Hat-trick puts Adebayor in frame for Arsenal start
MANCHESTER CITY (3) VS LECH POZNAN (1)
MANCHESTER CITY boss Roberto Mancini hinted that Emmanuel Adebayor could start Sunday’s clash with Arsenal after his brilliant hat-trick demolished Lech Poznan.
Adebayor faced widespread condemnation in the same fixture last season after kicking Robin van Persie in the face and running the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of the travelling Arsenal fans.
Now Mancini could play him alongside Carlos Tevez this weekend, insisting the pairing’s disjointed performance against Blackpool was “not a problem”.
“For a striker it is important to play well and his performance was excellent,” he said. “But it is very important to score. Now he has a good chance to play against Arsenal. They played together against Blackpool. It is normal for my teams to play with two strikers. It is not a problem.”
Although he had not scored since May, Adebayor’s hat-trick was taken with the confidence of an in-form striker. His first was a deft turn and finish from the edge of the area after just 13 minutes, which was followed by a clinical header from David Silva’s byline cross. Joel Tshibamba pulled one back but the game was put beyond doubt when Adebayor tapped home David Silva’s pinpoint cross, lifting City top of Group A.