The Theatre of Base Comedy

Everton reaction: Balotelli, Tim Howard's goalkicks, and a trio of supersubs

2011-09-25T11:06:00.000+01:00

For four seasons Everton have come to Manchester and taken everything. The last time City beat them at home was courtesy of a brace from none other than Georgios Samaras, in a team that still had Nicky Weaver in goal and Stephen Jordan at left-back. This is one reason why yesterday's result was so satisfying. The other, contrary to the frayed nerves at the stadium yesterday, was the manner of the win.

I heard many fans at the ground yesterday saying it was City's worst performance of the season, which, as a sentiment, is worrying in itself, but it is the first time a team has set up solely to stifle City's attacking play this season - as Moyes said "I wasn't going to come here for the enjoyment of Man City." When a team has ten men behind the ball, the football is naturally going to be played patiently and in front of the wall of defenders for the large part of the game.

Last season, many teams came to City and adopted the same tactic - sitting behind the ball and frustrating City - and for the most part, they had some success. So it was refreshing to see City come out on top. The perceived one-dimensional 'Carlos Tevez reliance' that was a factor last season has gone, and whilst teams can sit on David Silva for most of the game, the fruit of our riches means that Aguero, Nasri, Dzeko or Balotelli may still cause problems.

The decision by Mancini to put his faith in the mercurial Balotelli to be the match changer will hopefully be another grounding for the young Italian. He was obviously delighted with his goal and produced a mature and steady performance (little tantrums excepted) that fully justified him being preferred to Tevez - who is yet to find the confidence that marked his displays last season. Mario's ability has never been in question - he has all the tools needed to be one of the best strikers in the league - and if, it is a big if, he can consistently approach games with the right attitude, then there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to force his way into the team. With Tevez eventually staying this summer, the renaissance of Dzeko, and the arrival of Aguero, Balotelli, for all his confidence, must have wondered how much he would feature this season, so hopefully Mancini's faith in him as match-winner should re-focus him once again.

One of the most contentious post-match issues seems to be that of Moyes's approach to the game. I, for one, fully expected Everton to come and defend - as many teams will this season - and Moyes does have precious few resources with which to mount a serious attacking challenge to City in a game such as this: even their previous victories, as impressive as they were, were notably dogged displays - their only two shots of the game sealed last season's victory. Yet there are degrees to such an approach. In previous seasons, there always seemed to be the ambition to win the game - which wasn't apparent here. It is of little consequence to me - and I recognise teams' efforts to shut out City as a sign of respect - but the lively showing of Apostolos Vellios, when he came on, was enough to think 'would it really have dented such a defensive showing to have at least one outlet upfront?'

However, the contrast between Tim Howard's slothful, meditative art of goalkicking before the goal and his frantic, scurrying transformation afterwards was pathetically brilliant. It is one thing to defend from the outset, which of course is just part of football, but to waste time from the first minute is something else.

David Silva's pass for Milner's goal was unbelievable - just when I thought the central option was closed up, or, in an inexplicable wavering of faith, I thought he might just be about to lose the ball, Milner was through for the second. He truly is a magician. Stubbornly followed around the pitch by Jack Rodwell, his performance was an exercise in patience and he still managed to assert his influence on the game.

On a final note, it must be quite satisfying as a manager to bring on three substitutes - two of whom score and the other completes a clearance off the goal-line.

Wigan reaction: In praise of David Silva

2011-09-11T16:39:00.000+01:00

It is indicative of how City have evolved as a team when the hat trick hero has plenty of serious competition for the man of the match award. Whereas last season the criticism often levelled at City was that we were over reliant on one man (Carlos Tevez), the displays this season have been a marvel of cohesion and collective brilliance. Despite scoring three coolly taken goals and coming close on a couple of other occasions, it was still possible to look past Sergio Aguero and surrender oneself to the majesty of David Silva.

I find it very difficult not to get carried away with my admiration for the wee Spaniard but, despite the improbability of him being able to improve on last season, he seems to have come back stronger, more confident, and almost irrepressible. Seeing him leap through the small crowd of Wigan players to set up the third goal or his balletic twist and turn on the ball in the first half that saw him skip away from three or four defenders, it didn't seem like stopping him could possibly be an option yesterday. Judging by the penalty he won, he even seems to have fewer scruples about putting his body on the line for the team.

It has been a familiar refrain over many years that the team had never replaced the Ali Benarbia figure - someone capable of dictating the pace of a match whilst creating the magic necessary to win the game. In the ever-improving David Silva, that search is over. His performance yesterday was sensational - setting up two goals and playing a part in the other, he moved with the assurance of someone who has found his home in the English game. For a City fan, it was a joy to watch.

The Barcelona parallels are being played up or down depending on the hysteria of who you are speaking to, but with the prospect of having Silva, Nasri and Aguero all playing off one another, the spectacles to come promise to be very mouthwatering indeed.

Out of office

2011-07-31T23:33:00.001+01:00

After a fairly unproductive couple of months, I am going to declare an 'out of office' until early September. Criminally I am on other shores and still will be when the season begins against Swansea - but will be taking up my seat from then on in and picking up the blog from there. If you would like to catch some of my writing still, then I have a general moan about the lack of domestic friendlies in the upcoming issue of Topical City.

Time for the end of Carlos's captaincy?

2011-06-07T22:24:00.001+01:00

It is often the case as a football fan that you have to dislocate the man from the player or at least aspects of the man from the player who crosses that white line. This is easy to do as long as the attitude on the pitch is what is expected. Martin Petrov, for example, lost almost all my sympathies when he brought his name-waggling whining celebration into games. Carlos Tevez, on the other hand, is perfect. Disregarding the occasionally grumpy characteristics, he gives his all for the team and you cannot ask for much more from a player. Off the pitch, however much is true of what we read, is a circus of uncertainty.

In today's Independent there is a report that three of City's senior players have approached Mancini about stripping Tevez of the captaincy. Ian Herbert describes these developments as,

"the first evidence that the interminable uncertainty over the Argentine's future is damaging his popularity."

The key word here for us City fans is 'interminable'. If Tevez does stay for next season, as many reports suggest, it doesn't necessarily mean that the speculation over his future will end. There are factors, in another season at City, that Tevez would consider a compromise. The most persistent grumble is about his family - for whatever reason, he doesn't feel Manchester and family life can be brought together, which is obviously a problem for him and his happiness in a country where, by his own admission, he has struggled to settle. These personal problems are unlikely to be solved in a new contract and I don't think we'll hear the end of them if he were to pledge himself to the club.

All of which is fine, to an extent - it is hard to find too much sympathy with such a well compensated problem. The issue is that this figure of uncertainty is the club captain. Giving Tevez the captaincy in the first place was considered a goodwill gesture to keep him at the club, but he should know that greater vocal commitment to the club is needed in such a role.

I would love Tevez to stay and there are signs that this is a distinct possibility but there is no reason why he cannot stay on without the captaincy. He has had a season where he has performed outstandingly, but his off the field comments, his transfer request and all that accompanied it, has left his position as the leader of the team looking quite flimsy - and it would hardly be surprising if more committed members of the squad are disgruntled by his continuing in the role.

Vincent Kompany would be the obvious choice as his replacement - a great leader on the pitch, respected by his team mates, and an eloquent and vocal ambassador of the club and its ambitions.

Obviously it is not as easy as all that - the last thing the management will want to do is upset Tevez at such a delicate juncture but, at the same time, if it is dealt with correctly then it could serve to show that Tevez is not the boss at the club, that the management will not bow to his every request, and this can only be good for the dynamics of the club. A very important player does not necessarily make ideal captaincy material. The club should be in the position of power and continuing the perceived mollycoddling of our prize asset should not be necessary where the club now finds itself in the English game.

The Theatre of Base Comedy 10/11 Awards

2011-06-05T13:52:00.002+01:00

Player of the Season
Indisputably Vincent Kompany. A tower of strength, poise and vision, Kompany is the side's true captain and most consistently excellent performer.

Goal of the Season
Tevez's bullet free-kick won the official award and, as a Tevez free-kick hater, it was amazing to see after all the soft chipped efforts that came before it, but David Silva's balance and close control whilst slaloming through Blackpool's defence wins it for me. Reminiscent of Kinkladze's goal against Southampton at Maine Road, this was pure class. Although De Jong's goal against West Ham was a close contender...

Top Buy
Yaya Toure was fantastic when it mattered - running in his own indomitable style through teams (quite often with players desperately hanging off the side of him, trying to get close) - and if his enthusiasm would've been there for all the games, he would have won this award easily. However, David Silva gets it for adding magic to the side - magic that was so sorely missed last season after the demise of Stephen Ireland - more composure in front of goal and he would be the complete attacking midfielder.

Flop of the Season
On the other hand there is Jerome Boateng. He arrived with great promise after an eye-catching World Cup and an excellent cross in the friendly against Valencia - but a series of injuries and timid displays have contributed to an inauspicious first season in England. There is potential there but he does look like a player who hasn't got the confidence to do anything.

Performance of the Season
Part of City's success this season came from a willingness to mix style and doggedness when it was appropriate. When Chelsea came to Eastlands towards the end of September, they had spent the opening month and a half of the season tonking teams to the tune of 4, 5, 6 or 7 goals - they were a side full of confidence and the 'heaviest in the league'. City dug in and when Carlos Tevez took on the Chelsea defence on his own, City proved strong enough to hold on to that lead. The first really impressive show of City's style was the away victory at Fulham. One João Alves de Assis Silva was preferred in the wide left role and City's more natural shape produced some breathtaking football - perhaps capped by the 24 pass move that set up the second goal for Yaya Toure. As a first real show of City's attacking potential, the Fulham performance gets my vote.

Moment of the Season
It has got to be between the FA Cup semi-final and the final itself. The semi-final victory had been coming and that release of tension when Yaya bulldozered his way through the United defence was unbelievable, but to see City lift silverware for the first time in my lifetime was an unforgettable moment - the players celebrating, grown men weeping in the stands, Wembley Poznans... It really was something special.

Season review: Winning Mentality

2011-06-05T12:51:00.000+01:00

The last months of a season are always going to be those that are remembered, whether they define a side's success or not - strong early season form will often be eclipsed by a woeful end, for example, as Sunderland may testify this season - but with City, the blistering run from the semi-final to the end of the season was not only a welcome surprise but also marked the arrival of the team as a force to be reckoned with.

Trained for years in the complexities of Cityitis, we had to juggle the hope that was being offered with all the 'typical city' feelings. Sure, we'll beat United in the semis, but wouldn't it just be typical City to then lose to Stoke - especially Stoke. Tottenham are on a woeful run, but they always do well at Eastlands and it would be typical of City to be the ones to end their misfortune. Can we be trusted with it all in our hands on the last day away to Bolton? The workings of the paranoid mind, but even amongst the fans that is beginning to change. I feel it is our duty to feel like that almost - it has been ingrained over the last couple of decades - but there is less reason for those feelings. Could the fabled winning mentality be making its way into the terraces too?

The 'winning mentality' has become one of football's clichés. After the Champions' League final, Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov was reported to have said the difference between Barca and United was the Catalan's winning mentality. Which, although I am sure he didn't mean to make it sound that way, somewhat detracts from the fact that Barcelona are by far the superior team. Pitting some of the best midfielders of my lifetime against an ageing philanderer and Michael Carrick was never going to be much of a contest. A crack team of psychologists and brainwashers may be able to convince my Sunday league side that they can beat anybody, but it is more likely to end in fights and breakdowns than a dizzying ascent into the football league.

Part of it then must be a realisation of the worth of your team. City's squad, player for player, is up there with the best in the league - if this is used in the right way, without complacency, with the correct desire, with the 'winning mentality', then there is no reason not to feel invincible. Team ethic and discipline are important here, especially as it is something sceptics maintained wouldn't be possible at City and under Mancini, but the final months of the season showed a team coming together and playing for each other at the right time.

Of course the unquestionable success Mancini has brought this season should strengthen his position amongst the more rebellious members of the squad, of which there will always be some, and if City can take this unity into next season, without too great an upheaval in the transfer market, then the side are in a very strong position to continue to grow next season.

"This is a big moment for us" - Semi-final reflections

2011-04-17T10:32:00.000+01:00

I think I'm going to leave today's sport pages out for at least the next couple of months. Coming downstairs to see Yaya's gleeful face refreshing the memories of yesterday is the perfect kick start to the day. I'm sure there are self-help books that advise something along the lines of 'find something that makes you very happy and leave it on full view, so that you get a positive start to the day.' Done.

Weeks ago, when the tie was announced, a United 'friend' at work looked at me warily for a few minutes and then said 'I have a bad feeling about this. It's coming. It's about time you beat us,' and whilst there is a hint of a veiled jibe in there, he meant it and we both knew it to be true. The 0-0 was drab but City should have taken more; City were the better team at the Swamp but something unbelievable happened. If, as Mancini was suggesting, this is to be the turning point in City's history, then not a small part of it will be evidence that we can beat the best teams on the important stages. One of the only criticisms that can be levelled against City this season is that when we have come up against the established sides we haven't always looked like we believe we can beat them. If this can change, then it is those established sides that we will be attacking next season.

Ferguson played on this before the game - the hint that City players wouldn't be able to cope with the big occasion as well as United would - and for the first half-an-hour or so this looked like it was to be the case. A bit of a blunder between Barry and Lescott on the edge of the box allowed United to pick their way through the City defence and Joe Hart made an excellent save - only to see a more presentable chance squandered seconds later. But from then in, City pushed up and in the final stages of the first half looked the more likely to score. Barry rippled the side netting, Balotelli smacked one at goal from as far out as possible, Lescott awkwardly volleyed over, and Kompany produced a smart curling shot around the post. This little spell helped to settle the nerves.

City came flying out after the interval (apart from the obligatory 'make the opponents wait on the pitch' tactic) and the pressing of Gareth Barry, David Silva and Yaya Toure forced the goal out of nothing. Barry chased the lost cause and then a complete shambles of mistakes pushed the ball to Yaya who, in his calm storm of power and poise, bounded past Vidic and stroked the ball home.

The fear of forty minutes of nerves and panic never came to fruition - with City still pressing before Scholes decided to spike Zabaleta in the hip - with Nani's deflected free kick the closest United could suggest to a comeback.

Yaya was magnificent; it seemed he has been saving all of his energy for this game and looked like he could hardly move by the end. Whilst his work rate has been questioned at times this season, you can see these high pedigree players come into their own in the big matches.

Zabaleta and De Jong were typically busy on their returns to the side - and that added bite was something that was missing earlier in the week. Balotelli kept his cool (apart from one little piece of 'mischief' at the end!) and held up the ball well enough for no one to mention the absence of Tevez. From a man who doesn't celebrate, it was heartening to see him get so involved in the post match jubilation.

It was celebrated like the cup final itself but, if Mancini is right, then something else was being celebrated here. A big party to mark the moves to 'change the history of the club'. However, as Mancini and the City fans are equally aware, there is still another game to win if we want to banish the 'typical City' moniker from this cup run.

Topical City: False Dawn Shinawatra

2011-03-07T19:59:00.000Z

The third issue of monthly City fanzine, Topical City, is out now. If you wish to read it, as you should, then follow this link and click on either the flash or non-flash version of the magazine.

This month I have written an article on the first day of the 2007/2008 season - the first competitive game of Shinawatra's reign at the club - and try to argue that this was the first day in the modern era of the football club. The article starts below and can be read in its entirety in Topical City magazine.

11^th August 2007. The opening day of the season had taken us away to East London and a game against West Ham at the Boleyn Ground. As we stepped out of the tube station and into the late summer sunshine, those usual feelings of trepidation and doubt were outweighed by something different, something new.

The previous season had ended with a long slog of drab, hopeless football. Stuart Pearce’s trusty Beanie Horse had run out of luck and City had not scored a home league goal since New Year’s Day. There was a tangible sense of impending doom about the club. If the lucky horse no longer delivered, what hope was there for the season to come?

Step up, the ‘fit-and-proper’ saviour, Thaksin Shinawatra. The FA agreed that our new charismatic owner needed a break from ‘politically motivated’ bitchiness, and the former Thai Prime Minister came in and injected, that vital football fan ingredient, hope into the football club. The week before the start of the season, after showcasing his new football team against Valencia at home (a David Silva goal settled the tie – I wonder what happened to him?), Thaksin treated the City fans to a party in Albert Square. Whilst those who went down into central Manchester after the game were guzzling down the complimentary Thai Green Curry, Shinawatra took the microphone and serenaded the dumbfounded Blues with the club anthem, Blue Moon.

To read on, turn to page eight of the new issue of Topical City magazine.

City 1 - 0 Wigan: Match report

2011-03-06T13:00:00.000Z

It looked like it was going to be one of those days when Conor Sammon pushed the ball seemingly past Hart and into the bottom corner with seconds remaining - but some marvellous late turn of the ball sped it past the post and ensured a welcome three points for City. Wigan's second half performance meant it was a close run encounter, but the victory allows City to consolidate a top four position with Tottenham and United both facing difficult games today.

City played some impressive stuff at times in the first half - quite often just a pass or touch too many in some scintillating, quick-flowing moves. Silva was at the heart of most of them - finding room to manoeuvre down the left hand side - but the multiple one-twos between Tevez and Balotelli were also a joy to watch. As the person who sits behind me was at pains to point out to the whole stand, all this pretty football is pointless without an end product, and City were perhaps guilty of trying to walk it in at times but, as a show of quality and growing understanding between our players, this style was good to see.

Perhaps strange then that our only breakthrough of the game came through a comedy of errors on the part of the Wigan back line. A slip from Caldwell gave Silva the space to roll a shot in at the near post and Al Habsi will want to forget the rest. A howler of the first degree.

Wigan had their moments in the first half, with Victor Moses getting quite a bit of joy with his speed and trickery against Zabaleta, but it was in the second that they started to cause City the problems. Sammon's late miss was one of four fairly presentable chances in the half - McCarthy's drive from the edge of the box, Alcaraz's knock against the post, and Rodallega's weak finish from just outside the box. Whilst Wigan fans will be encouraged by the style of play they were putting together, their impotence in front of goal will worry them just as much.

City will be worried they let such a promising start descend into such a close encounter but the three points are what matters and City had to return to winning ways in the league here.

Again, there is concern over the form of our captain, Tevez. A series of head down runs into crowds of players and the occasional sulk counters his fantastic work rate - and he will need to be a little less greedy if he is going to be part of an effective team display. He has been out of sorts since the derby game and, if he is to feature, City will need more from him in the coming weeks.

Lescott had another good game at the back and is on a fine run of form - which is ideal in the light of the Kolo revelations (a man, it could be said, that he had already taken the place of). Kompany's return was very welcome, as the announcer said at every opportunity, despite only missing two games - and it was good to see De Jong back in action too.

City will need these players back for the run of games in March - starting with the long and chilly trip out to Kiev on Thursday. With the temperatures still knocking around minus ten, I'm sure a good number of players will make the most of the snood before it is banned from our pitches.

City 1 - 1 Fulham: Return of the draw specialist

2011-02-28T18:18:00.001Z

Fulham earned their point yesterday in the face of a rather flat City performance - extending our poor recent home form against the London side (one victory in the past eight seasons). As a frustrated Mancini is probably all too aware, these are the sorts of games that we should be winning in the race for a Champions' League spot.

There was a moment about half way through the second half when Pablo Zabaleta ran some thirty yards to block a defender's clearance, before turning (possibly in the direction of Jerome Boateng - who had just backed out of a challenge he was clear favourite to win) and gesturing that the team needed more aggression and desire. In some ways Zabaleta's frustration summed up the afternoon.

Even though it is a weak excuse, the team certainly looked jaded and this could be symptomatic of games every three or four days since the Manchester derby with a squad that is getting more and more depleted. By contrast, Fulham have just returned from a break in the Algarve. City will get very little sympathy for such worries, with the strength of the squad we have, and I am not suggesting that this should excuse the performance yesterday, but it probably is starting to have an effect on the players who have to play all the games. Regardless, if all the players had the same attitude as Pablo Zabaleta, then City would always out-compete teams.

I would argue that only four outfield starting players performed to an expected level yesterday: Zabaleta, Lescott, Barry and, despite Mancini's comments after the game, Mario Balotelli. Despite the odd frustrating moment, Balotelli actually worked quite hard for the team yesterday - often doubling up as a left-sided midfielder and covering Kolarov. Balotelli's was more of a team performance than he put in against Aris, for example, and I thought he looked more settled, rather than trying to pull off the outlandish all the time - which has often been the case as he has tried to impress. His goal was brilliantly taken and he was our main attacking threat, as Tevez had one of those days when he tries to run through people, on his own, and without realising there is too much of Hangeland to run through.

Taking Tevez out of the equation, our top three performers this season were missing - Kompany, Silva and De Jong - and Mancini will be hoping their calming, creative and crushing respective influences will be returning soon. Without Silva there is a noticeable lack of verve and impetus from midfield going forward - and City's midfield struggled to offer many scraps for the strikers. Yaya Toure cut a particularly frustrated figure after the Fulham midfield kept him well shackled - after being a very influential figure in the excellent performance at Craven Cottage, he was almost anonymous here.

Fulham did play very well though and their goal was of top quality - fans around me were trying to pin blame on moments up to a minute earlier, but the speed and precision of the move and Andy Johnson's delivery deserved the moment.

Overreactions abound, as ever, when results don't go the way you want them to, but this is just one result in a string of very good home results and performances - and, despite what you may presume reading some of the reactions across the internet, it was still a point.

On an entirely different note, the atmosphere was about as flat as the performance yesterday. I know the tiny Fulham following support didn't help matters (the South stand had already decided it would be better to pick on other stands rather than the away fans they could hardly see by about five minutes in), but the home support was hardly conducive to a passion-filled performance from the players. I know there is a little of the chicken and the egg about this - should the players excite the fans to an extent? - but it was pretty flat following the atmosphere against Aris.

Maybe the City fans were just a little bewildered due to the slightly peculiar 'televisation' of our half-time. I may be a bit old-fashioned/grumpy, but one of the bonuses of going to live football is that you escape fifteen minutes of football punditry in the break. This is nothing against the people involved - I'm sure what they had to say was quite interesting, and I don't mind having endless replays on the big screens, but I'd rather hear the murmurings of the crowd at half-time than long pieces of punditry on what was a quite uneventful first-half anyway. Oh well...

City 3 - 0 Aris: The Fantastic Four unleashed

2011-02-25T11:51:00.001Z

Mancini unleashed City's dream attacking quartet for the first time as the Blues eased past Aris Thessaloniki last night. A front four of Tevez, Dzeko, Silva and Balotelli is about as good as it gets, and was more than enough to get through an Aris side who came to stifle but were unprepared for the number of attacking players that would be coming at them. Speaking of this formation - on one of the first opportunities he has had to use all four together - Mancini said:

"I thought we did well and in the first half I was very pleased.
The problem comes when we don't have the ball. If we don't close down every situation, it could be difficult for us.
We can play this formation but not often, unless we improve."

Optimistically, the answer to the 'problem' could be a fit Nigel de Jong. Although, in the first half especially, there was an effort from all the front four, Balotelli included, to get back and cover the wide midfield slots. So whilst Mancini's words are obviously a warning to City fans not to expect to see this fantasy quartet too often, he had probably seen enough last night to see that it can work against teams who come to defend.

Aris, unfortunately for their excellent travelling fans, were not a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome. After the blistering pace of the opening quarter of an hour, City rarely had to up the tempo beyond comfort to see out the tie and book an altogether more difficult encounter against Dynamo Kiev in the last 16.

The Aris fans were fantastically orchestrated from the bottom of the stand and moved as one the whole night. There was perhaps only a three second lull after Dzeko opened the scoring before they started up again. Although my favourite piece from their repertoire was a Poznan-esque move to the sound of what I am pretty sure was 'jingle bells' - an ultra masculine, intimidatory form of jingle bells.

Dzeko's two brilliantly taken goals mean that he has now scored 4 in 7 starts - which shows what a farce all the snap judgements have been. He was always going to need time to bed in, yet, as a 'settling in' goal ratio, that is not a bad return - and by his own admission, 'we ain't seen nothing yet.'

The injury to Kompany is the only worrying thing to come out of the night. He has been colossal for City this season and was putting in another fine performance before the knock on his hip. Early murmurings suggest he may be fit for Sunday, which would be a relief - but early murmurings rarely have the full story when it comes to knocks and injuries. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery!

City 5 - 0 Notts County: Match report

2011-02-21T09:49:00.002Z

There seem to be two schools of thought amongst managers when it comes to tackling opponents from a number of divisions down. The first one is you take a pick from your promising young players and reserve players with something to prove and hope their desire to show their worth overcomes the motivation deficit that can be apparent when playing 'weaker' sides. The second is that you pick a strong side who may find motivation difficult, but will have sufficient class to see out the fixture in the end. Yesterday's game was very much the latter. Energy comparisons in the first twenty minutes between, say, Yaya Toure and Neal Bishop would undoubtedly reflect badly on the City man.

Yet, to an extent, this is to be expected. Whilst this was a huge occasion for the County players - people like Yaya, whilst complacency may be the wrong word, would see it as a necessary complication on the way to a bigger prize. Thus, for the first twenty minutes, County were on top. First to every ball, stifling City's attempts at patient build-up, and creating openings as well. Hawley's shot against the post was a little too close for comfort.

After that initial surge, however, City began to take control - and largely in a completely new way. Vieira said after the game that the team's height should make us more effective at set plays than we have been, and most of our attempts before the break came from teasing free-kicks from Kolarov or corners.

Balotelli should have had a penalty. His reputation is beginning to precede him now and whilst he may not be ideal to referee, if someone stands on your ankle in the box then it is still generally a penalty.

The late flurry of goals in the last ten minutes may have been less than charitable in the face of the effort from the away side but, for the hopeful, it did offer some glimpses of Tevez and Dzeko working together as a partnership. The excellent quick feet of Dzeko that set Tevez clear for his goal was quickly repaid by the cutely placed cross Tevez laid on for Dzeko to grab his first goal in front of the City fans. Striking partnerships are things that take time to fully develop - as an acute understanding of each other's game is vital - and this can only come with games.

If City can overcome Villa in the 5th round, Everton await us. Without getting too ahead of ourselves, Everton are something of a bogey side at home - but, to end on a wonderful FA Cup cliché: as Notts County proved, and Leicester before them, there are no easy games if you want to go all the way in cup competition.

Derby day reflections

2011-02-13T22:13:00.000Z

They are hard moments to take at the best of times, but with the quality of Rooney's goal came the horrible realisation: I am never going to escape it. Last season's goal from the time beyond time was similar - no matter how hard I tried, there was always a 'highlights of the season' montage where Michael Owen's detestable, shocked face jumped out the screen at me. And that goal was only remarkable for the circumstances. Rooney's bit of magic - variously the best goal of his career or the best goal ever scored at Old Trafford etc - came amidst a fairly anonymous performance, but at the top level, as this game undoubtedly is, these little bits of quality decide games and it is just unfortunate for City that it was at the other end.

It is difficult to offer any impartiality during the passions of the derby, so to quote The Independent's Ian Herbert "City were the better side, in fact, even if United's capacity never to know they are beaten won through." Although City will obviously be disappointed to let United extend their advantage at the top, the performance was encouraging. Both sides lined up in the same formation, but there wasn't really the defensive approach that has become the norm against the top sides this season. Statistics-wise, City created marginally more chances than the hosts, and a considerably greater amount if you take away wild long range efforts by Nani. The main difference was the final finish. Whilst Rooney plucked out a bit of brilliance from a quiet performance, our main goal-threat had a quiet contribution upfront too - there aren't too many obvious goal threats in the team when Tevez is limited (the next three highest goalscorers this season were unavailable: Balotelli, Johnson and Adebayor) - so whilst Silva was excellent again in the role of creator, that final finish eluded us.

