Manchester City FC

City 3 - 0 Fulham PL

2012-02-05T12:21:00.002+01:00

In atrocious conditions- twice the game was held up whilst staff cleared the pitch markings- City easily beat Fulham without being totally convincing. Two first half goals came courtesy of Fulham as first Johnson was brought down for a penalty by Baird and later the same perpetrator scored in his own goal from a wayward Johnson shot. The forwards, Aguero and Dzeko couldn't fashion a clear cut chance and although both covered a lot of ground, Dzeko, in particular, lacked punch where it matters in front of goal.
As a measure of the standard of football, City managed to quieten their own fans with the slowness of their build-up play, allowing Fulham to defend in depth. Silva and Nasri probed and tested but without that killing final pass. Barry was a mixture of glorious and laughable; great passes one minute and giving the ball away the next.
Not for the first time, I wonder what inspirational and game-lifting words Mancini had for his team at half time, as after the break Fulham took control for fifteen minutes. It was crucial for City to score a third to put the game beyond the visitors but poor passing and even poorer ball control, admittedly on a snowy surface contrived to thwart City and give the opposition a hope they should never have been allowed to entertain.
Finally, Aguero broke down the left, cut inside and unselfishly passed for Dzeko who scored under the keeper's legs for City's third. I couldn't help but think that Dzeko almost squandered this chance in front of goal and that would have been typical of his efforts.
New boy Pizarro came on for his introduction and did well, one great pass catching the eye. Savic, playing for the injured Kompany, had a quiet game and will have gained some confidence from another City clean sheet but is still prone to bad clearances, giving the ball away too easily.
A good win for City and if the report seems a bit negative it's only because of the high standards previously set by a team that has set the League alight.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kolarov, Lescott, Savic,
Barry, Johnson (Pizarro 88), Silva, Nasri (Milner 54)
Aguero (De Jong 80), Dzeko,

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Rekik, Clichy, Zabaleta

City v Fulham Preview

2012-02-03T13:07:00.002+01:00

City have included Tevez in the squad (max 25) submitted to the FA for the premier League games following the January transfer window. One might imagine that with Tevez having been absent since the Bayern Munich match, his inclusion is little more than complying with his contract ahead of legal proceedings. However, with City's relatively poor performance in the last two months, could he be on his way back? Certainly, if you listen to Mancini, it is unlikely, but the Premier league championship has still to be won and at the moment City's attack are finding it difficult to overcome resolute defences. Who wouldn't want Tevez to be playing instead of a luckless, Dzeko? I for one hope he does return because I still believe that part of the problem has been the manager himself. To my mind he is a poor man manager and he is not being properly advised by Platt and Kidd. I dare say that Lescott will confirm what I say after his disgraceful replacement in front of the Everton fans in the last match. Or ask Johnson about his number of starts and when he does come on he has so little time to make his mark.

City have five winnable games ahead in the league. Three at home beginning with this weekend's game against Fulham. Fulham play attractive football but lack cutting edge especially as Zamora has been transferred to QPR. Recent games give no clue to their form as a home draw to WBA was preceded by a 5 - 2 demolition of Newcastle and before that we saw them lose to Blackburn and yet beat Arsenal. It seems we will have to see which Fulham turns up on Saturday. That said, City ought to beat whoever turns up and maintain their unbeaten run but if the game is played, it is likely to be in bitterly cold conditions with a chance of snow. Even Kompany has admitted in an interview that the team does not play so well in the winter months, the free-flowing football favoured by the likes of Silva and Nasri more suited to warmer and gentler climes.
I think that if City score early on, they will go on to win comfortably but if not, Fulham may believe that they can get away with a draw. Mancini admitted after the Everton game that he made mistakes with his action plan. He certainly didn't attack the two diminutive Everton centre backs as he should have done and we have to hope that against Fulham they show more attacking intent.

City to win.

Everton 1 - 0 City PL

2012-02-01T10:32:00.000+01:00

It was a black Tuesday. City lost again and worryingly failed to score for the third time this season. They did not at any time look like the same side that started the season in a blaze of incisive attacking football. Last night, despite having most of the possession they were impotent in front of goal and sterile in the centre against a well organized and disciplined Everton defence.
Moyes set out to restrict City's chances and hoped for a break-out goal and that was exactly how the game went, as the home side scored from a rare shot on Hart's goal.
Mancini picked what looked like City's best team, probably sure that Aguero and Dzeko would use their height and strength advantage to overcome a makeshift Everton centre back duo, Heitinga and ageing Hibbert. By the end of the game there was no doubt who had come out on top as both City players hardly had a chance between them. City's attacking backs Richards and Clichy didn't get far enough forward enough times and when they did the ball was lost. It was a night of frustration that might have been anticipated as I said in my review, Everton are the masters at restricting opposition chances.

The greatest goalmouth activity of the match came from a man who handcuffed himself to Hart's goalpost and held up the game for almost five minutes.

Where do City go from here? The tossers are level on points and all the other top teams had good results but City still have the easier of the run-ins and the tossers have to visit the Etihad at the end of April. With Kompany back now and with Balotelli and Yaya Toure expected by the end of February, City need to win their next two home matches against Fulham and Blackburn and an away match at Aston Villa. It is not impossible to win all three but unless MPK management can re-invigorate the side, they might drop points. They will not re-invigorate the side if they make stupid decisions such as replacing former Everton player, Lescott, with a full back, tractor-man, Kolarov. How awkward Lescott must have felt in front of his former fans as he trudged off. It is this nonsensical player management that has caused trouble in the past and will do so again.

Losing to Everton at Goodison is not the end of the world but only three other teams have come away from Goodison with nothing this season. What is it about City, top of the league, that they cannot perform there? City have scored three times as many goals this season compared with Everton and yet lose. Whatever it is, for now, the jinx of Everton continues.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Clichy, Lescott (Kolarov 68), Kompany,
Barry (De Jong 86), Milner (Johnson 61),
Silva, Nasri,
Aguero, Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Savic, Razak, Zabaleta

Everton v City preview

2012-01-31T11:28:00.002+01:00

That Everton have enjoyed recent success in games against City is undeniable but I have a feeling that over the next few seasons they may lose that 'bogey team' label. I hope so but I recall saying that City could beat the other Mersey team last week in the Carling Cup semi and that was wrong, so why do I think that City v Everton will be any different in the future? It's not because the team's changing; it's more to do with the players. Cahill's getting older and in my opinion, Osman is not the player he was so that by the time next season arrives, despite Moyes' undoubted skills, the spell will have been broken, especially as City will have a great chance of registering a rare away win on Tuesday. Injury will mean that Everton will be without Distin, Jagielka and possibly Coleman, three key men whilst City welcome back, skipper Kompany. Without him, City have been dumped out of two Cup competitions and the team will be keen to put January and its doubtful refereeeing decisions behind them and push on for the Premiership in style.
Everton have only won three games at home this season but apparently have a great record of restricting teams to few chances. For Everton to lose by only two goals at the Etihad is proof that this may be correct because in the four home games either side of the Everton match, City hammered in fifteen goals. City have no injury problems and I hope that MPK will select their strongest team. With only sixteen games left in the season, this is no time for Mancini to be 'resting' players.
Everton will make it hard but City must win. No ifs or buts.

Liverpool 2 - 2 City Carling Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg

2012-01-26T10:27:00.001+01:00

City are out of the Carling Cup, failing to reach Wembley at the last hurdle. I had quietly expected City to win this match and the tie. That is until I saw the team sheet. Savic, de Jong, Kolarov were playing with Milner, Johnson and Aguero on the bench. It was almost as if Mancini had given up on the tie and if confirmation were needed it showed on the pitch as Liverpool showed more agression and determination from the start. With the line up chosen, City had no one to move the ball forward quickly enough and by the time City reached the Liverpool box the home team had nine players back.
That is not to say that City weren't unlucky. They were. Firstly referee Dowd failed to spot a foul on Dzeko early on when Adam pulled the legs from under the City player. At the other end, however, he had no trouble pointing to the spot when the ball ricocheted off Richard's foot on to his arm. Nobody was saying it was a penalty except the official but it stood and Liverpool equalised City's opener, a great shot from de Jong; only his second ever for the Club.
When Dzeko scored City's second from a Kolarov cross it looked as if Mancini's cautious and patient approach might pay off but for those who prefer the football to be quicker and more direct, justice seemed to be done when Liverpool equalised. It was down to City to make sure of the win with a third but they couldn't raise their game. Johnson came on too late to make a difference, his one shot being comfortably saved.
Bellamy was fantastic and for those of us that never wanted him to leave City it was a bitter moment when his non-stop effort was rewarded with the goal that sank his old club. Sad, too, for Hart who was City's man of the match, making some fantastic saves. Sadly, in front of him was a defence that lacks creditability. It must be hard for Nasri and Silva to keep the enthusiasm going when they see such chaos at the back. Savic is lacking confidence and had the second shocker in a row. Onuoah, another good and faithful player City are about to let go, should have played. Mancini let Bellamy go; is he about to make another stupid blunder by releasing Nedum?
I know that Kompany was banned but the team should have a better replacement than the Montenegro international who was truly awful. De Jong, to my mind, is just not good enough these days and should be sold. Kolarov is another journeyman player who lacks the class the Club needs. Surely we want a purring Rolls Royce performer rather than 'Tractor man'.
With Kompany now available for selection, let's hope that normal service can be resumed. He should never have been banned and while he's been away City have been knocked out of two Cup competitions. If the season is not to collapse, MPK management need to rally the troops; forget the rotation system and pick the best available players for each game, otherwise by the time they return from the Africa Cup tournament, the Toure brothers might find they've got nothing left to fight for.

Manchester City:

Hart;
Richards, Savic (Aguero, 46), Lescott; Zabaleta,
De Jong (A Johnson, 77), Nasri, Barry, Kolarov;
Silva; Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Clichy, Rekik, Milner, Hargreaves

City 3 - 2 Tottenham Hotspurs PL

2012-01-22T21:40:00.004+01:00

Phew! What a match!. Just as it seemed that City were to lose their unbeaten home record, Defoe missed a sitter from a Bale cross and City went to the other end and scored via a Balotelli penalty after he was brought down by King. Dramatic stuff for a game that began so circumspectly, both sides testing each other out, afraid to go behind. City created more chances in the first half with Aguero missing several opportunities to add to his season's tally. For the second game in a row, Dzeko seemed to interfere with one Aguero opening without ever creating a chance for himself although Silva and in particular, Nasri kept probing. Nasri is at last beginning to justify his signing, being behind almost everything good both in this game and the away win at Wigan. Spurs rarely troubled the defence in the first half with Bale and Lennon showing little adventure near the City box.
It all changed in a mad ten minutes in the second half when City broke the deadlock with a great goal, designed by Silva and executed by Nasri. Silva threaded the ball towards the goal and Nasri nipped between the centre backs to fire a screamer passed the despairing Friedel. City were two up within a couple of minutes when Lescott bundled a corner over the Spurs goal line. City were now cruising, playing great football and threatening to go on and score more, but this is City. Savic misheaded the ball backwards away from a frantic Hart who could only watch as Defoe rounded him and slot the ball home. It was another Savic blunder and he really felt it as his game collapsed, giving the ball away easily and being uncomfortable in possession. I doubt if he'll reappear against Liverpool. Bale scored a good goal soon afterwards to make it two apiece and the game looked to be heading for a draw until Savic gifted the ball to Spurs. After an interchange of passes, Bale ran clear down the left and crossed as Defoe ran in and although he got his studs on the ball it ran wide of the post. What a let off for City!
City moved the ball forward as time added ticked away and Balotelli, on for a luckless Dzeko, jinked his way into the Spurs penalty area and was comprehensively brought down by King. The referee, Howard Webb, had an easy decision and Balotelli cool as a cucumber shot the ball passed the keeper's reach.
There were large sections of the match when City couldn't find their form; the usual fluidity of play was absent as the holding midfield players, in particular, had trouble finding the killer passes. This may have been due to the absence of Yaya Toure or the fact that Spurs are one of the best sides playing in the league but in the end City found a way, thanks I believe to Nasri. Silva showed some signs of an injury and clearly isn't at his best, missing one good chance in particular.
Balotelli, apart from the penalty kick, didn't impress when he came on and the Spurs Manager believes he should have been sent off for kicking Parker. It was a ludicrous assertion because the replay showed what we saw live that Parker interfered with Balotelli and the Italian merely made contact as he pirouetted to regain his footing. We need to see more constructive play from the striker and less controversy.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Savic, Lescott, Clichy,
Nasri, Barry, Milner, Silva,
Aguero, Dzeko (Balotelli 65mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Johnson, Kolarov, Onuoha, DeJong

City v Tottenham Hotspurs review

2012-01-20T11:03:00.000+01:00

Earlier in the season we predicted a tough game at White Hart Lane and City won 5 -1 with some sensational football that didn't include Tevez. Although on the bench he wasn't called upon. Looking back, I wonder if this is the start of all that which went wrong at Bayern Munich. The win heralded what has been a great first half of the season, but crucially the second game, this Sunday, with City at home, they have a chance to make a statement of intent. Catch us if you can.
After the first match, the Manager, Mancini, said: 'only Barcelona can match us'. Maybe City weren't that good but we all knew what he meant. The team would be going for the big one-the Premiership. City now stand three points clear of the tossers and five ahead of Spurs. If City beat Tottenham and Arsenal can defeat the tossers, City will start to pull away, giving more impetus to the campaign especially as City only play Arsenal and Newcastle, in the top six, away from home in the run-in.
Tottenham are in their best form of the season and will be optimistic of getting a result against a City team that lost twice recently, to Chelsea and Sunderland, although it must be said that on both occasions, City were far the better team but didn't take their chances. Dzeko took four of them the last time these sides met and after last week's goal against Wigan, he will be raring to go and add to his season's tally. Although MPK management will have one eye on Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final against Liverpool, I believe that the best team available will play against Spurs. Nevertheless it will not be easy. In the first match, Zabaleta did a great job keeping Bale quiet but his job was made easier by City's non-stop attacking style. If fit, Richards may play. One doubt might be Silva. He hasn't been at his best recently and I believe he's been to the Canaries to see a Spanish specialist. Let's hope it's not serious and he can get back to his best. With Yaya Toure absent, the team needs the cohesion Silva provides.
Tottenham will be looking to capitalise on breakaway opportunities. By neutralising the threat of Bale and Modric, City ought to be too strong, particularly if they take their chances. They are due a few and notwithstanding any ridiculous refereeing decisions, I believe City will win

Wigan 0 - 1 City PL

2012-01-17T11:17:00.000+01:00

City got back to winning ways with a narrow win over Wigan at the DW Stadium. It was their first away win for some time and came when City needed a boost to kickstart their campaign after the disappointments of West Brom and Sunderland. City started brightly and might have scored in the opening seconds before settling down to find the old, match winning rhythm. Wigan paid too much respect to City, allowing the visitors to dominate although Moses and Rodallega looked dangerous up front. City finally made the breakthrough after about half an hour when Dzeko headed home a Silva free kick. It was Dzeko's first goal in a dozen matches and we hoped he would now go on to net a hat trick. It was not to be because of a better Wigan second half, some inept passing and appalling finishing by the City forwards that meant that the result was in doubt to the end. The manager admitted that the victory didn't look good but he was happy with the result nonetheless which puts City at the top of the league, three points clear.
With Richards injured, the line-up still looked good on paper, with Zabaleta filling in at right back. He did well on his 27th birthday. Savic had a better game without an injurous mistake this time. I feel sure he'll get better but not quickly enough to retain his place when Kompany returns. The midfield did okay without standing out; there was a lack of incisiveness in the final passes and good chances too often came to nothing because of players taking the wrong options. We can now see how important Yaya Toure is to the team.
De Jong came on for Nasri midway through the second half when MPK decided to hold on for the win. Mancini has learned his lesson from the Sunderland game when the team paid for their adventure. He was terrible; in the first three minutes he had given the ball away four times and been booked. I'm sure that he no longer feels part of the team and although one can't blame him he has to accept that the team plays in a different style this season, requiring different sorts of players. He must adapt or move on.
Again, Aguero never stopped running and had several chances to score but couldn't accept the opportunities. He was replaced on ninety minutes by Johnson, more to preserve Aguero for next weekend than to give the winger time to have a go at the tiring Wigan defence.
A win is a win. Wigan do not deserve to be at the bottom of the league and played well, particularly in the second half when they might have scored an equaliser. Hart's miraculous save earned him the Man of the Match award from TV pundit, Neville. He said that it is saves like that which win Championships. Amen to that.
The Manager should have Richards and Balotelli fit for the next match against Spurs at home. Since City thrashed them 5-1 at White Hart Lane, the Londoners have been oustanding and lie just five points behind in the table. This win will restore some confidence in the team for a match that they must win to remain credible Champions. That's a bit much, I hear you say. Not a bit of it. If City don't win, Spurs, the tossers and Chelsea will feel they have a chance to lift the trophy rather than the team that once looked so invincable.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Savic, Lescott, Clichy,
Milner, Barry, Nasri (De Jong, 72), Silva (Onuoha, 80),
Aguero (A Johnson, 90), Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Hargreaves, Kolarov, Rekik

