Stoke 1 - 1 City: Match report

A decent away point acquired in a frustrating fashion.  Stoke were on a good run of form - coming off the back of three successive wins against Birmingham, Liverpool and West Brom - and they started like a team with the confidence to win the game.  City began in a fairly ponderous mode with midfield sloppiness tilting the first half in Stoke's favour.

Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones proved to be a bit of a handful for Kolo and Kompany, with Jones' flick-ons frequently wrong-footing our back line in the first period.  City were thankful for Fuller's dragged shot across goal when a neat interchange between Stoke's forwards created the best chance of the opening forty-five.  Yet as long as these efforts weren't threatening Joe Hart, one of the beauties of having a side so rich in quality is that you never feel too far behind the game.  Silva has gained lots of praise within the City camp for his performance yesterday - in a game that sceptics will have earmarked as too tough for him from the very day he signed.  Joe Hart's comments are typical:

We have great characters, we have players with great strength but we also have someone like David Silva. On that pitch, people may have thought he would have had nothing to do with the game but he ran the show. That showed big character from him.

His reading of the game means he can avoid the roughing up that teams would probably like to give him but he is not afraid of the physicality of the game either.  An interview in the Guardian with Daniel Taylor at the beginning of the season pointed this out:

 "It's not that easy in Spain either, you know," he [Silva] points out. "There are people who can dish it out there as well. It's not something that daunts me in any way." Indeed Silva can be a feisty little so-and-so. Luis Aragonés, the former Spain manager, once described him as having the "biggest balls" in the national team.

He is the playmaker the side has been crying out for and his influence on the side is continuing to grow.

City came out stronger in the second half and began to dictate the play - with Balotelli coming closest in the opening exchanges.  Despite City's tightening control on the game, Stoke came closest before Micah's goal when Milner had to clear off the line.

Micah's goal showed an imagination and footballing creativity that you might not associate with the player.  Aware of the runner to his outside, he sold a dummy that put him within clear sight of goal and, keeping his composure, he drilled his shot across goal for what appeared to be the winner.

The composure shown there was missing for Etherington's equaliser.  With time and options, Kolo hoofed the ball aimlessly forward to the Stoke keeper - inviting them onto us and giving them the belief that we were on the ropes.  A neat backheel later and Etherington had tucked it away to take two points away at the death.

A frustrating end to the game but not a bad point really.  To use a slightly warped statistic, the last time City took three points away from the Britannia it took a winner from Gerard Wiekens back in 1999.  Obviously contests have been few and far between since then, and the team is quite a bit stronger than it was (a team that contained Lee Crooks, Jeff Whitley and Jamie Pollock), but the Britannia Stadium is a notoriously difficult place to visit and City met a Stoke side high on confidence and in good form.

Mario Balotelli was under instruction to control his temper and the fact he succeeded under not inconsiderable provocation is an encouraging sign for the future of his Premier League career.  It was also encouraging to see Kolarov put in another good performance - he is the first left-back we have had in years who looks solid in defence.

After all the negativity at the Birmingham game, these two away games represented a tough test for the togetherness of the City squad and four points, that were very nearly six, shows a good return.  Overall the team played for each other, and their manager, and hopefully this is a sign of a developing spirit that will be vital for the team to succeed.  I would hope Mancini can expect a similar welcome of support in the upcoming home games.

A glimpse of what is to come! Fulham 1 - 4 City: Match report

Today's performance was an answer to all the panic mongerers who would have sent Mancini packing.  It may be getting carried away to say it but in Mancini's first few months at City he said that Barcelona are the benchmark.  All top European teams build from a strong defence (the main task Mancini was given on replacing Hughes), and today City showed glimpses of where Mancini wants to take us in terms of style.  On Sky television, Jamie Redknapp enthused that it was the best performance he has seen from any side this season in the Premiership - and the twenty-four pass move that made the second goal typified City's first-half performance. 

After Kolo's rallying cry about the lack of effort some of his teammates were putting in, this was a performance where everyone worked for each other - in a display of unity that is so often touted as missing.  The formation was essentially the same as it has been throughout the season, despite the thought that Jo's introduction might mean a traditional two upfront - but the workrate meant that there were always options and the midfield did far more to support Tevez in attack.  Jo, in effect, played the Balotelli role and whilst he didn't have a hugely influential game, it meant City played in the fashion that Mancini evidently wants from his team.  In choosing Jo over Milner or Johnson, Mancini chose his system over player-names - and it works.  On a number of occasions, Mancini has said he would need Balotelli fit to play the system he wanted - but the team looked far more balanced playing that system with a SuperMario 'stand-in'.

