Well we beat them 2-0: A Post Champions League City Preview

Ok so I haven't written anything in way too long and instead of spending ages catching up on all the matches I failed to report on, I'll summarise the results with a series of emoticons:

Cardiff - 3-0 - :D

Hull - 2-0 - :)

Everton - 1-1 - :/

Napoli - 0-2 - :o

Good. Now we've got that sorted, I'll move on to a preview of today's game. We play Man City away and with the Citizens racking up a Mourinho like record of invincibility at home, I must say I'm a little worried.

The odds are not exactly in our favour; We had a longer trip in the week, our recovery time has been 24 hours shorter than theirs and, crucially, they had the luxuary of being able to rest Aguero, Negredo, Kompany and Yaya Toure (arguably the best four players in their squad) in their annoying win over Bayern while we had to play a much stronger team than we would have wanted to. Add in the fact that we played a significant chunk of our midweek fixture with ten men and the fact we haven't won in a couple of games now, and things are looking far from ideal.

This may sound like a hugely negative way of thinking about things, but I almost expect a loss today. I'm comfortable saying that because I think every single team in the league, even those with form behind them and luck on their side, will struggle at the Etihad. Shaky away from home they may be, but the mercenaries just seem to click into gear when they're in their comfort zone, as we saw when they executed Spurs a couple of weeks back. We could lose 3-0 today and for me at least it wouldn't be a major cause for concern.

Obviously it would be nice if we put in a good performance and even taking a point would feel like a win. However, I still think the game we play against Chelsea in nine days is a much more relevant test when it comes to gauging the potential of our team this season.

Arsene Wenger has hinted that we may go all out for the win which is certainly a risky strategy. But maybe it isn't. If we sit back and play for the draw, there's a good chance we'll get broken down by the array of attacking talent City have at their disposal so really taking the game to them might work.

If we do try and hit them early, it suggests that the inclusion of Theo Walcott from the start is a possibility. He's played no real part this season due to injury but a couple of assists in cameo appearances recently indicates that he may be ready for a start. He certainly offers something wholly different to the other contenders for the right-sided spot in the attacking three of midfield. Considering that Gael Clichy at left-back is as close to a weak link that the City first XI has, a bit of Theo treatment would be a good way to try and break them down.

Another players who hasn't quite hit the heights of last season is Santi Cazorla. The arrival of Ozil has certainly eased the burden that he carried in his inaugural year as a Gunner but you could argue that the German has also overshadowed him. If he can rediscover the mercurial, devilish incandescence that made us fall in love the first time, we have a real chance of taking this winter period by storm. He's my one to watch for today.

In terms of team selection, things are less straightforward than they were a month ago. Nacho Monreal has been given the chance he was pining for and created a real selection dilemma by reminding the boss what a good player he is. It is true that he's more developed in an attacking sense than Kieran Gibbs but...Kieran Gibbs. What a guy. For that reason I would choose the England man today. And always. But I like Nacho man as well.

Neguero (just thought of that) are in stunning collective form so I wouldn't stray from the Arteta Flamini combination in front of the defense today, to try and halt the service from midfield. They offer superb protection as a unit so even if it means we use Jack Wilshere as a sub instead of from the start, I think it's necessary to play them. Although, when I've made team predictions on this blog so far, I've been wrong almost ever single time.

I like Martin Demichelis because of a few things. Number One: He's got one of those ironically bad throwback/throwforward fusion hair cuts. Think Chris Waddle mullet meets Andy Carroll ponytail meets Pep Guardiola fashionably receding. Number Two: He's clearly not good enough to play for a team like Man City. I don't know what he has done in the past but at the moment he's just bad. Anyway there are more reasons, but I hope we target him today (if he plays).

So there we go. I hope for a win but I don't expect one. Please defy me Arsenal. Please.

For now.