It was a return to strength defensively and there were excellent performances from Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards. The general rule for a successful defensive partnership at City seems to be Kompany plus one - and Lescott has impressed in his last few appearances alongside the Belgian. I felt he was a little unlucky to lose his place to a returning Kolo last time, but it shows that the position as Kompany's partner is up for grabs.

Micah is continuing his improvement under Mancini and appeared to play with the confidence that was synonymous with his burst on to the footballing scene as a teenager. If he keeps up his concentration and his fitness, then this renaissance is very good news for both City and England.

The result will probably spell the end of vague title speculations in the press and this has to be a good thing for City's season. If City keep playing the way they have been, they can remain in touching distance - and this will probably be the best way to achieve the real target - Champions League football - and if that is achieved, we can start looking at the next steps.

Saturday's Cameos: Shauny's Welcome Boost and Abdul Razak

2011-02-08T18:09:00.002Z

Saturday's game against West Brom saw two popular cameo performances: the introduction of Abdul Razak for his City debut and the return of Shaun Wright-Phillips to the first team.

Abdul Razak, as has been widely reported, has hardly featured for the EDS this term - only recently making his debut against Bury. His only previous performance was the pre-season friendly against Macclesfield, where I was impressed enough with him to mention his name in my tiny review of the game back in July. So his inclusion against West Brom did come as a bit of a surprise, although beady eyes may have spotted he was part of the wider squad that faced Birmingham.

The fantasically helpful MCFC Reserves and Academy website states his lack of opportunities to date were due to work permit issues but, with them cleared, we should now see more of the promising eighteen year old.

Razak became the ninth player Mancini has promoted from the academy and, although it can be argued that these players are not playing crucial parts in games, it must be encouraging for the younger players in the squad that players are getting involved at the top level. Mancini's nine, however well they are ultilised, compares favourably to Hughes' one, for example.

For a player like Shaun Wright-Phillips, on the other hand, the reception he got on Saturday will provide him with the boost he desperately needs. Astonishingly, Shaun's last involvement in the Premier League came on September 19th, away to Wigan, in a game in which he came on under similar circumstances - with the game won. He has played a handful of Europa League games in between, but has largely been overlooked for the league games.

With Adam Johnson injured, Shauny has an opportunity to claw his way back into first team contention. Mancini originally bemoaned the loss of Johnson by saying there was no one like him at the club - no one who would run at players with speed - but somewhere, forgotten and waiting his chance was one of England's wingers at the last World Cup.

The trouble with Wright-Phillips is that he is at his best when he acts on impulse, and the enemy of impulse is uncertainty and low confidence. Slow Shaun down, give him too many options, and his final product often comes up short. Let him fly at players, running with his touch and balance, and anything can happen. Let him shoot without looking!

Arguably Shaun's style doesn't suit the patient passing formula that fits the current team and few expected to see him beyond the end of the January transfer window. So the cheers that met him as Mancini sent him down the line to warm up were probably as much out of welcome surprise and support than anything else. Everytime he touched the ball there was that rush of excitement and anticipation amongst the crowd - and when he hared forward from his own half and, to the exasperation of Edin Dzeko, opted to go it alone, he almost rode the expectations of the blues in the stand.

Whilst he has spent most of the season looking lost and dejected, a confident Shauny can undoubtedly be an asset for the club and hopefully the crowd's reaction at the weekend will remind him of that.

Topical City Magazine article

2011-02-07T22:06:00.001Z

For any of you who are not aware of the Topical City e-magazine, issue 2 is now available for your perusal.

There are some twenty articles on all things Manchester City and it should entertain you until the next one comes out in a months time!

It is also an opportunity to see some of my words in a different location, as I think about the transfer window and the future of our club...

TOPICAL CITY issue 2

City 3 - 0 West Brom: Di Matteo loses his job as Tevez strikes

2011-02-06T18:34:00.001Z

What a day of football yesterday. The top team lose to the team rooted to the bottom of the table; the team in second are pegged back from four goals clear; and City win. Can't ask for much more than that really. Although it was a bit of a peculiar game. David Platt bemoaned City's complacency in the second half - and having strolled around with purpose in the first half (to some success), the strolling lost its focus in the second and West Brom contributed to an attacking game.

One of the reasons Di Matteo has been sacked today may be because of their leaky defence. They looked adventurous going forward yesterday, with lots of promise, but, especially in the first half, they always looked vulnerable at the back. With David Silva pulling the strings, it was always going to be difficult for West Brom to contain us, and in the early stages City played some impressive football. The two goals in five minutes really gave City some comfort and Thomas's daft handball put an end to the game as a contest after forty minutes.

In acknowledgement of Kolarov's superior attacking abillities, the Serbian left-back was given the left-wing to play with, and his hammer of a left foot was a regular threat in the first half: picking out Tevez with an exquisite cross in the opening minutes and unleashing an improbable thunderbolt that needed to be brushed onto the bar. We are yet to see if this is a permanent plan, but Kolarov can offer cover for Johnson in that attacking role.

David Silva has shown all his attacking flair in recent months, but he also works extremely hard for the team. I suspected that he got unusually stuck in yesterday and a cursory play around on the Guardian Chalkboards shows that he made more successful tackles and interceptions than any of City's midfield or forwards. Not a bad defensive contribution from someone many thought would be too small for the Premiership's supposed brawn. He has been superb for us lately and is the driving force of all our attacking play.

West Brom asked questions of City's defence and of Joe Hart, but it is pleasing to come away with a clean sheet, especially as it brings to a close an unwelcome recent run of goals conceded.

With United and Chelsea losing, and Arsenal drawing, City capitalised on an opportunity to keep ground on those at the top - and as long as we are in touching distance, the more likely it is we will be seeing Champions League football next season, which still has to be the ultimate goal.

City 4 - 3 Wolves: Match report

2011-01-16T17:46:00.002Z

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?!

Arsenal 0 - 0 City: Match report

2011-01-06T12:18:00.002Z

Arguments about style are all besides the point here - and mostly come from understandably frustrated Arsenal fans. Arsenal, in fine form as they are, are capable of tearing most teams apart at the Emirates - a fact aptly displayed in a shaky opening ten minutes last night - so, to shut up shop and come away with a point is a great result for City, especially considering how close the sides are in the table. Come the end of the season, the point (and preventing Arsenal from taking three) may be worth more than knowing we'd valiantly thrown everything into an away defeat.

Arsenal are renowned for playing the most attractive football in the country nowadays and their transformation from George Graham's methodical team of the early nineties to Wenger's school of footballing purity today would appear to lead them to demand the same from everyone else. But it is more simple than that, most teams will go to the Emirates to defend - just as most teams come to Eastlands to defend (ones with means, such as United and Chelsea, as well as ones without) - it is just that this was an opportunity for Arsenal to get one over on their new rivals and they were mercilessly thwarted - which is as understandably frustrating for Arsenal fans, as it is a pleasing result for City fans.

It may have seemingly lacked any ambition, but it did show a resoluteness that City have only recently acquired. Taking last night out of the equation, City have been playing quite open attacking football for a couple of months now. This has largely been down to the combinations of David Silva and Yaya Toure. If last night highlights anything it is how reliant City have become on David Silva as a creative force. Yaya can do it, and in the first half he was our only real attacking threat (before he was pulled back in the second) but, without Silva's ability, there was no one else in midfield who was capable of putting their foot on the ball.

Arguably this is where the game became so difficult for us. The skill and movement of Wilshere, Fabregas, Nasri et al, bypassed Barry and De Jong for most of the game (not helped by two particularly soft early bookings given to the pair) - and Barry's woeful passing, in particular, meant we rarely got a foothold on the game. Yaya was then played in his Barcelona position for one of the first times since his arrival at the club - and this stout defence was enough to reduce Arsenal to long range efforts. Joe Hart's excellent save from Van Persie's sweet strike was the closest Arsenal got after the opening quarter of an hour.

One would hope that common sense will prevail in the case of Zabaleta's red card. If standing up to Sagna isn't a red card offence, then it will have to be rescinded. It was such a nothing incident - Sagna's 'headbutts' were ridiculous and would probably be better classed as posturing, but in the murky world of FA rules, they may be enough for Sagna to retain his punishment. The general stance on appeals seem to be: 'if something happened, leave it as it was; if nothing happened, remove the punishment.' I would be surprised if Zabaleta doesn't get off.

It may not have been an entertaining watch, but the point is worth more to City than Arsenal - hence the din of frustration that met the final whistle. A poor/tired midfield display made for a more uncomfortable contest than was presumably intended, but the end justifies the means and a point taken at the Emirates from an in form Arsenal team is about as good a result as I could have hoped for last night.

City 1 - 0 Blackpool: Match report

2011-01-02T14:11:00.001Z

Despite taking six points from them this season now, Holloway's "surprise" package have been a tough opponent for City this campaign. They were an entirely different proposition from Aston Villa earlier this week: a side full of confidence and boasting the league's second best away record (second to City!). We had to sit through a nervy ending, yet the game could have been very different if it wasn't for wasteful finishing.

On another day Carlos Tevez may have scored four goals: the penalty miss, his slip when he had rounded Kingson, the open goal he flashed wide from a pull-back, plus one from a number of slightly less presentable chances. Every miss made him more determined and slightly less composed (the shots were lashed wide with increasing ferocity/frustration), to the point that by the third miss on my list he raised his hand in apology to the fans. It was just one of those days for him, but consolation can be taken from how many scoring positions he got himself into.

The flip-side to not putting the chances away is the nerves towards the end. Blackpool played with some style at times - led by the deep-lying orchestrator Charlie Adam - and the introduction of Matt Phillips at half-time gave the City back-line something to think about. Kolarov, who doesn't look too comfortable with pacey wingers, was withdrawn as a result. Credit has to go to Blackpool for attacking City - very few teams do at Eastlands nowadays - but the game should have been over by half-time.

One slack back-pass threatened to ruin it, but Joleon Lescott had another top quality game at centre half covering for the absence of Kolo Toure. He has been open to criticism this season but this has largely been because he has been playing at left-back - where his clumsy passing is more exposed. At centre-half he has looked dominant and full of confidence. January must be a time of worry for players who are on the fringes of the team, as Lescott was, but he is responding to that pressure in the right way at the moment.

Nigel de Jong rightly won the man of the match award and showed none of the effects of playing an important part in all of City's games over the festive period in a typically energetic display.

Adam Johnson got his reward for his fine display against Aston Villa with another start here. Once again he showed a more measured performance and is beginning to prove that he is up to the challenge of becoming more of a team player.

City have taken maximum points post-Christmas to remain [joint] top going into the game at the Emirates on Wednesday night. There will be an anxious wait to see if David Silva will be fit for that game - considering how important he has become to the team - but Ballotelli, fresh from a humorous exclusive with the Mail that shows it is not all frowns and tantrums, should be available to make his return.

Edin Dzeko on the verge of City move

2010-12-29T15:30:00.001Z

If reports are to be believed, it is almost time to eschew the Dzeko puns (Dzeko Edin our way to Edin Kolarov's corners etc. etc.), with the Bosnian striker set to seal a long anticipated move to Manchester. The fee is reported to be somewhere between £24million and £34million, or £24million rising to £34million with all the little add-ons and complications.

The deal could be completed early enough for Dzeko to make his debut at The Emirates on the 5th January - leaving City with an embarrassment of riches upfront. Although one would expect this to precipitate the moves of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz out of the club.

Dzeko would give City a striker who is capable of leading the line - leaving Tevez to hover, in the way he most prefers, in a deeper position. Presuming they both play, this gives City the option to play the following ultra-attacking combination:

Hart

Boateng, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Kolarov

De Jong, Yaya Toure

Silva, Tevez, Balotelli

Dzeko

Although you would imagine someone with the aerial ability of Dzeko would benefit from the wing play of Adam Johnson too. It adds to City's wealth of options and increases Mancini's challenge to keep everyone happy.

As quoted in the Guardian, Mancini had the following to say about our long term target:

"We have the chance to win the league this year and the decisive factor could be Edin Dzeko. This player can decide titles and that is why we want him."

Some praise indeed. Personally I have not seen a lot of him, but he falls into the bracket of a player young enough to have the desire to prove himself on one of the biggest stages. This desire to sign players who 'want to write the history of the club' seems to be an important part of Mancini's thinking and Dzeko should fit this mould.

Despite how imminent this deal may seem according to the reports, City's status as a rich club and the board's justified stance not be milked as a result, may put this deal back a little - as most of our deals to date would suggest.

City 4 - 0 Villa: Match report

2010-12-29T14:59:00.000Z

Yesterday's thrashing of Aston Villa has ensured a very pleasing end to 2010: as the clock strikes midnight for the new year, City will be [joint] top of the Premier League. For a side that is growing as a team, this is not a bad position to be in at just over the half way stage.

One of the factors which is starting to make people look at City seriously is the strength of the squad and that was proven yesterday. Despite Ian Cheeseman and Nigel Gleghorn quivering away in the pre-match build-up on Radio Manchester - the side Mancini picked, minus Tevez, Barry, Kolarov etc, was still mightily impressive. I'm sure it will not have been much of a consolation to a Villa fan to hear that 'Tevez isn't playing, but City will be fronted by Adam Johnson, David Silva and Mario Balotelli.'

The quick start was vital for City and an already pretty demoralised Villa side, looked completely so once the first goal had been conceded and Houllier's containing plan had to be thrown out of the window. It was indicative of the spirit at the club that a contentious decision such as Lescott's second went completely unchallenged by the Villa players.

City had started at a blistering pace and the seemingly effortless ease at how David Silva and Yaya Toure picked their ways through the Villa defence was a delight to watch. Both players got a rousing reception when replaced and it is no coincidence that City's added verve and style has coincided with the coming to form of both of these players.

Balotelli has taken all the headlines for his hattrick and he worked well in the lead striker role. People will grumble about his style, but he seems to possess that vital attribute for a striker: being in the right place at the right time. He can do almost anything with a football - the application will hopefully come with adapting to the Premier League - but as long as he is scoring goals then it is hard to complain (not that that put the people who sit around me off!). The cockiness with which he tackled the two penalties was superb - and whilst it may put some people off him, that belief is very important for a striker.

Another player who took his opportunity to shine was Adam Johnson, who had a superb, well-rounded game. The previous criticisms of his game centred on him being a bit one-dimensional, but he worked hard in all departments today - coupling some breathtaking runs with some equally impressive defensive work.

The game had an air of one that was over after about half an hour - giving City the opportunity to ease off a little, which is ideal given the build-up of games. Villa looked a poor side and you can imagine Houllier won't get much more time to change things there and, at a time when things are going well for City, hearing the one time regular City chant of "we're shit and we know we are" coming from the Villa end is a timely reminder of how far we have come.

Carlos Tevez: will it all blow over until the summer?

2010-12-15T18:35:00.001Z

If Carlos has been paying close attention to the reaction of the British press, City fans and especially the club this week, he will be in no doubt that he has taken on something that is bigger than himself. As important as he is to City, unlike Rooney at United, we are equipped to deal with his possible departure and to continue growing as a club.

With everything starting to come together at City recently, David Platt's post-match comments at the weekend, blessed with foreknowledge, that any player would rattle the goals in at the head of our creative quartet are probably not far from the truth. Yes, Carlos has worked tirelessly for us, won games on his own, and is, at least whilst on the pitch, a good professional, but things have begun to change. David Silva has started to be more influential than Carlos of late and there are even arguments to be made that Tevez slows down the fast-flowing football that the rest of City's forward-minded players are capable of playing. In dropping deep so often he can also deprive the team of being the focal point of the attack, as is intended. This is not to ignore the vast impact he has had at the club or to slight his grand achievements with us, but he may have pitched his case just as our dependability on him has started to decline.

There has not been too much clarity since the announcement on Saturday night but it is clear City must not pander to our, hopefully erstwhile, captain. Whatever happens, even if it is to move him out in January, has to happen in the best interests of the club. City need to make sure that they don't set a dangerous precedent. A club of City's riches will always be a target. Make any unreasonable concessions to Tevez and who knows where it will stop - a player who lives and trains in Spain and flies back for games at the weekend?! City are strong enough now not to do this.

What City do depends on how much of a disruptive influence they think Tevez could have on the team. It is hard to think of a Tevez who wouldn't give his all during a match of football - I'm not sure he can do it any other way - so I don't think that would be a problem. If we are to believe all of his account, he has been playing some very effective football for the past six months whilst almost as unhappy as he is now. It depends on how much of a fuss he is willing to kick up - which is the relative unknown.

If this will not blow over, which seems likely, then Tevez has to leave at some point. City want to build a team who want to play for each other and the club - as most successful teams do - so anyone who doesn't want to be a part of it, should be out of the club for that reason alone. The ideal solution would be to sign some replacements for Tevez in the January transfer window - to challenge Tevez's role within the team and to act as insurance against him losing his last modicum of commitment to the club - and then to let him go in the summer, after he has had the chance to help City to some success and/or City have begun to get on without him.

Another reason this subject is hard to tackle is the vagueness of his reasons to want to go: homesickness? Kia Joorabchian and money? Garry Cook and boot deals/broken promises (The idea that Tevez would want to leave the club because of a relationship with a man he mustn't regularly see is hardly believable and certainly points back to Mr Joorabchian)? Lack of Champions League? Lack of football for Roque Santa Cruz?! A mix of all these things and more?

The most obvious move at this stage is to strip Tevez of the captaincy. The captain, the leader of the team on the pitch, should not be a player who is actively seeking to leave the club. This is the most important factor. His captaincy style to date has been to lead by example and some could argue that his reaction to being substituted against Bolton was already enough evidence that he shouldn't be leading the football club. There are many better options within the first-team regulars - with Vincent Kompany as the stand-out candidate.

On the day it emerged Edin Dzeko has issued a come-and-get-me plea to City, it is clear that the only way forward at a club is to have players who want to play for you. A natural centre-forward leading the line ahead of the likes of Silva, Balotelli and Yaya Toure has a good chance of being successful in front of goal. Whilst players like Ezquiel Lavezzi at Napoli could fit the Tevez mould at a fraction of the price. City have the luxury of being in a position to grow in the absence of their star-player. If City hang on to him until the summer, it will give City the option to have dealt with his position before he has even walked out of the door.

Match report: West Ham 1 - 3 City

2010-12-11T21:03:00.000Z

City have notched up their third away win from four today against a struggling West Ham side. Pre-match sceptics pointing at City's record without Tevez will have been disappointed, as an attacking quartet - led by the inspired Yaya Toure - put three goals away.

In a nod to City's recent successes, Mancini preferred Jo to Adam Johnson on the left as he sought to keep the balance of the formation that has seen City producing such free-flowing football since our last trip to London to face Fulham. The front four of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Jo and Mario Balotelli had free reign of the pitch and their constant movement in the opening stages made it hard for the Hammers' defence to get near them. Jo is the sort of player who can play anywhere across the front three and, in Balotelli's normal role, he caused a number of problems early on. With the success this fluidity is bringing to the team, you have to wonder what kind of opportunities will be reserved for wingers like Adam Johnson.

Yaya gave an interview in the week outlining what a learning curve it has been for him since he has joined City and how he is now feeling he is getting used to the league and his more advanced role. This has certainly showed in the last three games he has been involved in - Fulham, Bolton and today. After not being one hundred per cent convincing in the earlier stages of the season, he now seems an integral part of the team and is beginning to dictate the play more. You get the feeling that the growing influence of Yaya and David Silva in the past month or so has played a big part in our increasingly stylish football.

The front four's success is made all the more comfortable by the consistently high quality of performances from players like Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong - who were both outstanding again today. It must be a relief to the front four that there is such a reliable base behind them. Whereas pre-Fulham, Tevez quite often cut a lonely, isolated figure upfront, City now have players dashing forward to support in attack - and this can only be done with confidence in the defence (although it was decidedly woeful for West Ham's consolation goal!).

West Ham improved in the second half, getting closer to City's players, but when an otherwise impressive Tomkins showed Yaya the way to goal, the game was as good as over. Silva's exquisite pass to Johnson just served to show that there are goals in a team that is growing as a group, regardless of whether our Argentine captain is on the field or not.

Perhaps the only disappointment was Mario Balotelli, who was getting more and more frustrated to the point where he threw his gloves off and headed down the tunnel on being substituted. Mancini was right to withdraw him as the petulant side of his game threatened to take over, and Roberto is one of the most experienced in the world at dealing with our young Italian striker. To any fearing that Balotelli will be getting an easy ride with Mancini, this was a sign that Super Mario won't be getting it all his own way.

City looked comfortable and within themselves today, and the brand of football that we are starting to show on a regular basis is very promising. With City joint top and everything starting to click together, things are looking up in the run in to Christmas!

My man of the match: Yaya Toure

Everything but the goals! City 1 - 0 Bolton: Match report

2010-12-05T13:25:00.003Z

City's general play was so good yesterday that the nerve wracking ending seemed like it should belong to a different game. The first twenty minutes were breathtaking - showing what is really an attacking quartet at their best. Yaya was everywhere and, forgetting a couple of lapses in concentration where he nudged the ball back towards the defence, he was in fine form. The flowing footballing intelligence of Silva, Yaya and Balotelli behind Tevez, with Zabaleta and Kolarov supporting at every opportunity, shows why, amidst the recent allegations of negativity, this really is an attacking formation when everything clicks.

After a bit of a goal drought at home recently, detractors may say that the inability to turn such dominance into goals shows one of City's weaknesses. Although yesterday, as Mancini points out, City were just a bit wasteful with several glorious opportunities:

"Sometimes we were too selfish. We shot when it was better to pass - we must improve this situation. When we have a chance, we must score. If I had played I would have scored two or three goals."

Whilst it would have been nice to avoid the jitters supplied by Kolarov's sending off, the way City carved out chances shows a team that is really beginning to click on the pitch.

Mancini's mention of his own goalscoring prowess, could perhaps be a warning to some players who feel themselves above the manager's decisions - notably Carlos Tevez. Whilst he was once again central to most of the good work from City yesterday, he was also having a bit of an off-day in front of goal. His reaction to being substituted with only a couple of minutes remaining is not what you would expect from your captain. Yes, it is great he wants to be on the pitch at all moments (I remember him reacting similarly in the World Cup when he was taken off whilst chasing a hat-trick), but the captain should put the team first - and it is understandable, against a team with considerable aerial threat, to leave Balotelli on. Silva, who was having another outstanding game, didn't grumble when he was replaced by Micah Richards with more minutes left on the clock.

The two most contentious decisions on the day were Silva's offside and Kolarov's sending off. Silva wasn't offside and if it wasn't for Barry's instinctive move forward then I am sure the goal would have stood. Even still, the linesman would've only needed to hold his flag for a second or two to establish the correct run of play.

Kolarov's is more difficult because of the way he went into the challenge. It is one of those things where people will bemoan the changing face of the game when tackles like that aren't part of it anymore, but the game being like it is - winning the ball isn't always enough: full-blooded challenges are often penalised. Whereas I would've liked him to have remained on the pitch, I can see how Mr Mariner thought otherwise - in a game he really failed to get a grip of.

The sending off made for a nervy ten minutes but as de Jong said after the game, City stopped them from creating any clear cut chances. City are a hardier team than they have been in recent years and a lot of the praise can go to Vincent Kompany, who was immense once again. After Joe Hart's slip, the resultant nerves that could have attended it were nullified by some clever play by Kompany - for the next five minutes, he caught the game by the scruff of the neck - exuding a calmness in possession that helped stabilise City for the remainder of the game.

There may be frustration in the City camp at not making more of some sparkling football, but from the stands what we are seeing is very encouraging indeed.

Stoke 1 - 1 City: Match report

2010-11-28T13:57:00.001Z

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

2010-11-21T19:44:00.000Z

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

2010-11-14T16:04:00.000Z

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

2010-11-07T21:27:00.001Z

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

2010-11-05T13:00:00.001Z

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

2010-11-02T13:17:00.002Z

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!

I'd have picked Boyata; Pleat praises 'bold Mancini'. City 0 - 3 Arsenal: Match report

2010-10-25T12:30:00.000+01:00

Arsenal are one of the last teams in the world you would want to face with a numerical disadvantage - especially for the vast majority of the match. They are renowned for their intelligent passing and moving style, so when the red card was shown - the angry reaction from the fans was more a foreboding of what was to come rather than a disagreement with the actual decision.

The inconsistencies are infuriating, as Mancini pointed out after the game. If Boyata is sent off, why wasn't Williamson against Newcastle when he was deemed to have fouled Tevez for the penalty - is the penalty considered punishment enough? Or there is Vidic in the Carling Cup final last season - with similar timing to this one, where the referee presumably didn't want to ruin the spectacle of a cup final. But in the rules of the game, it is hard to put up an argument. Boyata didn't act out of malice or gamesmanship, it was just a clumsy and costly moment for the young lad.

Unfortunately, I have no 'match preview' to back this up, but I would also have picked Boyata before the game - and, as such, it is impossible for me to join those happy hindsighted few who blame Mancini's selection here. Generally speaking, I have far fewer nervy moments watching Boyata than I do Lescott, and the Boyata/Kompany partnership has always looked strong and reliable on previous occasions. There is definitely a great future for that partnership, but they have always looked assured enough right now, when it matters, as well. People will say that it is too big an occasion to test this theory - but this is a young man who helped stop Chelsea earlier this season, has played in big games against United, and excelled against Juventus a few weeks ago. A number of the same people would probably also complain if the young players weren't getting their chances.

Boyata made a mistake, and a large one, but football is full of mistakes and it is just one of those things. As well as Micah played yesterday, or Bridge for that matter, it is hard to say the potential for mistakes isn't there. Even Joe Hart has had his moments this season. Boyata is a very promising player for us and he should continue to get the chances to prove himself in the big matches.

City worked til the legs wouldn't move anymore and Arsenal had all of 85 minutes to make sure City tired enough for them to take advantage. David Pleat's tactical focus in the Guardian this morning was in praise of Mancini's seeming determination to still have a go with ten men:

Nine out of 10 managers would have fallen back on a 4-4-1 system and isolated a forward. Boldly, however, Mancini challenged his players to work a 4-3-2 structure with the skilful and tireless David Silva and Carlos Tevez charged with occupying Arsenal's back four. The home side maintained a level of attacking threat by keeping two players up front and Mancini merits praise for his outlook. His side rarely sat back, even if their efforts demanded maximum energy. Yaya Touré was initially switched to centre-back to partner Vincent Kompany, with City going narrow – dragging Silva from the touchline – just as Arsenal, with their numerical advantage, were attempting to stretch the pitch using the full width with Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri pinned wide... As a tactic, with Arsenal's own back line ever conscious of the threat posed by Tevez and Silva, it succeeded until City ran out of legs.

Even though Arsenal were comfortably in control of the ball, it is testament to this approach that Fabianski got the Arsenal website's official man of the match. It started to show at around the hour mark, as players such as Micah Richards lost their legs - this was Micah's second ninety minutes in four days after a few weeks on the sidelines.

It was hard to expect much after the sending off, and Arsenal used the advantage well in the second half, but considering the first goal was preventable (as Barry, in a makeshift role, failed to follow his man), the third goal was a mixture of out-of-play and offside, and the red card - it probably wasn't as bad as the scoreline looks.

It was good to see the return of Mario Balotelli, who, despite looking a bit off the pace and a little intent on showing what he can do on his own, will be a welcome option - especially if Tevez's knock is anything more serious than expected. Boateng looked a lot happier in the centre of defence - with the pace to cover any lapses at the back.

It is a blow to lose heavily to a rival but circumstances changed the face of the game as a contest. Now it is time to pick ourselves up for the next encounter.