To be fair, it makes a huge difference playing away from home where the emphasis of the opposing team is further from defending.  Fulham allowed it to be far too open for their own good and City's flowing passing football thrived in the time that was given to us. 

On a more worrying note, is the difference between the home and away support.  The support was much needed after all the negativity at the Birmingham game, but even before the goal, or any meaningful opportunities for that matter, the City fans were audibly behind Mancini and the team.  Away support is always better than home support, but it could almost be like two different sets of fans at the moment.  Most of the country would enjoy seeing City fail now, so it needs the fans to be behind the club. 

All the players put in impressive displays.  Yaya looked greatly improved, Silva was effortlessly brilliant, Tevez was everywhere, Zabaleta doubled his goal tally for the club.  It couldn't have gone much better in the first half.  Not many teams win at Craven Cottage.  With all the results going our way, we are now only three points off the league leaders - and this after being amidst a 'crisis' in the past few games - now to press on to Stoke, another difficult away game, with the same attitude. 

Goalless draws highlight need for a Dzeko-type

Coming away from yesterday's game, one of the main problems seemed to be Mancini's lack of confidence in his replacement strikers.  After the derby, Mancini talked about how tired or lacking in fitness some of his players were, but you got the feeling he was primarily talking about Carlos Tevez.  In some places, Tevez was rated as 50/50 to make the derby and he was hauled off yesterday to protect his thigh injury. If Adebayor was available (or above him Balotelli), you'd imagine Tevez may have had a rest.  Without him the options start to shrink. 

One of the truths levelled at this team is that we rely too much on our Argentine captain.  One of the problems is that when the striking options from the bench aren't deemed up to it, Tevez isn't the type of player who tends towards attacking play.  Tevez is a sensational player - he carries us, and can create chances through his sheer tenacity - but he has always played like a second striker.  He drops deep looking for the ball (increasingly deep when opposing teams pack the defence); when a player gets into a crossing position, he will often drop back to receive a pass rather than get into the box - and when, as yesterday, Silva is the man trying to make up the numbers in the box, we are rarely going to get much success against such strong defenders.  When the focal point of the attack needs to drop back - it naturally slows down the play and limits our options going forward.

This was why we suddenly seemed so potent when Balotelli played against West Brom.  Balotelli makes runs behind the defence and into the box - freeing Tevez to be his effective best in a deeper role.  Tevez's two hat-tricks under Mancini last year came when playing behind a centre-forward - Adebayor, vs Wigan, and Benjani, vs Blackburn. 

If the rumours are true that Garry Cook has gone to the Middle-East to seek talks about the posibility of signing Edin Dzeko, the 6ft 4" Bosnian striker would fit the mould of someone who could lead the line infront of Tevez.  Although if Balotelli can keep calm and injury-free, his presence makes a similar difference to the side without the need for more transfer activity. 

Even though yesterday's performance looked far from it, we are close to something good and it would be a shame to jeopardise it by starting all over again.  I know that the money spent seems to demand more, but we are still a growing side and patience is key. 

There were people around me who were abusing players before they'd even kicked-off and it is funny what some people consider as 'going to support your team'.  Fans play a part in matchday too and it is important our home games are still an advantage in that way. 

Not too surprisingly, one of the positives yesterday was our defensive display - although it could do with being coupled with a bit more adventure, that is three consecutive clean sheets now - and the partnership of Kolo Toure and Kompany is continuingly impressive.  Both were visibly disappointed with the result - Kompany (who tried to up City's tempo on his own) fell to the turf and Kolo's interview is the most distracted and least chirpy I've ever heard from him. 

Yesterday's result was hugely frustrating but, with tough away games coming up, it is important our support is still there. 

'Crisis' averted! West Brom match report

After the Lech Poznan game I wrote that the visit to the Hawthorns was the perfect opportunity for City to show the togetherness that was alleged to be missing.  Out of, the largely media-inspired, adversity came a team performance that should, at least temporarily, stop all those who are too quick to criticise.  The resounding chants for Mancini were just another sign that the way City will beat the knockers is by coming together.