Wigan v City preview PL

2012-01-16T10:30:00.000+01:00

A top v bottom clash tonight that is important for both clubs to win. For City it is a chance to get back to winning ways and kickstart the New Year run in for the Premiership Championship.
It is becoming clear that the Yaya Toure/ Silva partnership was and is crucial for the team's success; the key to unravelling defences and so with the former out at the Africa Cup for some weeks, MPK will have to come up with a new strategy. Two successive home defeats in the Cup games will not have helped team morale and it is crucial for Mancini to earn his money and re-invigorate his team with both words and a plan of action.
Wigan, despite being bottom club are not a bad team and will fight at the DW Stadium. It is therefore right that the defence is crucial.
There may have been some thought to put Richards alongside Lescott in the back four but I feel sure that he would have resisted such a move, believing that he now has a good chance of securing the right back position for England in the European Championships and he will not want to risk his chance by playing out of position for his Club. I believe that Savic, apart from one or two, sadly pivotal, mistakes, is gaining confidence. Like Dzeko he needs to play more because the more confident the team becomes of his ability the less, Milner for instance, will feel it necessary to spend so much time chasing back and concentrate on getting the ball forward. I thought Milner had a poor game against Liverpool and look to him and Barry to be the playmakers, feeding the ball from the middle of the pitch to those further forward. I would not play de Jong, despite his defensive qualities. Besides not being sufficiently quick thinking, I think he's lost some of his fire following the Ben Arfa incident. Perhaps the management ought to try Abdul Razak for a game or start with Hargreaves.
Hopefully Silva will be back to work his magic around the penalty box. With three big games coming up, Home to Spurs and away to Liverpool in the carling Cup 2nd Leg (Which we will win) and Everton away, we will need his guile. Aguero has played well but the team needs the like of Dzeko to start finding the net. He has all the qualities and has recently only been lacking those dual qualities of match practice and most important, luck.

City 0 - 1 Liverpool Carling Cup SF. 1st Leg

2012-01-12T12:28:00.000+01:00

The game may have been lost but City have not lost the tie and are only one goal behind for the return leg at Anfield. It CAN be won!

I didn't preview this game or last weekends FA Cup match against the tossers because quite honestly I had no idea what to say. I had no clear idea of City's team or how they would react to the absence of players that have been the bedrock of this year's performances. Indeed I will admit to some apprehension and preferred to wait and watch and see how it all turned out. Not very well, I'm sorry to say. The first half of this game was lamentable with some very poor performances. What does Mancini say to them before they take to the pitch, for heaven's sake? Thaey ought to be rocking! For some such as Savic we can make some excuse in that they have been starved of matches because although MPK say they operate a rota system the reality shows that Silva, Kompany and Yaya Toure play every game. This may also apply to de Jong but in his case, I believe he is no longer the type of player the club needs. He is a stopper but we need a player who is both a stopper and has the brain to counterattack with incisiveness. Johnson tried but again was not good enough against a well drilled and disciplined Liverpool defence. It's City who should be keeping the 'clean sheets', not the visitors. Balotelli went off because of injury which is just as well because he was awful, much more likely to be sent off than scoring. Even if he had been in goal scoring mood, the midfield of Barry and Milner were virtually anonymous with no service to the forwards. Even the commentator asked if Milner had touched the ball after half an hour. How bad was it? City's first effort on goal came after 42 minutes, that's how bad.
Things improved after the interval when, as the pundit, Hanson, said Liverpool played with a straight back nine. However, with all the possession City could not engineer much in the way of clear cut chances. Milner scooped over when given a clear shot at goal; Aguero missed when he beat the goalkeeper following a mistake by Kelly, only to blaze the ball miles over the bar.
Mancini has predicted a tough month of January. With City at home to the big clubs, however, it seemed that they had only to hold their nerve to put some space between them in the league. They have to remain positive. City are still in the Carling Cup and have a great chance to go through at Anfield. They still lead the Premier League with a huge goal difference and still have a 100% record at home. All will be well if one of the team can provide the leadership needed on the field of play. Richards led by example; he was great, but he can't do it on his own although he tried.

Liverpool's goal came from the penalty spot when Savic fouled in the area and Gerrard converted. It was just about all they did.

City 2 - 3 Tossers FA Cup 3rd Round

2012-01-09T10:15:00.000+01:00

City, the holders, crashed out of the FA Cup, beaten by the tossers in a gripping match that was decided in part, not for the first time this season, by the officials in charge. City were reduced to ten men after only ten minutes when their captain, Kompany, was sent off for tackling with both feet. Foy may think he had no other option but can it be right that the game was ruined as a contest when Kompany clearly played the ball and not the man. Nani got straight up and acted as if he had no complaint whatsoever. Not so his teammate Rooney, who immediately accosted the referee and gave him the benefit of his advice. That this player should have such influence on the game is astonishing considering his form of late has led to much speculation. He had scored after ten minutes with a header he couldn't repeat if he tried a hundred times following ten minutes of early City pressure. After the success of the tossers' first attack they had more luck with the sending off. That wasn't all. With City deflated by the double whammy, it was all going the way of the Reds so that when Rooney's penalty was well saved by stand in keeper Pantilimon, the rebound fell to the inept taker. In between, Welbeck scored the second when de Jong strangely pulled out of a challenge.
For those that thought the game was over at half time, they were surprised by a ten man City come back that almost rescued the game so that by the end it was the tossers who were more anxious for the whistle.
Kolarov scored with a great free kick soon after the restart and an excellent Aguero, who never gave up, who converted a Milner cross at the second attempt. However it wasn't enough and the tossers saw out the game.
The City line up was something of a surprise, suggesting that Mancini either didn't rate the tossers or he had downgraded the competition in his quest for the Premier league championship. With no Toure brothers due to international commitments, his hands were tied but still we had expected Hart and either Balotelli or Dzeko to start. But no; they are being saved for the Carling Cup semi-final tie against Liverpool in midweek. The team, however, fought back after the shock of the first half and came out with so much credit that the ITV pundits in the studio rounded on the arch tosser fan, Keane for being overly partisan. He countered only by saying that regardlesss of City's fight back with ten men, it was the tossers who were through to the next round. He is not wrong but why should anyone turn up to these games, in particular the fans who have spent hard earned money, when the match is in part decided by the whim of the referee and the match is not played as it should.
Might not it serve everyone better if, rather then sending a player off, he was sent, as in rugby, to a 'sin bin' for a quarter of an hour.

Manchester City:

Pantilimon,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov,
Johnson (Savic 46mins), Milner, DeJong, Silva (Zabaleta 46mins),
Aguero, Nasri (Hargreaves 81mins)

Unused subs:
Hart, Clichy, Razak, Suarez

City 3 - 0 Liverpool PL

2012-01-04T10:30:00.001+01:00

City got back to winning ways, defeating liverpool in atrocious conditions three nil to stretch their lead in the Premier League to three points. Mancini will not be pleased that Barry was sent off and will miss games but he will be pleased that the team came back from the disappointment of Sunderland to play again within forty-eight hours and win comfortably. True, Liverpool huffed and puffed and had much of the possession but they had little impact on a City defence, particularly Kompany, who held firm for another clean sheet.
City's opener after ten minutes had some luck in that Aguero's shot from distance dived under the keeper's body. The second, followed some City pressure came from a corner when Yaya Toure met Silva's corner and headed firmly home. This corner followed immediately another corner when the keeper kept out Kompany's glancing header.
Liverpool tried hard to get back into the game in the second half, especially when ex City man, Bellamy and Gerrard came on but it wasn't their night. It went from bad to worse when ten man City broke away following a Liverpool free kick and Yaya Toure was only stopped by Skytel fouling him in the penalty area. On a night when not many decisions went City's way, the refereee pointed to the spot and Milner converted.
Mancini's frustration with the referee boiled over and he raced up the touchline waving an imaginary red card in the air, hoping that Skytel might go the way of Barry. He later said that it was wrong but we all know what frustrations provoked his Italian passions.
The weather, wind and torrential rain, dictated that it wasn't going to be a great footballing night but City, at times, showed enough flair and ingenuity in front of goal to deserve their win.
Silva was rested when the win was assured and Lescott came on to bolster the defence. Johnson came on with twenty to go to replace a soggy Aguero and saw a well directed shot come back off a post with the keeper well beaten.
I need to say something about Dzeko. He covered almost every inch of the pitch, chasing, harrying and looking for space but last night he wasn't so sure in possession, letting the ball get away from him on too many occasions. He could blame the weather but I believe he needs to start more matches to give him the confidence he needs. Some will disagree but I believe he can be a match winner for City, especially if he can develope some sort of rapport with Aguero. The two don't seem to complement each other at the moment.

Two big cup matches coming up, both at home. Liverpool again in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final but before then the tossers in the FA Cup. City know they can win both matches and with the glitch of West Brom and Sunderland behind them, Mancini needs to ensure that the team run out, confident that they can meet any challenge and emerge the victors. It's nothing more than they and their glorious fans deserve

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Clichy, Kolo Toure, Kompany,
Barry, Yaya Toure, Milner, Silva (Lescott 76),
Aguero (A Johnson 72), Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, De Jong, Savic

Sunderland 1 - 0 City PL

2012-01-02T10:26:00.001+01:00

Oh dear! Despite having two thirds of the possession, City lost to the very last kick of the game, paying the penalty for failing to score for the second game in a row. Even the inroduction in the second half of players left on the bench to rest, failed to find the spark needed to break down Sunderland's well coached and disciplined defence. The 'Black Cats' ran their socks off to keep City out and had their reward with an unexpected win.
City had their chances, their best being Richards' header that came back off the crossbar but Sunderland had three clear cut chances, one of which they took. most wasteful of City's players was Dzeko who played with little self-belief, no doubt a result of spending too much time on the bench. The same might be said of Johnson who buzzed on the right wing for the first twenty minutes and then changed to the left side and disappeared. These two were playing because City play Liverpool in 48 hours and key players need to rest. De Jong started for only the second time this season and although I hoped he'd been coached to be more forward thinking, he soon showed that he'd lost none of his predisposition to pass backwards and slow down City's
attack. Sadly it showed because even when Sunderland came out, City's counter was still the same old slow build up relying on the rapier thrust finish to create chances but also allowing the opposition to get all their players behind the ball.
Mancini tells us that because the season is long he needs to operate a rotation system to keep his players fit, but it is not working. Some of his team, Silva and Yaya Toure, for instance, play every match. It calls to mind Sultan Mancini and his harem. Despite his pledge that he must treat all his wives fairly, some, his favourites, are called on more often than the others, causing frustration and unhappiness in those neglected. The outcome, if this unhappiness persists, will be demands for divorce. James Milner, despite being player of the month a few weeks ago played no part in yesterday's game and I can see him wanting a word with the boss in the New Year. I suggest he doesn't need a rest; he needs games and so do the others. The games come thick and fast now in three competitions. We shall see how it pans out but you cannot give players confidence if they sit out every match or only play ten minutes at the end.
It might have ben different if City had scored early on. They haven't done this for ages and as the matches progress, the opposition become more confident as Sunderland did yesterday. At half time, O'Neil, surely one of the best managers, exhorted his team to keep going and keep City out. "Do not lose this game one nil," he told them. The captain, after the match, told the television reporter that O'Neils words were inspirational. What did Mancini tell his players? What did he say that drove them to dismal defeat. It's not all Mancini's fault; there were some pretty abject performances. Dzeko and Johnson we have spoken about. Yaya does need a rest. His passes yesterday were indecisive, weak affairs. Nasri failed to shine and Kolarov looked like a league two player. I would play Bridge rather than Kolarov at the moment. De Jong needs to move on. I have never been a fan of his (see my past blogs) and to my mind he epitomises what is wrong when we play against massed defences. Lescott played well and should never lose his place to Kolo, unless its to play Kompany on the left.
All that said, City are still top of the league, are in all three domestics competitions and the Europa Cup. At the start of the season we would have settled for that. Sunderland is in the past. The team must regroup and begin again against Liverpool tomorrow.
Liverpool will be like Sunderland in their determination to blunt City's attack. They will run and run. City need to score early and defend well to re-establish their creditability. Now is the time!
Mancini must earn his money and his new contract by inspiring his team, involving the whole squad and showing them that he appreciates each and everyone of them.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kolarov (Richards 67), Lescott, Kompany,
De Jong (Aguero 46), Barry, A Johnson, Y Toure, Nasri (Silva 55),
Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Savic, Clichy, Milner

WBA 0 - 0 City PL

2011-12-27T16:31:00.002+01:00

By the end of the season this might not seem such a poor result. West Brom are playing well at the moment and City have not been beaten and recorded another clean sheet. With Chelsea and Liverpool being held at home, it is only against the tossers that City have lost ground and yet, one can't help but think it could have all been so different if Silva had scored early on from an easy chance in front of goal.
Again Kolo Toure was preferred ahead of Lescott, allowing Kompany to play on the left side. Zabaleta was on for the injured Richards but otherwise this looked like Mancini's strongest attacking side. Sadly for all City's possesssion they couldn't create enough clear cut chances against Albion's well marshalled defence and for the first time this season, City failed to score. In the first nine games of the season, City scored 33 goals but in the last nine this has fallen to 20. We shouldn't be surprised, the league has realised the strength of City's attack and teams like West Brom, even at home, are playing with all eleven behind the ball. Nevertheless there does seem to me a loss of sharpness in attack that was evident earlier. Perhaps Dzeko should be given an extended run as striker, resting Balotelli. Aguero, for all his movement, is missing too many chances to my mind. Mancini would argue that the players need a break but Mancini is playing Silva and Yaya Toure every game. It's a long season and he needs to keep all his squad interested and fresh, particularly when the weather is bad.
Sunderland, riding on the crest of the Martin O'Neil wave, away in five days time is City's next fixture and that will be hard fought. 48 hours later, City play Liverpool (rested for an extra day) at home in the sort of fixture congestion that the manager dislikes so much. It is a crucial time and with the tossers reaching peak form, City need to deliver 6 points with a return to free scoring ways to steady the ship as we start the secong half of the season.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Clichy,
Yaya Toure, Nasri (Barry 59mins), Milner (Dzeko 82mins), Silva,
Balotelli, Aguero (Johnson 74mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Lescott, Savic, DeJong

City 3 - 0 Stoke PL

2011-12-22T11:12:00.002+01:00

City clock up another home win and have now gone a calender year without being beaten at the Etihad. Stoke came to defend and it took City some time and a lot of patience to open the scoring. Before then, after a quarter of an hour, Johnson, now very reliable in front of goal, cut in from the right and hit the corner post after his accurate shot was partially deflected.
City had so much possession, at one point 95%, that it was only a matter of time before a neat interchange between an impressive Nasri and Silva led to Yaya Toure passing across goal for Aguero to nip in ahead of Richards to score.
The referee failed to spot a shove on Silva in the box but the ball quickly found its way to Johnson who created space and blasted the ball passed the keeper for number two. City, two up at half time, were coasting and it continued after the break. Yaya Toure was at the heart of everything, directing play with a wide range of passes in all directions, orchestrating a performance that had Stoke chasing shadows. A beautiful piece of play saw Nasri clear in the box, pulling his pass across goal for Aguero to convert for his fifteenth goal of the season. Further chances occurred, one when Aguero chipped the ball to Barry who fired on the half volley, but City were mainly content to continue passing the ball around. Further challenges lie ahead and the players were looking to stay fit ahead of the holiday season. Sadly Richards limped off before the end, a worry after his recent calf injury.