The Spanish Kinkladze? Blackpool 2 - 3 City: Match report

2010-10-18T17:51:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure I can handle the suspense of Silva being teased into his Manchester City career. I know it is probably necessary, as he grows into the physicality of the Premier League, but he is the sort of player you want to watch all the time and the increasing glimpses of his pure quality point to an exciting future for Silva and City. His close control for the third goal yesterday evening was reminiscent of Kinkladze in the nineties - I don't think I've seen a City player beat someone using such technique and skill since.

Silva's introduction changed the game and, if Adam Johnson can win the official man of the match award for coming on and scoring against Newcastle, Silva did more than enough to earn it here. At full flow, as he now appears, Silva is the missing link: the hard-working, intelligent, creative midfielder that we lost when Ireland reverted back to form after his Player of the Season campaign. Before his arrival, City weren't threatening Blackpool - there was no spark from midfield: De Jong looked subdued by the recent furore and Barry looked off the pace - so, as much as having nothing to offer Tevez and Adebayor, Charlie Adam was given time to dictate the tempo.

At half-time I wasn't particularly concerned as the final product from Blackpool didn't look like troubling Joe Hart in goal - and despite the run of the game Adam Johnson's shot from the right and Tevez's confused chest into the keeper represented the half's best chances. This all changed in the first minutes of the second half - when Lescott followed the ball instead of DJ Campbell, leaving him with a golden chance to score, and Gary Taylor-Fletcher had his goal controversially chalked off.

My uncle rang me after the game to tell me that City have become one of those big clubs who get the key decisions - which on the scant evidence of the last two games could be true - and once Tevez's offside goal was ruled onside, City had the foothold they needed. With Silva on the pitch, City had more control of the ball, looked more composed, and continued to threaten - with Milner hitting the bar before Harewood's classy header.

Silva's goal was pure class and you could see how much it meant to him to get off the mark in the Premier League.

It was very refreshing to play a team that attacks you - funnily the two promoted teams we have faced have been the least conservative. I have been very impressed by both Blackpool and Newcastle - and West Brom took a tidy point somewhere at the weekend too - and to them it must be a bit demoralising to play a team that can claw their way back into a game with the help of a £24m World Cup-winning substitute - but such is the quality that the money brings, that we can finish off games that we haven't necessarily been on top of.

The man of the match award for me is a battle between Carlos Tevez and David Silva but, as the pivotal game changing player, the wee Spaniard gets it.

In slightly different news, do you think there is any coincidence in the fact that a couple of days after Mancini said this:

'I do not understand players drinking until they are drunk … I tell my players it is better that they go with a woman than drink'

Wayne Rooney is linked with a move across the city? Hmm.

Also, as I've managed to wrangle him into the title, any excuse to show this:

City 2 - 1 Newcastle: Match report and player ratings

2010-10-04T18:21:00.001+01:00

City recorded their third successive Premier League victory to move into second for the International break and, in doing so, proved themselves a good team by the logic of an old cliche: 'the sign of a good team is to win when not playing well.' Although this often just means that the 'good' team has enough quality in it (Adam Johnson) to make the most of rare opportunities.

It was a strange start. Newcastle were playing with such a high line that I thought it would only be a matter of time before City broke through. But on the rare occasions when we did break through, we were wasteful - with Barry and Milner often guilty. It was a departure from what City usually face - deep lines of defence - and it was suprisingly effective.

Atkinson's decision to book Williamson said a lot about how certain he was about his penalty decision. With Tevez about to shoot, Williamson's tackle stopped a clear goalscoring opportunity - which by the letter of the law, should see a red card. Subsequent replays show he had reasons to doubt if what he was doing was right - which is usually where the referee hedges his bet and opts for the yellow card. Tevez nearly dislodged the netting with his powerful spot-kick and it represented the highlight of what was otherwise a frustrating afternoon for him.

Newcastle deservedly struck back through the impressive Gutierrez, after the Argentine reacted quickly to a loose ball in the box, and for the rest of the first half Newcastle took control. They defended in tightly packed numbers due to their high defensive line, and were adventurous with the ball - it was perhaps the most positive performance an away team that has put in at Eastlands this season.

Not half of this, however, can be attributed to a lethargic City team. The same three central midfielders that shone in combat against Chelsea, largely seemed to stand off Newcastle. It was almost as if they were intimidated by a fairly well-behaved Barton and Nolan. City can perhaps justly cite tiredness as an issue, having played every three or four days since the last international break, and players like Milner, who has been suffering from illness this week, looked off the pace.

Another player who looks in need of a break is Yaya Toure. Despite being sharp and resourceful with the ball, at times he also looks behind the pace of the game. Whether this is unfamiliarity with his attacking midfield role, getting used to the English game, tiredness, or something more deep-rooted is something we will find out as the season progresses. At a half of his size, David Silva looked far more commited to the defensive side of the game - even if his slight stature doesn't always let him compete in this field.

Lescott stood out as the square peg in a round hole. Not necessarily the brightest footballer, he is far better in the centre where he can concentrate on defending and not what to do with the football. If the 'injury crisis' continues, surely Boateng - who looks equally comfortable with his left-foot - can play on the left and Boyata (yes, another central defender!) can play at right-back. City were lucky to survive Lescott's clumsiness late in the game.

We were better in the second half, and the increased impetus on attack helped City get a foothold on the game again. Adebayor looked far better than he did after his troublesome run-out against Juve and, alongside Adam Johnson, he helped City push on. Johnson was only on the pitch for 18 minutes and he still got the official man of the match. This says more about what preceded it than his own performance, as good as it was, but it took his direct style of play to break through Newcastle - and his goal was superbly taken.

It is hard to be disappointed with a third successive win that takes City above United into the international break - and although Newcastle matched City for a lot of the game, it is important to keep winning.

On another note, it was nice to see Joey Barton applaud the City fans at the end of the game (applause that was widely reciprocated) after the 'mixed reception' he received during the match. For all the 'troubles' in his life, he does owe City a lot for his young career and, despite the disgraceful end to his time at City, he was one of our best players for a good part of the last decade. Hopefully the signs that he has got his life back on track are genuine.

Player ratings:

Hart 7; Boateng 6, Kolo Toure 6, Kompany 7, Lescott 4; De Jong 6, Barry 6 (Adam Johnson 7), Yaya Toure 5 (Adebayor 6); Milner 5, Silva 6, Tevez 6 (Vieira N/A).

Man of the match: Vincent Kompany

City bid to halt the Juve revival. Juventus Preview

2010-09-29T17:37:00.000+01:00

I know it is a well-worn comparison, but if someone had said to me ten years ago that 'in ten years time City will be lining up against Juventus in Europe', I would not have believed them. Things have changed dramatically since then, at Juventus too, but the prestige attached to the name of Juventus still makes it one of the most attractive sounding ties City could face.

One person who is all too aware of the prestige of Juventus is Roberto Mancini - a boyhood supporter of the club - so there is no danger that the opposition will be treated with a lack of respect that is sometimes shown in Europa League competition. Therefore it is likely City will field a full-strength team. The returns of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards and a recovering Boateng may even result in a stronger side than that which defeated Chelsea at the weekend. Boateng could start at left-back to handle Milos Krasic, although Mancini has said he is not quite ready for the full ninety - so it will depend if he is up to that baptism of fire.

With Newcastle only 'two days and two nights' (as Mancini described it) after the conclusion of the game, some players will have to be rested either tomorrow or on Sunday - but with the likes of Adebayor, Adam Johnson, Patrick Vieira and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the bench, for example, Mancini has the option of changing faces at the weekend without too great an effect - and should City reach a stage of comfort at any stage during the ninety minutes, then Mancini will have the luxury to think ahead and give some players a rest.

Possible eleven:

Hart

Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Boateng

Yaya Toure, De Jong, Barry

Milner, Silva

Tevez

Juventus have had a patchy start to the season so far - a start that laughs in the face of the stereotype of 'boring Italian football'. Juve have scored 12 goals and conceded 9 in their opening five matches of the season - their latest being a 4-2 victory over Cagliari at the weekend. Milos Krasic grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick and instant comparisons with semi-lookalike and Juve legend Pavel Nedved resurfaced. Their only other win came in a 4-0 thumping of Udinese, but these victories have been tainted by losses to Palermo (at home) and Bari. Put these next to their unimpressive 3-3 home draw with Lech Posnan, and it is hard to know what to expect from Juve.

They have also undergone mass changes since the disappointment of last year and their unbalanced start to the season perhaps just reflects this. If their 4-2 victory against Cagliari is a sign of things starting to click (Cagliari were fresh from a 5-1 thrashing of last year's runners-up Roma earlier this season), then City could be facing a very different task to that which faced Fulham in last years competition. Luigi Del Neri took Sampdoria into the Champions League last year, and he is expected to deliver success at Juve - with the Europa League another chance for silverware for them too.

They travel to Inter Milan on Sunday, so City could benefit from a straying focus - but with pressure at a high at Juventus, this will not be readily allowed.

Tomorrow night's game is an excellent opportunity for City to make ground in this competition. If City can post maximum points from the first two group games then it will put us in an excellent position considering our supposed main rivals would be five points behind. Juventus come with a huge, if recently sullied, reputation, but if there is one thing that the Chelsea game taught us, it is that our players don't shy away in the face of reputation - and if we can see two examples of this winning mentality in under a week, then optimism is sure to thrive stronger than ever.

City 1 - 0 Chelsea. Match report and player ratings

2010-09-26T13:01:00.001+01:00

City recorded their third successive win against England's best team yesterday in a display that suggested we can compete at the top end of the table. It is the games against the teams beneath you that make a season, but the mark of the strength of a team is how they perform against the very best and City look increasingly at home in the top encounters. Before our three victories against Chelsea, the four preceding seasons brought eight losses and a 19-1 aggregate score. If we can raise ourselves for the games against the lesser teams of the Premiership, like we have against Liverpool and Chelsea this season, then we could well be a force to be reckoned with.

Recently revealed as the heaviest Premier League side, and boasting a midfield that included the brawn of Essien and Mikel, Chelsea are well suited to a physical battle - so the fact that a lot of our success came from out-competing them is very refreshing. This was a team performance to ridicule Drogba's pre-match overtures about Chelsea being the possessors of the 'spirit' - that implied City would be lacking in this department. Everyone worked together like 'brothers', as Mancini said of the defence, and didn't allow Chelsea the space to be at their devastating best.

What ensued fell short of some neutrals' thrill-a-minute expectations (foolish expectations considering the two meanest defences of this campaign were lining up against each other), but the contest was enthralling to those with interest. It was always going to be a tight game. People complain about City's three central midfielders, but Chelsea have played with three central players for years, and only in the Ancelotti era have people decided that it is the height of the beautiful game. The game was always going to pivot on the battle in the centre, and Barry and De Jong, in particular, were superb in overcoming Essien, Mikel and, to a lesser extent, Ramires. De Jong has added nearly flawless passing to his combative game this season and his partnership with Barry is becoming formidable. On top of this, our front three (if I can get away with calling them that?) all got back to put a foot in - including Silva, who continues to show he isn't afraid of a challenge despite being at a physical disadvantage.

A lot was made of our selection worries at the back, but in a lot of ways you can trust Boyata and Zabaleta more than Richards and Lescott. Boyata was excellent out of position and, having played ninety minutes on Wednesday, did well to last as long as he did when the pace of first team games is still relatively new to him. Kolo Toure and Kompany continue to grow as a defensive partnership, and whilst outsiders (Buffon, for example!) would point to this being our weakest area, it is proving to be the backbone of the team. The 'unplayable' Drogba was played well by both of them and as a unit City restricted Chelsea to very few chances.

For the goal, Tevez was allowed to reach full flight and Silva's decoy run opened up the space for a perfect finish. There were never going to be many chances and Tevez is the man to convert them - notching up his 25th goal in 29 Premier League games.

Chelsea will probably still be champions, but City have a little piece of evidence that they can compete at the top level. All will be worthless though if we don't follow it up with a victory against Newcastle next Sunday!

Player ratings:

Hart 6, Boyata 8, Kolo Toure 9, Kompany 9, Zabaleta 8, De Jong 9, Barry 9, Yaya Toure 8, Milner 7, Silva 8, Tevez 9.

Man of the match: Nigel de Jong

Football Italia: Javier 'Zidane' Pastore staying put; Bojinov finds Parma are feared

2010-09-24T20:04:00.002+01:00

There are two stories of interest to City fans on the Italian Football site Football Italia today. Firstly, Argentine prospect, Javier Pastore has been talked up by Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini:

"He is the new Zidane. He is very strong and complete. Within two years he will be worth as much as Messi. He won't be moving away from Palermo, neither in January nor in June."

Pretty hefty praise. Time will tell if he is doing a president's job in hyping up the value of his player or whether the next world star is waiting in the Sicilian city. With fairly extortionate price tags attached to him in rumours of a move to City, it seems he doesn't need to do too much more to raise Pastore's price.

Zamparini's words came after Palermo's 3-1 away win to upcoming Eastlands visitors Juventus last night. Pastore impressed with silky feet and vision - as well as tucking away the first goal of the night. He is an attacking midfielder, or support striker (not positions City are desperate to fill), probably closest to Silva in style out of our current players. Although unlike Silva, he is 6'2". The only slightly worrying thing about him is that in his posture and his hair he bears some resemblance to Georgios Samaras.

I have seen him twice this season for Palermo and he seems to be the creative fulcrum of the team. He also made a couple of appearances at the World Cup in the summer. On these limited viewings, he certainly looks the part.

Secondly, on ex-player watch, Bojinov is lamenting the reputation Parma have built up this season. Bojinov started and scored in the opening game of the season, a 2-0 win over Brescia, but believes teams have come to fear Parma, after a few shrewd summer signings, and that no team is brave enough to let them play. Sounds familiar to me. Bojinov was replaced in all of the first three games of the season, and lost his place to Hernan Crespo for the last game - only to come on at half-time as Parma recovered from a goal down.

Robinho is yet to start for Milan and has only featured in the 2-0 defeat against Cesena and for three minutes in their draw against Lazio.

Beating weaker teams. Chelsea preview

2010-09-24T17:32:00.001+01:00

A lot has been made of the opposition Chelsea have had to face whilst thrashing their way to the top of the table this season. West Brom, Wigan, Stoke, West Ham and Blackpool have all had the honour so far. Such is the extent of their domination so far this season that the Blackpool fans were rejoicing with chants of "you've only got four." Which, having watched Chelsea's barren second half, they were quite lucky to get away with. They haven't faced any stern tests yet but, as the old mantra goes, 'you can only beat what's put infront of you.' If it weren't for a Scott Parker consolation goal, they would have had twenty-one goals without reply this season. Weak opposition or not, it is hard to understand those who aren't impressed by the sheer dominance of Chelsea. Mancini may well be right to say that Chelsea could retain the title 'easily' this time around.

City have been the long anticipated first test to Chelsea's strength. 'The Clash of the Cash' - as a lot have it - finds two clubs on an entirely different end of the development spectrum. City, despite all the money spent, are still growing, still improving, still finding their feet in the upper echelons. Chelsea are reaping the rewards of the post-investment stability. Mancini's focus on buying young players who can 'write the history' of the club, should afford City the same luxury in the years to come.

Both teams enter the game off the back of disappointing Carling Cup exits, but it is City who seem to be the most wounded. In the pre-match press conference, Mancini revealed we only have three fit senior defenders: Kolo, Kompany and Zabaleta. Which leaves a potentially under-guarded left-back position. Talk that Barry could be played there was quashed by Mancini, although it could well be the best option. Otherwise it appears to rest on last minute talks with Boateng and Lescott, who would both be below 100%, or playing a youngster in there - with suggestions it could be Boyata, who would be out of position. Our injury issues will be the mirth of the rest of the league after our reinforcements but, in defence in particular, it has become a real problem at this early stage - especially with the frequency of games - Juventus and Newcastle come within eight days of the Chelsea fixture.

Last season's double against Chelsea was achieved through stubborn, tight, counter-attacking football, on the whole, and I imagine City will continue with a midfield-heavy selection. Considering Chelsea usually play with three central midfielders as well, this is no bad thing. With the quality of their midfield three, it is important City can compete in the centre of the pitch - and the Essien/De Jong battle could be key.

Kolo Toure has fared fairly well against his compatriot Didier Drogba in previous encounters, whilst playing for City, so it will be interesting to see how that duel goes. Vincent Kompany will also attempt to get as tight as possible to the man who is increasingly described as 'unplayable'.

Possible line-up:

Hart

Boyata, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Zabaleta

Yaya Toure, De Jong, Barry

Milner, Silva

Tevez

It should be an interesting contest and, should it go well, it could provide a spring-board for City's season - with the potential to plant us more firmly in the top-four and to keep ground with the leaders as well.

Wigan 0 - 2 City. Match report and player ratings

2010-09-20T18:38:00.000+01:00

So the 'jinx' is broken. Or the jinx wasn't a jinx but really the remnants of an era where we didn't regularly win away from home. Nevertheless it is satisfying to overcome these records, and whilst there will be some who would be looking for more dominance or ambition, City needed to return to winning ways after the sloppy moments in the past two games and they achieved this comfortably in the end.

The rain made for difficult playing conditions and it took a while for the game to rise out of the realms of the scrappy. Richards, who sometimes seems to struggle with balance in completely perfect conditions, could hardly stay on his feet and Nigel de Jong didn't care to tone down his combative style in spite of the slippery surface. For most of the first half neither goalkeeper was threatened and for all City were striving for intricacies, the opener came from a long punt forward from Joe Hart. As the Wigan fans' cheers for Hart's slip died down, Tevez was through on goal at the other end and he showed his class with an exquisite chip over Al Habsi.

Tevez was integral throughout and started to show a return to the form of last season. It is a difficult job playing upfront on your own, but he fought well, used the ball intelligently and was central to both goals. There are even hints that an understanding is developing between him and Silva, with a couple of clever combinations suggesting a good future for them as a pair.

City took control in the second half with the comfort of the lead and despite a late Diame header that flashed wide, Hart wasn't called into action. City have been playing possession football throughout the season (or at least trying to) and it is never more effective than when holding the lead. The lead draws the opposition out and instead of passes in and around the back-four, City have full reign for expansive, probing football. It wasn't at its best yesterday, but it allowed City to retain control.

All that said, Wigan were masters of their own downfall. Both goals were comically defended - especially the second - and they presented more gifts on top of them.

Without really reaching full heights this season, City are sitting in the top four. Listening to some people you would hardly guess it. Yes, there is room for improvement, but with players to return, others yet to find full fitness, and the mystical 'gelling' that will improve as the games come, to be within reach of the top at this stage is nothing to be worrying about!

Player ratings:

Hart 6, Richards 7, Kolo Toure 7, Kompany 7, Zabaleta 7, De Jong 6, Barry 7, Yaya Toure 7 (Jo 6), Milner 6, Silva 7 (A. Johnson 6), Tevez 8 (Wright-Phillips N/A).

Man of the match: Carlos Tevez

Whelan and Martinez support City's rise: Wigan preview

2010-09-18T15:51:00.001+01:00

The backlash to the City-hating has begun in the guise of Dave Whelan and Roberto Martinez ahead of our clash with Wigan tomorrow. In an interview with the MEN, Whelan says all the things a City fan would want to hear:

“Everybody seems to want to have a pop at City. There’s so much jealousy around. Those who are knocking City would give anything to be in the same position and have the same kind of opportunities.

“I always look forward to welcoming City to Wigan, it’s always a good game and they have a great set of supporters who are as good as anyone around.

“The City fans are tremendously loyal, they deserve to see their team be successful. I remember playing City in the old third division in front of 40,000 fans at Maine Road."

He also points to the slowly fading hatred of Chelsea, his admiration for his friend Garry Cook, and the fact that, as the money is all City's, it is up to us to spend it as we like.

The trouble is 'it's always a good game' for Wigan and I'm sure that helps Whelan's enjoyment of City's visits. 5,000 City fans are set to travel up to Wigan tomorrow hoping to see City win their first ever game at the DW Stadium. To fuel the statistical worriers, The Guardian published the two following facts in their 'Match Pointers section:

Wigan are one of two teams that City have faced twice or more and never beaten away from home in the top flight (five times, along with Arsenal)
City haven't won away from home in the league during September since 2004

Statistics are, of course, completely useless. Before last season we hadn't done the league double over Chelsea since the fifties. It doesn't take me to tell you that things are changing at City. Yet, as evidenced on the Official Site, City can use the 'jinx' to ensure that the players do not underestimate a trip to Wigan.

Despite an initial two games that caused a lot of footballing people to instantly, and foolishly, write-off Wigan from the league at this early stage - The Latics are actually only one point behind us. A win at Tottenham and a draw against Sunderland will have done something to restore some confidence to their side. Wigan will probably struggle this season, but directly after the famously, and officially, 'unlucky' loss to Chelsea by six straight goals is too early to call it.

With apparently no new injury concerns for Mancini to deal with, City have the option to remain unchanged from the side that triumphed in Austria this week. The only likely changes will be for both Jo and the impressive Silva, who both looked exhausted by the end of the game. I imagine both will have a part to play at some point, but it may well still be from the bench at this stage.

Micah Richards is likely to return at right-back, leaving Mancini with the option to switch Zabaleta to left-back as Wayne Bridge continues his comeback from injury. Milner and Johnson could fill the other free berths.

Possible line-up, 4-3-2-1:

Hart

Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Zabaleta

De Jong, Yaya Toure, Barry

Milner, Adam Johnson

Tevez

After two disappointing results against Sunderland and Blackburn, City will be hoping to reignite their league season at Wigan - and break a 'jinx' whilst at it!

FC Energy Drink 0 - 2 City: Match Report and Player Ratings

2010-09-18T12:14:00.001+01:00

City's Thursday evening introduction to the group stages of the Europa League was one of those games that could have delighted the circling press: huge excitement in Austria, a fairly low key team yet the only team to win every game in the group stages last season, an allegedly difficult playing surface. The ingredients were there, but it turned out to be a fairly routine victory in the end.

It was a good night for the players striving to cement a place in the first eleven. David Silva, subject to a lot of praise over the past week, got his first goal for the club, is beginning to look up to pace, and should now be ready to join the Premier League campaign in earnest.

Jo made his first start for City since 2008 and capped it with a goal and an assist - and helped free Tevez to play his favourite role. If he is to play more football for City, then the goal will do him good - and he looked visibly exhausted by the end of the match, such is the rarity of him completing ninety minutes of football.

The other player hoping to retain his place was Wayne Bridge, who, to the suprise of the statistic compilers, completed a cross in the build up to Silva's goal in the eighth minute. He wasn't unduly tested defensively but his adventurous style of play hinted at how Mancini will eventually hope to use Kolarov and Boateng - a tight midfield with attackingly effective full-backs.

It was the first we have seen of the diamond formation that we saw a lot of in pre-season and you can't help but feel we will see a lot more of it once everyone is up to speed - perhaps with Silva, Tevez and Balotelli as the top three.

Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany's partnership continues to grow, and both were impressive again when called upon.

Milner talked about one of the positives of the quantity of games being that we will be able to rectify disappointments almost instantly, whilst building up some momentum and togetherness in the process. The trick now will be to take this into the game against Wigan.

Player ratings:

Hart 6, Zabaleta 6, Kolo Toure 8, Kompany 7, Bridge 7 (Boyata 6), De Jong 7, Barry 7, Yaya Toure 6, Silva 7 (Wright-Phillips N/A), Tevez 7 (Vieira N/A), Jo 7.

Man of the match: Kolo Toure

One month in, do we know our best eleven?

2010-09-15T19:31:00.001+01:00

A month has now passed since the start of the Premier League and a pretty stable eleven has started to establish itself:

Hart

Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Lescott

Barry, De Jong, Yaya Toure

Johnson, Milner

Tevez

However, to a great extent this has been forced by the injuries to Boateng, Kolarov and Balotelli, and the coming to fitness of David Silva. Mancini was quoted in the week saying the following about Silva's start at City:

"I thought he did very well when he came on [against Blackburn] but I always said that he would need time because it is very different here than playing in Spain. The internationals are over now and I think it will be time for him to play in the team from the next game."

Which appears to say he is now ready to be a starter in the City team, in the Premier League as well as the Europa league. He certainly looked bright against Blackburn, and we may need his class to make the most of the pressure we have been able to apply in the last two games. If this is the case, then the very least it means is that one of Johnson, Milner, Barry, De Jong or Yaya Toure will have to make way. Not the simplest of decisions. It seems fairly evident that most of these five will have to get used to a small degree of rotation as the season progresses and we can always feel comfortable with whichever combination is put forward, but you have to presume there is a 'best eleven' in there somewhere.

I prattled on after the Blackburn game about getting the best out of Carlos Tevez and how the leading striker role does not suit him best:

I don't take issue with the 4-2-3-1 formation that was used, as it is favoured by most teams now and being a man light in the middle can lead to an uneven contest, but I don't think Tevez is at his best as the leading striker. Primarily because he doesn't act like one when he is played there. You cannot fault his energy and his ability to hold up the ball (which are both important in a leading striker role), but he almost never makes forward runs. Quite often a player will be breaking from midfield, Milner say, and Carlos will either run next to him or, more often than not, drop back - leaving the attacking midfielder with no option other than to cut-back on the attack or go it alone. He is much better as the man behind the strikers, where he can drop back, get involved and link up with the centre-forward. Because of his lack of forward runs, we often look like we are playing without a striker, in what is otherwise quite an attacking formation.

The issue here is that it will further complicate an already difficult choice in midfield. De Jong's knock and Barry's rest meant it appeared easier yesterday - with Milner allowed to start in his preferred central role - but, if Tevez is to drop back, Milner, Yaya Toure, De Jong, Barry and Vieira will have to battle over just two positions. Which is not an easy choice at all.

Obviously with Adebayor out and other candidates perhaps not quite up to it, Tevez will probably remain there for awhile - and therefore, this doesn't apply directly to yesterday's match, but it is a problem on the horizon and I don't think we will be fully effective until it is sorted out.

However, with the fear of sounding like a bit of a hypocrite, we don't have too much choice at the moment other than to play Tevez up front on his own. Balotelli has increasingly depressing news about how far from action he might be; Adebayor is suffering from a small injury; Jo may not quite be the answer; and Roque Santa Cruz is rarely available and seemingly a long way down the pecking order. I still believe the decision to drop Tevez back should come at some point, but at the moment he will continue to lead the line.

If Silva is to come back in, it means a decision has to be made on who out of the midfielders should drop out. With the will to retain a semblance of attacking football I think Milner and Johnson should remain untouched, leaving the tough decision between Barry, De Jong and Yaya Toure. On current form, they have all staked their claim, but I don't think it would be too bad for Yaya Toure to get some of the Silva treatment - a bit of time to adapt to the English game in rotation with Barry and De Jong who, for me, have been too good to lose their places this season. Yaya has shown glimpses of utter class on the ball in these early games, and it is hard to make that call, but whoever is left out would have huge grievances.

So, my choice for the best current eleven (before Boateng, Kolarov, and Balotelli return), would be the following in a 4-2-3-1 formation:

Hart

Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Lescott

De Jong, Barry

A. Johnson, Milner, Silva

Tevez

I guess the answer to the title of this piece is a resounding 'no' and I'm sure both Mancini and many of you will have wildly differing ideas about what would be the ideal solution to funnelling all our talent into eleven places. Of course, the answer will be rotation, and many of the players can be interchanged with little effect to the strength of our team - so, it doesn't really matter as much as some people will have it whether Mancini knows his 'best eleven' or not. The scope is there to adapt our team to suit the occasion and the sheer weight of games should see everyone involved, but come a big match, a cup final say, you would presume there is an eleven Mancini prefers...

City 1 - 1 Blackburn: 4-2-3-1 is right but wrong; player ratings

2010-09-12T10:15:00.009+01:00

To borrow a Mancini favourite: Football is strange. What, but for one moment of madness from our goalkeeper, could have been a fairly satisfying win, ends up leaving a feeling of frustration. An obstinate defence besides, I don't even think this was Blackburn at their best, so a point doesn't really feel like enough.

