, a thorn in our side for years and he puts it past Wilke and in. But wait, it's offsides! The replay confirms the ref got it right. NO GOAL!!!
63' - Wilke ROBS Sigurosson on a shot from in close! WOW!
64' - Chiquinho with a yellow card.
THE CLOCK IS MOVING TOO SLOW!!!
66' - We win a corner and Rocca's cross is headed to the far post by Hamon but City's defender is covering the post and clears it off the line! OOH.
78' - I take out Shanon Andrea and bring in Mancini. We move to a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Mancini at DMC.
82' - We make another substitution, bringing in Claudio Contreras and taking out Kostas Zagos. Contreras moves into the middle and Loucif is back to right fullback.
90'+1 - Three extra minutes! City have a corner and we head it out and it's Chiquinho 1-on-1 with a City defender. Chiquinho wins the race and has a chance to end the game but his shot is JUST WIDE! OH MY!
We take out Chiquinho and bring in Zoltan Bardi.
THAT'S IT!!! We win at the Etihad!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Manchester City 2 - 3 Dover
Goals - Chiquinho 2 (8.8), Shanon Andrea (8.0)
Assists - Renato Gaucho (7.6), Arsene Bamba (6.9), Shanon Andrea
Man of the Match - Jelle Hoegee (Manchester City ST - 8.8)
Other Dover Notables -
Attendance - 62,499
Possession ended dead even, as we sat back and parked our bus for the entire second half. City outshot us 20-9 (9-4 on target). This win is one of the most satisfying I can remember! We knock Manchester City out of next year's Champions League!!!
-- And not only that, but Chelsea knock off Manchester United 1-0 AND Sheffield Wednesday hold Arsenal to a draw. That means that we move all the way up to second place!!! Our best ever finish in club history, both from a standings perspective AND a points perspective!
-- We are given £15,200,000 for our second place finish and we pay out £2.4 million of it to the players on a pro-rated basis.
-- And with that, our players and staff head away on their summer holiday. What a season! Second place in the league, a second consecutive quarter final appearance in the Champions League, a semi-finals appearance in the FA Cup and LEAGUE CUP CHAMPIONS!
Next Up
-- Stats, recaps, awards, etc.