After City's third, it would have been easy for Stoke to fold but they never stopped running and chasing, and City, without over exerting themselves, were content to keep another clean sheet. The ease with which City beat Stoke, a team who have recently won four Premier League matches in a row, demonstrates the difference in the two teams and it is becoming clearer that two divisions now exist in the Premier League; the top six and the rest.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards (Savic 59mins), Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
Barry (Milner 82mins), Yaya Toure, Johnson, Silva (Balotelli 67mins),
Aguero, Nasri

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Toure, DeJong

City 1 - 0 Arsenal PL

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000+01:00

This was a full-on, red blooded Premier League match of the highest quality and Arsenal should take some credit. City squandered too many chances allowing Arsenal the luxury to believe to the end that they could get something out of a game they had no entitlement to. Aguero was mostly to blame because for all City's classy football he couldn't convert any of the chances that came his way. Luckily Arsenal were no better and with Hart in dazzling form, City were able to claim an unlikely 'clean-sheet'.
The back four played well restricting the opportunities of danger man, Van Persie and so well did Zabaleta play that the totally ineffectual Walcott was replaced halfway through the second half. Kolo Toure was preferred ahead of Lescott and he played better than on his first appearance following suspension. I think that Mancini would prefer Kompany to revert to left Centre back, making room for Kolo, especially when Clichy and Kolarov are unavailable. Lescott knows, however, that he can reclaim his position in January when the Ivory Coast brothers, Toure, will be away for the Africa Cup matches. Having said this, I actually think that Yolo, in particular, would rather stay and play for City.
For a minute after half time I thought that Mancini might actually have forgotten to stir up his his team in the dressing room but quickly City took command with a breathtaking exhibition of football that left the pundits singing their praises. Silva finally scored after good work by ex arsenal player, Nasri who passed beautifully to Balotelli who cutting in from the left blasted the ball to the keeper. He couldn't hold on and the ball squirted out to the Spaniard. Then Zabaleta had a great shot from distance come back off a post and in between, Arsenal playing their part in a pulsating match might have snatched a late equaliser.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Zabaleta, K Toure, Kompany,
Barry, Y Toure (De Jong 85), Silva, Nasri (Dzeko 85),
Balotelli (Milner 72), Aguero

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Lescott, A Johnson, Savic

City v Arsenal preview

2011-12-17T11:40:00.002+01:00

Having gone out of the Champions League and seen their unbeaten run so cruelly ended last Monday because of the referee, City need to get back to winning ways against Arsenal, ending their recent resurgence. Having beaten Arsenal recently in a Carling Cup tie, City will go into the match confident that they can maintain their one hundred percent home record.
Van Persie represents the main threat as his form since the beginning of the year has been outstanding and although Santos, Wilshire and Sanga are unavailable, Arteta, Walcott and Gervinho should play. With Clichy serving his ban after last Monday's red card, and Kolarov not recovered from his injury, Zabaleta should move to left back to allow a recovered Richards to resume on the right. This is not a match for experiment and I assume that the team will pick itself, being the same as started against Chelsea although Mancini may opt for Dzeko in place of Balotelli.
The weather forecast is for atrocious conditions which may be bad enough for a cancellation but Mancini will not want a backlog of fixtures particularly as they come thick and fast over the holiday season. Following on from tomorrow's game, City face Stoke at home which may give some relief from the tough games just played and give Mancini the opportunity to select some of the team who don't play regularly.

It's difficult to oppose City in any game but they will not want to drop points now, especially at home. City to win.

Chelsea 2 - 1 City

2011-12-16T18:35:00.000+01:00

How cruel football can be! City's unbeaten run ended by a combination of a strong Chelsea team, poor weather and a referee determined not to see what he didn't want to see.
This is the first match of the season I haven't witnessed due to a trip to Barcelona and if it's a pointer I better not miss another. Therefore I shall not describe how I saw it but record that City were simply phenomenol in the first half hour, scoring once through Balotelli after two minutes and having a blatant penalty on Silva turned down. Chelsea pulled one back when Mearelis volleyed home from former City player Sturridge's cross. After the interval, the referee, Clattenberg sent off Clichy and City's ten men tried to hold back a more buoyant Chelsea without success as the referee awarded a very dubious penalty against Lescott for a hand ball incident that never was.
So the final result was Clattenberg three, City nil resulting in a Chelsea win on the field that WAS NOT EARNED by their play.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott (Dzeko 84mins), Clichy,
Milner, Yaya Toure, Barry, Silva (DeJong 76mins),
Aguero (Kolo Toure 64mins), Balotelli

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Savic, Nasri, Johnson,

Chelsea v City Preview

2011-12-11T11:42:00.000+01:00

This will be as much a mental test for City as the physical challenge of facing one of the better teams in the Premier League. It will be played away from home, on a cold wet and windy night and seem more like a hostile north European match. In short, City need to be ready mentally with the belief that they are the best, that they are worthy champions, to overcome a Chelsea side that have seen recent victories over Valencia and Newcastle.
However, Liverpool have beaten them twice in the last month demonstrating that Chelsea are not the side they were a year or two ago and Stamford Bridge is no fortress.
I suspect that Richards will still be unfit and that Zabaleta will come in to replace Savic but otherwise Mancini will pick his best four, Kompany, Lescott and Clichy. He may feel that Drogba is getting back to his most dangerous but I doubt that he will be singled out for special attention with the manager picking his tried and tested midfield of Barry and Yaya Toure with Milner in for Nasri. Silva will play and the two up front must be Dzeko and Aguero who are showing signs of beginning to gell well, leaving Balotelli to start on the bench to come on if needed. I have no doubt that those wily two, Lampard and Terry would try to goad the Italian into excesses if he started and I'm pleased that the menace of Luiz is not available. In fact with his absence and the decline of the former two, I have every hope that City can carve out some openings, Johnson coming on in the second half to score.
Mancini will be sure to stress that although City are out and Chelsea are still in the Champions League, City should show the Chelsea faithful and the rest of Europe who are the better team. It's time to start the run up to the Holiday fixtures by showing the opposition what they can expect when City come to town.
A draw would be acceptable but a win is not impossible.
Come on City!

City 2 - 0 Bayern Munich CL

2011-12-08T10:39:00.000+01:00

Never has victory seemed more like defeat than last night. By virtue of a win over Villareal in Spain, Napoli go through to the knock-out stages and City, despite beating the Bundesliga leaders, Bayern Munich, go out. They will now compete in the Europa League with neighbours United who were also knocked out.
City are left to rue not beating Napoli at home or indeed doing better when playing away to both Napoli and Bayern Munich in matches they could have won. Mancini admits mistakes were made and I believe that they were down to him, particularly in Germany and the infamous Tevez incident. We need not dwell on it now but the side knows better now what it takes to succeed in Europe and the mere accumulaton of ten points in the mini league stage is not necessarily enough.

City's deserved win in a hard fought match came with great goals from Silva and Yaya Toure, one in each half. Although fielding a weakened side, Bayern came to make a game of it and for much of the second half commanded much of the possession without being able to make much of an impression on a firm City defence which had Savic at right back, in for an injured Richards. After some early Bayern pressure, City gradually took control but had to wait until after the half hour mark before Silva jinking to his left unleashed an unstoppable shot into the corner. Earlier, Lescott had the ball in the net from a Silva free kick but the goal was disallowed for a foul on the keeper. That the keeper had every chance when going for the ball and that Lescott won it fair and square meant nothing to an official who wasn't interested in the details of the challenge, only how his decision would be judged.
The second half began well for City with Toure finishing off a move that involved Aguero and Dzeko, both of whom had good games. The mood in the stadium changed when news from Villareal filtered through that Napoli had taken the lead. The Spanish side had held out until the sixty-fifth minute giving City a hope of a unexpected result but it wasn't to be. Napoli scored again to settle the tie and City were out.

To the future and reasons to be cheerful. City are in the Europa League, the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, The third round of the FA Cup and are five points clear in the Premier League. That's enough to be going on especially when you compare with the tossers. They are in the Europa league, are out of the Carling Cup, won't reach the fourth round of the FA Cup and hopelessly trail in the Premier League. Come on City.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Savic, Clichy, Lescott, Kompany,
Barry, Y Toure ( Balotelli 81), Silva (Johnson 83), Nasri,
Aguero, Dzeko (De Jong 77)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Milner, K Toure

It will soon be Christmas. For those of you lucky enough to be given kindles may I beseach you to go to Amazon and buy my ebook, 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' about the exploits of the City supporting landlord. You will find the details by clicking on the link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nettlesham-Tales-Saigh-Valley-ebook/dp/B004ZMBMPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323335384&sr=1-1

City 5 - 1 Norwich PL

2011-12-04T11:21:00.002+01:00

It's official! Gary Lineker, although he suggested that he shouldn't say it, has nevertheless admitted that Mario Balotelli is to be his new favourite player.
This after watching the striker score City's fourth goal with a mere shrug of a shoulder.

Kolo Toure was given a run out at the back as Lescott was rested ahead of the Champions League match against Bayern Munich next Wednesday. Nasri was given the opportunity to get last weeks return to Arsenal out of his system and he didn't disappoint, out Silva'ring Silva for most of the hour he played. Dzeko was chosen to accompany Aguero up front with Balotelli on the bench.

Norwich came to the Etihad hoping for the best but fearing the worst, setting out from the start to defend in numbers. However right at the start they might have benefited from a little City largesse as Kolo Toure and Kompany combined to present a great chance for Morison which he spurned.
Thereafter it was one way traffic with City dominating possession and territory, creating several chances for Aguero in particular to waste. However after half an hour he converted an opportunity that hardly seemed possible as he toe-poked a shot from amongst a mob of Norwich players. Despite City's efforts to double the lead by half time they couldn't find a way through the Canaries' resolute defence.
The breakthrough came within minutes of the restart when Nasri's free kick beat the defence and City's attack before Ruddy in goal realised too late the danger and by then all he could do was help the ball into the corner of the net. From then on it was only a question of how many goals City would score. City's third was scored exquisitively by Yaya toure who collected the ball inside the penalty area, switched the ball to his right foot and stroked it passed the keeper as if he had all the time in the world. Brilliant!
After eighty minutes, Norwich pulled one back when Morison outjumped Clichy at the back post but any thought of a late comeback was speedily squashed by first Balotelli, on for Aguero, and then Johnson who replaced Nasri. Balotelli's goal came when Johnson squared the ball to him and he saw his first effort blocked only for the ball to bounce up leaving him the simple task of shouldering the ball over the line. Johnson's goal in time added was one of his trademark precision strikes cutting in from the right.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Clichy,
Yaya Toure, Barry, Nasri (Johnson 68mins), Silva,
Aguero (Balotelli 71mins), Dzeko (DeJong 81mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Lescott, Savic, Milner

City v Norwich preview

2011-12-02T12:45:00.000+01:00

Following City's tough three away games in three different competitions, they will be happy to face Norwich at home. However the result may be closer than would seem obvious because Norwich have only tasted defeat five times this season, achieving a notable draw at Liverpool and playing well in their defeats at OT and at home to Arsenal. All of which would suggest that City shouldn't approach this game with any complacency.
I have detected a difference in the attitude of football commentators and managers recently. It has taken some time but now it seems that they are accepting that the biggest trial for a club this season is the visit to Manchester. Not to OT but to the Etihad stadium to face the best side in British football. "To score would be good," you can hear a manager telling his team before a game, "but try and go for the win." As the Norwich manager has reportedly said, "to turn up and try and resist the surge would be futile."

That said, City will be disappointed if they do not take their unbeaten home run to seventeen games, hoping to score at least three times to surpass the prevous record of goals scored after fourteen games, currently held by Spurs. Norwich have scored seven goals away from home whilst City have notched up nineteen in just six matches in the Premier League, conceding only three. After being rested for the win at Arsenal, Mancini should have a rested first squad available and I expect him to use them all in this game to maintain match fitness ahead of next weeks crucial Champuions League match with Bayern Munich. The only question will be whether to play Dzeko or Balotelli up front with Aguero. Both forwards will be itching to get back to scoring ways and may see this as an opportunity to increase their tally.

Despite a spirited effort by Norwich, I believe City will win and win well.

Arsenal 0 - 1 City Carling Cup

2011-11-30T10:36:00.000+01:00

Phew! What a finish to another tough game as City's patience overcame Arsenal's supercharged second half effort to win with a fabulous goal from Aguero seven minutes from time. City are now in the last four of a competition they must feel confident of winning. The other three are Cardiff, Liverpool and either the tossers or Crystal Palace.

Two days after City's last match, a Premier League game away to Liverpool, City's 'second eleven' were on show against an Arsenal team missing key man Van Persie and featuring many youngsters including eighteen year old Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The first half belonged to City as the midfield gradually took over following an opening flurry from the Arsenal. Pantilimon had a good game in goal, generally bossing his area without too many dramas and saving well from one particular shot by Oxlade-Chamberlain that was destined for a top corner. Nasri featured well on his first return to his former club, despite the boos that met his every touch. Following an injury, Kolarov was replaced by Aguero half way through the half which didn't seem to be well received by the full back. I think that MPK thought they had a better chance if they moved Nasri to the left and put Aguero on to support Dzeko who was playing well.
I don't know what Mancini says to the team at half time but not for the first time, City came out after the break half asleep. Arsenal's kids took control of midfield as Hargreaves and Nasri went AWOL. The defence was constantly put under pressure but the line held with Savic and Toure catching the eye. It was nice to see Onuoha playing again and he acquitted himself well whilst Zabaleta had a hard time against Oxlade-Chamberlain. I must say it was a surprise when the youngster was replaced near the end as he posed a constant threat.
The goal came from an Arsenal corner. Dzeko picked the ball up in his own penalty area and ran fifty yards before picking out Johnson in a forward position. he turned and with a deft flick played the ball perfectly in front of Aguero who converted with precision.

City's hard run of three away matches is over. It could have been a disaster but apart from the loss in Naples, City drew at Anfield and won at Arsenal for the first time in over thirty years maintaining their domestic unbeaten run.
City have a break now until next Saturday when they host Norwich in the Premier League. With Chelsea, Arsenal and the tossers all playing away, City have an opportunity to extend their lead and mustn't treat the Canaries as an easy touch.

Manchester City:

Pantilimon,
Zabaleta, Toure, Onuoha, Savic,
Hargreaves (Razak 79), De Jong, Kolarov (Aguero 31), Johnson, Nasri,
Dzeko.

Unused subs:
Taylor, Richards, Rekik, Bridge, Suarez.