As the nation's darling of the moment, Hart will not face too great a criticism for his blunder yesterday - Match of the Day even over-emphasised Kolo Toure's role so much that Hart's actions may almost have sounded normal - but for all the points he has saved this season, these were ones he lost. Grella, who seemed to be willfully wasteful with the football up until their goal, punted a nothing ball forward, and Hart, to answer seemingly no danger whatsoever, decided to intervene in a situation that was already covered some twenty-five yards from goal. It was a moment of madness, and a calamitous way to concede your first goal from open play this season - and it set City the tough task of breaking through Blackburn and Paul Robinson. Hart has been exceptional this season and he will recover, but this should help him to keep a little more grounded.

Adam Johnson was our main threat in the first-half as City struggled to respond straight away - coming tantalisingly close with a curled shot across goal.

I don't take issue with the 4-2-3-1 formation that was used, as it is favoured by most teams now and being a man light in the middle can lead to an uneven contest, but I don't think Tevez is at his best as the leading striker. Primarily because he doesn't act like one when he is played there. You cannot fault his energy and his ability to hold up the ball (which are both important in a leading striker role), but he almost never makes forward runs. Quite often a player will be breaking from midfield, Milner say, and Carlos will either run next to him or, more often than not, drop back - leaving the attacking midfielder with no option other than to cut-back on the attack or go it alone. He is much better as the man behind the strikers, where he can drop back, get involved and link up with the centre-forward. Because of his lack of forward runs, we often look like we are playing without a striker, in what is otherwise quite an attacking formation.

The issue here is that it will further complicate an already difficult choice in midfield. De Jong's knock and Barry's rest meant it appeared easier yesterday - with Milner allowed to start in his preferred central role - but, if Tevez is to drop back, Milner, Yaya Toure, De Jong, Barry and Vieira will have to battle over just two positions. Which is not an easy choice at all.

Obviously with Adebayor out and other candidates perhaps not quite up to it, Tevez will probably remain there for awhile - and therefore, this doesn't apply directly to yesterday's match, but it is a problem on the horizon and I don't think we will be fully effective until it is sorted out.

All that said, we did create a number of chances to finish the game - some great last ditch defending from Blackburn prevented both Tevez and Jo after Silva had clipped them through; Robinson produced a good save from Barry; and Johnson could well have had a penalty after a great run into the box. But, for the second game running, City will be left rueing missed chances and dropped points.

Without Hart's blunder, we would be looking at a one-nil win that could've been more, with it, it is a frustratingly thwarted draw. The margins in football are very thin and matches hinge on such small events... 'Football is strange.'

Player ratings:

Hart 5, Richards 7, Kolo Toure 6.5, Kompany 7.5, Lescott 6, Wright-Phillips 6 (Jo 6), Vieira 6.5 (Barry 6.5), Yaya Toure 6, Milner 6.5, Johnson 8 (Silva N/A), Tevez 7.

Man of the match: Adam Johnson

City vs Blackburn - match preview

2010-09-10T18:04:00.007+01:00

After the Sunderland game, the last thing Mancini would've wanted was a two week gap. All going to plan, City will play almost every three days all season - so to have a little break to stew over the failings against Sunderland will hopefully see everyone desperate to get back to winning ways.

The man who may be more desperate than most, Carlos Tevez, faces a late fitness test following a knock on international duty. He scored a hat-trick in this fixture last season - and other contenders, principally Adebayor, will really have to up their game to cover his possible absence.

Talk of Boateng making his long awaited debut seem to have been premature, with Mancini suggesting he is still some seven to ten days away from competitive football. At the end of the Sunderland game, we expected Boateng, Bridge and Balotelli to be fit for selection - but there will be no new faces in contention for a starting place.

Therefore the back four should remain the same - with Lescott continuing at left-back after his impressive display in the centre for England in the week. Micah missed international duty through illness, but he should be back - and he will be hoping the Blackburn defence will be as obliging to him as they were for his goal last January.

The man who provided the assist for that goal, Benjani Mwaruwari, could make his debut for Blackburn tomorrow. He will always be remembered for his City debut when (in case you need reminding!) he scored the winning goal at Old Trafford to seal a City double against United.

Blackburn have had a promising start to the season without too much to show from it. Victors against Everton on the opening day, they have since been unlucky to lose away to Birmingham, and lost narrowly against Arsenal. Allardyce, who quite wonderfully hasn't ruled himself out for the next England manager's position, has backed City's pursuit for honours, drawing parallels between City and successful Blackburn and Chelsea teams of the past two decades.

On loan rag Mame Diouf has four goals in his last two games, and rotund playmaker, David Dunn should now be fit enough to start for a Blackburn team that should be at full strength.

I know it won't happen, but I would like to see Adam Johnson on the left to see him terrorise Michel Salgado. Milner could do a similar job, but despite good showings for City and England, I don't think he looks at his most comfortable out there. You can't help but think that a tough decision is looming for Mancini over Milner, Yaya, Barry and De Jong - but the news of Balotelli's injury and Silva's gentle easing into Premiership life, could allow him to delay that decision a little longer.

I think Mancini will stick to the team that lost against Sunderland, with possession the key to wearing down a sturdy Blackburn defence, rather than trying to out-muscle them. To have the option of throwing on Silva and Adebayor will allow Mancini to exploit a tiring Blackburn resistance later on.

Possible line-up:

4-2-3-1

Hart

Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Lescott

De Jong, Barry

Johnson, Yaya Toure, Milner

Tevez

However, we haven't seen the diamond formation yet that was used quite a lot in pre-season, which could result in a lack of width and the difficult dropping of a confident Johnson (who could be key tomorrow), but end with two-strikers and a more offensive looking line-up for a home fixture. I think home fixtures against teams outside the top five or six in the league were the occasions Mancini had planned this formation for, but Adam Johnson's international form may have persuaded him otherwise.

Blackburn are traditionally not as strong away from home, but they are sure to be resilient opponents, and patience may be the watchword again, as it is now that more and more teams grow to fear us! I remember Allardyce's press-conference at the first game of last season at Ewood Park, where he intimated that he would be happy with a home point from us, so I think it is fair to say a similar ambition may be applied to tomorrow.

City don't mind cup-tieing Shaleum Logan; "Forza Milan"; Silva

2010-09-09T19:06:00.005+01:00

With City's Europa League group stage kicking off properly next week against Red Bull Salzburg, another exclusive group of twenty-five has been announced for the first group phase. And again, one ever-present of the squads so far is Shaleum Logan - who didn't travel with the team to the USA in pre-season because he was taking trials with teams in the Championship. If he is to be involved sometime, perhaps in Turin once everything is already decided (one way or another!), then it would hinder him moving to another club involved in the Europa League...

Which is not the case for Roque Santa Cruz. Lazio are the tipped destination for Roque and they finished a good way off European football last season, so this would not harm a potential move there, but there is no reason to exclude other potential buyers. This is as clear a sign as any that Roque's City career is coming to a close - and perhaps, despite a place in the Premiership 25, that pushing him out before the September deadline would've been the ideal solution for both the player and for City.

City have also been obliged to name a second list that states the under-21 players that can be available should City need them. The full list is on the UEFA website, but the youngsters include: Boyata, Nimely, Ibrahim, Ben Mee, Scott Kay, Vidal and Benali. The rules are slightly different than the Premier League ones in that the young players still need to have been at City for a number of years to qualify for this second list - hence why Balotelli needs to be registered for the Europa League and not the Premier League.

In other news, Balotelli has emerged from surgery and his doctor has suggested that a rehabilitation period of six to eight weeks will be necessary before he can return to action - continuing a frustrating start to his City career. It didn't take too long for him to return to the Italian papers either - responding to Milan President Galliani's unhelpful comments by singing Milan songs out of the window. Galliani protested his innocence:

"As a child he was a Milan supporter. This morning I sent him a text message wishing him good luck, seeing as he’s one of our fans.

"Now that’s enough, otherwise we’ll create a diplomatic incident! At the very least I’d like to avoid causing trouble for Manchester City."

If I was being kind to him, I'd suggest he realised this last part just a little too late!

To complete a bit of a rambling post, the 'news' stories circulating suggesting Atletico Madrid are monitoring Silva could just as easily read 'Press are eagerly monitoring Silva for signs of unhappiness.' When he signed, Mancini suggested he would need a bit of time to adapt to the pace and brawn of the Premier League - so substitute and Europa League performances at this stage of the season should hardly be a surprise. He is evidently an enormously talented player, with the right attitude as well, so, needless to say, it is far, far too early for people to be expecting unrest. The fact that the Daily Mail article I read it in was only three lines long says it all.

Mixed messages from Lazio about Santa Cruz

2010-09-06T18:37:00.004+01:00

Sky Sports ran a story today stating that Lazio are still in the market for Santa Cruz. They quote Lazio's sporting director, Igli Tare, saying:

"In January we will see if it is appropriate to make a transaction, perhaps with Santa Cruz."

Which backs up earlier claims from Claudio Lotito, the club's president, that they would still look at the possibility of signing him in the January transfer window.

This, however, was comically contradicted by reports from the Daily Mail that believe the Lazio coach, Edy Reja, vetoed the move due to 'some misgivings about Santa Cruz's tactical aptitude as well as his technical attributes.' In other words, he has misgivings about whether or not Santa Cruz is useless! It only really leaves Crocky room to be admired for his physical abilities, which would be considerable if reliability isn't an important factor.

Now, in Italy, it has been known for the coach to have a limited input on transfer dealings, so Reja's reported feelings about Santa Cruz may not matter too much. But Roque may have some work to do before January to impress upon Reja that his recent form has largely been the product of unreliable fitness.

Santa Cruz's agent was quoted as saying:

"Santa Cruz is a great professional and he will give everything for Manchester City."

In the 25 and with the games coming thick and fast this season, he should get the chance to prove this on the pitch - and I think Mancini would respond well to a fully committed and professional Santa Cruz. We need someone to lead the line and to act as a foil for Tevez and that is what Santa Cruz is made to do. He has shown few signs of becoming that man for City, but forever short on fitness and confidence, we certainly haven't seen the best of him either. He has everything to gain from showing the desire to be part of the team - whether it is to push his way closer to the City team, or just to prove to Reja that his failing body is worth the gamble in January.

August Awards

2010-09-06T17:38:00.004+01:00

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: JOE HART

I can't look much further than Joe Hart for the Player of the Month. He immediately vindicated Mancini's faith in him with that outstanding display against Tottenham and, just as it seemed he would have a quiet night against Liverpool, he pulled off a wonderful double save that had the crowd leaping up and down as if City had just scored a goal. Solid and imposing, Hart has given the defence more confidence and has been the key man in a month when we have only conceded one goal - and that from the penalty spot.

Other contenders for the award include the midfield duo of Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong - who have dominated midfield battles - and Vincent Kompany, who's partnership with Kolo Toure seems to be blossoming again this campaign.

GOAL OF THE MONTH: GARETH BARRY (vs Liverpool)

A sweeping end to an eighteen-pass move from Barry as he collected Milner's low cut-back. Our new possession football at its incisive best.

PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH: 3-0 vs Liverpool

In front of Sheikh Mansour, City dominated Roy Hodgson's team and the flowing football defied all the worries about 'team-ethic' and 'gelling' that the press were lapping up after the draw at White Hart Lane.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH: Sunderland

City fell apart in the second half and were the complete antithesis of the patient, flowing side that appeared twice at Eastlands that week.

TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF: STEPHEN IRELAND

I wish him well at Villa, and I am sure he is bitter about leaving City, but his confused rant did more to satisfy City fans that his departure was the right move than anything we've seen in recent months. All the complaints about the young players who were obsessed with money were blatantly hypocritical, as well as his swipes at Michael Johnson's and Micah Richards' pay, but it was his arrogance that summed up the Ireland-conundrum. The 'I'm better than the new signings' and the 'I was always one of the best in training' comments. Everytime Ireland appeared on the pitch (where it matters afterall!), he showed nothing at all to support his supposed training performances. I was worried after his Player of the Season year that it would all go to his already fragile head, and the tippy-tappy performances that followed showed a return to an Ireland that undoubtedly has the ability, but doesn't have the head to use it. With regards to the mentality, Milner is the perfect juxtaposition. To see Ireland have an uncomfortable 6-0 drubbing of a debut just a day or two after his comments was good enough comeuppance for me. Now he can get on with rebuilding his career.

POINTS TOTAL (Premier League): 4 from 9

0-0 Tottenham (A)
1-0 Timisoara (A)
3-0 Liverpool (H)
2-0 Timisoara (H)
0-1 Sunderland (A)

Late week round-up: Robinho and the 25

2010-09-03T16:03:00.003+01:00

Robinho, the man whose arrival came to symbolise the moment City leaped into the realms of the footballing heavyweights, left the club this week. Whilst many will bemoan his lack of commitment to the club, I still think he brought more good than bad to the football club.

People will be scandalised by how much money went on him, but money is hardly City's problem at the moment, and the statement his arrival made to the footballing world accelerated our rising reputation throughout the game. When a player who has captured football purists' hearts across the world (if only through youtube compilations!) moves to a club who few considered a major player, it heightens the club's presence everywhere. Suddenly Pele wants to talk about City and, in no time at all, the world's best goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon feels it necessary to discuss the merits of City's back four. It wouldn't have happened as quickly without the arrival of the wee Brazilian.

He has been largely absent for the past twelve months of his City career - leading a confused Guardian reporter to say he went from Real Madrid to City to Milan within the space of twelve months - but that one season, for all his inconsistencies, contained moments of such brilliance that it is hard to say he was a complete failure for City. My three favourite goals of his being the volley against West Brom, the right-foot curler against FC Twente in the Uefa Cup, and, best of all, that scooped chip against Arsenal (which luckily I was right behind, before I was evicted from the North Stand to accomodate the Family Stand!). For these alone, his tempestuous stay at City was worth all the no-shows and pandering to other clubs. I wish him all the best at Milan, where he faces another battle (Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Pato) to maintain regular first-team football!

The twenty-five was also announced in the wake of transfer deadline day, with Robinho's departure meaning Roque Santa Cruz had a berth to fill. There were further surprises in the inclusion of Michael Johnson, who aims to be fit for the final month before the squad can be reviewed again, and Shaleum Logan - who played no part in pre-season, was on loan at Tranmere all of last season, and has been taking trials at Championship clubs this summer. Only Kelvin Etuhu and David Gonzalez are unregistered for the Premier League campaign - and you'd imagine Etuhu is destined for another loan spell - although, there are no restrictions on Cup games, if Mancini is feeling charitable to them!

Although competition for places is still very high, City had a successful transfer deadline day in so far as avoiding any 'trapped' unregistered players (with respect to Etuhu and Gonzalez), and the speed of the coming games should mean they will all be called upon at some point this season. With any luck, what has been widely dubbed 'an accident waiting to happen', could now become simple 'healthy competition'. The need for squad rotation has been impressed upon everyone, so those in the twenty-five know what is coming, and know they will have to win their place when the chance arises - which can only be good for the club!

Match thoughts and Transfer Deadline Day

2010-08-31T11:10:00.004+01:00

I know it has been a couple of days since the match and most City fans will be trying hard to push it from their minds by a Tuesday lunchtime, so I will be brief.

Firstly, a wildly unpopular theory. The conditions. I am not saying it is why City lost - far from it. But I would say it had a good part to play in our disjointed passing and, as such, made a lacklustre performance look even worse. I shivered my way through the first half and watched a man behind me go from scarf, to hat, to gloves, into full winter clothing on this late summer afternoon! I have far less ability than the players on show, but when you can hardly walk down to the concourse for the wind blowing you back, I can't imagine what it would be like to play a forty yard pass. A lot of groans around me were for the apparent inability to do the simple things - so whilst it was the same for Sunderland and therefore fair in the grand scheme of the game, I don't think we've suddenly lost the passing verve and power in possession that won us the other two games this past week.

So, why then? A failure to put away chances tells only part of the story, but you can't help but think things would've been very different if certain chances were tucked away. Sunderland defended very well throughout the game and were set up, on Bruce's admission, to stop City. If City had scored after 18 minutes, Sunderland would've been forced to chase the game and the resultant opening up would have made things easier for us. We did have our chances and Mignolet made great saves from Adebayor and Yaya Toure, but City didn't respond well enough in the second half to win the game.

Our attacking trio of Tevez, Milner and Johnson (in particular) were ineffective. Milner doesn't look that comfortable on the left and Mancini will eventually have to choose one of the midfield three to make way if he is to use Milner to his best.

It will be a long two weeks for the team as they wait to put things right against Blackburn on the 11th September.

I actually spent the Bank Holiday weekend in the North-East and went to see Hartlepool vs Sheffield Wednesday on the Saturday - watching Nicky Weaver keep a clean sheet as Wednesday put five past the hosts. With Wednesday top and Oldham not too far behind, our heroes of that division, Weaver and Dickov, are ruling it once again. Weaver had little to do, but still managed to make most saves look spectacular.

Of course, today is also Transfer Deadline Day, and whilst City have completed all their in-coming transfers (or so we believe!), there are still a number of situations to be resolved. Latest rumours include:

Robinho set to seal a move to AC Milan
Adebayor to Tottenham to join Spurs's hated recruit with Gallas?
Boyata to Norwich, Newcastle or Leeds on loan
Michael Johnson to find match-fitness at Portsmouth
... and something for Santa Cruz to do!

Should be an interesting day!

City to play Juventus, Salzburg and Lech Posnan

2010-08-27T12:26:00.013+01:00

City have been drawn into a fairly strong group for the Europa League, with Group A providing one of the ties of the round when City meet Juventus.

Juventus, one of the biggest names in Europe, have undergone major changes since their disappointing campaign last year. Luigi Del Neri, the manager who took Sampdoria to Champions League qualification (only for them to lose the play-off to Werder Bremen this week), is the new man in charge and with him have come a host of home-grown players: Bonucci, Pepe, Aquilani, Motta, Storari and possibly Di Natale to follow, if Italian paper speculation is to be trusted. On top of this, Milos Krasic, the Serbian winger, has arrived to try and succeed where Diego (now departed to Wolfsburg after a torrid one season at Juve) failed.

After heavy changes, Juve will be expected, under the weight of their history, to succeed again this season - and the pressure, which saw regular protest fires spring up within the stands last year, will be on Del Neri.

Gianluigi Buffon has taken it upon himself to mock City in recent weeks and it would be a source of great pleasure to see him crumble at Eastlands when the tie comes around!

FC Salzburg, as they are known in European competition to avoid their heavily branded official name, FC Red Bull Salzburg, are more of an unknown to me. They have won the Austrian Bundesliga three out of the last four seasons. They lost 4-3 on aggregate in their Champions League qualification play-off this season against Hapoel Tel-Aviv, and got to the round of 32 in the Europa League last season, losing to Standard Liege in a run that saw them beat Lazio, Villareal and Levski Sofia (no mean scalps).

Lech Posnan are also the reigning champions of their domestic league in Poland and went through to the third round of last year's competition only to be knocked out by Udinese, after finishing above AS Nancy and, 2001-2002 winners, Feyenoord in the group stages. They also boast the best support in Poland, says my source... [I should say that two of the three teams in this group may have required a quick bit of research on a well-known online encyclopedia!]

So, largely on the count of Juventus, it will not be the easiest group to win, although I think that is within City's capabilities. But there are a few interesting ties to come on course to a competition Mancini wants City to go all the way in.

City 2 - 0 Timisoara: Match report and player ratings

2010-08-27T11:02:00.004+01:00

Such is the strength of City's squad that Mancini believes we can progress to the final using the depth at our disposal:

"It is an important trophy. I think the Europa League is difficult because you play more games. But if we can change some players every game, I think we can arrive at the end and play in the final."

Looking at the sort of line-up we can put out by making seven changes, it is hard to argue with him. Of course, City will come up against sterner tests than Timisoara as the tournament progresses (with the group stages being drawn this lunchtime), but we didn't have to labour too much for this result.

Timisoara put everyone behind the ball in the first half, which made it tight in the final third, and despite a lot of possession (70% on the night) City had to be patient to carve openings.

Set loose by the entrenched Timisoara, our deep-lying midfielders Patrick Vieira and Nigel de Jong were outstanding. If anyone is foolish enough to doubt de Jong's commitment, to watch his workrate and tackling against a lesser opponent last night was a joy. There were some newspaper reports over the summer suggesting that de Jong's days were numbered at City after the arrival of Yaya Toure and James Milner but, as the games go on, he is proving himself irreplaecable.

Vieira, thriving under the time and space he was given, completely ran the show. His passing and little dinks over the top were our main sources of threat in the first half - typified by his pass for Shauny's goal - and it continued in the second once the game had opened up a bit.

The official man of the match, Dedryck Boyata, who looked so much more assured and confident than he has done, didn't put a foot wrong - and managed to grab a goal for his efforts. He was the last man most of the match and therefore had more defending to do than his counterparts, but still had a relatively small amount to do. It was a top performance and hopefully he can stay this season, rather than go on loan, as I imagine he will be a regular choice in Cup games at the least - and if he can continue to develop a partnership with his fellow countryman, Kompany, then it should be good news for the future of the club.

Just a quick note to say well done to the Timisoara fans who, despite watching a fairly unambitious performance in small numbers, made quite a bit of noise. And a number of the Timisoara players returned our clapping from the corner, which was a nice touch... It's so easy to be gracious when you win comfortably!

Player ratings:

Hart 6; Richards 7, Boyata 8, Kompany 7, Zabaleta 7; De Jong 8 (Cunningham 6), Vieira 8; SWP 7, Silva 7, Jo 6; Adebayor 5.

Man of the match: Patrick Vieira

Reshuffled line-up for Timisoara: Europa League preview

2010-08-26T09:57:00.005+01:00

With only two days passed since the heroics against Liverpool on Monday night, Mancini is likely to call upon our squad strength for the tie against Timisoara tonight. As the game against Sunderland is only another two days break from here, a large number of the 25 will see action this week. Three games in six days, with barely a breath in between, shows why it may not be as difficult to keep the players happy as has been suggested.

Monday night benchwarmers Adebayor, Wright-Phillips, Vieira, Silva, Jo and Zabaleta are all thought to be in with a starting chance. Whilst I am sure they all wanted to be involved against Liverpool from the off, they will get their chances to stake a claim to Sunday's starting line-up, and this should ensure that City retain a high-level of performance and therefore take out the possibility of underestimating the opposition. Such is the beauty of the competition for places, that players will be forced to seize the opportunities they get.

The ever interesting training scouts on the forums, and Daniel Taylor of The Guardian, spotted that Mancini took aside ten outfield players who could make up the line-up tonight. Whilst the goalkeeper remains a mystery in this scenario - with thoughts that it will hinge on Mancini's meeting with Given yesterday - the possible team would look like this:

Hart

Richards, Boyata, Kompany, Zabaleta

SWP, Vieira, De Jong, Silva

Jo, Adebayor

With seven changes from the team that faced Liverpool, this would really flaunt our squad strength. Milner was not registered in time for these ties and, the star of the away leg, Mario Balotelli is still suffering from a knee injury and is hoping to be fit for his league debut on Sunday.

Jo has been rewarded for his pre-season displays with an official vote of confidence from Mancini yesterday:

"I have been able to see Jô close-up in the last two months and what I have seen makes me think he's a good player. I can also remember seeing him play for CSKA [Moscow] a few years ago when I was with Internazionale and he's a good striker. We want to keep him."

It is early to say whether he will finally find his feet at City, but he must find it reassuring to finally be under a manager who believes in him. Jo's young career was mishandled by the uncertainty during Sven and Thaksin's final months at City. Already singled out by Sven as a high-priority target, Jo arrived under the newly appointed Mark Hughes, who inherited him rather than necessarily wanting him. Whilst this doesn't excuse his less than professional attitude during his early City career - maybe a settled, maturing Jo could finally fulfil some of the potential that brought him here for what was a club record fee. If he scores a couple tonight, he may start to seem a better piece of business than Roque Santa Cruz was for a similar fee!

Anything other than a loss will see City through tonight but, with the momentum from Monday night, we will be hoping to do it with a bit of a flourish.

City 3 - 0 Liverpool: Match report and player ratings

2010-08-24T10:49:00.005+01:00

If we can do any small thing to repay Sheikh Mansour for transforming the fortunes of our club, then our biggest win since 1937 against the most successful English football team in history, on his first visit to a rain-sodden Manchester, probably isn't a bad offering. The last time Liverpool lost by three clear goals in the league was against our neighbours in the March of 2008. The last time we beat them was in 2005 thanks to an injury time flying left-foot volley from one Kiki Musampa. But then, the times are a-changing.

When the team was announced, I was worried about the seemingly defensive selection Mancini put out: it looked to my untrained eye that we were giving Liverpool too much respect - but it was precisely our five man midfield that kept our stronghold on the game. Yaya Toure played as a supporting striker at times and with Tevez seemingly under instruction to remain upfront, we kept our shape a lot better than against Tottenham last weekend.

Along with everything else, it was a commited team performance of the sort many have doubted our 'newly assembled side' is capable of producing. Yet only two new signings featured here - and one has played with five of his teammates on international duty.

The industry and quality that typified City's performance was all to see in the debutant James Milner. He must have been secretly rueing his declaration that he would 'play anywhere' when he found himself lining up on the left wing, but it is a measure of his professionalism and his attitude (sadly missing in the man who went the opposite way) that he produced the performance that he did. Adaptability, energy, industry, skill and creativity were all there to see in our new signing.

It was pleasing to see such a core of English players in the team and not many sides across the Premiership can boast six native starters this weekend. Barry, Hart, Johnson and Milner, in particular, were outstanding, and Richards and Lescott didn't do themselves any harm either. If City can develop with this core of young English players then it will not only be good for City, but good for England as well. 'Ruining the English game' indeed!

It is entertaining to see the swift about-turn that the media can make after one game - writing us off after the Tottenham game, writing us up after the Liverpool game - but Mancini was wise to play down the hysteria that was brewing. With players absent and time to develop, there is a chance that things will get even better, but it is important to keep that in sight and to stoke up that winning mentality to avoid slip-ups against lesser names such as Timisoara on Thursday and Sunderland on Sunday. The enjoyment from nights such as last night is for us and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nayhan!

Player ratings:

Hart 8; Richards 7, Kolo Toure 7, Kompany 8, Lescott 7; De Jong 8; Milner 8, Barry 9, Yaya Toure 7, A. Johnson 8; Tevez 7.

Man of the match: Gareth Barry

Media darlings; red cards and drinks trolleys; Milner and Balotelli; Monday preview

2010-08-22T12:06:00.008+01:00

As opening games go, when you are coming to terms with the new animosity from the country's press and rival fans, to play teams managed by Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson do not make it any easier. Both are at the zenith of their popularity. Both are adored by the media. Redknapp for his straight-forward, entertaining character; Hodgson for defying the financial importance of modern football to succeed with Fulham, and to appear to charm with his gentleness at the same time (this last aspect was always tainted for me by less than gracious interviews after a defeat, but I think I may be alone in that!). But regardless of the opposition or the popularity of the manager, everyone is looking for City to lose at the moment - and although it is a fairly new sensation, in reality all the top teams get the same treatment from footballing neutrals.

Hodgson's Liverpool are a little bit of an unknown at this stage of the season, as are most teams. So far we have seen them battle well with ten men against Arsenal and almost come away with all three points, and secure a slender lead from their home tie in the Europa league. They expect Torres to return upfront ahead of David Ngog, and with Mascherano nearing fitness, they should be able to call on a full strength side.

