Showing posts with label Edin Dzeko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edin Dzeko. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Edin Dzeko's 4-Goal Game Culminates His Arrival in the EPL

Michael Regan/Getty Images
(Bleacher Report) This Past January Manchester City made a move that many people believed would be one of the best they had made since their overhaul began. Their move was the £27 million signing of VfL Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko.

Dzeko had torn up the Bundesliga for the past three seasons with Wolfsburg scoring 85 goals in only 135 league appearances. Before his transfer he had already been a 2009 nominee for the Ballon d'Or.

His scoring exploits had already seen him take over the all-time scoring record for Wolfsburg as the next closest scorer only had 59 goals for the club.

Believed to be the final piece of the puzzle, Mancini put him straight into the lineup and he provided an assist to Yaya Toure against Wolves. He would score his first goal for the club in the FA Cup, which they would eventually win, on January 30th.

However, it would take until April for him to score his first Premier League goal, and his believed inability to adapt at times seemed to have people calling him a flop. But it was still too early to truly tell as he had not had a summer to rebuild his mentality and physicality to the EPL.

This year he has blown out of the doors for Manchester City. He has scored in every game the Citizens have played since the opening FA Community Shield weekend.
121207382_crop_340x234 Alex Livesey/Getty Images

A long distance effort in the Community Shield proved he had his mind in the right place, as he caught Manchester United's young keeper David De Gea sleeping on the line not expecting a shot from range.

Dzeko then continued his exploits into the regular season scoring in the opening match against Swansea.

The second league game of the new season saw the title hopefuls travel to Bolton's Reebok Stadium for a tough test against a hard-nosed middle table club with a brilliant manager in Owen Coyle. Coyle has totally changed the attitude of the club since his arrival in January 2009, and looks to be making them push back to the top eight where they were several years ago.

City took a 2-1 lead into the half with Bolton looking to be on the ropes. What the Wanderers needed against City was a strong start to the second half but Dzeko denied them of any chance of that by firing home a low cross from James Milner just two minutes into the half.

Gary Cahill and Zat Knight seemed powerless against the Bosnian at times, and even though Wanderers would get a late consolation goal, the 3-2 victory was all City's.

Whatever people believed about Dzeko's fine form or ability after three straight games where he scored important goals would be completely redefined in the Citizens final game of the month of August when they hosted Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
108073609_crop_340x234 Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Harry Redknapp's Spurs squad were fresh off a tough 0-3 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford but were hopeful of possibly gain at least a point against City when they opened the Lane for business this season.

The last two seasons had seen Tottenham beat City to fourth in 2009-10, and then run close to them but finish fifth last season. However, this would be the time that Manchester City proved they have truly progressed in the last two years.

Samir Nasri had just arrived from Arsenal, and there were great expectations for the new look City lineup with the French play maker now combining with David Silva to support Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko.

It proved to be a match made in footballing heaven. Nasri was spot on in combination with Dzeko as the Bosnian opened the scoring in the 34th minute to bring life into the match. The goal was a tap in with his right foot as Nasri's give and go with Sergio Aguero allowed him to float in a low cross ripe for the striker's picking.

Again Nasri and Dzeko would be the driving force in attack, as another cross in from the left met Dzeko in the air. His header was tucked away for the second goal of the match at the 41st minute as the Citizens surged into the half 2-0 up.

The second half started bright again for City and it took just 10 minutes for Dzeko to complete his hat trick. This time Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure combined and the Ivorian played in a low rolling ball from the right side that Dzeko tipped home with his left foot.
122391054_crop_340x234 Michael Regan/Getty Images

His hat trick was complete, and done with class as he scored with both feet and his head in a clinical showing of what finishing is all about.

Five minutes later Sergio Aguero joined the Manchester City goal fest with a superb display of physical ability as he muscled through the defense to put the Citizens 4-0 up on their opponents.

Younes Kaboul finally put Spurs on the score sheet when he headed home a corner on the 68th minute, but the game was pretty much already done and dusted.

Dzeko, however, was not finished. Gareth Barry received a forward pass from the striker at the top of the box. The midfielder simply trapped the ball and played himself to the other side while Dzeko drove forward, striking the ball into the far top corner with pinpoint precision.

His 90th minute fourth goal of the match completed one of the best performances in the EPL's history for a striker, and took his goal tally to seven in four games.

After such an impressive run to start the season, is it safe to say that Edin Dzeko has truly arrived in the English Premier League?

He has already scored more goals this season in four appearances than he did last season after 21. He scored his first league goal in the first game he had the chance, while last season it took him until April to get one into the onion bag.

It is unknown where it will all go for him from here this season, but it looks like nowhere but up as his partnership with Aguero is truly growing and he already looks to have a great understanding with Silva, Toure and apparently Nasri from the middle of the park.

