Manchester City defender Micah Richards urges fans to 'lay off' Stefan Savic after Liverpool shocker: He's only young and has big boots to fill

England international defends club team-mate following criticism of his poor performances in the League Cup semi-final against Liverpool after replacing Vincent Kompany in the side

26 Jan 2012 17:32:00

By Simon Sinclair

More On :  Liverpool, Manchester City, Stefan Savic, Micah Richards
Carling Cup : Stefan Savic - Daniel Agger, Manchester City v Liverpool
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Manchester City defender Micah Richards has defended team-mate Stefan Savic following criticism of the Montenegrin's poor performances against Liverpool in the League Cup.

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The 21-year-old has deputised for the suspended City captain Vincent Kompany after the Belgian was banned for four matches for his tackle on Nani in their FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United.

However, the Montenegro international hasn't done himself any favours with his recent form, particularly in the two Liverpool ties and the fortuitous 3-2 win over Tottenham in the Premier League.

Richards said on his Twitter page: “I hope people will lay off Savic! He's only young and he has big boots to fill in @VincentKompany.”

Fellow centre-back Kolo Toure is also unavailable as he’s currently away on international duty with the Ivory Coast leaving Roberto Mancini short of options in defence.

Savic was responsible for giving away the penalty in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final,  fouling Daniel Agger in the area, leading to City's 1-0 defeat after Steven Gerrard netted from the spot.

The Montenegrin signed for Roberto Mancini's side in the summer for a fee of around £6 million from Partizan and has made 17 appearances so far this season.

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