Man City Vs Norwich

March 12, 2016 EPL 0 Comments

Canaries keeper John Ruddy kept out two Sergio Aguero efforts as the home side resolutely kept the visitors at bay.
However, it was Norwich who came closest to a goal when a 25-yard Patrick Bamford shot hit the crossbar.
The home side might even have snatched a late winner but Graham Dorrans put a shot wide when well placed.

Concerns for Manchester City

Manchester City have now won only two of their past 11 away games in the league, and Manuel Pellegrini's side failed to respond to his warning they had no "margin for error" in the title race.
Pellegrini opted for a 4-4-2 formation, with Wilfried Bony partnering Aguero in attack, but despite their dominance the visitors rarely looked dangerous and failed to muster a shot on target in the second half.
Bony was a peripheral figure and it was little surprise when he was replaced just before the hour mark by Raheem Sterling, though the winger's introduction failed to lift the away side.

The worry for Pellegrini, who will be replaced in the summer by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, will be the lack of creativity, intensity and urgency from his side.
"Me and [Norwich goalkeeper] John Ruddy could have had the afternoon off to be honest," said visiting keeper Joe Hart. "We weren't good enough to win the game."
Hart and his team-mates will be looking over their shoulders in the race for Champions League football, with only a two-point gap between them and fifth-placed West Ham.

Can Norwich beat the drop?

Norwich remain in the bottom three after winning only their second point from their past 10 league games.
But, if they can continue to defend in the same way and add goals to this sort of performance, they will believe they can avoid relegation.
"It is a big point and sends a message out to the teams around us and maybe dents them again," said Norwich defender Russell Martin.
Canaries boss Alex Neil has rarely had cause to question his side's desire, and his players again put in a performance full of effort and commitment - running 5km more than their opponents.
The plan might have been to frustrate their visitors and hope to catch them on the break, but scoring goals remains an issue with just three in their past seven games.
Neil hoped giving Bamford his first Premier League start might solve the problem but though the on-loan Chelsea forward went closest to scoring, Norwich did not manage a shot on target.