The next four games for City between September 10th—when they return from the International break—and the first of October see them play much weaker opposition: Wigan Athletic, Fulham, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. All are likely to give Dzeko opportunity to score on more than one occasion, so I expect his goal scoring to continue.

September 14th, 2011 sees Manchester City make their Champions League debut against Napoli at home, and Dzeko will be expected to get on the score sheet then as well.

I look forward to watching Dzeko continue to perform, as he is a lock to fight for the Golden Boot at this point.
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Sunday, 21 August 2011

Manchester City: Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Citizens Starting XI vs Bolton

Alex Livesey/Getty Images
(Bleacher Report)Manchester City started off their new campaign with a bang on multiple levels.

Their team gave a clinic in the last 33 minutes as they scored four goals to rout newly promoted Swansea City in front of a packed house.

It was also nice to start the first Campaign of the Etihad Stadium with a victory, and Roberto Mancini will be happy to have earned such.

This weekend they face another team that dished out a 4-0 beating to a newly promoted side after Bolton Wanderers pummeled Queens Park Rangers into submission at Loftus Road.

Bolton are scrappy at times but have more quality than they are usually credited with.

However, Manchester City expect to take nothing less than three points back home with them, and Sergio Aguero will look to continue his excellent debut season with what should be his first full 90 minutes appearance......CLICK TO START THE SLIDESHOW.

You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my personal WebSite

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

FA Community Shield Analysis: Seven Players That Impressed

Ian Walton/Getty Images
(Bleacher Report)The FA Community Shield provided just the kind of match that the English Premier League needed to build this coming weekends opening fixtures.

Manchester City stormed out of the gates to take a 2-0 advantage into the break, and nearly ruined my Manchester United victory prediction from last Thursday. However, the Red Devils gave their noisy neighbors a lesson in the game.

That lesson, there are two halves to any football match. You may have won the first half but we destroyed you in the second. Goals from Joleon Lescott and a belter from Edin Dzeko were cancelled out by two Nani strikes and a great free kick winning shot from young defender Chris Smalling.

With the action now three days past, I thought I would take a look back and really talk about who impressed the most in the 3-2 United victory......Click Here to Start the Slideshow.

You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my personal WebSite

Thursday, 10 February 2011

The Importance of the Manchester Derby

Article first published as The Importance of the Manchester Derby on Technorati.
The Red and Blue sides of Manchester Square off this Weekend With Manchester City hoping to gain ground on Manchester United.

by Rhydon Atzenhoffer
February 10, 2011

Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devil's were shocked last weekend in a surprise defeat to bottom table club Wolves. The Manchester club was not the only top four team to get shocked as Arsenal suffered a shocking draw to the hands of Newcastle United after being 0-4 up at halftime at St. James Park. A Red Card to Bacary Sanga saw the Gunners reduced to 10-men and the Magpies took full advantage.

Doyle Gives Wolves the Lead. PA Photos
Chelsea fell to a stalwart of a Liverpool side stifling the debut of former Red Fernando Torres. The only top team to take advantage of the other toppling in shockers was Manchester City. The Citizens cruised to a 3-0 victory over possibly relegation bound West Brom. The Baggies just could stave off the attack.

As the weekend comes into view, the Red Devils face an enemy that has been growing hungrier and hungrier for their success. Carlos Tevez has been on a rampage, David Silva is beginning to adjust to the English Premier League, and new signing Edin Dzeko has looked a fresh face in attack. With most of their dead weight cleared out on loan, the Blue side of Manchester is rising.

Despite their defeat Manchester United still top the table at 54 points from 25 games with a game in hand on the Citizens who sit third with 49 points from 26. Between them stands 50 point Arsenal also on 25 games who face Wolves this weekend, and it is no doubt that they will be on the hunt for a second Premiership scalp in hopes of saving their season from relegation.

If United a victorious it will see them go eight points clear of Man City, and seven points clear of the Gunners in the first games of the weekend setting the tone. However, if Tevez and crew can pull off an upset of the Red Devils at Old Trafford it would make huge waves towards their chance of winning the League with 11 games to go, and only two points to make up.

Tevez Desires Vital Win
Tevez, a former United player, knows all to well that a loss could give the Red Devils all the advantage they need to see out the season and take their 19th Title giving them the most championships of any English Club eclipsing Liverpool whom they are tied with at 18.

"There are still many points left but to give an eight, nine or 10-point advantage to United is to say goodbye to our chances." Tevez said of what a loss could imply if the Citizens were not to emerge victorious.

A Red Devils defeat could signal the beginning of a changing of the guard in Manchester if the Citizens have anything to do with it, and this match will more than likely set the tone for the weekend. If it is to run any chance of being as interesting and as exciting as last weeks match days, we are in for one hell of a ride starting with the Manchester Derby Saturday morning.