One exception to this is Joe Cole who, following the trend of City's full-backs, has not had an ideal start to his Liverpool career. A red-card and a penalty-miss to show from this week will mean he misses tomorrow night's game. City will be without both Kolarov and Boateng for up to a month after injuries. Boateng collided with a drinks trolley on an aeroplane, but at least Kolarov managed about five minutes of fully fit football for City before limping through forty White Hart Lane minutes.

Supersub Super Mario is thought to have shrugged off his knock and will be available for selection - but with no pre-season behind him and the knock fresh in the mind of Mancini, a bench role may be in store for him again, before he gets more game time against Timisoara on Thursday.

Another player in line for his debut is James Milner. Mancini has said he will play in the centre of midfield - and if City continue to play with three in there, it is no longer as hard to make five go into three. In Daniel Taylor's match report from the Timisoara game, for The Guardian, he said the team appeared to be made up of eight defensively minded players (including Joe Hart) plus Tevez, Silva and Adebayor. Yaya Toure showed he was willing to get forward, but the introduction of Milner into the team should ensure a bit more thrust from the central positions. Ironically, for his first game, I could see him replacing Gareth Barry in the 4-3-3/4-1-2-1-2 formation that has been favoured so far.

Possible team:

Hart; Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Lescott; De Jong; Milner, Yaya Toure; Silva; Tevez, Adebayor.

This is the team I hope for, but then there is also the possibility that Mancini may seek to conserve to start with, as against Tottenham, with Tevez leading the line and a wide player coming in for Adebayor, only to change to a more attacking solution when the legs are tiring.

Five of the last seven Premier League meetings between us and Liverpool have ended in draws, with not many goals in there either, but City will be looking to set up a strong home record if we are to break into the top four this season.

'Citysquare' will open before the match as well, so it will be interesting to see what has happened to that area since the Valencia game - fancy food and big screens are promised!

Balotelli: Parallels with Rooney; misquotes; video

2010-08-15T11:54:00.004+01:00

So, on Friday Balotelli finally sealed his move to City and I have written on a number of occasions why I think he is worth 'the gamble', so I won't go into detail again here. To quote Chris Whyatt on the BBC instead:

"Firstly, the base ingredients: lightning-quick, strong as an ox, good with both feet, impeccable technique, Balotelli - who, but for citizenship issues, may have been snapped up by Barcelona when he was younger - possesses rare if raw gifts."

Balotelli has sensational ability and, as he has only recently turned twenty, there is plenty of time for him to concentrate his temperament on becoming 'one of the world's best footballers' as Mancini suggested. How many of the truly great footballers have had that fiery temperament?

A bad environment has developed around him in Italy - whether it be the rascism, a declining relationship with Inter, or the media focus - and it is a widely held view that Balotelli will thrive under the change given by a new environment.

Football Italia blogger Steve Wilson has hit back at people who argue he is unproven (a strange thing to level at a nineteen/twenty year old anyway), comparing his record to Rooney's when United shelled out on him. His main point is of English ignorance of foreign football. Whilst countries such as Italy and Spain love their leagues the most, in a lot of cases they are also avid followers of the other big leagues - in England, that is the reserve of the fanatics.

An example of this was when Mancini was announced after the Sunderland game. I was listening to Radio Manchester and Nigel Gleghorn said, in a fit of pique, 'what has he ever won?' Which, as good as he occasionally is on the radio, is a bit surprising from someone who earns their living talking about football.

The other issue that has irritated me about the signing has been the instant report of 'Balotelli wanted to stay in Italy'. His statement to his personal website read as follows:

"I'm sorry that I'm leaving Inter and Italy because I would have preferred to continue my career in my own country.

"I'm going where I hope to find the space I need to play which is very important to me: I need to play, to make mistakes, to learn and to play again. As well as a calm environment around me.

"It's been a difficult year. I've recognised my mistakes, but I think I've often been under pressure and on the receiving end of criticism that at times has irritated me.

"Now all I'm thinking about is playing well for my new club and in the Premier League. I really want to give it my best try!"

To me, this reads 'it is a shame I have to leave Italy but it is best for my career'. Which is hardly the same as saying 'I wish I was staying put'. Let's give him a chance before we label him with the same 'difficult character' tag that he has brought with him from Italy.

Balotelli is another player who could 'write the future' of the club - if it all clicks, we have a sensational talent on our hands - and at a reported £22.5m, it really could be a snip for one of the most highly rated young players in Europe.

Spurs 0 - 0 City: Match report and player ratings

2010-08-15T10:51:00.003+01:00

On the way back from the game yesterday we stopped at Beaconsfield services (close enough to London to still get their local news) and on the ITV London bulletin they described the first half in the following words: "City are meant to be title contenders this season, but they were made to look like relegation candidates by Tottenham." Which, whilst City were overrun by Spurs in the first half, is still a bit of an exaggeration. Despite all my initial irritation at this and at other similar sentiments, in a way, it is flattering. From the outside people appear to think City are good enough to be going to White Hart Lane, the home of a Champions League side who we never beat (we have lost more times to Tottenham in the Premier League than to any other club), and to come away with something.

Then comes the constant refrain: "yes, but with the money you've spent..." There were never more than three new signings on the pitch yesterday compared to the side that lost abysmally there last season - and one, Kolarov, limped through forty minutes of those. So for all Spurs' first half domination and Joe Hart's heroics, this was still a marked improvement. On the face of it, a clean sheet and a point at White Hart Lane is a commendable start to the season.

The story of the game is Joe Hart. Mancini had left the goalkeeping debate open as late as the Friday morning press-conference, but Joe set about instantly vindicating Mancini's choice. City's tough core - with defensive midfielders protecting the back four - means the main threat City will face this season, as last season, is from outwide - Shay's weakness, Hart's strength. This was my main reason for backing Joe, but in forty-five minutes against Tottenham yesterday he showed that his shot-stopping is equal to the task also, with some exceptional reactions and one-on-one foiling.

Ahead of Joe, both Kompany and Kolo Toure were excellent - with both producing heroic blocks at crucial moments. The main danger came from Bale who, as possibly the best left-winger in the Premiership at the moment, was always going to give Micah problems. Lennon, on the otherside, is always dangerous on account of his pace but never gives the impression that he knows what he is doing.

Captain Carlos was a bundle of energy and was always looking to be involved in play, but I don't believe he can play as the lone striker. There were many times that he would come back and pick up the ball alongside De Jong, only to look up and find no forward option. He plays the second striker role perfectly, but he needs a partner to make the runs beyond the defence. Perhaps Super Mario is destined to be this man. Saying that, I don't think there is a better defensive partnership than King and Dawson in the Premiership, and Tottenham must only be hoping they could rely on their fitness in order to re-launch their own assault on the top-four.

The second half was a distinct improvement and a point from White Hart Lane is a good start to the campaign.

Player ratings:

Hart 9, Richards 6, Kolo Toure 8, Kompany 8, Kolarov 6 (Zabaleta 6), de Jong 7, Yaya Toure 7, Barry 7, Wright-Phillips 5 (Johnson 6), Silva 7, Tevez 7 (Adebayor 6).

Man of the match: Joe Hart

Here at last. Spurs preview

2010-08-13T11:31:00.005+01:00

And so it is back to the nitty gritty of the actual game! Such is this era of supporting City that we no longer enter a season wracked with trepidation and doubt - we enter it fresh with dreams and confidence - perhaps the highly desired "winning mentality" is reaching us too? My excitement for the trip down to London tomorrow morning is bubbling up just writing about it.

As first games of the season go, it couldn't be much tougher for City. This fixture last season (the one that sealed Hughes' fate) was perhaps the most outplayed we'd been all season. We looked blunt, hopeless and out-fought all over the pitch. So, where better to test our mettle.

It should be more open than the Champions League decider - where a top defensive display courtesy of King and Dawson snuffed out City's threat. Yet, City's failings that day have been addressed - a lack of creativity has been answered by Silva (should he be ready), someone to change defence into attack has been answered in Yaya Toure, and some flank protection has been facilitated by Kolarov and Boateng.

Mancini gave a small hint that the team that started the Valencia game would be the one to face Tottenham, but it depends a little on the fitness of the late arrivals: Silva, Boateng, de Jong and Tevez. Rather unhelpfully, Spain's friendly was played in Mexico on Wednesday night (with Silva scoring the last minute equaliser), so whilst he would naturally be first choice at the head of the diamond, his fitness may delay his competitive debut.

The BBC are tipping Given to win the battle for number one, however it seems quite open to me at the moment and difficult to call. Given is the established player, but Mancini has spoken a lot about the importance of a group of young players growing with the club - and Hart would obviously fit this mould. He would also answer our weakness on crosses - as he displayed ably for England this week. Hart seems to be the overwhelming fan's favourite on the many polls across the internet, but obviously this guarantees him nothing.

Possible team, 4-1-2-1-2:

Hart

Richards, Boateng, Kompany, Kolarov

De Jong

Yaya Toure, Barry

Silva

Tevez, Adebayor

This is the team that started against Valencia and should offer us the solidity needed for the Tottenham game. If Silva is not fit, I think we could see a change of system, with Adam Johnson playing in a wide role. There is obviously also scope for Boateng to play at right-back, with club-captain Kolo Toure coming in for Micah.

It is a stern test to start the season but, whatever happens, it is great to be back!

Season Preview: Is this our year?!

2010-08-12T12:20:00.003+01:00

The Brief

A call for steady, gradual improvement means the official line is Champions League qualification and a cup of any order.

Chances

The chances are decent enough for many people to talk up our title prospects. Settling and harmony are the watchwords - but they were last season and we set our best ever Premier League start. We showed with our results against the previous 'top four' that we can compete at the very top of the league, so an increased consistency and ruthlessness, coupled with the quality that has been added over the summer should see us in a better condition to sustain a Champions League challenge.

The Team

Strong in all areas and arguably the strongest squad in the league - no team can call on the depth City can. There has been creativity added in David Silva, dynamism in Yaya Toure, and defensive solidity (with an attacking option) in Kolarov and Boateng.

Mancini's Task

He has already added a steely factor to a leaky defence and has now had the chance to put his stamp on the team. The big thing will be to keep everyone happy, but in reality every player who is registered should play a part this season - and Mancini has already said it would be in the best interests of the rest to leave. Being sure of his best eleven will be difficult, but if he can find the right mix, we have the talent to succeed. Squad rotation is being mooted, and it will be essential with the sheer volume of games, and the depth at Mancini's disposal will mean he can pick the players for the occasion.

Who plays?!

The big debate! As I have just mentioned, I think this will vary according to the opposition. Mancini experimented with many systems over pre-season, but it seems that the main two will be the 4-2-3-1 of last season, with width, and a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation as evidenced in the Valencia game. The Hart/Given debate rages on and one will be left discontented - and the number of players in midfield causes further headaches - but the two formations could be serviced as follows:

4-2-3-1:

Hart; Boateng, K. Toure, Kompany, Kolarov; Y. Toure, Barry; Silva, Tevez, A. Johnson; Adebayor.

4-1-2-1-2:

Hart; Richards, Boateng, Kompany, Kolarov; De Jong; Barry, Y. Toure; Silva; Tevez, Adebayor.

But then, even in the next few hours, this selection may be further complicated by the arrival of James Milner!

A big season for... Micah Richards

It's a big season for every player on the fringe of the starting eleven, but this is the time for Micah. A few seasons of regression have pushed him out of international contention and out of the City team. He showed signs of improving under Mancini last season but a few injuries hampered the end of his campaign. You get the feeling that if Micah is to make it at City, this is his season to push on. He performed well in pre-season and has reacted well to comments by Mancini about his concentration. Unlike a couple of his contemporaries, he seems determined to stake his claim at City and is unphased by the competition of Jerome Boateng. If he turns pre-season signs into commited performances in the Premier League, it may not be long til he makes the right-back position his own, for club and country!

What the papers say

"they are one season away from catching and overhauling Chelsea and United but this will be the year they make it to a cup final and reach the Champions League." Daniel Taylor, The Guardian (The Guardian writers combine to predict City for 2nd)

"Can this squad win the Premier League this season? Certainly, it could. Will it? It's unlikely." Ian Ladyman, The Daily Mail

"Manchester City could surprise everyone this year and finish in second place, ahead of title favourites Chelsea." Dean Maynard, FourFourTwo

"There is no scope for excusing lapses in form on the grounds that City are a work in progress." Kevin McCarra, The Guardian

"I think their fans are entitled to talk about possibly winning the title this season." Jamie Redknapp, FourFourTwo

"I wonder if Man Utd will be able to cope with their ageing players so well. Could this be the moment their neighbours break into the top four and overtake them?" Ben Clissett, Daily Telegraph Head of Sport (as quoted on the BBC website)

Whatever happens, it is an exciting time to be a City fan. Less than 48 hours to go til kick-off!

Nedum and Ireland set to leave

2010-08-11T14:19:00.004+01:00

The inevitable, overstated exodus of players at City seems set to claim it's two biggest names yet: Nedum Onuoha and Stephen Ireland. Nedum on loan to Sunderland and Ireland to Villa as part of a deal for James Milner. Onuoha's move to Sunderland is thought to be imminent, whilst The Guardian suggest, in keeping with Mancini's words after the Valencia game, that the Milner/Ireland deal will be finalised tomorrow - allowing both to make their debuts at the weekend.

Critics will suggest this is the casualty of high levels of investment - that the youth products will be squeezed out by ready-made imports. With these deals freshly in people's minds, they would obviously have grounds to do so, but I don't think it is the whole picture. These two cases are very much about the individuals involved.

Ever since Nedum's interview on Soccer AM earlier this summer, it was obvious that he has given up on his dreams for City. To many City fans this came as a huge shame. He has always been dressed up as 'one of us out there on the pitch', and this desire to see the best for City, coupled with his immense physical talent, turned him into a fan favourite for many years/the games he was fit. The joy on the faces all around me when he scored his brace (or one if you ask Carlos Tevez) against Birmingham was testament to this.

Often out of the team through injury, he has had to fight on numerous occasions to gain the favour of incoming managers - but this fight appears to have been one too many for him. As the squad stands, although he may have been frustrated to see Boyata in ahead of him in the centre, I think he would be in as one of four registered centre backs (if Boateng is thought to be a right-back) - with the registered defensive positions as follows:

RB: Richards, Boateng.
CB: K. Toure, Kompany, Lescott, Onuoha
LB: Kolarov, Bridge.

(with Zabaleta included as a utility man/right-back)

Obviously it wouldn't have been as simple as him being fourth-choice there - as Boateng, Richards, Boyata and even possibly Yaya Toure could be considered ahead of him - but he is as far down the pecking order as he has been in the past. But it is that time of his career (coming up to his 24th birthday) that he really should be playing regular first-team football.

The loan move means it keeps it open for him to return at the end of the season - and whether he can return a contender for City's starting eleven depends on one thing: injuries. Either we will have a player who has impressed the league with displays of the level we know he can produce, or we will get a player who has played a handful of games and struggled for fitness. Form says it will be the latter but I hope all City fans wish him luck and success there (and that City insert a clause that stops him playing against his parent club!).

Ireland is, as we all know, a more complicated case - and I am uneasy about letting him go just because of what might happen. I have written at length about him before, so will not go into huge detail here. As a neighbour said to me yesterday, 'if he had the head, he would be one of the best footballers in the Premiership', and that is what it boils down to.

When I blogged about this in May, a reader posted that he should use a sports psychologist and, for a player teetering on the brink of the form of 2008/2009 and last season, this could be the answer for him in the long run. The most frustrating thing about Ireland's recent performances is our knowledge of the Ireland of 2008/2009. Without that season, the Ireland of last campaign would not have surprised many - capable of exquisite pieces of vision but ultimately tip-tapping his way around the peripheries of the game - this is what we knew. We know he is open to alternative forms of training, as was documented on the City site with his hill running and martial arts, so accepting what I think is now marketed as 'mind training' could restore his form.

Either way, we will have to watch from afar to see what becomes of his career. He was the missing piece of the jigsaw last season - a creative central midfield player - and I think we would need an Ireland at full tilt more than we need Milner at the moment, but as City cannot be assured of which Ireland will turn up, the drive for players with the mentality to succeed at the place City want to go is why Milner should be more valuable in the long term. I tentatively say 'should' there because it belies my fear - the potential for Ireland is huge and I will certainly be sad to see him go, but only the future will tell how much City may or may not regret this move.

The pre-season revelation that is Jo - a surprise dash for the twenty-five?

2010-08-08T12:17:00.008+01:00

As is typical of any pre-season campaign, this one has been full of experiments: of formation, of players, of youth. So despite all the worries that have surfaced about City's performances (excluding yesterday's display), there is never any need to place too great an importance on the results.

As my dad said yesterday, the two teams with the worst pre-season form, City and Chelsea, could well be numbers one and two in the league this season! In recent days I saw a post on the Bluemoon Forum that reminded people of 1995. In our pre-season tour of Scandinavia and Germany that summer we won every game, and our world-beating performances filled everyone with confidence for the season ahead... We were relegated.

So, if there is not too much to be taken from the results, the big surprise of this pre-season has been the regular inclusion and success of City's forgotten man, Jo. Whatever happens with the ins and outs before September comes, our previous record signing has come off pre-season with the distinction of being top-goalscorer. Goals against Portland Timbers, New York Red Bulls, Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and a cool penalty in the shoot-out against Club America has left him looking like our most prolific striking option beyond Carlos Tevez.

Whether this is the eventual maturing of the party-loving layabout that had to be sent on loan in the interests of 'dressing room harmony', or just the fruits of a desire to work himself into the shop window, will be seen in the coming weeks or months - but a seeming change of attitude would be enough, at the very least, for us to get more out of what has been ranked up with the biggest of transfer flops.

On the evidence of pre-season, his movement inside the box is intelligent and his eye for goal is sharper than I remember it. Maybe, just maybe, Jo has decided to knuckle down and try to be part of what is happening at Manchester City, rather than wasting his young career on the basis of the good early reputation that earned him his Brazil caps and a big money move.

If, as seems likely, Roque Santa Cruz is to leave the club and Mario Balotelli is to arrive, there are grounds for him being included in the twenty-five. The bonus of Balotelli is his age - he is twenty this week and therefore would not need to be registered for the season. If we go on the basis of two players for every position, having Adebayor and Balotelli for the centre-forward role would leave a space for another player to be registered. Not many incoming players would accept being the third in line for one position (especially considering Tevez, Bellamy or a number of youngsters could also be moved in to lead the line), so Jo, with goals on his side and a point to prove, could be the man.

If there aren't any additions beyond Milner and Balotelli, I would not be overly surprised to see Jo included in the first twenty-five (that is before it is allowed to be re-adjusted in January) - and hopefully he can start repaying some of the lost years with a few Cup and European goals!

The continuing problem of Robson de Souza

2010-08-06T11:35:00.006+01:00

Robinho's loan spell with his beloved Santos has now come to an end and unless either he or the club can find anything more suited to him, he will now face the task of performing under the terms of his contract for Manchester City.

Under ordinary circumstances, I would be against keeping a player at a club against his will - afterall, a player with no desire for the shirt is usually a hindrance on the pitch. However, the City management will be wary of Robinho setting a precedent for 'superstar' players at City - and at the moment, Robinho represents the ugly side of player power.

I am a huge fan of him on the football field and I will never tire of his flair and ability - and a Robinho at full tilt is right up there with the world's most exciting footballers. However, a fan will always baulk at a player who doesn't seem to show the same commitment to the club as they do. Of course, a player with the same commitment is rare, but a couple of examples in particular tarnish all the magic Robinho has performed at Eastlands.

The first instance, and the moment that some people began to turn against him, was the abject performance he gave at Fratton Park, fresh off a scintillating, energetic display for Brazil against Italy at the Emirates. It was the juxtaposition of these entirely different displays that made people question just how much Robinho wanted to be on the South coast of England that day.

Secondly, and perhaps the most irksome, was the Santos management's surprise at the condition they received Robinho - unfit, overweight, and in need of some basic fitness training before he was ready to start in their regional championships. This from a player who was in the midst of a season in allegedly one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world.

You would expect a little more professionalism from someone who is being paid astronomical amounts of money to do his job.

Robinho has vowed to respect his City contract if we want to retain him:

"I have to talk to Manchester City about what will happen with me in the future. I have a contract with them and that has to be respected. My heart is with Santos, but if Manchester City don't want me to stay here, I have to respect that."

I really would love him to return the player we had during his first months here, but he really has to respect the contract in all its meanings - not just taking the money in, but working hard to get into shape and get into the team. Yet, as much as I would like it to happen, I would be very surprised to see it so. It is strange to think that a player who was one of Brazil's stand-out players in the World Cup this summer will most likely be completely ineffective for City, but this is what it has come to.

Unlike some people, I don't take huge offence to his constant pandering to Santos. All the comments about how much he loves Santos are a little reminiscent of his 'I want to stay here for ten years' interview he did for Football Focus just before he left for his homeland. They are probably more firmly based in truth but, as a return may not happen, he loses nothing setting up this amicable farewell to them.

The coming weeks then determine if his performances at the World Cup have convinced any suitors - I heard a satisfying rumour of Dynamo Kiev - or whether he will be 'forced' under duress of something near £160,000 per week to train at City until he agitates for another holiday on the beaches of Brazil...

'Money won't win the title - City aren't even stronger this time'

2010-08-03T09:58:00.010+01:00

Salomon Kalou has joined a number of Premier League 'heroes' who have dismissed City's assault on the upper reaches of the competition this season. Whilst he is undoubtedly right that 'money doesn't guarantee anything', it does show a little wilful amnesia about the very recent history of his own club.

Kalou says, "Just because you bring in 10 new players every year doesn't mean you are going to finish top of the table.

"City did the same thing last season and finished fifth and I am not sure if they'll be any stronger this time."

Which represents the misconception at the heart of all these criticisms this summer. Of course the transfer window isn't over, and I expect maybe one or two additions before the end of August, but at the moment City have signed four players. It is true that this has been a very quiet transfer window for the other Premier League clubs so far but, over past summer transfer windows, to sign four players would hardly raise any eyebrows.

Obviously the sums involved are what sparks a certain controversy, but this is not what keeps being levelled at City. Continuity and stability are the watchwords here. Didi Hamann was probably the most vocal in this respect - saying that constant chopping and changing always lands a club back at square one. I agree that the level of changes made last season meant that it would take some time for the required degree of understanding to bed in - a relationship that continues to grow throughout the seasons (hence the importance of stability) - but at this stage, despite being linked to what must be near a thousand players, the four players we have brought in should not affect the balance of the squad too much.

For one thing, the full-backs will be coming into positions that were unsettled last season - with Zabaleta and Micah sharing one side, and Bridge regularly absent on the other - so whilst an understanding will have to develop quickly, they are not starting too far behind the current incumbents.

I know more signings are to come, and sales will undoubtedly follow them, but at the moment the core of last season's side is still intact - so the stability is there. This alone should make us stronger than last season. The signings we have made have been considered, fulfill something that was lacking last season, and are a genuine step up in quality on what is already there. So, all things considered, despite Kalou's doubts, we are certainly better equipped going into this season. Whether this translates itself into success on the pitch is something we will only begin to find out in a couple of weeks time!

One thing that can be taken from all these players discussing City's title prospects is that it is at least a question that needs posing. With all the best will in the world, I haven't heard Fabio Aurelio denounce Blackpool's title chances. Further proof, if we need any, that City are being taken seriously by the clubs at the top.

The 25 player rule and what it means for City

2010-07-27T12:01:00.014+01:00

As has been subject to high focus in the past few days, the Premier League's new squad of 25 rule has brought extra transfer stories out of the woodwork.

The rules state that each club has to register 25 players by the end of the August transfer window, eight of whom qualify as 'home-grown' - that is, trained for three seasons prior to their twenty-first birthday at any club registered by the Football Association or the Welsh Football Association.

On top of this a club can supplement their squad with any number of players under the age of twenty one. At City, this category includes Weiss, Boyata, Cunningham, Nimely and Ibrahim of players who have made first-team debuts. So they do not have to be registered for the new campaign.

25 players allows for three goalkeepers, two players in each position and two 'spares'. Using the 4-2-3-1 formation, this could be the squad we go forward with, stars will be placed next to those who qualify as home grown:

GK: Hart*, Given*, Taylor*

RB: Richards*, Boateng

CB: Kolo Toure, Kompany

CB: Lescott*, Onuoha*

LB: Kolarov, Bridge*

CDM: Yaya Toure, De Jong

CDM: Barry*, Vieira

RAM: A. Johnson*, SWP*

CAM: Tevez, Ireland*

LAM: Silva, Bellamy*

CF: Adebayor, Santa Cruz

Plus: Zabaleta, M. Johnson*

This would give us thirteen players in the home-grown category and some scope for extra additions. So some newspapers' assertions that we will have to sell something near fourteen players to comply with this rule are some way off the mark.

The only possible transfers may arise from the extra competition they may bring, which was always going to be the case.

With our reserves of young players, the Premier League's ruling should not have that great an affect on the team. With possibly two more arrivals to come - a regularly absent Michael Johnson could be sent on loan to regain fitness and then there is only one position that will have to be succeeded - RSC perhaps? If one of the two arrivals is Mario Balotelli, then he will not impact the 25 as he is under 21 and therefore free to play.

Stories of a neccessary mass exodus are someway off the mark.

Kolarov signs; Macclesfield fits need for domestic friendly

2010-07-25T12:07:00.003+01:00

Another deal that has been labouring to a conclusion was confirmed yesterday in the form of Aleksandar Kolarov. The Serbian plugs probably our only remaining weak(ish) position, although most of the reports and comments that we hear about him are about his attacking prowess rather than his defensive solidity. The BBC, in both their recent stories on the matter, have described him as the Serbian Roberto Carlos and a cursory look around Youtube shows he is hardly scared of having a go from range. But then, for all the quality needed in defensive positions, it is not what makes Youtube compilations.

I have only seen him on a couple of occasions for Lazio and I also only remember his attacking abilities, but this is no bad thing. One of the only criticisms of City's style last season was that it was fairly one-dimensional. We had most of our success from counter attacks - the flair and skill of Robinho and Ireland that helped us in the previous campaign was either uncommited and loaned or suffering a crisis - so, to have a successful attacking option from full-back would add an extra dimension to our game. Jerome Boateng also delivered some excellent crosses from right-back in the third place play-off for Germany. As Brazil played in the World Cup, with two holding midfielders, we can afford to let the full-backs bomb forward in support of the attack.

On a different subject, I went to the Moss Rose yesterday to try and capture some of the domestic pre-season atmosphere. It is fantastic that the first-team are on tour playing against some of the world's most famous teams, but it does leave little for the fans who cannot make the trip across the Atlantic. I love pre-season friendlies. The anticipation; the chance to recommence with what matters in football; the trips to the roots of the game; watching squad players, new players, and forgotten players (Jo almost looked worth every penny against Sporting Lisbon!); standing on terraces again... I think it is a neccessary romantic prelude to the start of the serious stuff. So, whilst I have booked my Valencia ticket, the absence of a Barnsley, Doncaster or Halifax on the schedule, to me, was a little disappointing!

So the trip to Macclesfield to watch what was variously called a Manchester City XI, City under-21s, City Elite squad, ticked a few boxes. Perilously expensive food, near decapitation from the Macclesfield players's kick-in, and a 2-1 defeat. Macclesfield played some nice stuff, but their physical advantage was the difference with two set piece goals - whilst nice touches and movement typified City's play. For me, not a regular watcher of the youngsters, Abu, Razak, Elabdellaoui and Benali stood out - with Elabdellaoui scoring a superb solo goal.

So whatever heights, or otherwise, City hit before May is out, this season will have started for me at Moss Rose, just as last season's rollercoaster began at Barnsley!

