A home fixture against the league’s bottom club was never going to be the perfect opportunity for Manuel Pellegrini to restore faith in Manchester City fans.
Win, and it’s just another day at the office – a club fighting for the title is expected to dispose of ‘lesser’ opposition regardless of their form. Lose, and the pressure becomes suffocating.
Goals from David Silva and James Milner sealed the win and there were a number of positives to take from the game.
Bony’s presence central to City asserting their dominance
Bony’s muscular presence up front was pivotal in City asserting their dominance late into the first half.
Leicester’s compact five-man defence made it difficult for the Blues to penetrate meaning Touré and Silva were eventually forced into playing over, rather than under, their opposition. Bony’s height and physicality provided a good target for those aerial balls and also encouraged the team to exploit the flanks with Navas and Kolarov.
His hold up play was excellent and he was a useful tool when City were defending corners, making four headed clearances inside his side’s half. Although the Ivorian will be disappointed not to have taken any of the three chances he had, it was an impressive full debut.
Navas’ delivery impressive
Jesus Navas has been heavily criticised for his poor delivery into the box in the past.
The Spaniard made his first start in five games on Wednesday night and infused his side’s performance with a potent dose of pace and energy that City have lacked in recent fixtures.
Navas successfully completed all three of his attempted take-ons and registered four successful crosses into the box, one of which expertly supplied James Milner for City’s second.
The Mangala/Demichelis partnership continues to shine
It came as no surprise to learn that Vincent Kompany had been dropped to the bench.
The captain has suffered from a drastic loss of confidence since recovering from injury in January and the Mangala/Kompany double act that promised so much has become one of the parodies of the season. Their similarly impulsive styles do not mix and the tendency to lunge into tackles and leave the defence exposed has plagued both of their games this term.
Step in Martin Demichelis, who has emerged as Manchester City’s best defender this season. He is the calm, level-headed figure that the young Frenchman needs beside him, and Mangala unsurprisingly gave one of his better performances alongside the 34-year-old on Wednesday.
The former FC Porto man made two blocks, three clearances and one interception in his side’s 2-0 victory and ensured Nigel Pearson’s men were unable to find any joy in front of Joe Hart’s goal.
If Manuel Pellegrini truly believes his team can perform a mini-miracle and beat Chelsea to the Premier League title, he must make Martin Demichelis the first name on the team sheet.
