Paolo Di Canio described the pitch at the Hong Kong Stadium as a
"killer" before the final day of the Barclays Asia Tropy - stereotypical
Italian hyperbole right?
Wrong. After another session of furious
rainfall, Manchester City's 1-0 win over Sunderland resembled a fixture
from the 1970s as both sides skidded around a drenched, sandy surface.
It
had bigger repurcussions for City as Matija Nastasic was stretchered
off with an ankle injury, though Manuel Pellegrini refused to blame the
pitch, stressing that it could have happened on any surface.
Andre
Villas-Boas was less amused with the ankle problem Jan Vertonghen
picked up in Tottenham's 3-1 semi-final loss to Sunderland though,
adding: "We've lost one player through injury - and if I can be sincere I
would prefer not to go ahead, but that's the reality."
Tottenham did go ahead though and escaped further problems as they trounced South China 6-0 in the game preceding the final.
As
frustrating as it was for the managers and players involved, the
nostalgic pitch provided plenty of entertainment for the observer.
