 |  | | |
| |||
The
Blues' assistant manager Mark Bowen, speaking ahead of Tuesday
morning's training session at Carrington, is pleased that this week's
absence of European football and a full seven days between games will
allow the squad to draw breath after a busy period. At the same time it
gives the coaches more time to prepare for a game where a win would see
City climb up the table.
Mark told us, "We have been really
looking forward to it and being able to structure the week in a big
build up to the weekend. One or two players won't be available until
tomorrow or Thursday, but it will be nice to get the whole squad
together.
"Being in Europe is fantastic, and I'm not knocking it,
but we have not had a group of players together week after week where
we can get good, solid fitness and tactical work behind us. We have
only had three or four 'free' weeks, it's been a case of preparing
players and recovering them from previous games - and then two days
later there's another game. It limits the kind of work you can do,
it's been a bit frustrating.
"Pre-season allows you to work on
fitness and getting the lads up to speed, but in terms of the way we
play and the process week-in, week-out, it has been hard with
international breaks and UEFA Cup games. You constantly have to think
about picking the next team in a couple of days, you don't get the
weeks of working with the squad in the way you might want."
Mark
also commented on a speculative story in one national newspaper on
Tuesday morning that suggested that Manchester City's owners want more
say in team selection, and in echoing previous statements from manager
Mark Hughes he stated:
"As Mark has said you can only surmise
that people have an agenda against the club. Maybe there is a touch of
jealousy, envy & maybe fear about the way the club could go over
the coming months & years. When we read these stories, and they are
blatant lies, the only conclusion is that certain people out there
don't want Manchester City to prosper and do well.
"At any
successful club, like at our rivals down the road or the likes of
Chelsea and Arsenal, the Manager is the one that calls the shots and
that is the way it has to be.
"To start we were smiling at some
of the stories that were coming out, but now it is at the stage where
it's plainly ridiculous."
There's brighter news on Robinho, with
the Brazilian striker set to return to training this week, as Mark
concludes, "We're hoping that in the next couple of days he will be
back in for full training, he was not quite there on Saturday and
although he had travelled down with us he was in a touch too much pain
to take part."
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น