City 4 - 3 Wolves: Match report

Boring, boring City?  After the mild criticism that followed the impressive nullifying of Arsenal, we have seen two games fraught with defensive tomfoolery.  In the end, with Tevez already withdrawn to receive his standing ovation at 4-2, Mancini identified the comfort zone too early, and a dubious third for Wolves ensured an exciting finale for the neutral.

Wolves started very strongly and for the first half an hour were dominant - bumbling in a bizarre opener to give them the lead they deserved.  It was a spirited opening from them, full of energy, and on the evidence of that, they should have enough about them to avoid the drop this season.  However, it would've been impossible for them to keep up those levels of energy and commitment and, as half time approached, City started to show signs of a recovery.  Kolo's goal had the same scrappy feel to the Wolves opener but it was the vital foothold for City to stamp their presence on the game.  

Carlos Tevez came out after half-time showing his captaincy skills in the only way he can - to lead the fight himself.  In a breathtaking twenty minutes or so of football after the interval, City ran riot.  Tevez's superb slalom run through the centre of the Wolves defence sparked City's attacking spell.  The flowing counter-attack that started and ended at Yaya Toure's feet was almost equally impressive and the one-two between Dzeko and Tevez will hopefully be the early signs of a flourishing partnership.  

Mancini changed the shape a little in the second half, with Tevez moving closer to Dzeko and Barry moving wider into a left-sided midfield position.  It almost resembled a 4-4-2 and, on evidence of the first-half, Mancini will have some thinking to do to work out the best way to incorporate Tevez, Dzeko and Silva (when the latter is fit enough to start).  Perhaps the diamond formation that was used a couple of times in pre-season, only never to be seen again is the answer here, for example:

Hart

Zabaleta,  Kolo,  Kompany,  Kolarov

De Jong

Yaya Toure,  Barry

Silva

Tevez,  Dzeko

How ever Mancini chooses to solve it, it does look like an attractive problem to have.  After over a month out on the German winter break, Dzeko, despite not getting on the scoresheet, had an impressive début.  As well as having two good feet and vision, he looked a reliable target man - winning the majority of aerial balls that were put up to him.  With the Wolves defence preoccupied with keeping tight to Dzeko, it allowed Tevez the opportunity to find free space in attacking areas - and if City are to play with both of them (complete with Silva behind them), then defences are going to be hard pressed to deal with that sort of quality.  

Lescott's clumsy and needless challenge on Doyle gave Wolves a way back into the game and it made for an exciting end-to-end finish.  Mancini looked frustrated that his usually so well-drilled defence were capable of letting things slide into the realms of the uncertain from a 4-1 lead, but City fans knew better.  When a couple of fans tentatively tried to sing "We are top of the league" at 4-2 with little over five minutes to go, the hostility from some fans quickly put a stop to it.  There is always that healthy fear that anything can happen.  But as the Poznan-Mexican wave around the ground showed, the City fans are starting to enjoy this again - and whilst sitting top in mid-January, why not?!