Maybe I was just happy to get to see Keller, but I thought the game was hardly dull, as the SkySports writer dubbed it.
(Weird...now Dean Richards MOTM) Not at all.....writer intended and intentionally put Keller at MOTM.....copy got to final editor who yelled..."Holy crackers Johnson....you put a Yank as MOTM...clean that mess up PRONTO".... and thus (smile)...
They just showed highlights on TV here and Keller had some great 1 v. 1 stops. The announcer said that City had 23 shots to Spurs 4. I wonder how many more shots would City have had were the "new" man of the match not on his game. And how many more 1v1 would Keller have faced?
oh yeah, poor us.Nobody loves us, even when we go through all the trouble of bombing the crap out ofyet another country.
Keller v. Reyna (R) Saw the match on PPV replay. It's funny, this is the first time I saw Keller play this year & I always assumed that he was having a terrible year due to Tottenham's record (and his mistake in the last match). Turns out that he's as good as ever -- he just has NO help in defense. Gardner was terrible. And Bunje didn't do much either. Tottenhan has good fullbacks & strikers, but that's it. As for the game, Kasey had to save a number of one on ones. To be fair, none of 'em were real exceptional, it was more that Wanchope completely shanked 'em. He still has excellent reflexes, Keller. He got out-jumped twice, though, and Steve Carr saved 'em by clearing it off the line. The commentator gave Keller props & the BBC's match report says he was 'inspired'. Easily the MOTM. No real contest, actually. Reyna, the dude I paid to see (it's so rare that you see a US field player vs quality comp) didn't really do anything. He wasted two corner kicks. That's it. Hopefully he'll win a starting job from Bosvelt or the Chinese cat in the next couple of weeks. City definitely could have used him today.
Saw the first half of this one. Keller was very strong, and made several good stops when his defense left him 1 v 1 - the save against Wanchope late in the first half was great. His distribution looked pretty good too. Only one moment where he looked shaky, a corner that he failed to punch away that ended up in a shot that Richards had to clear off the line. I wasn't that impressed with Sun on the right, his passing especially seemed lacking. Reyna might have fit in well there.
guardian didn't name a MOTM, as they don't, but had a bit of praise for keller: http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,1527,1051686,00.html
well maybe sky was making richards motm from the BS perspective. he did a great job at making keller be amazing in goal, which is what we all wanted to see. sometimes i wish timmay played for a bad team like wolves so we could see what he is made of. but i like him winning too.
Like most people, the main reason I watched this match was to see Reyna. Of course, I didn't see much of him, and his performance was only OK. However, either people are basing their posts on reports or were not watching carefully as Reyna did have one good move -- when he carried the ball down the right channel and then sent a through ball to Siberski in the left channel about 15 yards out. Siberski's shot was barely deflected for a corner -- but that doesn't make the pass any less perfect. I think I have some understanding of what Keegan is doing with his midfield now. Surprisingly, he thinks that MacManaman is a central midfielder -- even though he has almost always played wide in his career. I actually think this is very shrewd as playing with Real has made Steve M much more clever in his passing and touches. However, this leaves Reyna is a bit of a bind. Reyna/McManaman is a central midfield combo without enough defensive ability. So if Reyna plays, it will have to be at the expense of McManaman -- who happens to be the one City midfielder who I am sure is better than Reyna. Of course, given that Sinclair and SWP were unimpressive, Keegan might be thinking about moving McManaman outside, but I still kind of agree that Steve McM is better inside as he has played brilliantly. As for Keller, he was good. Wanchope was so spooked by the time he left that he couldn't even kick the ball in the ocean. The rest of Spurs sucked, including Dean Richards.
I've got to admit that I didn't know just how respected some of Man City's midfielders were until recently. They are just loaded. And adding Macca to the mix, and then playing him in the *middle*! Well, that leaves just 1 spot for three class players (Barton, Bosvelt, and Claudio). But now Macca's out for a couple weeks due to injury. So if there was ever a time for Claudio to step it up and show what he can do, it's now. Hopefully when Macca comes back he'll take Sinclair's spot. Sinclair, Macca, Sibierski, SWP...they're loaded outside too. Btw, it was kind of funny to see a Man City fan criticizing Macca for one of the very same reasons some fans (in the past on the Nats board) have criticized Claudio. http://www.talkincity.com/steh/index.php?act=ST&f=1&t=11965&hl=claudio,or,reyna,or,reyna&39s&
I wonder if Wanchope's past experience with Keller was what spooked him. I remember Souness once saying that what made Brad the best in the game was that he, for whatever reason, spooked opposing strikers into ultimately taking poor shots, making the save look relatively easy, and causing people to underrate the effect Brad had on the game. So maybe Paulo's past experiences versus Keller while playing with Costa Rica gave him a little something to think about in the back of his mind before choking.
No, I think Wanchope was just out of form. He looked bad in his last outing too. McManaman should be move to the left side. Reyna should play inside. Sibierski and Sinchair sit..... Mancheste City has better flow in the midfield against the team from Belgium last Wednesday.
Man City fans don't appear to be the brightest bunch judging from that site. Macca has been great across the board for them. Much more quality than a drive and bomb guy like Joey Barton. P.S. I though Wanchope was excellent except for his finishing, which Keller was partly to blame for. Fowler was a tool and Man City's chances decreased alot after Chope left.
thought this was an interesting take on the game by Keller. http://www.spurs.co.uk/article.asp?article=165572
On the other hand, it's hard to sit Sibierski with his prowess in the air and his ability to strike a good set piece. Keegan's got a good problem in his hand. I think ultimately who plays depends a lot on the style and quality of the opponents (and the form and fitness of the different MC midfielders). If MC needs more defensive holding of the ball, Reyna plays. If they need more active play, SWP plays, etc.
http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/q4706.html A Dutch keeper is on trial with Spurs. he does not appear to be good.
No cause for concern. He only appears to be a cover should anything happen to Keller. Even with the managerial situation at Spurs in a state of transition, Kasey's starting job is safe.