Liverpool 1 - 1 City PL

2011-11-28T11:22:00.000+01:00

With the tossers only taking a point from their home draw with Newcastle, City can be happy to leave Anfield unbeaten, especially as they were reduced to ten men before the end. Referee Atkinson did not, as I predicted, have liverpool's Lucas earmarked for the red card but City's Balotelli who had hardly been on the pitch for ten minutes when he was dismissed for two innocuous challenges. That he had been introduced at all to replace Nasri was testament to MPK's determination to force a win, if possible.
The teams, when announced, had a couple of surprises. Following the sudden death of Gary Speed, former City man, Bellamy was excused on compassionate grounds and for City the lack of either Dzeko or Balotelli up front surprised me.
Playing towards the 'Kop' in the first half, City dominated most of the possession and much of the game and deserved their lead after half an hour when Kompany deflected a corner into the top of the net with his shoulder. However any euphoria in the City camp was quickly followed by dismay as within ninety seconds, Liverpool were level courtesy of a Lescott own goal. An Adam's shot from distance was going wide until deflected by the unlucky defender who otherwise had another good game. This piece of ill-luck completely changed the game. Whereas before City seemed in charge, afterwards Liverpool seemed to gain in belief as City rued their luck. Within minutes of their equaliser, Adam had a good shot saved by Hart's legs as
they pressed forward looking for a half-time lead. Right on the end of the half Aguero, who had a disappointing game, overall, had a chance at the near post after being put through by Silva. City held out but after the break and with Liverpool playing towards their favourite 'Kop' end they continued their ascendancy as City's midfield lost their grip. However, MPK never gave up believing they could win and after an hour brought on Balotelli to provide the moment of magic that would turn the game.
The referee however had another idea and reducing the blues to ten men consigned the game to a rather one sided assault on Hart's goal. City's keeper, however, was outstanding making great saves from Suarez, who pathetically spent most of the game on his back, and Carroll, in particular, to keep the scores level.
Silva had a chance to snatch a victory when Dzeko burst clear, squared a great pass into Silva's path only for the Spaniard to take too long to control the ball so that by the time he unleashed his weak shot there were three defenders on the line. If only...

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Clichy, Lescott, Kompany,
Milner, Barry, Yaya Toure, Nasri (Balotelli 65), Silva (Kolo Toure 90),
Aguero (Dzeko 83)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, De Jong, A Johnson

Liverpool v City preview

2011-11-25T10:09:00.001+01:00

A look at recent Liverpool results will show they have not been playing well at home recently. Away wins at Chelsea, West Brom and Everton have been mixed with draws at home with Swansea, Norwich and the tossers. This hardly suggests that they will interrupt City's progress in the Premier League, so why am I so nervous of this fixture?
If City had beaten Napoli, as they should, I would be more hopeful but the confidence of the team must have been effected by the result and their apparent vulnerability, especially at the back. This will be emphasised because whoever plays at right back will have to cope with a buzzing Bellamy who will be keen to show MPK what they are missing. If Richards is given the task of covering Bellamy, he will want to take the opportunity to show that he's a better player than his rival for the England shirt, Johnson. Many fans have been critical of the management for playing Zabaleta and Kolarov in such a high profile match but in truth the problem was more up front than at the back. If City had scored three as they always capable we would have
been through to the next stage of the Champions League. To start with both Dzeko and Balotelli was, to my mind, a mistake, especially with Aguero on the bench. Now fully refreshed from the travel and hassle of international duties, I expect to see the Argentinian start alongside one of the strikers. There will be no respite for Silva and Yaya Toure who can expect to start with Barry in for de Jong. The Dutchman looks to me as if he's been coached to play with a more forward thinking style. It doesn't come naturally but there has been signs that he's looking to find forwards running into space ahead of him. I hope I'm right.
If Bellamy is the threat on the wings, Suarez will be the danger up front. His mercurial style is not unlike Silva's with his darting runs and deft first touches. Kompany and Lescott are going to have to be extra careful to restrict him down the middle, being wary of conceding free kicks and penalties, whilst City's lack of heading ability at the back will give Carroll some hope of getting on the end of some crosses.

I notice that the referee is going to be Atkinson. He was in charge when Liverpool played Everton, sending off Jack Rodwell, possibly as a result of seeing the same player, the week before, hammering Silva and 'marked his card' before the game. He may also have seen the way that liverpool's Lucas was overly aggressive in his challenges against Chelsea last weekend and therefore, might we see him sent off with a straight red against City? We shall see.

The atmosphere at Anfield will be electric. City should try to get off to a fast start to quiet the crowd but lately they haven't been in the game for the first twenty minutes. I fear that it will be Liverpool who will start the better and it is this that worries me most. The thought that City will go behind and have to 'chase the game'. However, if they are patient, play their usual passing style, they will score against Liverpool's defence. A decisive victory will restore their spirit and MPK management should insist that City go for the jugular.

Napoli 2 - 1 City CL

2011-11-23T11:09:00.003+01:00

It all looked so possible before the game. That City would win and qualify for the knock out phase of the Champions league seemed a matter of destiny now that they had settled into European competition and following a good run at home.
This morning, although there is a chance that they might go through if City beat Bayern and Villareal hold Napoli, it all looks so different. I don't know whether it's the travelling, the concentration of games or what but the City that played last night was not what we have come to expect. Some of it might be laid at the MPK management decision to start with both Dzeko and Balotelli when the game cried out for Aguero whose father-in-law played for the Italians. They couldn't be blamed for the restrained performance from Silva and Yaya Toure. It wasn't that they didn't try, it was more that for all their effort, the made little impact against a solid defence which seemed to put five or six men on every City player on the ball. Even Milner found it tough to make an opening.
After a promising first ten minutes by City, Napoli took the lead against the run of play when a shot from a tight angle somehow eluded two City defenders and creeped in via Hart's knee at the near post. The goal knocked back City but they managed to draw level towards the end of the half when Balotelli tapped in. If we hoped for a rejuvenated City in the second half we were disappointed. Napoli again scored and could have had more as MPK stubbornly refused to change the line-up as the match came to its conclusion. Defensive minded de Jong was finally replaced with twenty minutes to go but we had to wait until ten minutes from the end to see Aguero and even less time for Johnson to make a difference. It is bizarre how MPK expect players to make an impact with so little time, especially as it was clear to see that the formation wasn't working a long time before the end!

If City do get knocked out of the Champions League they will still be in the second competition, the Europa League but it is little consolation. The danger for City is that they take this defeat forward to next weekend's away match against a flying Liverpool side.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Kolarov, Zabaleta (A Johnson 85), Kompany, Lescott
Milner, Silva, De Jong (Nasri 70), Y Toure,
Dzeko (Aguero 81), Balotelli

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Clichy, Richards, Barry

City 3 - 1 Newcastle United PL

2011-11-20T12:44:00.000+01:00

Mancini worried that the two week International break might have disrupted his team's fluidity. To the extent that the team selection was necessarily influenced by tired players, it was, but City still managed to overcome a stiff test posed by the Geordies and continue their unbeaten run. Eleven wins from twelve games is a new record for the Premier League.
As has happened in previous home games it takes City a while to get going and this time it was forty minutes into the game before City took the lead. Before that, Newcastle or the 'Barcodes' as I might come to call them after their shirt design, could have taken the lead when Ba was put clean through, only for Hart, a spectator for most of the game, to clear. At the other end, the refereee had no option but to award City a penalty when a defender's hand blocked Yaya Toure's attempt on goal. An arrogant looking Balotelli strode up take the penalty and, cool as you like, stroked it passed the mesmerised goalkeeper. Newcastle might have felt aggrieved to be down at half time but worse was to follow. City's good passing, possession and
alround flair combined to put the ball into the box where Man of the Match, Richards took advantage of a rare slip in the Toon's defence to nip the ball into the back of the net. Great play by the full back, strangely ignored by the English Management, who had constantly exploited room on the right to run into menacing positions.
After half time, Ben Arfa had a chance to pull one back for Newcastle but his effort came back off the post. However, one always felt that City were the most likely to score and when a second penalty was awarded following a foul on the flying Richards, the crowd expected City to go on a score a hatful. With Balotelli replaced by Silva, Aguero scored from the spot, setting up the hoped-for strong finish. However, it all went flat and whether or not it was the tiredness or the substitutions, the game seemed to be going through the motions. Newcastle players however have some pride and although they had chased all afternoon they still had the energy to push forward and score a consolation goal two minutes from time.

It should be noted that such was the professionalism shown by both sets of players, not one card was issued in the match. Well done all.
Importantly, it seems that no City player suffered serious injury and all will be fit for selection against Napoli in the Champion's League on Tuesday. For some of the players, too much travelling will be the biggest threat to the team's performance.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
De Jong, Y Toure (Barry, 84), Milner, Nasri,
Aguero (A Johnson, 75), Balotelli (Silva, 69)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, K Toure, Kolarov, Dzeko

City v Newcastle PL Preview

2011-11-14T22:07:00.001+01:00

What a month we have to look forward to! Following a home game against the Premier League's only other unbeaten team, Newcastle United, City have three away games against strong opposition in three different competitions.
v Napoli in the Champions League.
v Liverpool in the Premier League.
v Arsenal in the Carling Cup.

Mancini is keen to win them all for different reasons. A victory against Napoli will ensure City progess to the knockout phase of the Champion's League. Victory against Liverpool will maintain their important unbeaten run in the Premier League and reinforce City's status as one of the top four in UK football. Victory against Arsenal would be a double whammy. It would be a confirmation of City's growing superiority and also knock back an Arsenal squad who have recovered some self belief after their drubbing at the swamp.

First though, we have the Geordies. Ex City player, Barton, maintains that anybody could manage this good a City side and I have some sympathy with the sentiment but his comments will have served to fuel the team's desire to demonstrate that they are as one behind the Manager, Mancini.
Newcastle last dropped a point away from home in mid September. Since then they have won at Stoke and Wolves. However, apart from a home draw against Arsenal at the beginning of the season, and Spurs in the middle of October, they haven't met any of the other top clubs. They have only scored seven goals in five away matches which hardly looks sufficient against a City side that have scored sixteen in five exhibiting a style of play that suggests they can score at will.
After City, Newcastle will play the tossers and Chelsea. They will know more about their team after that run but manager Pardew will want to start the sequence by maintaining his unbeaten run. He will therefore pack the midfield and hope to stifle the creativity of City stars who have traversed the world with their international teams. Hopefully it will not work and City will begin their own important couple of weeks with a win that will continue their amazing record.

Tevez

2011-11-14T21:34:00.002+01:00

I have until now assumed that the Tevez problem was one of gross misunderstanding, born of the MPK style of people mismanagement and entertained the hope that he would be welcomed back into the City team. I have now reluctantly had to conclude that Tevez, having gone to Argentina, contrary to Club orders, has burnt his bridges and should never again wear a City shirt. It's a shame because he was a great player for City last year, being the premier League's top scorer.

QPR 2 - 3 City PL

2011-11-09T18:01:00.000+01:00

Three outstanding goals were enough to defeat a spirited QPR side who believed, to the end, that they could get something from this game. It was also satisfying to see that much of the home team's best work came from two ex-City players, Barton and Wright-Phillips.
That City conceded two goals would have disappointed the manager, who no doubt felt that Savic is not yet good enough to take over from the banned Kompany but with Hart making some good saves and the ball hitting the woodwork twice it was no more than Rangers deserved.
After QPR went ahead when Barton's cross was headed home, they could have extended their lead with two good chances but City equalized when Milner threaded a great pass along the left touchline to Dzeko. He danced inside, wrong-footing each of the defenders, to make room for himself and finished clinically.
Despite early QPR pressure after the break, Dzeko, on the left, turned provider to feed Silva whose first touch took him passed two defenders and into space where he beat the keeper, low on his right hand.
QPR came back to equalize after some great work by Wright-Phillips, no doubt keen to show Mancini what he's missing. But City weren't to be denied when a quarter of an hour from time, Yaya Toure rose above the defence to powerfully head home Kolarov's pinpoint cross. Despite QPR's spirited attempt to get level, City held on to secure the three points.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Savic, Lescott, Kolarov,
Barry (Balotelli 75), Yara Toure, Milner, Silva,
Aguero (Johnson 68), Dzeko (Kolo Toure)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Clichy, Zabaleta and Nasri,

Villareal 0 - 3 City CL

2011-11-03T15:08:00.007+01:00

City, after a good solid performance, become the first British team to win at Villareal. The win was a professional and accomplished demolition of a side, hit by injuries, but set up to defend.
Squad rotation was again evident with the starting eleven, although the choice of Savic owed more to the imminent ban of red carded Kompany, starting with the game against QPR at the weekend. Villareal managed to keep City out for half an hour when Yaya Toure was fed by the mercurial Silva on the edge of the area. He feigned to the left causing the defence to split and drifted into the resulting gap and shot low into the right hand corner. With the first half coming to a close, Balotelli raced into the box and was brought down by two Villareal defenders who pleaded their innocence in vain. A replay showed the decision to be good but it was of no concern of Balotelli who calmly converted from the spot.
Villareal ran a good deal in the second half but they were chasing shadows as City took command. It's a measure of the change in City's fortune that in the old days two up would not normally give the supporters peace of mind but now it's a score that's part of an upward progression. One always felt that City were the side most likely to score but we had to wait another twenty minutes before Balotelli found Yaya Toure in space just outside the box. He shrugged off the challenge of two defenders before calmly beating the keeper in the bottom left hand corner. Brilliant finishing from a man in total control.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kompany, Savic, Clichy,
Yaya Toure (Aguero 74mins), De Jong, Nasri, Silva (Johnson 65), Milner,
Balotelli (Kolarov 82mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Lescott, Barry, and Dzeko

City 3 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers PL

2011-10-31T10:09:00.000+01:00

For those, including me, who thought or hoped this match would be another goal fest, it was a reminder that the Premier League is a tough competition. Mancini made widespread changes from the team that beat Wolves easily in the Carling Cup, last Wednesday, but with Villareal next week, he was able to rest Milner and Balotelli, both on the bench, playing Dzeko and Nasri who both did well. Aguero's game was understated but he played an important part in two of City's goals and having his own good efforts well saved by the Wolves keeper. City dominated the first half with Hart a virtual spectator, whilst Hennesey at the other end made great saves from Aguero, Dzeko and Silva to keep the scores level.
Shortly after the start of the second half Aguero dispossessed the Wolves' keeper, the ball falling in the path of Dzeko who had a simple tap in. For the second after the hour, he passed to Silva whose shot was parried by the keeper into Kolarov's path and the full back made no mistake. City's third came at the end of the game with City down to ten men, when substitute, Balotelli, broke clear on the left before crossing to Yaya Toure who turned inside and found Johnson whose calm and measured shot unerringly found the bottom of the net.
Before that, Wolves pulled one back from the penalty spot when Kompany was shown a red card for pulling back an attacker after Hart, not for the first time this season, failed to hold on to a low shot.
The referee played a major part in this game awarding sixteen fouls against City and only three against Wolves. Although he was correct in awarding Wolves a penalty late on he was wrong not to award one to Dzeko who was almost throttled in the first half when trying to rise for a cross. Doesn't seem credible, does it?

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompnay, Lescott, Kolarov,
Barry, Yaya Toure, Nasri (Balotelli 70mins), Silva,
Aguero, Dzeko (Johnson 63mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Milner, and DeJong

City v Wolves Preview

2011-10-28T11:56:00.000+02:00

These are exciting times for City supporters. It is easy to imagine that each time City play they are going to score goals- and lots of them. In fact some journalists are speculating that City might beat the current record of goals scored in a 38 game league season, held by Chelsea with 120. Mancini has emailed his staff telling them to keep their feet on the ground; that the season has only just begun and much needs to be done between now and May if they are to achieve their objectives.
Mancini is in a position that Mick McCarthy of Wolves can only dream of. Having seen his side beaten convincingly by City's second team, he must wonder how to approach this weekend's game when he is likely to face Balotelli, Aguero and Silva. Wolves have played four away games this season and lost two of them, but my guess is that although he would like to take the fight to City, he will go for damage limitation and attrition, hoping that his goal difference column will not suffer alarmingly. Wolves have not won a game since August and their forthcoming fixtures make dire reading. After City, Wolves are at home to Wigan and then face three away fixtures at Everton, Chelsea and the tossers with Sunderland in the middle. No wonder that McCarthy would like to take something from the Etihad.
City will be able to field a full squad but Mancini might already have an eye on next Wednesday's fixture against Villareal and again field a 'reserve' team. Another sell out crowd at the Etihad would love to see their stars but they may have to wait until the visit of high flying Newcastle to see them all.
Whoever Mancini picks they should beat a Wolves side who have only scored three goals away from home this season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - 5 City Carling Cup

2011-10-27T10:34:00.000+02:00

I suppose the biggest surprise of the evening was that City didn't add to their score in the last thirty minutes of the game. True, Wolves upped their game and to be fair looked quite good but you can't help but think that City took their foot off the pedal to some extent.
Nonetheless the five goals they scored here to add to their six at the weekend is impressive, especially when you see the line-up. With most of the first team rested, last night was an opportunity to give the rest of the team a game. Johnson for one took advantage, scoring City's first with an excellent strike after being set up by Dzeko. He then made the next two, first with a glorious through ball for Nasri who scored from the edge of the box with a clinical strike. When Johnson's cross gave Scapuzzi a chance to strike, the ball rebounded to Dzeko who made no mistake. In the space of four minutes, City had scored three goals and Wolves who had opened the scoring after eighteen minutes must have wondered what had hit them. In fact Wolves had started brightly and McCarthy must have been contemplating an easy half time team talk before the blue tide turned.
After the break, City soon went four up when Kolarov was put clear on the left by a great Savic pass. Nasri shot was parried into the path of Scapuzzi to bundle over his first senior goal for City. City's fifth was a great move from right to left via Nasri who found Scapuzzi in space. His cross was intercepted by Dzeko who made no mistake.
Wolves scored a second after a good move on the left, but the game was effectively over.
I thought Pantilimon did well enough. He had no chance with the two Wolves goals and seemed confident, a goalkeeper's biggest asset. The back four, especially Kolarov played well and Savic will force his way into the first team before the end of the season.
When asked about Johnson's Man of the Match performance, Mancini merely said he must do better, meaning that his defensive work could be improved. Johnson is the side's only out and out winger and I fear that he isn't likely to feature much in the manager's plans, particularly since, Milner and Richards are so impressive on the right.