Milner and O'Neill cut ties; Press pounce on Dunne

2010-07-23T14:11:00.004+01:00

Back in April, when the rumours about James Milner started getting serious, it was suggested that the two key factors in a possible move to CoMS would be City getting Champions' League football and Martin O'Neill leaving Villa Park. A few months along the line, and with neither of the factors fulfilled, these suppositions have proved irrelevant.

As we have already discovered, we all got too carried away in the drive for Champions' League football last season - at the very least, people were disappointed we wouldn't be able to attract players who would improve the squad. Besides the money, I feel the 'project' is still very attractive to players - and the whispers about City challenging right at the top of the league this season don't seem to be restricted to only the most hysterical City fans - so there is no reason why the "Young" (24) Player of the Year of the last campaign won't be able to see beyond the lack of Champions' League football. To quote Mancini from my seasoncard that arrived this morning, "There is a place in history waiting for every one of us," and young players must be attracted to building this future.

There are also reports today of Milner's anger at Martin O'Neill's comments. Thus breaking down their own special relationship that was said to be an important factor in Milner's thinking. O'Neill has encouraged a conclusion to a sale, which would give him enough time to re-strengthen Villa for the new season, and it is thought that Milner will not join his teammates on Monday morning for the beginning of his pre-season training.

The only remaining sticking point then is the price. According to reports City are willing to offer no more than £24m - some £6m short of Villa's valuation. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as O'Neill has history of keeping hold of players if teams do not respect their valuation - Gareth Barry was kept at Villa after Liverpool didn't stir up the right deal the summer before his City move. I think £30m would be far too much, given that the excess would fund one of our competitors - and City have already intimated that we will not be held to ransom just because of the funds at our disposal.

Just like when we played Villa at the end of the season, the press have looked to sensationalise Richard Dunne's comments about the affair. Following on from the early May headlines of 'It's City's to lose' or 'The Pressure is on them', we get 'Dunne tells Milner not to sign for City.' Which, of course, is far from what he said. I imagine it is no doubt tempting to cast Dunne in the bitter victim role, but since he has left City, he has said nothing that I feel is unmerited.

"James will know that because he's joining a big club, a club that wants to win the league, that he'll be part of a squad.

"At Aston Villa he will play every week and at Manchester City he may not, but it's an opportunity he probably thinks to go and win the league."

These were his quotes as reported on SkySports earlier. Hardly unfair or biased comments, and it introduces the great debate at the moment, which is: where will anyone play?! A Villa supporting friend of mine is adamant Milner should be played in the middle but, the way we play, the Yaya/Barry/deJong/Vieira role is too deep for him and the Tevez role is not for budging (in my opinion). Therefore he will compete for the right sided slot with Johnson and possibly Mario Balotelli. There is certainly room for him, but Dunne is right to suggest the position may not always be his, and I feel this could be the case for a lot of our top players this coming season - de Jong for example. With all the games and with the aspirations that we have, it is important to have this strength in depth, but it will need good management to prevent some losing faith - Nedum and Ireland could be last season's casualties, for example.

According to Capello, Milner is the future of English football and, if he does sign, City could possess both of England's international wingers for the next World Cup (should England qualify of course!), and it is important to have a core of English players. The only concern is whether they will both get enough game time.

Mario Balotelli and the new Manchester City - Corriere dello Sport

2010-07-20T10:09:00.003+01:00

I have been fortunate enough to have been on holiday in Italy for the past week or so and, whilst that means this blog has suffered, it no longer means I am out of contact with what City are up to.

In not too distant times a lot of the European press would refer to our near neighbours (I am not talking about Stockport) as 'Manchester', so to find pages upon pages of coverage talking about us on first name terms, 'City', is yet another indicator of how the status of the club is changing across the world. To use Friday as an example, both the Corriere dello Sport and the Gazzetta dello Sport led with City on the front page and double page coverage on the inside pages. Obviously the subject matter had a part to play here.

Mario Balotelli is a phenomenon in Italy, for reasons both good and bad. Tipped by many on his break-through to be the great future star of Italian football, a turbulent relationship with Mourinho and subsequently the Inter fans (not improved by his wearing of an AC Milan shirt on television, his boyhood club) has ended in the previously inconceivable situation where Inter would be willing to listen to offers for him. Massimo Moratti was quoted in La Repubblica as saying 'I don't like it, but I will think about it.'

In the Corriere's poll, 51% answered 'no' to 'is it right that Balotelli has been put on the market?' About as even as it gets. The argument is one of talent versus attitude. He is only twenty next month and the potential, if not current ability, is greatly impressive, but he will have to be well managed not to self-destruct. As the lady who sold the paper said: 'his attitude is bad on and off the pitch, it will be good for him to leave Italy' and reunite with Mancini (who she adores!). This is the hope, and I believe there is definitely something in it: that a loved Balotelli and a happy Balotelli could well become one of the stars of the European game - and under his 'father figure', Mancini, the talent could be nurtured into just that.

Saturday's paper was so convinced of this deal happening that it ran with 'Balotelli to play against Inter on 31st July', in allusion to our upcoming friendly with his current club. According to their reports only the particulars of the deal need to be agreed, and on their speculation this could yet take some time: €25m? €30m? €34m? a fee plus Micah Richards? a deal with Robinho? an agreement to leave Maicon alone? an agreement to let them purchase Dzeko as a replacement? I think it is fair to say that there is still a good deal of speculation to be had before a deal is, or isn't, done. They had Monday as the day that a decisive offer would be laid down, so we shall have to wait and see whether that was the case or not.

They also report the Kolarov deal, as has been widely reported here as well, as done - although the Lazio manager said he has gone, the Lazio president is apparently holding out for another million.

Included in Friday's double page focus on Balotelli and Manchester City was a possible starting eleven graphic for 'Il nuovo Manchester City':

Hart

Boateng, Luiz, K. Toure, Kolarov

Y. Toure, Barry

Balotelli, Tevez, Silva

Dzeko

A quite formidable line-up. With Mancini, Lombardo, Salsano, Carminati and Battara on the coaching staff, it is perhaps not that great a surprise we are getting the same treatment as an Italian club in their papers, especially considering the Balotelli interest, but it does prove that the waves we are making in the Premier League are hitting other shores.

Transfer rumour round-up: Balotelli, Dzeko, Bellamy

2010-07-10T10:29:00.004+01:00

After some pretty impressive midfield reinforcements, the press have turned their attention to City's striking options - with Roberto Mancini only too happy to answer the questions of the Italian journalists of Il Giornale.

Both Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko have been linked to City with various intensities over the last couple of months and it does not come as a surprise that our interest in them has been confirmed. Mancini's comment last month about Krasic and Dzeko when he said 'we are interested in one of them', was almost certainly Dzeko - and at the beginning of June, The Daily Mail believed a deal was almost done before and after Dzeko's minimum fee release clause expired. So Mancini's comment that "certainly Dzeko is more than just an interest," at least shows that City retain a sustained interest in the Bosnian striker, despite Wolfsburg slapping an off-putting £50m price tag on him.

Balotelli has managed to shake off his agent for a moment or two to tell the press that he 'admires' his 'friend' Mancini, before reaffirming that his agent makes his decisions. As I have written when we were first linked with him, Balotelli certainly seems a troubled character at Inter, so a reunion with his 'father figure' in the game, who gave him his Serie A debut at seventeen, may well be a solution that could suit both the player and City. If we can get a content Balotelli, then we would be getting one of the brightest young talents in European football and, at nineteen, he will still feel he has a lot to prove to the world. Mancini's comments that "if Inter decide to sell, we will be there," are almost inviting contact with Massimo Moratti.

On top of these two, Torres, Ibrahimovic and even Didier Drogba have all been mentioned in the last few days but, as has been suggested earlier in the summer, this could represent a list of possible targets and City can afford to be quite fluid in who they go for. Although, one thing it does point towards is that we shouldn't expect Crocky to be our second choice centre-forward next season.

Alongside Santa Cruz, another widely tipped casualty of the reinforcements would be Craig Bellamy. Despite comments from Craig saying that he wouldn't move to another Premier League club, many of the papers are suggesting he is close to a £6m move to Tottenham - completing a deal we were accused to have bullied them out of when he moved to City. Bellamy's role on the wide-left has come into direct competition with David Silva in the last couple of weeks and this may have led him to reappraise his situation. Bellamy has always said he is chasing his final shot at glory - with worries that his knees won't carry him through - and this new doubt about whether his is a key role in the team may have left him wondering if any glory would truly be his. Although, as he has previously knocked Robinho out of the team, you never know...

Yaya Toure signs; Video: More than a defensive midfielder

2010-07-02T12:18:00.002+01:00

The highly anticipated signing of Yaya Toure is now complete and it signals another huge step forward. Recent rumours had suggested Guardiola was keen to retain him but City have now been able to confirm a transfer that has been on the cards for a few weeks now.

Yaya Toure could be an integral part of our 'midfield overhaul' - a tough tackling, ball playing, box-to-box midfielder seen by many as the true heir to the young Patrick Vieira. For vast parts of last season our play seemed to stagnate in the centre of the field, Yaya will be able to turn defence into attack in a way that we don't have at the moment.

Reading comments from Barcelona fans over the past month, they are aggrieved that Yaya had too few opportunities and felt that the club's desire to field a strong contingent of Spanish players was the only reason Busquets was regularly preferred to him.

The signing is not only another huge statement by the club, but it addresses one of our problem areas - we have some great players in the defensive midfield position but not much variety. Coming soon after the Silva signing, the strength of City's first eleven on paper rivals most teams now and the excitement for the new season continues to grow.

Brother of the club captain Kolo, Yaya will be hoping his brother will retain his place in the centre of defence - and perhaps they can offer a strong understanding playing infront of one another.

On top of his pass for Drogba's goal against Brazil and his well taken goal against North Korea in this summer's World Cup, here are two examples of the rounded game he offers:

David Silva signs for City - Midfield overhaul kicks-off in style

2010-06-30T12:16:00.005+01:00

Today City have announced the signing of David Silva from Valencia in a move that addresses our need for the kind of player who can unlock the most stubborn of Premier League defences.

The nature of the transfer rumour mill has kept me sceptical about the closeness of this deal - especially with the whispers that Chelsea were set to enter the race - so I am delighted (as is Silva!) now that the deal is complete.

I wrote at the weekend how this signing would basically eliminate all the fears about what damage failing to qualify for the Champions' League would do to our ability to attract the players capable of taking the club forward. Roberto Mancini intimated the same today:

"In signing David, we are showing the world that we are bringing the best players here and that we hope to compete to win the Premier League. When players see what is happening at City and the ambition they are attracted to what we are building and want to be a part of it."

Largely through Hughes' sacking and how the media perceived it, everybody became fixated on the Champions' League at City and this clouded the fact that obvious progress was being made at the club. City are a team on the up and players are noticing it. The rumours that Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso encouraged Silva to make the move are just one example of this.

The idea of 'writing history' with a club, as Mancini suggested Robinho could do when he arrived, has its appeals, and Silva is of an age where he will be entering the peak of his career during the years City hope to be enjoying the heights of new success.

"They are a club with a great future with fantastic players. I want to be an important player in City's history," Silva said today.

Looking ahead to 14th August, we already have a huge improvement on the team that faced Tottenham in the final game at Eastlands last season. One of our main problems in that game was a lack of creativity from midfield - we had no answers to Tottenham's towering defensive display. The signing of Silva gives us that cutting edge and his arrival should mean we won't be as reliant on the counter attack next season. The thought of him attacking upfront alongside Tevez, Johnson, Adebayor, etc, is likely to frighten most defences in the league.

Maybe he could dislodge the faltering Torres for Spain and we can see some more of him in the coming weeks. If not, he is just another reason I cannot wait for the new season!

David Silva edges closer; Yaya out of the tournament; Boateng plays at left-back; SWP's wage demands

2010-06-26T10:13:00.007+01:00

Round-up

In the last few days, many of the Spanish papers have been reporting that David Silva is close to agreeing a move to City. Whilst constant rumour mongering has left me almost numb to each new name that pops up - Silva, especially as it is built on truth, is one that is genuinely exciting.

One of the main worries about City not qualifying for the Champions' League was that we would not be able to acquire the type of player that would be able to take us forward again. The confirmed bids we have been involved in - Silva, Yaya Toure and James Milner - seem to quash these fears. Champions' League may still be a sticking point in the deals but the belief of City's growing stature in the game is strong enough still to be attractive to some of the world's most highly-rated players.

If City manage to sign him, at 24, Silva would be a player coming into the peak of his career whilst under contract at City.

Another City target, Yaya Toure, scored in Ivory Coast's win over North Korea yesterday. The goal itself is an example of how much more than just a defensive midfielder Yaya is and with Ivory Coast now out of the World Cup, City's negotiations should now be free to continue.

Jerome Boateng made his first World Cup appearance against Ghana on Wednesday at left-back - replacing a Badstuber who was completely over-run by another alleged City target, Milos Krasic, against Serbia. The MEN decided to report on his weaknesses in this position, but I was quite impressed with him: tall, quick, comfortable on the ball - he looks suited to the Premiership. Only a calf injury prevented him from continuing his display in that match.

Whilst I do not want to see him employed at left-back permanently for City, the left-back slot is a problem for us and, if he can fill in, his versatility may be another impressive feature to his game.

Reports are resurfacing today about Shaun Wright-Phillip's wage demands - allegedly £100,000 per week. With the rumoured influx of players in his position, this could either be a test to the board about how much they value him (and therefore a gauge of whether he has a future at City or not) or it is just a ludicrous amount for someone who will probably be demoted to the role of bit-part player next season. With the volume of matches next campaign, every squad player will play his part, but I can't imagine that is what SWP moved back to City for. On the flip side of this, I can't think of any club that would match his alleged wage demands.

World Cup Scouting: Ozil, Kolarov, Lahm, Salcido, Belhadj, Higuain, Sanchez, Robinho

2010-06-19T14:26:00.006+01:00

At the end of the season I suggested three key positions City need to target to build a stronger squad for next season. For me it is important to address the lack of creativity coming from central midfield, to at least provide cover for the injury prone Bridge at left back, and to offer Adebayor better competiton upfront than the perennially absent Roque Santa Cruz.

A lot of the world's best players have been in action over the past week and it will be interesting to see if any of them could fill these 'problem' positions at City.

By far and away the outstanding player of the first round of matches, Mesut Ozil encapsulates why City wanted to conclude their transfer dealings before the World Cup. At the heart of Germany's demolition of an Austrailia side who admittedly only look a pale shadow of the team who were controversially knocked out by the eventual champions four years ago, Ozil's quick and clever passing from the centre of midfield would help fill the void left by Ireland's change of form. Already a rumoured target, Ozil's list of convinced suitors will have grown following his stage-stealing performance against Austrailia.

The left-back solution is more problematic. The fantasy solution would be Ozil's teammate Philipp Lahm - one of the world's best right-backs but almost equally as comfortable on the left (where he would have played for Germany had City-new-boy Jerome Boateng been preferred to Badstuber). He would obviously usurp Bridge but other candidates aren't so forthcoming.

Left back seems to a problem position for a lot of nations at the World Cup: Michel Bastos (primarily a left-winger), Criscito (used as a left-midfielder at Genoa), Heinze (solid, but used as a centre-back for Marseilles), Capedevila (probably Spain's weakest position) - the list goes on. Two of the best at the competition, Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra (although not on his World Cup showings!) would be unlikely acquisitions. So, an eventual purchase may have to be as competition to Bridge at the very least. Some names have impressed so far - PSV's Salcido has looked both solid and adventurous for Mexico, Kolarov had a much improved game against Germany, and Belhadj (linked with Barcelona and Lazio in the recent past) is an available player with Premier League experience. Kolarov is perhaps the only player with the potential to take Bridge's place, but the other two would at least offer reliable cover.

What with the outcry about the Jabulani and the stifling presence of defensive tactics, goals and strikers have suffered. Gonzalo Higuain, a man repeatedly linked with City, notched up a hat-trick after a below par performance against Nigeria, but his show of quality may turn out to be a case of what-might-have-been after circumstances appear to have changed at his club since Mourinho's arrival.

Another young striker to impress, and another amongst the many names from Italy to have been linked to us, is Udinese's Alexis Sanchez. Man of the match in Chile's display of flair against Honduras, Sanchez's mix of trickery and directness may overcome his small physical stature to suit the Premier League.

Although, in the game featuring my favourite striker so far (the crying North Korean Jong Tae-Se - almost definitely not a target for City), a certain Robinho seemed to show the necessary hard work suited to the Premiership...

Of course, one game doesn't make a great player and buys based on the World Cup alone should be approached with extreme caution - but few names are surprises to coaches anymore and you would imagine City will only really be watching with interest to see how existing targets perform.

In other transfer news, whether it is true or not, it is nice to hear that Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso have encouraged David Silva to join the 'growing force' of Manchester City. Further evidence of City's growing stature within the game.

Late-week round-up: Vieira, Henshall, Milner, Toure, Tshabalala, Barry, Bianchi

2010-06-12T12:03:00.005+01:00

In what promised to be a busy end to the week - with City apparently feverishly trying to conclude business before the World Cup whisked its targets away - there was only really a steady stream of activity.

Firstly, Vieira put an end to MLS speculation by commiting to the blue shirt for the next campaign. The hope is, that after a summer to recover his fitness, he will have completely rejuvenated legs and be the player capable of bossing the midfield. When playing the 4-2-3-1 formation, that has been much used by Mancini, it needs the two deep-lying midfielders to move the ball on to the attacking quartet quickly and that is something that only Vieira can really offer at the moment. However, with rumours of Yaya Toure's arrival, Vieira's could be even more of a bit-part role next season. Although, with the sheer amount of games next season - it seems all bodies are welcome.

Vieira will also be a valuable asset around the training ground, with players such as Abdisalam Ibrahim vocal in their admiration for his help.

The first fruits of our partnership with Swindon Town come in the form of Alex Henshall - a 16 year-old left-sided midfielder thought to be one the best English players in his age group. This follows the stated ambition to concentrate a good deal of our scouting forces on youth talent - whilst Henshall is English, you would think our academy will soon resemble the multi-national academies of Arsenal and Chelsea. Although I hope the signing of Henshall points towards an aim to develop a good mix of local and international talent.

Two deals that were reported in the Daily Mail to be near completion were those of James Milner in a £28m deal and Yaya Toure for something around the same mark. This signals the beginnings of what is thought to be a midfield overhaul, as Mancini wants to create a better link between defence and attack. Both would fit that bill handsomely.

In Premiership news, an early contender for World Cup impulse buy is Tshabalala after he crowned an iconic day for African football with a scorching end to a flowing move. Transfers are made on these tournaments, but City probably aren't in the position to take these gambles anymore.

If you are yearning for more domestic football, then the crazy world of Italian football is still offering up drama. It is the second leg of the Serie B play-off final tomorrow, but one man who won't be taking part is former City player Rolando Bianchi. The man described in the build-up to the game by his manager as the King of this season, Bianchi was caught on camera mouthing a blaspehmous swear word - which, to the delight of keen Brescia eyes, is a banning offence in Italy. After a goal-less home leg, Torino and their star player may be facing another season in Serie B.

Gareth Barry continues his speedy recovery with a likely bench spot for tonight's game against the US. Thought integral to the dynamics of England, he may well see some game time if things aren't going to plan.

"They don't appear to be a rich club but rather a bankrupt one"

2010-06-08T18:08:00.006+01:00

These were the words of Yaya Toure's agent as he continues to drum up interest in his client - the more "interested" parties for him the better, obviously. But besides the profiteering and the implied slide City have taken in the race to sign Yaya, I actually found these comments quite refreshing.

I think Yaya Toure would be a fantastic addition to the squad - his sheer athleticism would give us the type of box-to-box midfielder we need - but it shows a change of the times that we no longer need to be held to ransom in these deals. The same allegedly goes for the Milner and Torres 'deals', although the fees quoted there make a slight mockery of Dimitri Seluk's assertion.

Whereas last summer you sensed a growing sense of desperation to get deals done - symbolised by the Lescott saga especially, this summer we won't need to. Obviously the change is in circumstance. Thanks to the over-spending last season we now have a squad that doesn't desperately need heady additions. Why spend over the odds on a player, if we already have De Jong in his position? Yes, reinforcements are needed, but not desperately so.

Then there was our league finish. Last season, Carlos Tevez was joining a team who had finished tenth in the Premier League and, although some people are disappointed with fifth, it still places the club in higher esteem - and is tangible proof that City really are on the move up the table. This may not affect the transfer fee as much, but it should mean money isn't the only thing that matters now.

If Mancini, Marwood, Cook etc, are hoping to drive bargains this summer it could well go a tiny way to restoring our image in the game. A lot of my friends who support other clubs were happy with City's bid to break up the 'big-four' until the Lescott saga - where they felt City's behaviour was brash and unnecessary. The slight inflations are always expected on other players but in this case it seemed it was pushed too far. It was perhaps the only case when we really abused the money. It is true that you make enemies on the way to the top, but there is no need to make them unnecessarily.

City can pick and choose a little this summer, so if the money-hungry agents see City are genuinely happy to walk away from a deal, the price may just turn out to be right afterall.

(Although I have a funny feeling this article may be rendered ridiculous over the summer... At least the media would have it so - £70m for Torres anyone?)

You can read the full quote on SkySports.

Jerome Boateng signs; Building for prolonged success - Transfer policy

2010-06-06T12:30:00.008+01:00

Yesterday saw the confirmation of the signing of Jerome Boateng on a five-year contract. The twenty-one year-old now leaves for the World Cup with even keener City eyes trained on him. This deal has been said to have been sorted for months now and we were only really waiting for the confirmation after reports of leaving parties and talks with Mancini have teased us along.

He is thought to be in line to challenge for the right-back slot before trying to claim his preferred central role - although, if we are to see him play for Germany this summer it is likely to be in the role played by Zabaleta, Micah and Nedum here at City.

A twenty-one year-old, this deal shows further intent to build a side for the future. Hughes was tasked with building a side immediately capable of challenging at the top and he succeeded in acquiring the necessary Premier League experience for such a challenge. Apart from signing Vieira as an experienced body in midfield when de Jong and Barry's legs were tiring, Mancini now has the luxury of building for the future. People will argue that Johnson was an existing target when Mancini arrived, but Mancini was impressed enough with the run-around he was giving City in the FA Cup tie to sanction the transfer.

People weren't expecting Johnson to go straight into the side, but it is the level of hunger and ambition of these younger players that City would be wise to tap in to. You don't get players who have the winning experience, but you don't get complacency either.

The only real comparison to our current state are the Chelsea of Abramovich's 2003 takeover. Their approach did appear fairly scattergun - and they made amazing losses on players (Del Horno, Duff, SWP, Shevchenko) that I am sure we are destined to see (Jo, Robinho, Santa Cruz) - but a number of players from their first couple of transfer windows have helped build a stable team - Cech, Drogba, Joe Cole, Carvalho, Essien - this added to players who have lasted the takeover, most notably Lampard and Terry.

This stability for me is key. We want to be signing players who will be together 'writing the history of City' for the next ten years - growing with the club and through the experiences of the club - so that their first trophies are City's first trophies. The attachment to the shirt will be greater for these players and we should have a greater loyalty and desire from them. This is the ideal anyway and, if our current Hamburg recruits are anything to go by, Boateng could fit the mould perfectly.

Given vs Hart - the battle for the no.1 shirt

2010-06-04T18:07:00.007+01:00

After quite an astounding poll on MEN in recent weeks, 73% of City fans are thought to prefer Joe Hart as number one next season to Shay Given - a surprisingly high percentage. Whether this is how the management see it is another question but, should Joe not be tempted by an offer from Arsenal etc., there should be a healthy battle for the goalkeeping spot next season.

As one of England's international goalkeepers this summer, Hart will be hoping not to concede ground by starting on the bench for his club (although this hasn't denied Heskey a World Cup spot!). After being voted PFA Goalkeeper of the Year, Hart will surely have offers on the table should he feel he won't get first-team football this coming season and Mancini will have the task of keeping both him and Given happy.

City have stated they want both keepers at the club but, as Joe has the potential to be a very good keeper, if he agitates for first-team football, another loan move would be preferable to a sale. Although this is all on the premise that Shay retains his number one shirt, which you would think he will. With the increase in games brought about by the Europa League, there is the idea that Joe may be reserved as a Cup keeper, with Shay playing in the league. Whilst it is important for keepers to develop a relationship with the defenders infront of them, this would allow Hart to maintain some pressure on the number one shirt - and have the chance to prove it should be his.

There has been a strangely subdued acceptance of Shay Given since his arrival from Newcastle. After initial acclaim for his eye-catching saves, doubts have begun to set in. Namely about his ability to command an area. Shay is small for a goalkeeper and it is true that we have looked our most vulnerable to aerial balls - especially deep crosses. His distribution does also leave something to be desired sometimes. But he is still a top quality goalkeeper. Not perfect, but top quality nonetheless. Perhaps all the gushing praise that came his way - from Hughes through to Trappatoni ("second best to Buffon") - raised the bar in our expectations.

For those who want to search for an answer to Given's perceived weaknesses, these faults are readily answered by Hart - a keeper all too happy to come off his line and claim the ball. Perhaps this is why the percentage favouring Hart is so high. This along with his impressive, and busy, season at Birmingham (although, he hasn't had the same intense level of scrutiny that has become the norm at CoMS), has pushed him close enough to the man who ended his first-team spell under Hughes.

All this speculation could be made obsolete by Shay's fitness. He believes he will be fully fit for the start of the season, but if he is not and Hart deputises for the first few weeks, maybe it will be Given's to win back. Such competition can only be good for City though - and this sort of depth in quality is what is expected at the level we are wanting to go.

I would be very surprised if Given doesn't start the season as first choice, but as Hart will probably benefit from Shay's experience on the training ground, it wouldn't be inconceivable for it to change hands during the campaign.

Transfer circus: Dzeko, Ibra, Maicon, Milner

2010-06-02T12:22:00.007+01:00

Transfer Round-up

In a delightful paradox, straight after Mancini had claimed he is irritated with the constant deluge of players who are linked with us, the dominant team on the rumour mill is City. Whether this is the media's revenge for Mancini trying to dampen their main source of intrigue outside the World Cup - "who are City going for now?" - or a return to more established sources as City up their campaign to settle transfers before the World Cup is impossible to know.

Even the papers are confused about Edin Dzeko. Despite many of them reporting that City were going to wait until the minimum fee release clause had expired in order to strike a deal, when that deadline passed on Monday, they were prompted to call an end to the deal after Wolfsburg's general manager said:

"The deadline within which a transfer of Edin Dzeko would have been possible this year has now elapsed. We are very happy that this period of uncertainty is over. He is a player of exceptional quality, who wouldn't have been easy for us to replace. We have now some planning security for the coming campaign and we can work solidly on the rest of the squad details for the new season."

But then reports in this morning's Daily Mail suggested City had secured a shock £36m deal for the Bosnian striker. If this is true, then the main shock there is that City have waited to avoid the minimum fee release clause, £34m, only to pay two million more.

According to Barcelona-based newspaper Sport, Ibrahimovic could be joining him after City tested the waters with a €35m bid - although Barca would want to see more of a return on the whopping €66m deal they struck with Inter last summer. I have blogged on the likelihood, or otherwise, of this move before.

Then there is Maicon - the man Mancini brought to Inter from Monaco and widely considered one of the best right-backs in the world. Allegedly Mancini's top summer target, according to today's rumours - City would have some way to go to compete with the lure of Mourinho and Real Madrid. City do lack an attacking option from full-back and Maicon would certainly fulfil that role, but if such a move were possible then it would surely spell the end of Micah Richards' time at the club.

