Manchester City face Chelsea in a vital match this weekend. Now defender Nigel de Jong has urged fans to be City’s 12th man.
The Dutch wants the home crowd to produce the kind of atmosphere that will lift the Sky Blues spirit to conquer Chelsea’s blue heaven. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have been enjoying a great start to the English Premier League so far and goals haven’t lacked either. But last season’s corresponding fixture saw them lose 2-1 away to Manchester City and that’s a result Nigel de Jong wants his side to reproduce this weekend.
Although many think that the Sky Blues have practically no chance to upset their rivals from London, defender Nigel de Jong thinks that supporters could well play a major role for City to clinch all three points. As he expressed himself on his club’s official website, the Dutch declared:
“Fans can do a lot for us. At home, they can be the 12th man from start to finish. That will help enormously. We expect a lot of them tomorrow.”
Nigel de Jong also analyzed Chelsea’s target ahead of the encounter. According to the Manchester City defender, the Blues won’t seat back against all expectations. He continued as he spoke:
“They [Chelsea] lost both matches against us last season. So, they will be coming here to try and win. We are aware of that. But they’ll know that we can do more than match them if we are on top of our game.
“They will give it 100 per cent, as they have the mentality of champions. If you read the papers, and if you listen to what their players are saying, then you will know that that’s their biggest test yet.
“We will need to be our best to beat them because we have some catching up to do. We’re on 8 points and they have got 15. So there’s a gap of 7 points already. If we win this game, we’ll close the gap a little, which is important.
“We’re only in September, so anything can happen over the season. We need to win continuously, so that we can remain in the top four.”
Like Chelsea, Manchester City suffered a Carling Cup exit in midweek. Both teams will meet on Saturday at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Although many think that the Sky Blues have practically no chance to upset their rivals from London, defender Nigel de Jong thinks that supporters could well play a major role for City to clinch all three points. As he expressed himself on his club’s official website, the Dutch declared:
“Fans can do a lot for us. At home, they can be the 12th man from start to finish. That will help enormously. We expect a lot of them tomorrow.”
Nigel de Jong also analyzed Chelsea’s target ahead of the encounter. According to the Manchester City defender, the Blues won’t seat back against all expectations. He continued as he spoke:
“They [Chelsea] lost both matches against us last season. So, they will be coming here to try and win. We are aware of that. But they’ll know that we can do more than match them if we are on top of our game.
“They will give it 100 per cent, as they have the mentality of champions. If you read the papers, and if you listen to what their players are saying, then you will know that that’s their biggest test yet.
“We will need to be our best to beat them because we have some catching up to do. We’re on 8 points and they have got 15. So there’s a gap of 7 points already. If we win this game, we’ll close the gap a little, which is important.
“We’re only in September, so anything can happen over the season. We need to win continuously, so that we can remain in the top four.”
Like Chelsea, Manchester City suffered a Carling Cup exit in midweek. Both teams will meet on Saturday at the City of Manchester Stadium.