Mick McCarthy must be wondering what he can do at the Etihad next weekend. For sure he must be looking forward to having the fixture out of the way, hoping that his goals difference column isn't too badly damaged. It will be no surprise therefore if he opts for a defensive set up aiming to frustrate City's attack. One can't help but think that City must win the game but must guard against complacency.
These are good times to be a City fan. It was good to hear Mike Summerbee last night, enjoying another glory night and extolling the managership of Mancini. Long may it continue.

Manchester City:

Pantilimon,
Zabaleta, K Toure, Savic, Kolarov,
de Jong, Razak (Milner 85), Nasri (Suarez 65), Johnson,
Scapuzzi (Rekik 74), Dzeko.

Unused subs:
Taylor, Onuoha, Bridge, Balotelli.

Tossers 1 - 6 City PL

2011-10-24T10:32:00.003+02:00

Today will live in the memory of many City fans all their days.

First, I must say something about the Manager, Mancini. Many City fans have already embraced him as a messiah following this year's FA Cup win and qualifying for the Champions League. This he achieved whilst admitting he didn't have the team he needed to play the sort of football he wanted to play.
With his summer signings, he has effected the change from a more defensive side with de Jong at the centre to a more attacking formation with Yaya Toure orchestrating the midfield. The change has been dramatic with City dropping only two points in nine matches and scoring more goals, 33, than any other team have managed in the history of the Premier League at the same stage. There are some and, up to now I'm one of them, who argue that he ought to be successful with the squad he has and the money the owners have spent. There have been other issues, notably his man management skills, particularly after the Tevez affair. However, it is time to look afresh at his position and following today's convincing win, I'm beginning to believe he is the man for the job. It's not only his team management that is beginning to blossom. The man has humility. He is as gracious when winning as he is in defeat, keeping a sense of proportion when others would go ballistic. After today's match he reflected that no matter who City were playing and the manner of the victory, it was still only three welcome points.

Today's win was phenomenal. Make no mistake, the sending off of Evans contributed but City had so many chances to extend their lead in the match I believe they would have won anyway. Mancini signalled his intention from the start by having the confidence to pick Balotelli. I would have thought that caution was a better option but not Mancini even after the Italians fire-raising escapade of the night before.
The first goal, a brilliant shot into the corner of the net by Balotelli silenced the United fans who had seen their team in the ascendency for the first twenty minutes. Thereafter City were the better of the teams and comfortably saw out the remainder of the half, creating more chances and smothering all United's efforts.

If the United faithful were hoping for a resurgent red effort they were soon disappointed after Evans was sent off for pulling down Balotelli who was through on goal. With the tossers down to ten men, first Balotelli and the Aguero finished off two sublime moves on the right. Balotelli's second followed a superb interchange between Silva and Milner who had another fantastic game. He is rapidly becoming City's player of the season for me.
The tossers pulled one back when Fletcher's effort went beyond Hart's reach but City weren't finished. Three more goals in the last ten minutes sealed Uniteds worst home defeat since the fifties.
The fourth from a corner on the left (almost the only goal scoring move from the left) which was headed on by Barry. With the tosser's defence in total disarray, Lescott pulled it back from the far post for substitute Dzeko to knee home unopposed. Silva scored the fifth, racing in from the right to slot home between the keeper's legs. The best and sixth was kept for last in the dying seconds. Silva, on the halfway line, flicked the ball up in the air and on the volley calmy dissected the tosser defence with a measured fifty yard cross to an advancing Dzeko. He didn't have to break step to collect the ball and slam it past the advancing keeper. Pure class.
We have in the past speculated that the tosser's biggest weakness was Evra at left back- I remember hoping that Wright-Phillips might exploit this avenue of attack- and today it was proved right with Milner and Richards combining so effectively. It helped that the tosser's kept trying to attack and therefore leave themselves open to the counter but in truth this was a demolition job by a team that played football at a level rarely seen in an opposition at OT before.

City are now favourites to win the Premier League. A bit early for that, I think, but after today, every team in the land will fear both the trip to the Etihad or a visit from the 'blues', no matter in what competition. Wolves beware!!!

Watch the highlights by clicking on the link below:

http://bcove.me/itfjl1n6

Team:

Hart;

Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy;

Barry, Milner (Kolarov, 88) ; Aguero (Nasri, 74), Y Toure, Silva;

Balotelli (Dzeko, 69)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, K Toure, Zabaleta, De Jong

Rewind: United v City 1970 part II

2011-10-20T17:37:00.000+02:00

Rewind: United v City 1970 part II

Tossers v City Preview

2011-10-20T17:31:00.000+02:00

And so to the big one! So far this season, City have played- and thrashed- only one of the top six clubs, Spurs. Although they have won all but one of their other games, Fulham pulled back City's two goal lead and Bolton put up a fight, forcing City to score three to win. The point is, that as Bayern Munich amply demonstrated, City like to dominate and if they can't they struggle. Time and time again we have seen City put under pressure with tight marking and I believe we will see that again at OT.
To my mind the key is the first goal as we saw with Everton. With tight marking, Silva, for instance, was shackled but as soon as City scored the game opened up. I believe it will be the same in the Derby game. If the tossers score first, City will need all their character to prevail. If, however, City score first, they might win comfortably because I believe that man for man they are the better team. Only Nani, to my mind, would find a regular place in the City side.

Who will start for City? Richards should return and I believe Kolarov will start. If City take the lead he can always be replaced. The overriding priority for the back four should be defending nearer the centre line, not the penalty area, and clearing the ball. None of this fancy back passing, effing and farting about in front of Rooney and Cha cha cha. They will pounce on any mistake and punish us, particularly in the nth minute of added Fergie time.
The centrefield is more difficult. Barry has played well recently and ought to start alongside Yaya Toure. Again de Jong should be held back because, regardless of what his fans say, he is prone to looking back rather than forward. Up front I would start with Dzeko and Aguero, backed up by Milner-City's best player at the moment- and Silva. Why Dzeko? We need his height and we need the skill he showed against Spurs at the start of the season. His stupid substitution, the result of MPK's poor man management, against Bayern cost him his place and undermined his confidence. I fear that Balotelli will be goaded into misdemeanours, possibly giving Clattenberg an excuse for sending him off. It would be prudent to save him until the second half.
There have been noises today that Mancini's attitude to Tevez is softening. It might be that the management may have to admit that they must bear some responsibility for misunderstanding the situation in Munich. Could it be that this Sunday we may see Tevez on the bench for City? With City leading the league by two points it is not the time for needless wrangling over semantics but pulling together to make it a match to remember for a famous victory. Besides, with City fans feeling that the Argentinian has let them down it would be better to reintroduce him at an away game, particularly if he could shine. Let's face it he is too good a player to let go so easily and as I've said before, he always gives one hundred percent on the pitch.

City will expect the tossers to come out with all guns blazing. They can't let them take control and should look to strike on the counter early. They have the players to do this, none better than the Englishmen, Milner and Barry who can show their illustrious international colleagues the merits of true grit and determination to reach the peak and STAY there.

Come on City!!

Rewind: United v City 1970

2011-10-20T12:09:00.000+02:00

Rewind: United v City 1970

City 2 - 1 Villareal CL

2011-10-19T09:59:00.002+02:00

City won in the last seconds with a last gasp effort when substitute, Aguero, converted a Zabaleta cross following a sweet pass from another substitute, Milner. It was not a good display by any means but City had chances in a game they had to win to stay in the competition. With Napoli and Bayern drawing, City are still in third place in the group but well in touch.

City went behind as early as the fourth minute when for the third time in this competition, Hart failed to hold on to a shot and the opposition were the first to react. Once more the goal was due to defensive laxity, this time initiated by a poor Silva pass. It was exactly what Mancini didn't want and City struggled to find a way through a well drilled Villareal defence despite having much possession. On forty minutes, however, the crowd were surprised when winger Johnson was replaced by midfielder Barry. As Mancini explained later, the strange move was designed to allow Toure to get forward more to support Dzeko who was struggling to hold the ball. Whatever, within minutes City were level when a defender, under pressure from Dzeko, put the ball in his own net from a good Kolarov cross. The left back was often City's most prominent attacker.

City level at half time were expected to take command but as in the Bayern game they failed to do so. Indeed it was Villareal who looked the more likely to score from their breaks, Rossi forcing another fine save from Hart although he again could do no more than parry the shot. This lack of zeal in the second half, not only here but at Munich, must be attributable to the MPK management's half time talk. What are they doing different, after all they have come back several times from sterile nil-nil first halves to score four times in the second?
For me, Nasri again looked as if he didn't know what he was meant to be doing and Silva had a rare off day following much praise in the world media in the pre-match 'build-up'. Perhaps the two shouldn't be on the same pitch at the same time. City looked more dangerous when Aguero replaced de Jong and Toure dropped back but the introduction of a purposeful Milner for Nasri was the crucial move. Immediately he was buzzing all over the pitch leaving the spectators wondering why he wasn't on earlier.
Dzeko had a chance to shine last night and didn't take it. His ball control was lamentable and his finishing woeful. Often he was isolated up front but he seemed unable to keep possession of the ball until support arrived. The problem, I believe, is down to the MPK team who had a happy player scoring goals (four against Spurs) and then dropped him for no good reason. He will recover his scoring form but he needs to be better managed although I fear that Mancini's 'love affair' with Balotelli might preclude any meaningful involvement.

City are back in the Champions League. They have won for the first time ever in the competition and can progress from here, starting with the away fixture at Villareal. Villareal will feel hard done by yesterday but they can be beaten by City in Spain.

Mancini will be happy this morning. With that match successfully out of the way he can now look forward to the game against the tossers on Sunday, hopefully with a full squad to choose from.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov,
DeJong (Aguero 61mins), Yaya Toure,
Nasri (Milner 80mins), Silva, Johnson (Barry 40mins), Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Richards, Savic, Clichy

City 4 - 1 Aston Villa PL

2011-10-16T12:03:00.003+02:00

Aston Villa will be pleased to get this fixture out of the way. Today City welcomed a team which fielded three old City favourites, Given, in goal, Dunne and Ireland.They were well beaten today by a City team that was set up differently but were still able to steamroller the opposition. The back four were a tried and tested combination, and the holding backs of deJong and Barry were a reminder of last season's solidity. Balotelli started up front but Yaya Toure was unusually up there with him. Johnson started on the right to give City some width and Milner who had a quieter International fortnight than Silva or Nasri.
After a quiet start during which Villa almost scored following a Lescott blunder, City began to find fluidity in their play and took the lead after some intense possession based pressure.
A corner kick fell to Balotelli, six yards out and he scored expertly with an overhead kick. He immediately went to the Villa fans to celebrate after their earlier taunting of him. One nil at half time but the lead was doubled with two minutes of the restart when Johnson took advantage of a Villa defensive blunder to put the ball beyond Given. The third, from a corner, came soon after when skipper Kompany headed home. The fourth was a gem, started and finished by Milner. He crossed a peach of a ball to Johnson, fifty yards at least. Johnson brought the ball inside before passing to Barry who in turn moved the ball square to an advancing Milner who hadn't stopped running. He met the ball first time and curled it into the top corner with Given rooted to the spot. Pure magic! In between City's third and fourth, Villa scored after a defensive lapse, City's first conceded goal at home this season.

City were too good for Villa and the win was comfortable. City have yet to face one of the other big four and we will not know how good they are until next week's match against the tossers. All we know is that in their only match against strong opposition, Bayern Munich, away, they failed after going behind.

After the fixture list was published, I wrote on 17th June:
'As I look at the early games, I feel that City have an ideal opportunity to get to the top of the table early on and establish their credentials as Premiership contenders. The opener against newcomers Swansea is a must win and City showed so much superiority over Bolton away in the last game of last season that they must be confident of repeating the win. Two wins out of two will mean they go to Spurs full of confidence, hoping to find the second half form they showed in the corresponding fixture last year. There follows four winnable matches before visiting the tossers at Old Trafford. Looking at the tosser's fixtures it is entirely possible that by the time they meet, City will be above them in the league.'

It has worked out exactly as I predicted, as City top the league.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards (K Toure, 64), Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
De Jong, Barry,
A Johnson (Hargreaves, 77), Y Toure (Silva, 64), Milner, Balotelli

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Kolarov, Nasri, Dzeko

City v Aston Villa PL preview

2011-10-13T21:49:00.000+02:00

Aston Villa visit the Etihad stadium this weekend unbeaten although they have, so far, only played Newcastle above them in the league. They have won two of their seven matches and drawn the rest. This record hardly suggests that they are a match for City playing at home but the City team that so well dismantled Blackburn hasn't played together for a fortnight.
The International two week break seemed to last for ever but the end is in sight. Mancini reports that all his team have returned free from injury which is a bonus and he said that Aguero will be ready for Villa or perhaps even more ready for Villareal.
The main interest still lies with Tevez. If, as it seems, Mancini insists that Tevez has played his last match for City, I for one will be sorry. I'm convinced that the confusion was caused by baffling and frankly stupid substitutions by Mancini's team and language problems rather than Tevez's attitude. He has always given one hundred percent on the field and City fans should remember that. I cannot believe that he wouldn't play for City when asked. I think that the whole matter has been made worse by Tevez's agent, a man who seems to have only one interest-himself.
Back to Villa and an opportunity for City fans to see old favourites, Richard Dunne and Shay Given. Stephen Ireland might also feature for Villa. However the main threat to City will be the forwards, Agbonlahor and Bent who have at times this season looked impressive. I believe that City, possibly with both Balotelli and Dzeko starting, can score despite Villa defending deeply, but will have to guard against quick break outs by Villa. Johnson has played well recently, scoring a great goal against Blackburn. It may have been enough to prove to Mancini that he can give much needed width to the attack and leave either Nasri or Milner on the bench.
The computations for Mancini-even with no Tevez-are endless. I believe that Villa will not be able to score more goals than a City side buzzing with confidence and I look to them to disappoint their old teammates and send them back to the midlands empty handed.

Blackburn Rovers 0 - 4 City PL

2011-10-02T12:44:00.000+02:00

Before looking at City's fine away demolition of the Rovers, a word about Rodwell's dismissal in the Liverpool Derby. Most people are astonished that he was sent off for what appeared to be minor offence. It was true that he was off his feet but in all other respects it hardly warranted red, especially for a first offence of the day. What was ref Atkinson doing? Could it be that he'd seen Rodwell's hatchet job on David Silva the weekend before and had him down as trouble before this week's match had begun. I just wonder!!!

