Manchester City lost their grip on top spot a fortnight ago as they dropped points in a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough – and the City fans are still unhappy about the result!
Martin de Roon’s stoppage time header cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opener as Liverpool wrestled City’s place at the summit.
Pep Guardiola’s side should have put the game to bed after having 71% of the possession and taking 25 shots at Victor Valdes’ goal.
The Spaniard will be keen to make sure the same doesn’t happen on Saturday when they take on Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace side.
The Eagles have failed to win in their last five Premier League games but Pardew knows how to rally a side against the big boys, and may just fancy his chances and taking something from the game.
Guardiola will expect his City side to be ruthless in order to prevent any more dropped points and should consider fresh legs if the game is in the balance again.
Here are TWO impact subs we here in the Transfer Tavern think he should let loose against Palace…
KELECHI IHEANACHO
Kelechi Iheanacho would probably be one of the top scorers in the league were he not the deputy for the best striker in the league.
The Nigerian has one of the best goals per minute ratios in the league with 0.91 goals per game, and is only behind his teammate Sergio Aguero in terms of strikers who have played a full 90 minutes.
His record is made all the more impressive by the fact he is generally limited to substitute appearance, meaning Guardiola knows he has a super sub he can trust.
He kept Iheanacho on the bench until the 89th minute against Middlesbrough however and would be wiser to bring him in if the game needs a goal.
LEROY SANE
Leroy Sane was unlucky that his introduction to the Manchester City first team seemed to coincide with their drop in form.
The attacker was deployed in a sort of wing-back role ninth majority of his games and probably shouldn’t have been put in a position of such defensive responsibility to start with.
The 20-year-old would be better served coming on against a tired defence where he can cut in from the wing and pepper Steve Mandanda’s goal with long-range shots.
