With Pardew having been at Selhurst Park for three months or so now, what are your opinions of him?
He has done a tremendous job since he arrived in January and I can’t say anybody should be surprised about the progress that has been seen in the way that the players are playing at the moment, which is allowing the club to move forwards and onwards in establishing itself as a Premier League club.
Alan Pardew is the first manager that the players have trusted and believed in for a number of years and that is vital in the Premier League. You constantly see players mentioning in interviews how happy all of the players are, the way things are being run on the training ground and as a fan that has seen the ups and downs of this great football club, I’m glad that we are now getting the opportunity we deserve.
Who do City need to look out for on Monday night?
I say and think this every game that we play in – the wingers are going to cause mayhem. It is something that managers have come accustomed to in the build-up to fixtures against Crystal Palace – how are we going to stop them. Our wing play has been crucial over the past couple of years with us building on the base but now under Pardew, it seems like we have really got it working and every team that does play us, fears that.
Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie are two different threats in their own aspects to the way that they play but together as a duo, they are dangerous; in 2015, they have been working together – if one of them isn’t putting in the cross, the other is at the end of it and helping the ball find its way into the back of the net – something we have seen quite recently.
Our defence has also solidified under Pardew and we are conceding fewer goals – Scott Dann has been in tremendous form under Pardew and was unlucky not to receive a call-up to the England squad in the recent international break and hopefully with performances until the end of the season, he will finally be rewarded.
What areas do you think City can target on Monday in order to get the three points?
There isn’t any particular area that City can target on Monday, it’s more about breaking down our defence again and again, keeping the ball and passing it well as retaining the ball is something that we have struggled on in a number of games this season; the visits of top half clubs is where this usually happens.
Keeping possession will be vital for Pellegrini’s side on Monday but he and his players must also be aware of the powerful counter attack that Palace can unleash and when all the pieces fit together, it can be brutal – no matter who is in goal. If there is a way, it will be found.
Do you feel City still have enough to go on and finish second, despite dropping to fourth in the league ahead of Monday? It will be very difficult for Man City to secure second in the Premier League this season I believe, purely down to how well Arsenal have been playing since the turn of the year. Arsenal’s form has been immaculate and they showed the amount of power they have in their game against Liverpool on Saturday, nobody seen that coming – not even them.
Some places in the top five will go down until the final game of the season and that is what makes the Premier League exciting, what will make it even more exciting is if Chelsea drop their form and teams behind them take advantage of that – if that happens, we will have to wait and find out.
Finally, a prediction? This was never going to be an easy prediction. Manchester City’s form away from home makes me slightly positive but at the same time, our form at home to big clubs since the arrival of Pardew hasn’t been too good so it is a tight game to call. I’ll have to go with 2-1 City.