With City's woeful record against West Brom and the host's formidable home form (today they lost their ten-month unbeaten run), this was always going to be a test but City settled quickly after an open first five minutes.  Buoyed by the returns of Tevez and De Jong, in particular, and the mastery of Silva, City looked assured in possession and just needed the spark for a breakthrough.

Man of the hour, Mario Balotelli was going to be that spark.  Teetering on the brink of petulance and brilliance, Super Mario helped banish the 'they only win when Carlos Tevez scores' statistic, with two well taken goals.  He will run the line more than Tevez (even from his wide position), leaving our captain free to play his own game, and his eye for goal will hopefully play a positive role in the season to come.  Mancini had hinted he was waiting for the return of Balotelli to play the style he wanted - and a front three of Balotelli, Tevez and Silva could be an unstoppable combination.

If this was Balotelli announcing himself to the Premier League, then it included both sides to his game.  I think the red card was harsh and probably looked worse than it was but, wrongly or rightly, he will have to learn to keep his mouth to himself or referees are likely to presume the worst.  Many of the world's greatest players have managed to channel a temper into their precocious talent and, at twenty, there is time for Balotelli to mature into one of those players.

Yet, despite Balotelli grabbing the headlines, it was a solid performance from the whole team - a togetherness that also helped to weather the post-sending-off storm. Typified by a host of steamrollering runs, Yaya Toure had a much improved game in his attacking midfield role.  His marauding runs and link-up play seem to be far more impressive than the defensive side of his game - perhaps, if people keep watching him, they will stop saying City are playing with three defensive midfielders.  Kolo and Kompany returned to form after the Wolves game and with De Jong and Barry in front of them, City resembled the tough unit that saw so few goals conceded at the start of the season. 

With results going our way, it is funny what one game can do for the 'crisis' tag.  City are now only five points behind Chelsea, level with Arsenal, and in touching distance of those in second place.   As Mancini appreciates in one of his favourite sayings: 'football is strange', and the feelings of panic and negativity will inevitably now have turned to optimism for the derby on Wednesday!

The Poznan Panic! Lech Poznan match report

An unpopular suggestion: I didn't think City played too badly last night.  Pre-match, I thought that this would be a difficult game.  The Poznan cauldron of noise, as previewed in Manchester, coupled with other intangible factors like the new-manager-syndrome and an under-performing team, were always going to make for a contest - no matter how 'much more our squad cost' etc. etc.  Despite all the post-match frothing, a contest it was.

City looked at ease in the first twenty minutes and should have made the pressure pay when Boyata made a hash of a header from six yards out.  Poznan then settled and played some nice football but only really threatened Given from long-range- which turned out to be enough of a threat.  With the addition of Silva, City were on top for large periods of the second half, before Poznan found quick routes through the centre of our midfield.  With the match poised, and Silva just missing a presentable chance, the ball ricocheted off the back of their central defender's head for the lead.  To seal Clive Tyldesley's joy, a Poznan wondergoal put a nice gloss on the scoreline.  Not ideal, but hardly awful, sack-the-lot-of-them territory. 

A team on the top of their form would have finished the game when they were on top and City should have capitalised on early dominance.  Some players, lacking in match fitness and confidence, were fairly woeful - Wright-Phillips and Bridge were the main offenders.  In areas we were a bit soft in the tackle.  Yes, City are not the finished article yet, but I don't think there is any reason to panic.

If you didn't travel to Poland for the game, then you were stuck with ITV.  This can go one of two ways.  Both ways involve anger!  Either you listen to what the commentators say and think "yeah. City aren't good enough! This is a disgrace!" or, like me, you have a built-in distrust of commentators and you stubbornly dig-in - "they've got an agenda! They're misinformed! They hate City!"  Either way is pretty unhealthy.  

Then there is the build-up where presenter Matt Smith seems unable to complete a sentence without mentioning 'bust-up', 'disharmony', or 'rift'.  'We'll see you after the break, RIFT?'...

The point is, the general hysteria surrounding City - which is as much a welcome to the big-time as genuine distaste for what we are doing - is fairly new to us City fans.  When all you're used to hearing in the past are whimsical tales of comedy and mishaps from Maine Road - 'City lost at home to Bury today' - and all we could do was shake our heads and agree, this current focus is hard to escape too.

Two weeks ago, second in the Premier League and top of our Europa League group, the media were trumpeting out their belief that we would be genuine title contenders.  Today, we are fourth in the league and joint top of our Europa League group, and it is a crisis.  Yes, there is the considerable matter that three games have been lost in a row but, in my opinion, only one of those has been a disaster - and even teams on their way to Champions League qualification will lose games.