Coming after the midweek disappointment of Bayern Munich, this was a welcome result for connected with Man City, not least because MPK management have recognised the need for width in combating the Napoli defences they now face each game. Johnson and Balotelli started on the right and left respectively although an injury to Aguero after twenty five minutes forced the Italian to the centre as Nasri took up station on the left. That Blackburn held out for fifty-six minutes was good for Kean's men particularly as Balotelli, looking sharp throughout, had three reasonable chances before half time. City were dominant throughout the match, barely allowing the Rovers any attempts on goal. Yaya Toure, under no threat whatsoever had a good game, as did the recalled Lescott. The Centre Back should never have been dropped for the Bayern match because Kolo Toure should be made to fight for his place. My prediction about Zabaleta and Kolarov was proved correct and both played well in both defence and attack.

The first goal after fifty-six minutes came as Johnson latched onto a ball thirty yards out, brought it quickly under control and fired it into the top left hand corner of the net reminding me of his last minute equaliser against Sunderland. Brilliant. Within two minutes City were two up as Nasri's cross was expertly turned in by Balotelli from waist high. Nasri had his reward, scoring his first City goal after a good interchange with Silva. City weren't finished and with a couple of minutes left, Savic, on for Johnson, scored from a Nasri corner with a headed goal which is as rare as rocking-horse shit from a City player.

Blackburn were dejected especially after their last home game saw them beating Arsenal. City, however, beat them easily and will face tougher opponents in the coming weeks and months. Seven games played and only two dropped points for City is the start to the season they wanted. Fourteen away goals in four games played is a statistic to be proud of.

Manchester City:

Hart;
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov;
Y Toure, Milner; A Johnson (Savic, 84), Aguero (Nasri, 27),
Silva; Balotelli (Dzeko, 88).

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Clichy, Barry, De Jong

Blackburn Rovers v City Preview

2011-09-30T13:10:00.002+02:00

All eyes will be on City this weekend to see how well they comeback after the midweek disaster in Munich. Blackburn, third from bottom having suffered four defeats in their first six Premier League games, will be happy to kick City while they're down but can they do it? Suffering from injuries to first choice players they might come up against a City side anxious to put the Champions league game behind them and give their supporters something to cheer about.
One thing is for certain and that is Tevez will not play after being suspended by the Club for two weeks pending an enquiry into what really happened at the Allianz Stadium. Dzeko may be selected ahead of Balotelli after apologising to the team and Manager after his petulant behaviour on being replaced. Personally I thought he had a point since he was doing more than most on Tuesday before he was called off in favour of de Jong.

There is an International break after the Blackburn game and I think Mancini will want to put out his best away side. I don't think the Kolo Turre move was a success and I hope Lescott is restored. Although not his best players, Mancini might want to reward two favourites, Zabaleta and Kolarov, with an appearance against one of the weaker sides in the League. He will want de Jong in the midfield, allowing Yaya Toure to move further forward and support the forwards.
Nasri, after a good start to his City career, has gone off the boil and may be rested to allow Milner to start. Silva and Aguero should both start.

I notice that in six games this season, Blackburn players have received sixteen yellow cards, almost three times as many as City. I hope they don't get reckless in front of their own supporters.

City should win but much will depend on how the MPK management instil a winning mentality on the team, how much Kompany can motivate his players to put Bayern Munich behind them and embrace the mood that gave them a great win at White Hart Lane.

Bayern Munich 2 - 0 City CL

2011-09-28T10:08:00.001+02:00

Oh dear! It should have been a great night for City but it turned out to be horrible. It was such a shame for all the travelling fans who deserved, at least, a hundred percent effort from their team.
The match will most be remembered for the Tevez incident in which he apparently refused to play when asked to do so by the manager. With thirty-five minutes left to play, his team needed an injection of new legs and energy to try and save the game. This morning, Tevez has released a statement saying that he didn't refuse to play and that it was a misunderstanding. I hope so because City needs him as team member and Mancini, to my mind, is not a good man-manager. Evidence of this came before kick off when Kolo Toure was picked to start before Lescott, despite only playing a very small part in City's season so far and this being a very important game. What message does this send to Lescott who had a good game against his old club, Everton, at the weekend? It says to him that the manager would rather trust a man with little match preperation, than someone who has been at the heart of a defence all season and done well. Hardly inspiring is it? After an hour, Dzeko was replaced by a holding midfielder, de Jong, when City were two down and in need of goals. If Dzeko couldn't work it out, how the hell should the rest of us, particularly as he was one of the only three players who were really trying? The other two were Silva and Richards. Aguero was anonymous for the second game in a row. Unlike Dzeko, it seemed to me that he didn't want the ball- in fact he did as little as possible to find it. Nasri was another one who looked as if he didn't know what he was meant to be doing. If any forward needed to be replaced by Tevez it should have been Aguero and Nasri should have been replaced by Milner way earlier.
If Mancini is going to make changes that defy logic, how can he inspire confidence in his players that he knows what he's doing? What were Platt and Kidd doing while all this was going on?
City started well and might have had a penalty after three minutes when Silva was brought down. This was turned down by the ref who did likewise when Richards was bundled off the ball in rustic fashion. Dzeko had a good chance to open the scoring but fluffed his shot when he needed only to blast the ball into the net. After thirty-five minutes City looked good and then settled into last year's style of play- slowly passing the ball amongst themselves at the back. After one such bout they were deservedly dispossessed and put under pressure. a minute later they were one down after Hart could only parry a shot from Munich's best player, Ribery. Twice hart saved but of the City defence there was no sign and at the third attempt a Bayern player scored. Right on half time, Hart again saved an attempt following an unnecessary free kick but it was a Bayern player who got to the ball first to score. Hart was rightly furious with his defence. In fact Lescott was probably well out of it last night with his reputation intact.
Two nil down at half time, we expected City to come out and take the game to Bayern but it was not to be. In fact they were hopeless, lacking direction and inspiration. This is down to Mancini, Platt and Kidd. They do NOT know how to get the best from this team when facing tough opposition. Again the fell into the pattern of ultra slow build up allowing Bayern to get players back and then poor distribution to players (except Silva) that couldn't find space. Barry had a difficult game and was eventually replaced by a full back, Kolarov instead of another midfielder like Zabaleta, but we are getting used to crap decisions by the MPK management.
When Marwood holds an enquiry into the incidents of this match, I believe that in the dock alongside Tevez should stand, Mancini, Platt and Kidd.
One other thought. Could the fact that Argentina play Brazil on Thursday have anything to do with this?

Manchester City:

Hart;
Richards, Kompany, K Toure, Clichy;
Barry (Kolarov, 72), Y Toure; Aguero, Nasri (Milner, 69), Silva;
Dzeko (De Jong, 54)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Lescott, Tevez

City 2 - 0 Everton PL

2011-09-25T12:34:00.005+02:00

As predicted, Everton came with a plan to stifle City and nearly succeeded. Their play, if unadventurous was as usual uncompromising at the challenge and unrelenting in duration. Everton modelled their game on the Napoli method of packing the middle area in front of goal with bodies, knowing that City have no aerial threat to worry about; a system likely to be copied throughout the season by every PL club. As a consequence City found it very difficult to break through with the goal that would have opened the game up. Rodwell stuck to Silva like a leach, twice hacking him down in attempts to stop the Spaniard from getting away. Dzeko had his first miserable game of the season when given no room for manouevre and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Balotelli on the hour.
It proved to be a masterstroke as City scored midway through the second half when substitute Balotelli's shot was slightly deflected past the despairing dive of Howard. To be honest it was no more than City deserved for all their possession but whilst the difference was this only goal, Everton never gave up hope. Two minutes from time, following a rare defensive mistake, Silva pounced and with a beautifully measured pass put through Milner, on in place of a subdued Aguero, to score City's second. Before that, Silva had two chances, hitting his first effort on to a post and the second he turned into the net from a Balotelli cross but was ruled offside.

Throughout the game, Everton manager, Moyes found much to complain to the fourth official about. His attitude is as uncompromising as his players method of play and I have to say that he is as ungracious in defeat as he is in victory. It is not an attractive trait.

Manchester City:

Hart, Richards, Clichy, Lescott, Kompany, Barry, Yaya Toure, Silva, Aguero (Milner 79), Nasri (Savic 83), Dzeko (Balotelli 60)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Tevez

City v Everton preview

2011-09-24T09:22:00.000+02:00

Now would be a good time to end the 'bogey team' image of Everton. Despite City having their best season for years the buggers still achieved the double over us last year. It wouldn't be so bad but my brother supports the 'toffees' and will no doubt be expecting the same this year. Surely it can't happen, but with City playing out two draws in their last two games, they are in danger of dropping their winning mentality.
We can assume that Everton will try and emulate Napoli, by closing down the centre of their defence, hoping that City will not employ wide men to get to the goal line and trying to break out of defence quickly. City will want to score early and build up a winning lead before the end or else see Cahill score in the last seconds of time added, their usual modus operandi.
After resting the majority of those who played against Fulham, Mancini will have all his top players available with the exception of the recuperating de Jong. He will have to balance the need to beat Everton and save some players for the important Champions League match next Wednesday against Bayern Munich.
If City get off to a good start, Mancini might be able to rest players after half time, but I believe he'll start with pretty much the same team that started against Fulham.
City should win.

But this is Everton!

This is City!

City 2 - 0 Birmingham. Carling Cup 3rd Round

2011-09-23T10:56:00.001+02:00

Internet problems have stopped earlier comments on this game, which I could not see, live. The game turned out to be vital for Mancini to intoduce new and returning players, including, Bridge, who I fully never expected to play for the 'blues' again. It was nice to see Onouha in the team again, especially after the Gary Cooke debacle. I've always rated him and he had a good game. The keeper, Pantilimon, played his first game for the team, as did Hargreaves, but the letter will remember it as his first start in a any game for some time. Injury in the last three years has restricted his starts to just three, leading to his free transfer from the tossers. He marked the occasion in the best way possible by scoring a great goal from distance.
The attacking front men gave us another opportunity to see Tevez (Minus his ridiculous beard-thank goodness) and Balotelli, neither of whom, on this showing, would break into the first team option of Dzeko and Aguero. Balotelli showed some nice touches, finishing one good move from a Kolarov cross, and trying to keep out of trouble. He might have scored in the second half with a spectacular chance that showed all his skill and flair, but the ball just cleared the crossbar. Tevez missed a one-on-one with the Birmingham keeper which he might have converted if he'd been sharper.
To be fair, Birmingham are not the same team as they were last season and presented almost no threat to what looks like City's third team. City, two up at half time coasted to an easy win at the expense of the defending champions.

Manchester City:

Pantilimon,
Onuoha, Savic, K Toure; Kolarov,
Hargreaves (Milner, 56), Razak (Scapuzzi, 85); Zabaleta,
Tevez, Bridge (Rekik, 77); Balotelli

Unused subs:
Taylor, Clichy, Suarez, Aguero

Fulham 2 - 2 City

2011-09-20T11:46:00.000+02:00

Every Premier League club will have seen how Napoli stifled City's attack last Wednesday. Continuous hassling of players on the ball giving little room for flair and enterprise and clogging up the central area in front of goal. Everybody knows that City, with their short players, are a poor heading side both in attack and defence. Corners, therefore, present no threat to the opposition. In other words, City are vulnerable to bad results when things don't go their way. For the second time this season, City lost a two goal advantage after Aguero scored two well taken goals, the first coming from his trademark finish past the keeper's left hand. City, starting with their first eleven, dominated most of the first half but scored only once, always leaving the fans frustrated with the idea that they may be punished for failing to convert possession into goals. However within a minute of the restart all was forgiven as City got the second to lift such fears and give the promise of more to come. It wasn't to be. A good shot from Zamora from the edge of the box, reduced Fulham's arrears, leading to a spell of sustained pressure and although City tried to extend their lead they could not find a way through. When Fulham scored from a badly deflected shot that left Hart stranded it seemed, somehow, inevitable.

Mancini needed to change things but as previously he left it too late to bring on Tevez to 'gee up' the attack and Johnson to give added width. By the end City had reasserted some control and looked the most likely side to score but still they couldn't get the goal they needed to keep pace with the tossers and maintain their one hundred percent record.

Mancini will be unhappy at conceding another two goals. Long thought to be one of City's best players, Kompany seems to me to be making more mistakes this season than at any time last year. Lescott's frailties have been wallpapered over by this season's new attacking flair, leaving him with less scope for error. The wing backs are pressing forward more readily as Yaya Toure sits further back than he did last year to cover. It is impossible to say how much the team misses de Jong for his defence or Milner for his willingness to get forward, but Mancini and the other coaches need to react more quickly to the demands each new game brings. It's no good waiting until ten minutes from the end of a game to introduce fresh legs and new ideas.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
Yaya Toure, Barry, Silva (Zabaleta 69mins), Nasri (Johnson 81mins),
Aguero (Tevez 82mins), Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Kolo Toure, Kolarov, Balotelli,

City 1 - 1 Napoli Champions League

2011-09-15T10:23:00.001+02:00

The reality of Champions league football was evident to City fans by the end of the first half, with the scores level. How good Napoli are we won't find out for some time, but last night they showed a new level of defence that thwarted the Blues and had the home fans wondering if it was going to be the same old story- a City team full of promise but no joy.
City almost paid a heavy price for their failure to convert early pressure into goals. City started out with no natural wide men, relying on the attacking backs, Kolarov and Zabaleta to make the space but, to my mind, they weren't as effective as Richards and Clichy were against Wigan. The concentration of attacking Napoli through the middle ran into problems from the start; the box was well policed and the City front men seemed to want to walk the ball into the net rather than letting fly. At the other end, Napoli showed their danger in the counter attack, hitting the crossbar with one attack.
City's best chance came when Aguero broke through on the right, squared to Yaya Toure who hit the crossbar when he should have done better.
Napoli came into the game more in the second half as the City midfield ran out of ideas. From a Barry mistake, they broke out of defence and scored a good goal which Hart might have saved if he'd kept his legs shut. Six minutes later, City were level from a well taken Kolarov free kick from distance, the ball somehow confusing the otherwise competent keeper. Kolarov's reward was to be immediately replaced by Clichy who from the start added the hitherto missing width on the left. City had further chances, the best falling to Dzeko, who was magnificent throughout, who shot wide when he could have left the ball for a well placed Silva.

By the time that Kolarov equalised with his great free kick, the City threat had largely petered out, frustrated by a good defensive display by the Italians. Even Nasri and Silva were reduced to being statues, worn down by constant attention from Napoli players who seemed to swarm all over the pitch.
Johnson came on for a subdued Nasri, to give width on the right and made an impact.
Tevez came on for the last ten minutes, his lack of playing time, seeming to have underwhelmed him, so little enthusiasm did he show. His facial hair doesn't help, making him look more 'Grumpy' from the seven dwarves.

Mancini blamed nerves for City's performance, despite there being many experienced players in the team. He may be right; nobody seemed to want to 'have a go', choosing to make the one extra pass. It didn't help that they got no breaks whatsoever; all loose balls seemingly falling to the defence but this shouldn't detract from a good Napoli performance on the night.

Manchester City:

Hart,

Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov (Clichy 75mins),

Yaya Toure, Barry,

Silva, Aguero, Dzeko (Tevez 80mins), Nasri (Johnson 75mins)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Savic, Kolo Toure, Richards

City v Wigan: 60 second highlights

2011-09-13T11:20:00.000+02:00

City v Wigan: 60 second highlights

City 3 - 0 Wigan

2011-09-11T16:04:00.002+02:00

A quick count has revealed that 33 goals out of the 92 scored in the Premier League this season have been scored by the two Manchester clubs. A third-an amazing statistic.
City scored three yesterday-all from open play-when they might have scored eight against a strong Wigan side that never gave up. Another clean sheet will have pleased Mancini but it was the invention of Silva and when he came on, Nasri, who caught the eye. They and the finishing of Aguero, were simply sensational.
With an eye on Wednesday's Champions league match against Napoli, Dzeko who scored four in his last game was on the bench as the Manager gave a first start of the season to ex captain Tevez. After just 13 mins, Tevez's strong run gave Silva a chance to put Aguero through and the Argentinian duly obliged, shooting back across the keeper. Almost immediately, Di Santos had a chance to equalise but squandered his opportunity. City continued to play good football, creating many chances before Silva was brought down in the box. Tevez took the penalty and missed with a badly hit shot. I'm not sure that new captain Kompany will want him to take the next unless he his fully focused and fit. Tevez produced a peach of a pass to put right back, Richards, through but he watched in disbelief as it came back from the underside of the bar. Lescott who got forward as often as possible saved magnificently from Tevez when he inadvertantly headed his team mate's effort over the bar instead of helping it into the net.