Apart from Jerome Boateng, the only genuinely confirmed bid of the summer has been for James Milner, and early signs suggest he would be open to a move - which surprises me somewhat. The early speculation was that he would be sticking with O'Neill if he were to stay at Villa and a deal would not be done if City did not make Champions League. Yet talks with O'Neill and the owner have failed to convince Milner to confirm his intentions and reports suggest Villa would sell if their £30m valuation is met. This suggests City's 'project' ethos is still attractive to players, despite the lack of Champions League, and Milner would see a brighter future for City than for Villa. Speaking on Radio Five Live last night, Pat Nevin described Milner as the equal of Lampard and Gerrard, and being six years their junior, City could be tempted to meet Villa's valuation - especially if wantaway players, such as Nedum, could be thrown into the deal.

Roberto Mancini is right though by saying the following:

"I keep reading that I am going to sign lots of players in the summer and am also going to sell lots of players. This is not true, and I am surprised because people know that I already have a very strong squad at Manchester City."

City were close to achieving fourth last season with a completely new group of players, in a squad that suffered the disruption of a change of management mid-season. The stability of having a pre-season alone should be enough to make us stronger for next season's campaign. The squad does need a bit of maintenance, but there is no longer need for a complete overhaul. With a few tweaks to creative areas in particular, we should be ready for a stronger assault on the top four.

Three City players to wear the three lions

2010-06-01T18:01:00.004+01:00

Joe Hart, Gareth Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips are all to represent City at the World Cup after the England squad was announced earlier today, with Adam Johnson missing out. Four years ago the only representative was a departing David James.

Shaun Wright-Phillips will be considered the surprise inclusion to Theo Walcott's surprise exclusion but, even without my City head on, I think this is the right decision. Walcott has pace to frighten defenders but his appearances for over a year now have been way below par and with Lennon in the squad there is no need for him. Lennon is a similar type of player to Walcott in relation to his pace but, as more of a finished article, if Lennon can be used for the pace factor then Walcott's place is redundant. It was a big call from Capello as Walcott's performance against Croatia capped what was arguably Fabio's best night in charge, but the feeling is that Walcott has been riding that favourite tag for too long.

To a lesser extent than Walcott, SWP has also struggled for form but, crucially, his form for Capello has been good. The comparison was there for all to see against Japan, where Shaun was left with little to beat after a woeful first half from Walcott. If Lennon can replace Walcott in the starting eleven, Shaun has produced a scattering of performances to suggest he can perform the impact sub role (vs Egypt; vs Villa; vs Japan). I am delighted for Shaun. This was his last chance - and with almost all the Sunday papers writing him off completely (The Sunday Times were left speculating the final four to go after ruling out Warnock [in], Wright-Phillips [in], and Dawson [out]), this is a real achievement for him - made all the more sweet knowing his near miss in 2006.

The flip side to the wingers Fabio Capello has included is that Adam Johnson misses out. Although I didn't think he had done too badly against Mexico, Capello was thought to be less than impressed - so despite excelling in training, his tilt at the squad was just a little too late. But at twenty-two (and this applies to Walcott as well), the best is yet to come for Johnson, and if he continues to impress at City, he can be sure of a place at Euro 2012 (if England qualify of course!).

From an England point of view, I think Johnson's presence would have offered a left-footed option that is now missing from the squad - but with Gerrard, Joe Cole and probably even Wright-Phillips (although I think he is wasted out there) as alternatives, Capello probably considered the position well covered. Despite Johnson's seamless transition to the top-flight, Capello probably had doubts about his ability to handle the big occasions and this has been reflected in his experienced selection.

Joe Hart's position was guaranteed as one of the three goalkeepers but whether he can make the leap to become England's number one will rely on the same principle: whether Capello has the confidence in his relative inexperience. But having played the most minutes during the friendlies, and looking very assured during his time on, he probably does have an outside chance. He is more likely to go as number three, but it is still excellent experience for a young goalkeeper, and he will continue to grow as a threat to Given's spot between the posts.

Gareth Barry looked doubtful until Capello began to outline his importance in the media - it seemed Barry could afford to be unavailable for the start of the tournament if he could return to play some part in the group stages. This morning Barry has even suggested he is pushing to be fit for the game against USA in Rustenburg on 12th June. England's shakiness against Mexico and Japan were blamed on his absence and he has begun to take a central role in England's hopes for glory this summer.

With three players representing City, we have the same number of representatives as Liverpool, United and Aston Villa - and the only teams to better that are Tottenham and Chelsea with four.

City stars on the market: All the world's a stage

2010-06-01T12:35:00.007+01:00

Besides being the greatest international tournament there is, the World Cup is also a fantastic window for those seeking a move. The whole world is watching and even in these days of media saturation - where there are very few surprise emerging talents - a good World Cup always attracts clubs. If you can perform on the world's biggest stage, then you are deemed ready for any club football. By no means forgotten talents, City will be hoping the World Cup can add a couple of million on the price tags of two misfiring South American forwards: Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz.

Robinho has made it fairly clear he doesn't want to return to City - it is true to say some of his 'outbursts' only filter over to us in a semblance of their true form, but he has found happiness in a league that suits his flamboyant style and he reiterates that the ideal solution would be another year with Santos. The only way this can be achieved, without City making a laughable loss on the £32.4m, would be another complexly arranged loan deal.

Besides the potential complications for Santos to convince sponsors into funding a longer loan arrangement, the relative obscurity of the Brazilian league in Europe, in terms of its visibility over here, could greatly diminish Robinho's transfer value.

So, unless City hold onto any hopes of seeing Robinho in a blue shirt again, this summer is crucial to his rebirth as a world star. As Robinho is an established member of Brazil's first eleven, and Brazil are most people's second favourite, there is the potential, potential being the key word, that Robinho could really shine at this World Cup. World Soccer magazine, in their World Cup special, describe him as the "King of the step-over who will seek to dismiss claims that he is physically and mentally lightweight on the big occasion." Yet if there is anywhere he looks at home, it is in his national team - and his performances on the smaller stage of the Confederations Cup last year show he is capable of being a stand-out player for the potential world champions. City will be hoping that an explosive World Cup could go someway to recuperating his transfer fee.

Roque Santa Cruz's future is a little less clear. Hughes paid over the odds to get his man and a typically torrid season of injuries has left him on the fringes - and with rumours of Edin Dzeko arriving and Mancini's assertion that Adebayor will remain at City next season, Santa Cruz's opportunities may be limited. The difference with Santa Cruz is that he hasn't openly sought a move. Therefore, considering his lack of opportunites to impress at City, he could even use the World Cup as a springboard to come back into contention for City's starting places. I fear he has too much to do on that front though. In a group from which Paraguay have a good chance of progressing, a few goals past New Zealand on the way could help put the injury doubts out of potential buyers' minds.

If only Jo could make a surprise assault on Luis Fabiano's place in the Brazil squad.

Stephen Ireland - should he stay or should he go?

2010-05-27T16:38:00.010+01:00

The Stephen Ireland story is edging out as an early contender for City's most protracted transfer dealing of the summer. Last summer we had Eto'o and Terry, the winter before was Kaka, but the early summer murmurs point to something that is far more likely to happen - the exit of last year's player of the season.

Roque Santa Cruz went some way to confirming how unsettled Ireland is by urging him to stay in the press today: "He is a very nice guy and a fantastic player also, so I think everybody at the club would be very disappointed to see him leaving. He is a great talent." Whilst going on to reveal some of his own insecurities by suggesting his, and Ireland's, worries about incoming replacements.

On the merit of this season's peformances they both have reason to fear replacements. Santa Cruz has never been fit enough to prove his worth to the team (prompting questions about whether he ever will be) and Ireland has struggled to regain his place after a series injuries and an early season health scare.

Reports are that Ireland has handed in a transfer request and City are stepping up their search for replacements, but the fact is we needed a creative replacement for Ireland anyway - and perhaps his knowledge of this has caused his recent disillusionment. Ireland lacks the mental attributes to play in the centre of midfield so, realistically, the only spot he vies for is the free role with Carlos Tevez - and with a plummet in commitment, Ireland has never looked like challenging him for his place. With the plaudits of last season, Ireland will not be happy to be labelled as cover in the side he was player of the season in. City have needed someone with creativity to sit alongside Barry or de Jong, but Ireland wilts under the responsibility of such a role.

Nedum, in his infamous Soccer AM interview, described Ireland as the best player he has ever played with - citing his "unbelievable tecchers" (technique to you and me!). Which introduces the conundrum of why the best players aren't the best players. In an idealistic world Ireland would be the best player in City's current team - he does have unbelievable technique, he has the ability to pick passes that others don't see - but as Ireland's performances last season proved - it needs to be coupled with the right mentality and work ethic to be effective. The other two players with the greatest technical ability over the last ten years are probably Robinho and Elano - and whilst they are both capable of breathtaking pieces of football, it cannot be argued that they have heads for the Premier League. The same perhaps goes for Ireland.

Or does it? The most frustrating aspect of his performances this season has been our knowledge of his performances last season. If last season hadn't happened, the Ireland of this campaign wouldn't have raised any eyebrows. He has still showed the occasional glimpses of magic this season but he has looked like the uncertain player of before - incapable of playing the simple pass and more comfortable on the peripheries of the action. People speculate about his mental strength but he was certainly capable of reacting in the right way to being down the pecking order under Hughes - he didn't start last season in the squad remember - but perhaps, like Nedum, he doesn't feel like he has another fight left in him - the idea that one fight should be enough to establish a first team place. The competition is getting stronger all the time but, if Ireland had the resilience, a player of his natural abilities should believe himself up for the challenge. Perhaps it is exactly this lack of resilience that will prove to rule Nedum and Ireland out of the high standard of football the club are striving to achieve. Maybe Ireland just needs an 8-1 drubbing somewhere to refocus him.

In the Guardian, Daniel Taylor suggested last week that Ireland "is renowned for being so sensitive when things are not going well his transfer request was partly expected behind the scenes." And this represents the crux of the problem. Mancini was right to suggest it relies on Ireland's head. If the staff at City can be confident of a rejuvenation of Ireland, then it would be foolish to sell him - but it is precisely his problems that could prevent him from fulfilling his potential. He seems popular enough amongst the players that a protracted transfer wrangle would be detrimental to the squad (especially if he is set to be bartered against other Premier League midfielders - Milner and Arteta, for example), so a speedy resolution may be better for all parties - and only the future will tell whether he will come back to haunt us or drift into legend as a one-season wonder.

Mancini and the spectre of Mourinho

2010-05-25T16:59:00.010+01:00

Mourinho looms large over the footballing world at the moment - bigger than clubs, more ambitious than any player, he is swiftly becoming the most powerful force in world football. Little wonder then that his name becomes entangled in the midst of one of the world's most ambitious football clubs. For Roberto Mancini, his successor at Inter will be on his mind more than most.

Mancini has been at pains this season to make sure his achievements at Inter are not lost underneath the supreme success of Jose Mourinho. Asked if he built the foundations of the team, Mancini said he also 'built the roof.' Whilst to some he seems to be claiming a slice of Mourinho's success, he is probably just making sure that his significant achievements don't go forgotten. Before Mancini's first Inter title (amongst the Calciopoli scandal), Inter had gone 17 years without winning the Scudetto - which for a club of Inter's size is remarkable (the longest 'barren' spell in their history since they won their first title in 1910). Inter have won every title since, including the following two under Mancini. On top of this, Mancini's first of two Coppa Italia triumphs was the club's first for 23 years. After 17 years without a domestic trophy of any description, Mancini was hired by Moratti for his record of success and he delivered instantly with seven trophies in four years.

It is true that two of Mancini's title campaigns benefited from the Calciopoli scandal (Juventus were stripped of the title in 2005-2006, and subsequent points deductions reduced the competition in 2006-2007), but it cannot be argued that Mancini didn't re-establish Inter at the top of the Italian game. Mourinho was brought in to take them to the next level - the European success that Moratti wanted - and he obviously succeeded. Yet out of the Champions League starting eleven, five were players who arrived under Mancini: Julio Cesar (from Flamengo), Maicon (from Monaco), Esteban Cambiasso and Walter Samuel (from Real Madrid), and Cristian Chivu (from Roma). These players represent the defensive heart of the team and Mourinho has built his team around this solidity - adding the guile and creativity of Milito and Sneijder, in particular, to produce the ruthless side capable of unpicking the world's best. So whilst Inter's recent success belongs to Mourinho, Mancini deserves credit for putting the club back to winning ways and creating the foundations (and the roof!) for success.

Mourinho continued to haunt Mancini after his arrival at City. The current City fans can probably be cut roughly into the following categories: the grateful, the disillusioned, and those bloated by the club's quick ascent (most of us are probably guilty of all three!). It is the last category that push Mourinho into this scenario (albeit with a lot of help from the press). Despite Mourinho's unwavering ambition to complete a footballing grandslam, a minority of fans still thought Jose should be the man replacing Hughes. Although the constant rumour mills often distort the type of people interested in coming to City, we are still a growing force and, whilst Mourinho could be interested when he makes his final prophesised return to English football, he was never going to take a step back amidst his run for global domination and footballing immortality.

I know that some of the calls for Mourinho were born out of frustration over Hughes' exit - the feeling that if we are getting rid of Hughes we should be replacing him with the world's best. But now, with Mourinho ready to move onto his next stage, Mancini can finally settle down to do what he has needed to do from the offset: build the team he wants and prepare himself for what lies ahead.

Crunch week for Barry and Johnson

2010-05-22T11:53:00.004+01:00

Of course, it is crunch week for everyone involved in the England set up, but the two big City stories to come out of the England camp (discounting Milner transfer speculation) are Adam Johnson's sustained charge for a place and Gareth Barry's late fitness call.

To cap off a quite remarkable 2010 for Johnson, the papers and the insiders are all unanimous in their praise for his shows in training this week. Many pick him out as the star performer and almost all reserve a special mention for his impressive displays. Blue Days has been looking at the reaction in more detail in an insightful piece. To add to the sources found there, including this from the Mirror: "Playing on the left wing, he terrorised Liverpool veteran Jamie Carragher and rained in a string of pinpoint crosses," today's Guardian and the BBC's England blog, amongst others, both single him out for his performances.

So, for Johnson, half the job is done. Speaking last month, Capello said: "Johnson has caught my eye. Now it's important he gets some international experience." Which indicates, not only that he will feature in Monday's friendly with Mexico, but that a lot will ride on how well he performs.

If Johnson can prove himself on the international stage, it will be a remarkable ascent from the player who only moved back to the Premier League on the first of February. A storming entrance eclipsed only by Walcott's suprise inclusion four years ago. Unlike Walcott in Germany, Johnson would have earned his place on merit and could well fill a spot that has been vacant for England for many years. Through years of bemoaning Gigg's defection back to Wales, Johnson could be the answer England has been waiting for. Whether this tournament has come a little too soon rests on this coming week but, after impressing in training, he is half way there.

Monday is also decision day for Gareth Barry. Who, in his ten year England career, has never made a World Cup, dipping in and out of the squad at the wrong moments for 2002 and 2006. He will be 33 when the next one comes around and whilst he is very much part of Capello's first eleven now, he would not be able to guarantee that next time round. He talks extensively about how much the World Cup would mean to him this summer in several interviews in the Saturday papers but it would also be a huge loss for England if he cannot make it.

Here's hoping for both of them.

Ibrahimovic to be this summer's marquee purchase?

2010-05-19T13:15:00.003+01:00

All the little whispers about Ibrahimovic are set to explode after Barcelona confirmed the signing of David Villa this lunchtime. Given the style Barca play, this move effectively relegates last summer's star signing to the bench and, after an unconvincing season, this could lead to the Barca management wanting to cash in.

A few weeks ago, the Spanish football expert Sid Lowe, speaking on the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast, suggested City as the only possible destination. The implications of his words are: one, large amounts of money would be involved, and two, it would be a risk - and judging on previous windows City are thought to be cavalier enough to take this on.

There is no doubt that Ibrahimovic has unbelievable ability but the worry is that his languid style, that frustrates fans in Spain, would be swallowed up by the pace of the Premier League. In that mould, he has always reminded me of a far more talented Berbatov - but as we've had the pleasure of seeing, this doesn't always work in the Premier League. Although, the sheer ability of the man, and his consistently high goal scoring record (he has still scored 21 goals this season) would obviously benefit most sides in the world.

One of the major remaining questions here though, as always, is why would he want to join City? Without Champions League, City do not offer the level of football Ibra is used to, and this is a major stumbling block. He is already on huge wages at Barca and I don't think the City management (no longer as intent on making the status-signing) would break the bank in his favour, so the usual bargaining isn't there. At 28, he has already achieved a lot in the game - so the bargaining stand point that he could 'help write the history' of a club may appeal to him, but only if he is convinced it will happen quickly.

As I see it, the only factor in favour of City is Roberto Mancini. When Mancini arrived at City, journalists sought out Ibrahimovic's opinion pretty quickly:

"City want to become a big team, and in order to do that you need a manager who knows how to run one," he said. "I think City have already learned that you don't become Barcelona or Inter Milan overnight. It takes a lot of time, but it also takes the right man in charge. Roberto will change the mentality of the club overnight, he is a big manager and the players will learn that very quickly."

The whole article can be found on SkySports. Ibrahimovic scored 32 goals in 53 Serie A games under Mancini and he obviously has fond memories of his time with him. With the murmurs of players that are unhappy under Mancini, Roberto could well look to buy in someone (like he did with Vieira) who he knows he can rely on.

It seems a very unlikely deal, but City are in a better position this year than the side that finished tenth last season - and even then it appeared City came close to signing some stars of the world game - Kaka, Eto'o and Terry, in particular went on long enough to suggest consideration from those names. Whether Ibrahimovic would be good for the team dynamics is another question altogether.

On the subject of Ibrahimovic, it is always nice to see this goal he scored for Ajax:

Nedum on his way

2010-05-16T17:09:00.007+01:00

After seeing Nedum's interview on Soccer AM yesterday, it seems clear to me he is on his way out of the club. Normally so measured, positive and even intellectual for a footballer, his anti-regime comments were not those of a player looking to step up his challenge for a place next season.

The very fact he has let his guard down suggests he thinks there is nothing left to protect in his City career - which is a great shame. You can understand Nedum's frustrations. Here is a rare thing in a player nowadays - a lifelong fan of the club he plays for, and you feel he has had more resilience in fighting for his position than other players might have done when found in the same situation. With almost all the in-coming managers of recent seasons, Nedum has found himself at first unfavoured only to win back his place on the merit of his solid performances.

You would have thought, had he not been plagued by injuries throughout his young career, he would have gone on to establish himself as, not only a City regular, but possibly, and by virtue of regular football, an international contender for this summer. But it wasn't to be, and now, with the constant influx of replacements, he evidently thinks it is the end of his City career.

I do think his comments were born more out of frustration than by clear thought though. To suggest he was on the brink of a first team return under Hughes is a little fanciful. He did have injury problems under Hughes, as he has had under Mancini, yet he still has featured more often under Mancini. To suggest Hughes may have been on the verge of putting him in is also sadly unlikely, because in the last weeks of Hughes' time at the club, he had already spoken of trying to sign more defenders in January - in an attempt to shore up the area that ultimately cost him his job. Had Hughes been trusted with more money for defenders over January, Nedum may well have been in an even worse situation.

Part of his frustration may have also been from the perceived decline of his generation this season (something that hasn't just happened under Mancini, but Hughes also - it is easy to blame it on the person in charge when it comes to a head). Ireland ('the best player I have ever played with') has had a tough season, but I don't think anyone could argue his performances have merited his inclusion - he is undoubtedly an outstanding talent and one I would like to remain at the club, but it has been a difficult season for him to say the least - again, slightly surprisingly, Ireland blamed Hughes for his form when Mancini arrived.

Micah has also been drifting in and out, but he has had his share of injuries since Mancini's arrival, and probably looks a bit more assured when he has played. Although he is not quite his generation of academy graduates but very much a part of them, Shaun Wright-Phillips is the only player to actually decline under Mancini - still a pacy threat from the bench, he has gone from a Hughes-favourite to a squad player very quickly. The fortunes of all his contemporaries will undoubtedly have affected Nedum - as it stands, there doesn't appear to be much hope for them - but to be so outwardly anti-Mancini is probably missing the point a little. Although, to be fair to Nedum, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes.

Finally there were his words about Lescott, saying Mancini cost him his World Cup place by declaring him unfit for the final two games even though he had just returned to training. Realistically, having not played for months, Lescott had an incredibly slim chance of making Capello's 30 even if he had managed two games towards the end - other players had made their claim by then (Dawson and King in particular). So, for Mancini not to involve a partially-fit Lescott in our biggest game of the season is hardly surprising.

I can understand Nedum's frustration - he has put so much into the club - work and emotionally - but I thought it was a shame he had to publicly defame the management. I have great respect for him and I do think he will become a top-class player if he gets regular football, but I'm afraid he may be looking to get that regular football away from City next year. I would love him to stay, but with the prospect of further centre-backs arriving, this could be one fight too many for him. Either way, if Mancini doesn't like him, as Nedum suggests, I think it is safe to say it is reciprocal.

You can watch a clip of the video over at Bitter and Blue.

Transfers: Positions to target

2010-05-15T09:52:00.005+01:00

Despite the escalating rumours of another mass overhaul this pre-season, City are not in the position that they were last summer and a mass turnover is not essential. Whereas last summer most of the squad needed looking at, this summer three or four players in key positions would help push City onto the next level. For me, the priorities are the following positions:

1. A ball-playing central midfielder.

Everytime we play a well-organised team I come on here and bemoan our lack of incision. If a team comes to Eastlands and concentrates on frustrating City before unleashing their counter-attack, like Everton and Tottenham, then we have no one who can cut through.

Stephen Ireland has the passing ability but he is limited positionally. If he is playing in the free-role behind the strikers, he is fine - but give him some responsibility in the centre and his game shrinks with it. His lack of success this season, as much as anything else, has come from being in direct competition for Tevez's role.

When Hughes arrived at City he needed to address City's soft centre and this he did with the arrivals of De Jong and Kompany - but with Elano gone, Michael Johnson perennially injured, and Ireland off the boil, it has left City with no one in the middle who can pick a quick pass.

So, we play our best against teams who attack us, allowing the pace of our counter attack to wreak havoc - but as teams have become wise to that, we often struggle to unpick them.

A goal-scoring midfielder or a box-to-box player who can do it all should be the summer's priority.

Possible targets: Marek Hamsik, James Milner, Mesut Ozil, Fernando Gago, Lassana Diarra.

2. Left-back

There are already doubts about Bridge's performances when he does play but regardless of that, we cannot rely on him to be fit for the majority of a season. With all the added games that the Europa League brings, we will at least need a cover that Mancini can trust - his picking of Zabaleta there over Garrido and Sylvinho suggests he doesn't trust those two - and better, a player who can challenge Bridge's place.

Possible targets: Juan Manuel Vargas, David Luiz.

3. Centre-forward

After having an embarrassment of riches in the attacking department at the start of the season - all the pre-season speculation was about how Hughes could keep them all happy - we have now been left a bit bare.

Tevez and Adebayor are the only first-team strikers you can rely on to be fit. They are both high quality players, but neither of them are really box players. Adebayor, for all his height, shies away from aerial challenges and is much happier dropping deep and drifting wide, and whilst Tevez can never be said to shy away, he is also happier playing the deeper role. This leaves us with noone to profit from our wing-play - so a striker that can lead the line would be preferable. However, if not, we could still do with adding some genuine competition for Adebayor.

With Roque, as much as I think there is a good player hidden away in there, his injury situation has gone beyond a joke and whether he will ever be able to return to full fitness and form is a big question.

Possible targets: Gonzalo Higuain, Mario Balotelli, Fernando Torres (?!).

There could be the arrival of some surprises, but on top of these positions we only really need squad depth and competition. Jerome Boateng could take the right-back slot, for example, whilst challenging for his preferred central role. It is likely to be another busy summer with both ins and outs, but we shouldn't need too much maintenance this time round.

The transfer season without Champions League

2010-05-12T16:53:00.005+01:00

Before we failed to make it, everyone's main concern about not qualifying for the Champions League was that we wouldn't be able to attract the world's best players. It is easy to add the caveat now, but it would perhaps be more correct to have said the world's best established players - which isn't exactly the same thing.

Of course, players in the prime of their career or world-renown will see arriving at a team who are without the world's most glamorous club competition as a step back. Their status in the game has been reached by achieving already and their only real motivation for such a move would most likely be for financial purposes. The hunger of these players (and you could use Robinho as an example) is sometimes questionable - even when the team is firing.

Evidently, all this is easy to say on the back of missing out on the Champions League and who wouldn't want to see the world's stars in their team, but the transfer strategy that Mancini and the Corporation Couple may now be forced to look at is probably the best, and the most sustainable, for the club. If rumours and hearsay are to believed, City are concentrating their considerable financial strength on acquiring the best of the world's (or Serie A's) emerging talent.

Today's rumours link City with Hamsik, Balotelli and David Luiz, among others. Big name players already, at big clubs, but all young (22, 19 and 23 respectively). Unlike the players who would come in in their late 20s, who have done it all and act accordingly, these players are still young and, to use that word again, hungry to prove themselves at the top level (I am talking generally of course, as many watchers of Serie A will argue Balotelli doesn't always look all that motivated!).

We would be getting up-and-coming stars who could be the spine of the team for years to come - a continuity that the team would need to succeed and build. It is no use signing big-name stars if they are disinterested and will only look for move after a short time. The signing of Robinho, who I am actually a fan of, was a huge statement to the footballing world - but more galacticos wouldn't necessarily help a team that seems to be growing in spirit and togetherness (bar a few exceptions).

I think Hamsik would be an excellent signing, if possible, as he is the sort of goal-scoring midfielder that City are crying out for at the moment. There are talks in Italy that he is about to agree terms to a new contract with Napoli, but as Mancini has said he wants to get his deals in place before the World Cup, City may be able to present an alternative offer.

At times this season it has been obvious that we were a team swiftly thrown together and, despite the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League, every year of consolidation will make us stronger. Obviously, I won't be complaining if we sign a Gerrard or a Torres, but I certainly won't be complaining if we don't.

*As I was typing this, Football Italia have quoted Balotelli's agent as saying there is no chance of him moving to City - saying that no discussions will be held til after the Champions League final. Although, having kept up with Balotelli's agents declarations about his client, this doesn't necessarily mean a deal is not in the offing. His words are fairly strong this time though.

Base Comedy May Awards

2010-05-12T15:20:00.003+01:00

The month is young but with the footballing season over, and only transfers and the small matter of the World Cup to concentrate on, here are my early May Awards.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: ADAM JOHNSON

What with the Spurs game and the half-paced game against West Ham, it has been a bit of a damp end to the season, but the player to stand out for me was Adam Johnson. Took a bit of time to get going against Villa, but managed two assists; not incredibly special against Tottenham, but still produced our two best moments of quality in the game - a long range shot and a tantalising cross to Barry at the back post; and against West Ham he had an outstanding first half, causing lots of problems with his quick feet. He has created three-quarters of our goals this month (three of four!) and for this quality - which seldom looked to be coming from other sources - he gets my award.

Players also in contention included: the ever impressive Vincent Kompany and, for his short stint, Marton Fulop.

GOAL OF THE MONTH: CRAIG BELLAMY (vs Aston Villa)

Shauny's run and Bellamy's perfect finish released a lot of nervous tension around the ground. City's pacy counter-attack at its best.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE MONTH: ADMITTING DEFEAT

Tottenham proved they were more deserving than us in their two games against City this season and we can have no arguments about the outcome.

PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH: 3-1 vs VILLA

Not too hard to pick this game above the Tottenham game and the lethargic draw against West Ham, but it was a top performance against a team on a roll. I could have also broken from tradition and given this award to Khaldoon for his insightful interview that stopped (better late than never) all the unstabilising speculation around the club.

TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF: ALAN HANSEN

I don't think an individual has to take any blame from within the City ranks this month, so therefore I will jump back on the Hansen bandwaggon and put him in for all his bitter negativity about City. Not many people like the way City have entered the elite of the Premier League, but there is still something to be said for fair punditry.