We are, as ever, a work in progress.  Whilst everyone is very happy to point out that the money spent should equal instant success, football has never been as simple as that.  If we roll back the clock ten years, City have come a long way in a very short amount of time, and whilst some may have grown weary of the steady progression - City are getting stronger.  Let's not make a crisis out of a blip!

As Milner said in the preview, as everyone outside the club revels in speculation about the demise of City, it is all the more important for City to stick together and that goes for the supporters too.

Let's take that mentality into the game at West Brom on Sunday.  A tough game at a place we always do badly - the ideal place for City to show the togetherness that is allegedly missing.

"Crisis" at City; Michael Johnson and Vieira; Stephen Ireland

Consecutive losses for the first time during Mancini's reign have sent the media mill spinning.  High up the Newsnow feed is the Belfast Telegraph's headline that 'Man City [are] to axe Mancini' - pedalling serial job threatener Frank Rijkaard as the man waiting in the wings... or, if he doesn't sign up for Saudi Arabian club football, Martin O'Neill, for the local interest.

Whilst, undeniably, things aren't clicking completely for City at the moment, the reaction is a remarkable turnaround from the generally positive response to the Arsenal defeat (a defeat that put an end to a run of four straight Premier League victories).  Daniel Taylor's comments in the Guardian that "the mitigating circumstances were so extreme an asterisk should be put in the record books to explain the unorthodox nature of Arsenal's win," and that there is "no cause for alarm" being fairly typical from a paper who also praised City's bold response to facing 85 minutes against a side known for their passing and moving style. 

Taking that stance, the reaction has come purely off the back of the weekend's result and a Wolves team who were due a win.  Whilst not an ideal outcome, it is hardly a reason to panic.  City are in the Champions League places - within reach of our main competitors - despite having a side that is widely thought to be  finding it's feet - as all the players return and 'gel' together.

The ever-generous Patrick Vieira continues to encourage our academy graduates today with praise for the determination of Michael Johnson.  Vieira had the following to say:

“I have been at the club and seen him working every day, and when someone works that hard, I am sure he will be successful.

“I hope for him, for City and English football that he does get back to his best.

“He is a really good player – a talented English player – and it’s good for English football. The future looks bright for him. His determination will bring him back to his best. He is working harder than anyone else, and he is still young so he has time to come back.”

Michael Johnson arguably has the greatest potential of all the recent academy graduates and, if his reported lifestyle has changed in line with his determination, than he can still be a huge asset to City this season.  Ever since Ireland lost his workrate again, City have needed Johnson's dynamism in midfield and his natural class would give City some much needed cohesion and balance in the centre of the midfield.  The big 'if', of coure, is his fitness, and everyone involved in City will be hoping he can put his run of injuries behind him.

In the same article Vieira claims to be feeling back to his best this season - and he has certainly impressed when he has had the opportunity.  If this is to be his last season, City should look to ward off reported interest from Arsenal and snap him up for a coaching role immediately.


Johnson's fellow academy graduate, Stephen Ireland has come into a lot of criticism for his slow start at Villa.  For my Villa supporting friend's birthday we went and sat in the Holte End to watch Villa vs Burnley in the Carling Cup last week, and whilst there does seem to be a general degree of patience amongst the Villa fans, there were one or two who were more than vocal about their disappointment.  Gerard Houllier had this to say in response to dropping him for the Birmingham derby:

"We know he is a good player. But I don't want to have players who you say: 'He's a good player but ...'
If you say: 'He's a good player but he doesn't defend, but he doesn't run back, but he loses too many balls in crucial areas', that's difficult. He needs to get rid of these 'buts' and be a good player. We put him in at Sunderland behind the striker and he needs to get hold of the ball and play"

Which more or less sums him up.  Incredible potential but without the general mentality to back it up.  Whilst I was hoping he would start his Villa career in a way that wouldn't make me regret his departure, it is a shame that a player with such natural ability seems in danger of letting his career drift past him.  

In an almost completely unrelated City/Villa link, Lee Westwood's rise from 266 in the world rankings to the very top has in part been accredited to his fitness coach, Steve McGregor - who came to him from Manchester City and Aston Villa... So, in a way, you could say, City have had a small hand in a great achievement for British golf... but it would be pushing it a bit!