One nil up at half time didn't reflect City's superiority. However it wasn't until Nasri replaced Tevez that the potential of their attack was full realised as he linked up with Silva. The football was superb from the start as Nasri's first touch following a Silva pass put Aguero through. Aguero's goal was almost his trademark side foot passed the keeper's left hand into the corner of the net. His third was the same as he was again put through by the Silva as he danced through the challenge of three Wigan players. Following his hat-trick, Aguero was replaced with Balotelli who had his first action of the season. His play was both measured and disciplined, which will have pleased his manager. He needs to have confidence that the Italian will not lose his head and get sent off before he risks starting with him.
Johnson seems to have become recharged with the new attacking zest up front, taking on backs on the outside and making the goal line. Clichy, particularly in the first half was one of City's best attacking players.

It was an all round good performance from City. They will play less well this season and score more. Surely they will go into Wednesday's home clash with Napoli on a positive note, hoping to establish an unassailable lead in the tie.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
Yaya Toure (Razak 80mins), Milner, Silva,
Tevez (Nasri 60mins), Aguero (Balotelli 70mins), Johnson

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, and Dzeko

City v Wigan preview

2011-09-08T13:39:00.000+02:00

Four of City's six matches in September are at home starting with Wigan on Saturday. It is a tremendous opportunity to forge ahead in the Premier league and make a handsome start to the Champions league and Carling Cup tournaments. In the same period, the tossers are away to Bolton and Stoke and home to Chelsea in the Premier League, none of them easy fixtures.
City fans will have been heartened to hear that Richard's injury looks to be relatively minor and he should be fit, if not for the Wigan game then for the Champions league game against Napoli.

The impact that City are having around the globe cannot be over emphasised. Nasri reportedly under performed for France last weekend and I hazard a guess that at the moment he has only one real interest: to hold his place in an exciting City side that could be on to something big. The match at Fulham has already sold-out as fans want to see how their team copes with City's exciting new line-up.
'No one wants to miss a minute of the season after the start we have had,' said Richards in an interview. I can believe it, but Mancini will take no chances and surely Zabaleta will start against Wigan. With Napoli coming up, I expect the manager will want to put out his best team next week, no easy task when everyone will want to play this weekend after the fortnight break. Tevez has had an extra two weeks training and must be ready to play although he might have to be understudy to a 'flying' Dzeko in the short term. Having said that, however, since the Bosnian has played for his Country this week, I expect Tevez to start against Wigan, with Mancini watching how he performs alongside Silva and Nasri. With Napoli looming I expect both players to be rested for the second half if City are well ahead. Then there are Aguero and Balotelli. The Italian will have seen the previous three wins and how well Dzeko has played. He has been told countless times to 'grow up' but each time he plays Mancini will worry that he will be sent off. I believe that against Wigan he can only expect to come on in the second half. Aguero is more complicated because if the Manager wants to play three up front, either Silva or Nasri will have to give way or else weaken the defensive midfield. Since the arrival of Nasri, I've noticed that Yaya has been playing further back. It can work well because of his ability to bring the ball out of defence with one of his strong runs but it will mean that, with Barry playing so well, there will be no room for de Jong.
Another player hoping to make an appearance will be Kolo Toure after his suspension. he has been training and again may come on as a substitute if City are well ahead.

Last season's game against Wigan was a lucky home win when City were outplayed for much of the game. City seemed to be becalmed in midfield that game and this time round I expect city to take the game more to the opposition. There was no enthusiasm on a wet and miserable day when ball control was absent, Mancini blaming the performance on tiredness. He cannot use the same excuse this time and I expect City to win well.
This year, Rodallega is the biggest threat to City's defence but City's back four are already proving to be amongst the tightest in the league. Wigan are unbeaten in three, conceding just one goal, but will surely be lucky to escape a drubbing at the Etihad. Anything else will send City into the Napoli match in a low mood, something that Mancini will want to avoid at all costs.

Farewell Shaun

2011-09-03T11:41:00.000+02:00

I'm really sorry that Mancini could find no room for this great servant of the Club. He only wanted to play for City but it wasn't to be and he moves on to QPR in a move that the Manager may well regret.
He always gave his best and scored some of the best goals to be seen.
I wish him well.

Tribute to Shaun Wright-Phillips

City submit Premier League squad

2011-09-02T23:08:00.000+02:00

City submit Premier League squad

Tottenham Hotspurs 1 - 5 City

2011-08-29T10:07:00.000+02:00

What a great game and victory for City. On a day of humiliation for North London clubs, City's win was as good as it gets with Dzeko scoring four of the five goals, all scored from open play.
De Jong is still not fit and Nasri walked straight into the starting eleven in place of an unlucky Milner. At the back, Zabaleta was brought in for Richards and Clichy replaced Kolarov to face Bale and Lennon respectively. In the end, they proved to be no threat because City's commitment to attack meant they had too many defensive duties.
Following the game, manager, Mancini, rather than lauding his team's attacking prowess, was more concerned about the team's poor defence at a corner that gave Spurs their only goal but by then the home crowd had seen enough and were leaving.
Even the pundits such as Hanson on Match of the Day grudgingly admitted that City's performance was good, repeating the same lie that Dzeko is a different player this season. Did they watch him last season? He came on as a sub against Blackburn and Bolton at the end to score match winning goals showing the same qualities as yesterday; tireless running, good ball control and positional sense. He hasn't changed but the mind-set of the Club has as the Manager has realised that to win games you need to attack and score goals. It isn't enough to accumulate 'clean sheets'.
Nasri must be well satisfied today after a great debut, particularly as he saw his old club ship eight goals to a lucky tossers team. He and Silva were dominant up front and City may themselves have scored eight goals, Silva having two good chances before Dzeko opened the scoring getting his boot on to a Nasri cross. Just before half time he met another Nasri cross, this time with his head to put City two up.
After half time, Dzeko had his hat-trick as he converted a Toure cross following a good overlap move on the right.
Aguero got in on the act scoring with a strong solo effort after being put through and beating Dawson. Spurs surprisingly pulled one back, exploiting City's weakness at corners before Dzeko added his fourth and City's fifth deep into time added with a corker from long range.
This performance, particularly as it was away from home, will make all the Champions League clubs take notice. Mancini believes that only Barcelona can match his team.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta (Richards, 63), Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
Barry, Y Toure, Aguero (Savic, 74), Nasri, Silva,
Dzeko

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Milner, A Johnson, Tevez, Balotelli

Tottenham Hotspurs v City preview

2011-08-26T11:41:00.001+02:00

So Nasri is now a City player, having signed a four year contract. By the time his contract has expired I wonder if he will have won the Premier league, the Champions Cup and the other Cups with the club. It would be nice if he did and not just once, either.

There are rumours that Adam Johnson may want to move because of the lack of chances. I hope he decided to stay because City are in all four competitions and he must surely get his chance, although I fear that we may have already lost Wright-Phillips. Adebayor has joined Spurs on loan for the duration of the season although he cannot play against City.

The draw has been made for the group stage of the Champions Cup. City will play home and away against, Bayern Munich, Villareal and Napoli. All matches to be played mid-week before Christmas.

These are exciting times for City fans and the team. All, including Nasri must understand that they will be rested which must be good news. A player who is subjected to ninety minutes of unrelenting pressure, both physical and mental will not survive in peak form for long without a break. Once a player loses his appetite for the fight, constantly being kicked, pushed and brought down, it must take weeks to bring him back up to match mental fitness. Mancini must win his battle to keep all his players, including Balotelli, focused on winning and achieving. He must kick off every game in the expectation that he can win it, starting with this week's game against Tottenham Hotspurs.
Last year's corresponding fixture was a goalless draw thanks to Hart's heroics in goal, especially in the first half. City started that game on the back foot and it stayed that way until the second period when they might have snatched it. City should be careful with a very good Spurs side (possibly including Modric) but this time round they must take the game more to the home side from the start. They should fear no one.
City should be especially careful about giving away unnecessary free kicks around the penalty area. Bale has shown his ability to fire them home on many occasions.

De Jong is fit again but I would persist with Milner in midfield, lining up with Yaya Toure and Barry. The front three should be Silva, Aguero and Dzeko with Tevez, Nasri and Balotelli on the bench.

I shall be predicting this a lot this year but City should win.

Bolton W 2 - 3 City

2011-08-22T11:52:00.000+02:00

City's win was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests but it still meant a nervous last few minutes. Aguero had a goal disallowed and missed two 'sitters' as City stormed forward for much of the match.
The stars for City were Dzeko, who had a great game, Silva, who was named man of the match and Milner who seemed to be everywhere, making the most of his start with de Jong injured. Yaya Toure played further back than normal allowing Milner the freedom to get forward.
The most notable absence of the game was the endless passing back and forth at the back. Today the ball was moved forward far quicker than normal resulting in Bolton always being on the back foot. One contributary factor in this is the great ball holding skills of Dzeko. He seems to be the perfect attacker, with good ball control, the ability to break a tackle and fluid movement on and off the ball. Within a minute of the restart he scored City's third with a combination of all three attributes, collecting the ball near the half way line, winning a challenge and firing past a surprised Jaaskelainen.

City went ahead with a Silva shot that deceived the keeper with a last minute swerve. They went two up when Milner's corner found Barry who fired from twenty-five to thirty yards into the top corner.
Although Mancini was pleased with an away win, he will not be happy to concede the first two goals of the season. The first came courtesy of old City favourite Petrov's run down the left. His cross was met first time by Steinsson who shot fiercely between Hart's legs. Two-one at half time. Then came City's third and try as they might they couldn't find the fourth goal they needed. At the other end, Kevin Davies, who was a constant threat outjumped Lescott, to head past Hart and give rise to the unnecessary worry.

City fans didn't know how to feel when after an hour, new favourite, Aguero, was replaced by old favourite Tevez. To my mind, the old skipper wasn't his normal self and will be better for the run-out. Aguero will learn that no matter how much he thinks of his game he is part of a squad. Someone who is also wondering if he's still part of a squad is Balotelli, who looked forlorn on the bench. Mancini will be resolute about teaching the youngster that attitude alone is not what he needs on the pitch, nor skill. Mancini will not risk him on the pitch until he learns to ally his skills with discipline.
Johnson buzzed when he came on and should have scored when through on goal, sending his shot wide. It was nice to see Zabaleta make his first appearance of the season, replacing Silva for the last five minutes.

Make no mistake this Bolton side is good and will win the majority of games at home, making City's victory all the more important.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kolarov, Lescott, Kompany,
Barry, Milner, Silva (Zabaleta 89), Yaya Toure,
Dzeko (Johnson 80), Aguero (Tevez 68)

Unused subs:
Pantilimon, Balotelli, Clichy, Savic

Bolton v City preview

2011-08-19T19:28:00.001+02:00

The week has been dominated by two subjects. Will Nasri complete his move to City before the transfer window closes and just how good is Aguero?

After only one match the fixture list pitches the two top clubs against each other. Both with four-nil wins, Bolton and City meet at the Reebok stadium.

Bolton played well to beet newcomers QPR away from home and host a team, especially Kevin Davies, Gary Cahill, Eagles and old City favourite Martin Petrov, that on the day can win any match. Bolton also hope that new signing Tuncay can be registered in time to play.

Even without Nasri, Mancini will have a difficult decision in naming his starting eleven for Sunday's match. Only Hart, in goal, is assured of a start. I think we can asume that Kompany, the skipper, and Lescott will continue. He may wish to give a start to Clichy and Zabaleta at the back, despite Richards and Kolarov making a sound start against Swansea.
In midfield, I think he will stick with the tried and tested combination of Barry, de Jong and Yaya Toure. Since I think his formation will be more 4-3-3, the front three will be Silva plus any combination of Tevez, Dzeko, Balotelli and Aguero. I think that the manager will have seen enough of Dzeko to know he can rely on his work rate and skill. I therefore think he'll want to test a Balotelli, Aguero and Silva combination to see how they combine, knowing he can always fall back on Dzeko or Tevez. Aguero will also benefit from another PL match, picking up the pace and strength of the league.
If, as I suspect that the midfield duo of Barry and de Jong is not getting the ball forward quickly enough, Mancini could use both Johnson and Milner if Nasri is still not available.

Coyle, the Bolton Manager, is optimistic, but I believe and hope that City will want to prove a point and move to the top of the table come Sunday night with a win. Optimists will hope for a hatful of goals but I suggest caution. This is City we're talking about, remember. A win will do before the important game at White Hart Lane next week.

City 4 - 0 Swansea

2011-08-16T11:25:00.002+02:00

What a great start to the season for City and new boy, Aguero. Coming on after an hours play with City having gone one up, Aguero scores two and assists a third to inflict defeat on the Premier League's newcomers.
However for an hour, Swansea looked good, especially during a fifteen minute spell in the first half. City started with a whirlwind attack but then strangely subsided as Swansea passed the ball around and dominated the midfield. No matter, for all their possession they were not dangerous, as City became when they regained control. Twice the bar was hit as first Silva and then Barry narrowly missed the target. Swansea reached half time level and might have felt they could take a point.
However, come the hour, come Dzeko's opener after Johnson's shot was parried by the excellent Swansea keeper and cometh Aguero to become the new superhero of the Etihad stadium. He had hardly arrived when he slotted home a measured cross from Richards. Next he recovered a ball that looked to have gone out of play by hooking it overhead to Silva who drove the ball into the roof of the net. It would have been a shame to have overruled such a great goal on a mere technicality. Finally he carried the ball to thirty yards out and unleashed a corker that the diving keeper couldn't lay a hand on. A star was born.
Asked by tv pundit, (and new City fan), Gary Neville about the cohesion of Silva and Aguero, the Manager, Mancini, said that they played the same language. He's right and they are fluent.

It's difficult to know why City gave Swansea so much room in the first half. It was the same in the Community Shield match, where they allowed the tossers too much possession and territory. City didn't harry, chase or otherwise disrupt their flow. However once the tide had turned it was nearly all non-stop City with surging runs by Yaya Toure and great work by Silva, in particular. To my mind, there was another factor when Aguero came on. De Jong went off. Could this have led to the more positive surge of the team as the ball wasn't held up in midfield? It may just be that after the first goal, Swansea capitulated but I mention the possibility all the same.

City have given notice to the rest of the division that they mean business. Whether Nasri comes or not, City, barring injuries, already look to have the squad for the job. We shall know more after the next two games, both away, to Bolton (feeling good after their four nil drubbing of QPR) and Tottenham.
Mancini's other problem is keeping his bench sweet; making sure that each member of the squad gets a run out. Last night Balotelli for one did not look amused to be sidelined when the goals were going in.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy,
DeJong (Aguero 60mins), Barry, Yaya Toure,
Silva (Milner 81mins), Dzeko, Johnson (Savic 74mins)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Zabaleta, Kolarov, and Balotelli

City v Swansea preview

2011-08-14T11:57:00.005+02:00

If the Swansea manager, Brendan Rogers, wants to get his players in the right frame of mind to tackle City at the Etihad, he could do no worse than show them a replay of the Rugby Union International between Wales and England, played at the weekend.
Despite being battered for an hour by the stronger English, the Welsh defended stoutly and bided their time before the one strike of the game gave them victory.
He will want to draw parallels with the game because the circumstances could very well be similar. At home, City will be like a juggernaut, continuously battering at the Swansea goal, leaving the Welsh side to defend robustly and to make the most of few opportunities.