Although, I could also say that Wayne Bridge may have done too little to avoid a replacement coming in this transfer window.

POINT TOTAL: 4 from 9

FOURTHOMETER: Pipped by a worthy foe.

City's England hopefuls

2010-05-10T17:16:00.007+01:00

With Fabio Capello lining up to name his 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup tomorrow, I thought I'd take a look at the members of City's squad with a fighting chance of making the squad.

Gareth Barry

Barry would have been our only dead-cert for making the England squad if it wasn't for his unfortunately timed injury. An important part of the qualifying campaign and a regular starter under Capello, he had an integral role in the manager's plans fo this summer. This could still work in his favour. If he is out for three to four more weeks, as is reported, then it will leave him with just over a week before the finals begin. As one of Capello's trusted men, Barry might be a gamble worth taking - he would more than likely be fit enough to feature in the final group games - but the England doctors will be watching him closely.

Chance of making the final 23: 60%

Joe Hart

The PFA goalkeeper of the year has been the top performing English goalkeeper this year by a stretch and this should give him a spot on the plane. Due to my complete lack of confidence in the other keepers, I would also say he should at least be pushing to be the no.1 for the tournament - but Capello will probably view his inexperience as detrimental on such a big stage.

Chance of making the final 23: 85%

Adam Johnson

The man everyone is talking about. It has been a whirlwind three/four months for him and whilst everyone would've thought it too late for anyone to stake a claim for a call-up, Johnson has done just that. He offers a left-sided midfield option that is currently missing from the national squad - Downing is the only specialist for that position who has had a previous call-up (the others are all right-footed central midfielders) and according to the Observer review of the season at the weekend, a Villa fan described him as their worst player this season. So I don't see why not. He was in the provisional squad for the Egpyt game and Capello has already hinted he will make the 30 so that he can get a closer look at him. Whether he makes the final 23 will largely be down to how much he can impress him over the coming month.

Chance of making the final 23: 50%

Joleon Lescott

Unlike Barry, Lescott will certainly be fit for the start of the tournament. But the major factor weighing against him is that he hasn't played since March 14th away to Sunderland. He was discovering his best form for City at the time and really looked to be on his way to the World Cup - he also had the benefit of being an option for a troubled left-back spot. However, since falling off the radar, players such as King, Dawson, Jagielka and Carragher have made strong claims (or late appearances) for the same position. The injury was such bad timing for him and I'm afraid he will be left disappointed.

Chance of making the final 23: 20%

Micah Richards

A complete longshot at one-point, a no-hope now. Unfavoured by Capello, a complete void of right-backs may have worked to his advantage. In the Egypt game, when Wes Brown was the only 'right-back' in the squad, Micah was almost in contention by default, but the return of Glen Johnson and Jamie Carragher, coupled with niggling injuries and a lack of game time, should mean he can book his holidays without too great a risk.

Chance of making the final 23: 5%

Shaun Wright-Phillips

It has been a very frustrating 2010 so far for Shauny. Pushed out of the starting eleven by Adam Johnson, angling for a new contract whilst not getting any game time to prove himself, is not exactly the way he would want to prepare for a World Cup summer. After missing out on 2006 at the very last minute, he has every right to worry it will happen again. In his favour, Capello seems to like him and he has produced some good displays in recent England internationals - scoring 2 in the last 3 internationals. He is mostly employed as an impact substitute, so maybe his breakneck run for Bellamy's goal against Villa will have been enough to remind the selectors about why they might want him there.

Chance of making the final 23: 60%

And finally, if I were England manager, this would be my 30-man squad:

Goalkeepers

Joe Hart
David James
Rob Green

Defenders

Glen Johnson
Jamie Carragher
Ashley Cole
Leighton Baines
Michael Dawson
Ledley King
John Terry
Rio Ferdinand
Phil Jagielka
Matthew Upson

Midfielders

Adam Johnson
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Gareth Barry
Theo Walcott
Aaron Lennon
James Milner
Steven Gerrard
Frank Lampard
Joe Cole
Tom Huddlestone
Michael Carrick

Strikers

Wayne Rooney
Peter Crouch
Jermain Defoe
Darren Bent
Emile Heskey
Bobby Zamora

Oh, and Richard Edghill on stand-by in case Glen Johnson gets injured again.

West Ham 1 - 1 City

2010-05-09T19:08:00.004+01:00

A very 'end of season' affair. Although there was the fifth spot to seal, Richard Dunne made sure we could attain it in the most lethargic manner possible - and make sure there weren't too many last minute nerves to add to a nervous week.

I didn't make it to the game today, but the commentator introducing the coverage I watched said that "it would take most of the summer for City to recover from Wednesday night," which I thought was a bit much but, with this in mind, I was happy with the way City started the game. West Ham were happy to lie deep and watch City for the opening half hour - and this allowed City to dominate possession, with Johnson and Wright-Phillips supplying occasional threats.

So, just like the Villa game, it was West Ham who drew first blood - a slightly absent piece of defending from Zabaleta besides, Diamanti's skill and Boa Morte's finish showed the sort of quality the West Ham fans would've wanted to have seen more of this season.

Johnson, who was superb in his last pitch to the England selectors, caused lots of problems in the first half - and his right foot cross found Shauny with an improbably precise header only minutes later. Johnson also perhaps should have had a penalty after a dazzling run looked to be halted by Upson's out-stretched leg.

Both Johnson and Wright-Phillips did their chances of a call-up to England's 30-man squad this Tuesday no harm - both had more to play for than the rest of the City squad and it showed as they produced energetic displays infront of Baldini that were mostly lacking elsewhere on the pitch.

Santa Cruz and Sylvinho were both perhaps playing their last games at the club, but only Sylvinho did justice to such an occasion - playing a typically classy and adventurous game before he was replaced late on.

In the second half, the will seemed to swing to West Ham a bit more and City were left scrambling on a few occasions, but ultimately neither side really looked like they wanted it enough in the second 45 minutes.

Tevez got the loudest cheer of the day and then carried on to have only a marginally more effective time on the pitch than Santa Cruz. His placing on the bench suggested he is amongst the 'very tired' players Mancini spoke about, but it was good to hear more positive noises coming from his direction in the week. Without him, there is a lack of that clinical touch upfront.

So, fifth is achieved and, despite what some City fans say, it is a real achievement and another step in our progress up the Premier League. A little early maybe, but in today's Observer they had the odds for next season's champions and it placed City a joint third with Arsenal for the title. After coming so close, the frustration at not coming fourth is understandable, but things are looking really positive for next season, and already I cannot wait for City to kick-off again in the next campaign. Thank goodness for the World Cup!

West Ham preview

2010-05-08T18:47:00.004+01:00

It may feel like the season is over after Wednesday ensured the ultimate goal is out of reach, but City still need a point at Upton Park to avoid further embarrassment by slipping down to sixth. The season also seems over for West Ham as well but the difference between finishing 14th (their highest possible finish) and 17th (their lowest) is £2.4m - which, for a club dogged by financial uncertainty, is no small sum. It has been a bit of a torrid season for the Hammers but I'm sure they won't want to go out with a whimper - even if the entire squad, minus Scott Parker, is up for sale, allegedly.

Mancini has hinted he will make some changes - to look after his 'very tired' players - but he won't want to risk losing here, so I imagine the changes will be minimal (Bellamy maybe? Save his knees and some booing!), with maybe a few academy players to play cameos under the right circumstances. Nimley may be looking for another appearance after his goal in the Senior Cup final, for example, and Ibrahim may see the injuries in midfield as his chance to notch up another first-team showing.

Barry's injury should see a Vieira/De Jong midfield partnership and they will be coming up against Parker - the man Zola sees as Barry's international replacement. Barry now joins a list of City players in and around the England squad who face last minute disappointments - Lescott, Wright-Phillips and Barry all have large question marks against them despite featuring in the last England squads.

City's last victory at West Ham came on the opening day of 07/08 season when City had an almost entirely new squad under the Thaksin Shinawatra days - and one of my favourite away journeys of recent seasons. There was so much gloom as the previous season ended in the barren home form under Stuart Pearce - the season we famously had had no home goals in that calendar year - so that game, with Sven, Elano, Bianchi, et al, seemed like such a new beginning, and there was more genuine optimism, elation and disbelief that day than there has been even in the last two years. Goals from Bianchi and Geovanni (after a superb run by Nedum) sealed the victory that day - and things, complete with the usual ups-and-downs, have been improving ever since. A controversial character, maybe, but none of what has happened today would have happened without Thaksin's 'interference'.

Tomorrow's team could look like this:

4-2-3-1:

Fulop; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; Vieira, De Jong; Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Adam Johnson; Adebayor.

Bellamy has said in the past that he struggles with two games a week now, so three could be a step too far for him and Shauny could be up for putting in a possible farewell performance (I hope not). Tevez will be up against his favourite club in England and I'm sure his comments about wanting to return there at some point in his career will ensure an already certain warm reception.

City will have had to pick themselves up sufficiently to avoid embarrassment here, but I am sure that the determination to avoid such an event is high enough amongst the players. It has been a good season and it would be nice to end it on a high.

Tottenham player ratings

2010-05-06T18:36:00.005+01:00

Fulop 8.
Made a couple of outstanding saves that could have put him down in City folklore had the outcome been different.

Zabaleta 7.
Bale has been Tottenham's stand-out player in recent weeks, so it wasn't an easy task for him, but he coped well with him until the game was stretched and he was left completely unprotected by adventurous wingers.

Toure 6.
Not an easy for him against Crouch, as it is in the air that he has his difficulties, but played fairly well considering.

Kompany 7.
Put everything into the battle with Crouch but it is hard to compete against his height. Was solid though, and didn't allow Defoe many touches on the ball.

Bridge 6.
Was better than I expected against Lennon and only really struggled when, like with Zabaleta, he was left exposed when City were chasing the game, but then all confidence went out of the window.

de Jong 7.
An excellent battling display. Played Modric very well and limited their threat from central areas.

Barry 7.
Another commanding performance before his injury.

Bellamy 6.
Started (in the first five minutes!) exceptionally well and then took a heavy knock from Kaboul which he struggled with for the rest of the game. Should have been stronger in the tackle against Kaboul in the build up to the goal - looked like he was thinking about his dodgy knees.

Johnson 7.
Looked dangerous but without always producing the final ball. Worried Assou-Ekotto on occasion and produced City's two best pieces of quality: the shot from distance and the cross that found Barry at the far post.

Tevez 6.
Worked hard as ever, but ended up coming too deep to really affect the game in the final third. King and Dawson were too good.

Adebayor 6.
Looked like he lost heart a little by the end - was used as the target man he isn't, against two defenders who are very capable in the air. Otherwise, produced some nice touches sporadically without any real penetration.

Substitutions:

Vieira (on for Barry, 57mins) 6.
Successful when he was screening the defence, but as City pushed for an equaliser his legs struggled when the game was stretched. Still classy on the ball though.

Wright-Phillips (on for Johnson, 71mins) 6.
Ran at players, beat players, only to produce crosses into empty boxes.

Santa Cruz (on for Bellamy, 84mins) 5.
Brought on to succeed in the target man role but had little success.

My man of the match: Marton Fulop.

City 0 - 1 Tottenham; Credit to Spurs, creativity void

2010-05-06T16:43:00.008+01:00

On the strength of City's games against Tottenham this season, they have fully deserved to take the fourth spot. Although we competed far better last night than we did at White Hart Lane, the game began to get away from us towards the end and Marton Fulop can be thanked for making some impressive saves.

Not that City didn't start well, I thought we applied a good amount of pressure in the first half especially, just without ever really threatening to convert it into an advantage. It was testament to Tottenham's defensive prowess that the closest we came to scoring was a long range effort from Adam Johnson and a near own goal. Our actual goal threat in the second half was minimal. I would be much happier seeing King and Dawson pairing up for England this summer than the crocked Ferdinand and faltering Terry.

King and Dawson exposed the fact that Adebayor is not a target man and as City got a little more desperate towards the end, Ade had no chance in the aerial contests. As they continued to dominate, Ade started to look for success in wide positions and with Tevez lying quite deep, this left no one in the box to capitalise from our particularly woeful crossing. The number of corners we have had in the past two games that have been entirely wasted on this front is worrying. We did at least have more consistent success when Barry was taking them earlier in the season.

In the first half, Tottenham frustrated City by sitting deep and then either releasing the pace of Lennon and Bale or, more often in the first half, pumping it up to Crouch - which caused a few problems. I wasn't too concerned about Tottenham's threat in the first half (even though they did come close on a couple of occasions), but it was their Champions League-class defensive display that resurfaced old arguments.

When the transfer window opens, I would hope City will prioritise a creative central midfield player. Not only do we not have the sort of player who can break through a stout defence, but we don't have the sort of player who can turn defence into attack. Before I got out of the car pre-match, I heard Mark Lawrenson saying that City look attacking on paper, because of the front four, but the rest of the team is concentrated on defence. I think this is true and the lack of fluidity and the lack of options it creates is perhaps our downfall when we cannot use the counter-attack. This is partly down to personnel.

When Hughes arrived at the club, we had too soft a centre for the Premier League, so he concentrated on signing 'tougher' players, whilst sidelining the Elanos to some extent (to some justification of course). Hughes had been banking on the form of Ireland, which you can't criticise him for either, but with Ireland's demise this season, we have been left with no other options. So, once again, we have struggled with this lack of spark to overcome a very well organised team (see Everton too).

Overall, though, Spurs' dominance against us this season makes it hard to argue that we deserved to finish above them. We have qualified for Europe for the first time on merit since 1978, hopefully we have finished fifth in the Premier League (please), and we are improving all the time. Next season we will be even stronger and there is no need for impatience for Champions League football. It is not as if this was our last chance - which may not be said for Villa, for example - and City are a team on the up ("the blue moon is rising", as they say). So with the inevitable frustration at getting so close, we should be patient and await the probable success of years to come!

Kompany rues Hughes' draws

2010-05-06T16:18:00.004+01:00

In a fairly candid manner, Vincent Kompany has spoken about where he thinks City lost out on Champions League football this season. Without saying the name, he places the blame almost entirely on Hughes' draws. It is always easy to look back and pick out results that would've changed things - and in any season they are always going to be there - but Kompany won't be alone in pinpointing the draws at home to Burnley, Hull and Fulham as the crucial results of the season. These, of course were not only games we should have won, but games we threw away.

In the interview that can be found on City's official website, he said:

"The season has been long. It’s painful, but so many games we can look back on and think, if we would have played those games today, we wouldn’t have lost or drawn them. We would have won them and add those points up and it’s a completely different situation.

"I think we did very well to stay in the Champions League battle. There were some moments where it does not look so good anymore because we spilled stupid points. I can remember Burnley at home, and then we win 6-1 at Burnley and you realise it was a massive, massive loss.

"Then Fulham at home, and we are talking about teams we have been leading by one or two goals and we drew those games. Those types of situations wouldn’t have happened anymore at this time. But then you think, you have got a whole season to progress next year and that gives me a positive feeling."

Obviously, this is about as explicit as he can get without blaming Hughes by name. It is a harsh viewpoint, and players should always take a bit of blame for bad performances too, but it is the hopeless run of draws that convinced the board that Hughes had taken the team as far as he could - and evidently the team suffered because of it. These three games were six points we shouldn't have lost and would actually have put us level with Arsenal in third. They are big 'what if's', and every team has a lull, but this is the period that did the damage.

Kompany goes on to look at the future and describes the team as improving all the time, and how City can only be stronger for the campaign next season. I am itching for it to start again already!

Hopefully not the final Final. Tottenham preview

2010-05-04T16:17:00.003+01:00

Back on the 19th March, the fixture-setters rearranged the final week of the season to create the ultimate in fourth-place suspense thrillers - and from that moment on everyone has had an eye on this fixture. The first final. The final that allows us to compete in a final Final at Upton Park on the last (or final) day of the season.

The whole lingering battle for fourth comes to a head tomorrow night - there is no need for hype - realistically, City need to win to keep the Champions League hopes alive, and in doing so enter the last game of the season with their fate in their own hands.

After a rejuvenated performance at the weekend, Patrick Vieira was asked if this was the biggest game of his career, to which he diplomatically said 'yes'. Mancini has called it a Champions League final and, in his moment of politeness, Vieira has put it alongside World Cup finals, European Cup finals, Premier League champions deciders and Serie A deciders.

For City, this game is it. The coming together of all the season's uncertainties. Hughes was sacked for not at least challenging for fourth, Mancini is plagued by rumours of his job security if fourth isn't met, some players may not be happy if Champions League isn't in the offing next season, the press (and Harry Redknapp) have insisted City should make fourth with the squad strength available - the fourth-storm has been gathering around us for a while. Since Hughes's sacking this finale is all that we have heard about (detracting a little from what a successful season this has been, regardless of the final position).

So it has boiled down to City and Tottenham - leaving the two most jittery sets of supporters in the country to worry over a nervous encounter at Eastlands. Both sets of fans are used to things slipping up painfully at the last minute but, for City, this is a different sort of season. In recent seasons we haven't had a good record at home to Tottenham, but then it has been a long time since we did the double over Chelsea, for example - or for a more sublime record, the last City player to score at Bolton before this season was Joey Barton. The form book is out. It won't take me to tell you, things are changing here.

Tottenham are waiting on the fitness of Gomes which could result in them playing Ben Alnwick and reigniting the debate about City's emergency keeper scenario. There is also a late fitness test pending for the defensive powerhouse sicknote, Ledley King.

City should welcome back Gareth Barry after his hamstring problem, but whether he is deemed fit enough to replace either of the successful Vieira/De Jong partnership of the weekend is still in doubt.

I claimed in my Villa match report that we play better when Vieira plays - due to his unique ability to pick a quick pass (unique to the City midfield) - and the Guardian uncovered a fact to show City's success when he plays. City have won five and drawn two of the seven matches he has started. He is not everyone's favourite choice due to his aging limbs but he still offers a passing dynamism that is otherwise missing. Mancini apparently asked him to stop trying to run forward and use his passing to unleash our speedsters, and you would imagine he will be employed in a similar role.

With no new fitness concerns, I think City will stay unchanged:

4-4-2/4-2-3-1:

Fulop; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; De Jong, Vieira; A. Johnson, Bellamy, Tevez; Adebayor.

The main concern is Bridge's capability to stop Aaron Lennon - and if Mancini doesn't have confidence in Bridge's ability to do so, then he will not be afraid to mix things up a bit. Against Arsenal, Zabaleta did a job on a faster, but less skillful, Walcott after Bridge's injury - and Richards or Onuoha have proved their worth under Mancini and could step up.

Tottenham are a very strong side but where better to settle it than at home, at night, and with 48,000 City fans roaring the team on. The Hamburg-effect shouldn't be underestimated. Come on City!

The time of the "top four" is over - it's official!

2010-05-03T14:21:00.005+01:00

Liverpool's loss to Chelsea yesterday confirmed something that has been brewing all season: the era of the "top four" is at an end. Whoever it is that claims the fourth spot, this season has signalled a newly competitive Premier League.

City's investment kept teams who needed to strengthen or replenish (such as United and Liverpool) from entering the 'distorted market', whilst teams who had been slowly benefiting from steady development like Villa and Tottenham were left to consolidate. Leaving a top seven (or if Everton hadn't started so slowly, a top eight) who are fiercely competitive.

The only team that has risen above these (despite City's success against them this season) has been Chelsea and they would make worthy champions. Otherwise, the "top four", as was, are no longer expected to win all their fixtures home and away, as some would've had it in previous seasons.

So, fairly magnanimously, congratulations to all the teams - City, Villa and Tottenham - for getting in amongst the top four and breathing new life into the Premier League competition.

Presumably Liverpool will come back stronger next season, under new management or under new investment, but you can feel the power moving, or at least dispersing, in the Premier League and it should make for more interesting seasons to come.

Villa player ratings

2010-05-02T11:00:00.002+01:00

Fulop 6.
Looked pretty shaky in the first half, but was a much needed presence on crosses in the second. Hopefully the nerves are out of his system for Wednesday.

Zabaleta 8.
The best I've seen Zabaleta play for a while. No one got past him on the right-hand side. You can never doubt his commitment.

Toure 7.
Despite being at fault for the goal, continued his renaissance. Intelligent defending was his strength.

Kompany 8.
Carew has always caused us problems, but Kompany dealt with him really well. Another excellent performance - always first to the ball, read the game well, and combined with Toure to render Agbonlahor ineffective.

Bridge 5.
Didn't look very comfortable with Ashley Young running at him and rarely stopped his advances. Does look forward when he has the ball and offers some support to Bellamy, but remains a question defensively.

De Jong 7.
Another excellent battling display from de Jong. Didn't always use the ball very well, but I suppose that isn't his game.

Vieira 8.
His best performance for City by a distance. I go into it in more detail in my match report. His passing ability makes a vital difference to our play.

Johnson 7.
Took forty minutes to burst into life, but once he did he was very dangerous. Created two goals and warmed to his battle with Warnock. A good performance before his withdrawal.

Bellamy 7.
A goal that released all the possible nerves in the stadium added to a good positive display. Won countless corners with his running and always looked a threat.

Tevez 8.
Scurried around in a deeper position trying to affect play. Didn't always get his head up but was as influential as ever. A bit lucky with the penalty, but struck it hard enough to beat Friedel.

Adebayor 8.
A transformed player since the disaster in Cabinda. Chases every ball, challenges every header, and a constant problem for the Villa defence.

Substitutes:

Wright-Phillips (on for Johnson, 77mins) 7.
Made his claim with a breath-taking run to set up Bellamy's goal, that was Shauny at his best.

Richards (on for Tevez, 88mins) N/A.
Only had a couple of minutes, but was solid when called upon.

My man of the match: Patrick Vieira.

City 3 -1 Villa; Hansen's joyless life and the re-birth of Patrick Vieira

2010-05-02T10:17:00.008+01:00

I got back from the game last night and thought, considering the result, I'd watch Match of the Day. Only for Alan Hansen, with a mischievous grin, to declare "Villa were the better team." But don't worry, he 'treated' us to some video evidence: Collins and Dunne shuffling back and forth in tandem and some mean ten-men behind the ball pressurising. Excellent. Villa stifled well.

In some ways I feel sorry for Hansen. If a player scores a 40-yard screamer, he will react with "eee... terrible defending. If this player here [circles player] got to him quicker, then we'd all have been spared this goal." You could imagine him playing Subbuteo with his son and rearranging the game so that it is impossible to score.

Despite Hansen's words, I thought City thoroughly deserved the win. Although perhaps it is just bitterness over the demise of his beloved Liverpool.

The only worry from the first-half - this held up by their highlight package - was that Villa had three very good chances: the goal itself, Carew's shot against the bar, and Downing's drive that whistled just past the post. The goal was against the run of play and the others were the products of fairly isolated attacks from Villa. All the same, it was a concern. Villa are a very good team known for their prowess on the counter attack, so for all City's pressing, there was always going to be some danger.

I was delighted, however, with how City approached the game. This was perhaps our first game against the top-eight under Mancini (with perhaps the derby as an exception) where we set up to attack rather than contain (in Mancini's defence, in some of the earlier games he was restricted by the personnel he had to choose from). Whilst Villa sat back, primed for the counter-attack, all of City's attack asked questions of their defence - and I thought it was only a matter of time before City turned the pressure into an advantage, when Carew scored their breakaway goal.

Fulop - under perhaps the biggest spotlight of his career - looked nervous in the first half, but in the second half we were treated to a goalkeeper who is comfortable on crosses and who even likes to take the simple option and roll the ball out to feet. The weighty finger of blame may fall somewhere between him and Toure for the Carew goal, but both players made amends with solid displays after that.

Although there will always be a group of deluded people who expect Vieira to be the player who left Arsenal for Juventus, I thought he was exceptional today. For some he has already done enough to blind them against his good performances: when James Collins desperately sprawled across the floor to intercept an almost perfect through-ball for Adebayor by Vieira, the woman behind me screeched "get him off!" You can't please them all.

It's not a popular line to take but I think we play better with Vieira in the team - only because he is the only central midfield option we have (Ireland doesn't work in central midfield) that can pick a quick pass. Barry can, but he needs the time. Vieira was excellent at sitting in front of the back four, breaking up play, and releasing the forwards with his intelligent passing game. Yes, he doesn't have the legs anymore, but our midfield lacks a passer without him.

It was an excellent result against a Villa team on a good run of form, but the result doesn't change too much - we still need to win our next two games. The pressure will be immense, but this result, and the fans backing, should put us in a good position for Wednesday night. I'm feeling a bit nervous just thinking about it.

The return of the prodigal Dunne. Villa preview

2010-04-30T12:25:00.002+01:00

The press made a lot of Dunne's comments that 'the pressure is on City' - largely to create the story they want: an anguished Dunne returning to wilfully dent City's hopes and, in the press's wildest dreams, scoring an injury time winner and celebrating madly in full view of Gary Cook. But to continue the tenuous link in my title, Dunne would've been welcomed back with open arms even if his words were a little stronger. And he had full reason to make them stronger.

It is pointless to regret these decisions now but City would've been better off with Dunne this season. Dunne suffered because of what he represented in the eyes of the new management. In a period of such vast transition and overhaul, much of the moves made were to forget the recent past - and Dunne was the last reminder of those times. I remember TLDORC, at the time, using a particularly insightful phrase: "Dunne was no longer the one man stopping City from going down, but was one man slowing down our going up." This was definitely how it was seen at the time, but he has gone on to the success he deserves - culminating in his inclusion in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season. Hughes was not exactly good for the careers of defenders at City - Dunne was one of many who struggled for form under him, but he remains one of the most highly respected players the club has had for years, and I'm sure he will get the welcome he deserves.

On Dunne's assertion that City are the team most under pressure, Norfstander has written a good article on the counter argument. He rightly says that with City only getting stronger, this season could represent the best chance Villa or Spurs have of getting Champions League - especially with not only a further reinforced City side but also a potentially less-dismal Liverpool next season. Despite appearances, City have the luxury of time, Villa and Spurs maybe don't.

The other main story this week regarding this game is the goalkeeping issue. Marton Fulop has come in from beyond Sunderland's bench to play an important part in the push for Champions League. In the mould of Daniel Van Buyten, he could claim an important place in the hearts of the City fans for only a short loan cameo. I imagine he has been brought in to play rather than to cover, and he should take Nielsen's fleeting place in the side.

The injury concerns for tomorrow are Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor - my Player of the Month for April and one of the strong contenders. These would be big losses and I think the latter would mean another go at the 4-5-1 we saw at Arsenal to so little attacking threat.

Both sides are renowned for their strength on the counter attack, so we could be looking at an unlikely end-to-end excitement feast or a gridlock of caution as two teams wait for the other to make the first move. I imagine it will be the latter and therefore patience and concentration will be the watch-words of the day.

In the event of Barry and Adebayor being ruled out, there could be the following team:

4-5-1:

Fulop; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; Vieira, De Jong, Ireland; A. Johnson, Bellamy; Tevez.

Which could migrate into a 4-2-3-1 with Ireland playing in his favourite position. I have almost lost patience with Ireland this season, but this could be his sort of game - and besides the options would be limited without Ade and Barry, especially as Santa Cruz seems to have fallen onto the fringes of the bench.

City would qualify for the Champions League if they draw against Villa and win the remaining fixtures - the crunch game of all crunch games is Tottenham, of course - but a win would put City a little more at ease for that encounter, and we cannot really afford to lose.

*On a more personal note, if you are not bored of reading my views, I have had the honour of being asked to write an article for the official matchday programme tomorrow, under the regular feature "Blue Bloggers". So, if you want to know a bit more about the blog, my life as a City fan, see a few pictures, etc. then look out for me in the programme!