That said, I don't expect City to let their fans down. All eyes on Monday will be on the new boy, Aguero, who will surely play for some of the match. If he starts, who will partner him up front? Tevez has been training well since his return from holiday but may be left on the bench for this game. It will be between an impressive looking Dzeko or mercurial Balotelli. Either way, the fans could be in for a treat if they get the right service.
It looks as if unsettled Tevez has been relieved of the captaincy, with Kompany, quite rightly, filling the role.
The City defence is beginning to get a settled look as Kompany plays alongside Lescott and Richards with either Kolarov or Clichy at (attacking) left back.
The midfield is beginning to look cluttered, Mancini having a cornucopia of talent to draw on, but the team still lacks a player who can switch the team from defence to attack quickly. de Jong has never been up to this, Yaya Toure prefers to run it out of defence himself and Barry's form has fluctuated from sublime to forgettable. Milner has upped his fitness levels and his committment can never be questioned but I sometimes wonder if he knows what he's meant to be doing. Silva does his best but sometimes, when Tevez is not playing, lack of movement stifles his enterprise. I hope this season he goes for goal more himself. I believe that Nasri could be the answer.
Readers of this blog will know that I'm a fan of Wright-Phillips and I hope, even at this late point, that he can be kept on. There will be a point in the season when Mancini will rue the day he sells him.

It has been a long summer waiting for the season to start. I had hoped City would start unbeaten but it wasn't to be, so we must hope that they get off to a good start in the league. They have a relatively easy start, beginning with a win against the 'Swans'.- COME ON CITY!!

Attendences looked to be down on Saturday. Fans cannot justify the high ground admission charges to families hard hit by the economic crisis. In recognition of this it wouldn't hurt for professional players to rein in their already high wage demands.

City 2 - 3 Tossers. (The Other Side sers) Community Shield

2011-08-08T11:17:00.002+02:00

What a shame! With City two nil up at half time, I looked forward, as I'm sure many City fans did, to City going on to win the trophy. It was not to be, the tossers (The Other Side sers) scoring with their trademark final seconds strike through Nani, probably the best player on display. His second goal was the sort we expect the City forwards to fashion.
In truth it was not a good City display. The first half lead belied the fact that the tossers had sixty-six percent of the possession in the first thirty-five minutes and by far more chances as they played with speed and precision, the direct opposite of City's slow and methodical approach.
I've pointed it out many times before (see blog 28th July) but City take too long getting the ball forward. Again there was a lack of action ahead as players stood about rather than running into space. When they did they were ignored. Pass and move-pass and move, quick one-twos, it's not rocket science but whose telling the players to play 'statues'.
Worse however was the player's lack of personal ball skills. Too often, balls were received badly and onward passes were poor. It's frustrating when the pitch is perfect that players on huge weekly salaries can't control the ball. Worst of all in this respect and without doubt City's poorest player was Yaya Toure. I can't believe he was kept on for ninety minutes with Wright-Phillips sat on the bench. It's not right to pick on players when the team was so poor but Balotelli was again insignificant and both England midfielders, Milner and Barry had little to contribute. Whenever there was a loose ball it seemed to always find a tosser. I thought Dzeko had a good game, scoring with a powerfully hit long range shot. So too the other scorer, Lescott. Silva ran and ran to try and provide the cohesion and Richards showed his passion, but in truth they couldn't play football as well as the others.

The blame for the loss must, however, lie with the management. Two nil up is never enough. They needed a third and the team should have torn into the opposition from the start of the second half. What did we get- the tossers level within eleven minutes. I don't know what Kidd and Platt do to earn their money but to my mind they've no idea. Defend what we've got seemed to be the message. That's how to treat the fans well. The fans that forked out a fortune to get to Wembley rewarded with a spineless second half. The Sheik won't have enjoyed what he saw either. I can't see him being happy with his team losing in this manner. It shouldn't just have been poor Kompany who hung his head in shame after the last goal. The whole team owes their fans an apology for an abject display.

Let's hope that's the worst game of the season over. Doing the double over the tossers in the league will shut them up. Before then we have Swansea at home. There can be no slips up then, no excuses. We need to see a slicker team effort with personal skills honed to produce an effort that will set the marker for the season. Come on City!!

Manchester City:

Hart, Richards, Kolarov (Clichy 74), Lescott, Kompany,

De Jong, Y Toure, Milner (Johnson 67), Silva,

Dzeko, Balotelli (Barry 59)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Savic, Wright-Phillips, Aguero

Inter Milan 0 - 3 City Dublin Super Cup

2011-08-01T10:31:00.002+02:00

What a joy to watch. City were fantastic beating the much heralded Italian side in a manner that suggests that a. Honours will surely come and b. There is a future without Tevez.
The forward duo of Balotelli and Dzeko, backed up by Silva will be a match for anyone and that's without seeing the new boy, Aguero. The press have been scathing about Dzeko's lack of success in front of goal until now but they haven't seen the bigger picture. He holds the ball well, passes well with vision and creates space, all of which makes him a superb strike partner. The goals will come as he developes the necessary killer instinct as he has a lightning strike. His goal at the start of the second half following an exquisite through ball from Silva was clinical and played some part in knocking the stuffing out of the italian side already reeling from Balotellis goal at the end of the first half. He connected with a Kolarov corner, his header giving the Inter goalkeeper no chance. He might have scored early on with another header that just flashed over the bar. Balotelli is going to be a handful for any opposition. Early in the first half City had two goals disallowed, one ridiculously so as Dzeko pounced to convert a cross, the linesman's flag not able to wipe the smile from his face.
Although Inter created chances they were nearly all at distance thanks to a typically solid defensive effort and when they did get close, Hart was able to keep them out. Meanwhile,at the other end, City's chances were largely on target as the forwards constantly menaced the Inter defence. City started without recognisable wingers but both Richards and Kolarov, who for me had his best game for City, constantly ran into space and crossed.
City's third goal came in the dying seconds when Wright-Phillips made a nuisance of himself and crossed for another sub, Johnson, to slot the ball home. As in the other pre-season games he has played Wright-Phillips has shown what a great asset he is to the team and it will be scandalous if he is not included in City's squad of 25.

That's another trophy in the cabinet. Let's hope the Charity shield follows next week. If City continue to play like this it could be a formality.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov (Rekik 88),
de Jong, Milner (Johnson 80), Toure (Suarez 89), Silva (Barry 80),
Dzeko, Balotelli (Wright-Phillips 75).

Airtricity 0 - 3 City Dublin Super Cup

2011-07-31T12:01:00.001+02:00

A City second or maybe third team had an easy Dublin Super Cup win over a team made up from players in the Irish league. They dominated possession and had by far the greater number of chances.
Amongst the team were three first team players, Johnson, Wright-Phillips and Barry who all played key parts in the victory. Although Johnson was named man of the match, Barry's passing was at times terrific and Wright-Phillips covered every blade of grass on the pitch, posing a threat each time he touched the ball. The opening half was rather dull as Airtricity got players behind the ball and frustrated a City team that was too slow in getting forward. In the second half, as the home team tired of chasing shadows, gaps appeared as the City forwards looked to get behind the Irish back line. First to break through was Wright-Phillips with a sublime first touch picking up a long Barry pass to beat the offside trap and hammering the ball passed a surprised keeper.
A second goal came courtesy of another Barry pass to Johnson who calmy beat the onrushing keeper. Scapuzzi added a third before the end to make the scoreline more respectable.

Questioned afterwards, the Manager said that Johnson was a player he wanted in the side but couldn't be so certain with Wright-Phillips. "It was up to Shaun," he said. Wright-Phillips could hardly have done more this pre-season scoring three goals and I hope that he is allowed to continue to ply his trade with city. He is a Blue, through and through.

Manchester City:

Taylor (Johansen),
Boyata, Veseli (Rekik 69), Savic, McGivern,
A Johnson, Barry (Roman), Razak, Wright-Phillips (Scapuzzi 81),
Weiss (Suarez 66), Guidetti.

Aguero signing

2011-07-28T18:18:00.002+02:00

City have signed a new forward, Aguero, from Atletico Madrid, probably in anticipation of Tevez's departure. He comes at a high price to match his reputation of being a fine striker.
Dzeko also came with a good reputation but the result has been disappointing. Although he missed a sitter against Vancouver, Dzeko hasn't at any time had the service he needs to flourish. I also suspect he needs to cultivate a better killer instinct in front of goal. Again, during the pre-season vist to the US, it seemed to me that City, for all their possession, weren't creating enough chances.
We saw it time and again last season. Too much passing around at the back and very slow ball movement from the back to the front allowing the opposition to get eleven men behind the ball. One can't be too hard since the team did finish equal second on 71 points, but nevertheless, if they are to compete with the tossers, who have scored a hatfull of goals on their pre-season, they need to be sharper and more creative in front of goal.

The resurgence of Wright-Phillips will help. He is more direct than Johnson, a good passer of the ball with a more certain boot. It has been suggested that Johnson might be sold and I wouldn't be surprised. He is not quick enough to take backs on on the outside and he is not a good crosser of the ball. In the match against LA Galaxy he took a corner late on with City pressing and he never cleared the first defender. Hopeless when City had Richards and new boy, Savic, in the centre.

There is news that Michael Johnson has gone to Leicester on loan. After three years of injury, this highly promising midfielder needs to re-establish himself as a footballer of promise by playing regularly.

Preseason 2011. 2. La Galaxy 1 - 1 City

2011-07-25T09:07:00.002+02:00

Oh dear! What a poor City effort against a team that was no better than Championship quality. LA Galaxy, including Beckham, ran, they harried and they got behind the ball but it was enough to thwart a City side that have been together for some time now and ought to be doing better with all the possession they had. To be honest they were clueless up front in an attack spearheaded by Balotelli and Dzeko. We all, I'm sure, waited with baited breath to see the future of City's attack in a possible post Tevez era but we were disappointed. Dzeko was busy but never really knew where the goal was and Balotelli didn't seem at all bothered. His lack of effort was apparent to all and when he was substituted for showboating midway through the first half by Milner a tantrum ensued. Put straight through by Silva, instead of burying the ball in the net, Balotelli chose to perform a showy back heel procedure that completely missed the target. The Italian did not emerge after the half time break following what must have been a tense affair in the City dressing-room.

Johnson had a poor game but so many did it's unfair to pick on him. The best forward was Richards from right back. It looked like last season with so much back passing and very slow movement forward. Nobody was running into space and when they did they were ignored. A strangely ineffective Silva was substituted at half time by Wright-Phillips who introduced a bit more desire into the team.
City eventually won the game on penalties after the game finished one each. A Balotelli penalty after Richards was brought down was equalised early in the second period by a long range shot that surprised Hart.
It had started well with City dominant in the opening spell but unable to finish with poor final balls. However they were worth the lead at half time and I looked forward to better in the second half. As usual with City, the fans were short changed by a side that lacked vision making me wonder whether Mancini has learned anything from last year. Guidetti came closest to scoring City's second with a good poacher's effort near the end.

Hart,
Richards, Clichy (Kolarov 46), Lescott, Kompany (Savic 61),
De Jong, Barry (Weiss 77), A Johnson (Guidetti 82), Silva (Wright-Phillips 46),
Balotelli (Milner 31), Dzeko (Suarez 88)

Preseason 2011. 1

2011-07-19T11:44:00.002+02:00

City have made a promising start to the season by winning both their opening matches. First up were Mexican side, Club America who, to be honest, disappointed a little. Despite a flurry of efforts, well saved by Taylor at the start of the second half, City ran out easy winners with goals from McGivern and an impressive Wright-Phillips.

On to Canada and play on a very heavy pitch after torrential and prolonged rain. City went behind in the first half to a strong Canadian side who were lucky to score with a deflected shot. They might have added to their score early in the second half with two misses before city equalised with a powerfully headed goal from Guidetti. Wright-Phillips, who again caught the eye, scored the winner with a rasping shot from 25 yards five minutes from time. By then, City were well on top and could or perhaps should have extended their lead.

Wright-Phillips is making a great bid to be included in the squad. Others that have caught the eye are Dzeko who despite missing two good chances is looking sharp, Savic whose height will be useful at both ends of the pitch and Weiss who looks to have benefited from his loan spell at Rangers. Yaya Toure went down heavily and the manager will want to know that the damage is not too serious. Balotelli showed some heartening good touches in his first 45 minutes of play.

Club America:

City starting XI: Hart, Veseli, Clichy, Savic, Lescott, Barry, De Jong (capt), McGivern, Wright-Phillips, Weiss, Dzeko

City 2nd half: Taylor, Richards, Kolarov, Boyata, Kompany, Milner, Yaya Toure, A Johnson, Guidetti, Weiss, A Mancini

Vancouver Whitecaps:

City (first half): Hart, Boyata, Kolarov, Savic, Kompany (capt), De Jong, McGivern, Yaya Toure (Milner 45), Adam Johnson, Weiss, Dzeko

City (second half): Taylor, Clichy, Boyata, Lescott (capt), Savic (Veseli 61), Barry, Milner, Guidetti, Balotelli, Weiss (A Mancini 61), Wright-Phillips

Mike Doyle (1946-2011)

2011-07-07T15:19:00.001+02:00

The funeral of Mike Doyle (1946-2011) took place yesterday. As a youngster he played in the team I watched as I began life as an apprentice in Alsager, nr Crewe during the 68/69 season. Later he was to become captain and lifted the League Cup in 1976 when City beat Newcastle.
He was a gifted and determined player who will be chiefly remembered for his fervour in support of the Club he adored. City's FA Cup win this season must have given him so much satisfaction.

City have made two new signings this week, Clichy from Arsenal and Savic from Partizan Belgrade. Clichy will fight Kolarov for the left back birth, whilst Savic's strength seems to be as a central defender, competing with Lescott as Kompany moves over to the left side. The Manager, despite Tevez's repeated request to leave seems more keen to shore up the defence with the purchase of these two young defenders. I think that Mancini has got it about right. Widespread changes would have bought more disruption to a side that by the end of last season seemed to be on a par with the very best. Now as the side prepare to leave on their summer tour, they will be better placed to win than the side that went last season when the results of the pre-season games were disappointing.

Tevez should be deprived of his Captaincy as he brings disruption to the club. Nor should Mancini be in a rush to replace him. The club already has two of the most exciting forwards in the PL in Balotelli and Dzeko, both of whom I'm confident will flourish this season, and can still call on Adebayor if need be.

City are struggling to unload some of the players that don't fit into the Manager's scheme. Personally I like both Wright-Phillips and Bellamy and would be sorry to see them go. So too with Onuoha who is a better player after his season on loan with Sunderland.

Fixtures 2011-12

2011-06-17T11:36:00.001+02:00

The fixtures for next season have just been announced and City look to have a fairly easy start, if it's possible to say that in the world's most competitive league. Some of the dates are liable to change as the television channels pick their matches for Sunday and Monday viewing.

Sat Aug 13     Swansea City                                           H

Sat Aug 20     Bolton Wanderers                                    A

Sat Aug 27     Tottenham Hotspur                                   A

Sat Sep 10      Wigan Athletic                                         H

Sat Sep 17       Fulham                                                   A

Sat Sep 24       Everton                                                   H

Sat Oct 1         Blackburn Rovers                                    A

Sat Oct 15       Aston Villa                                              H

Sat Oct 22       Manchester United                                  A

Sat Oct 29       Wolverhampton Wanderers                     H

As I look at the early games, I feel that City have an ideal opportunity to get to the top of the table early on and establish their credentials as Premiership contenders. The opener against newcomers Swansea is a must win and City showed so much superiority over Bolton away in the last game of last season that they must be confident of repeating the win. Two wins out of two will mean they go to Spurs full of confidence, hoping to find the second half form they showed in the corresponding fixture last year. There follows four winnable matches before visiting the tossers at Old Trafford. Looking at the tosser's fixtures it is entirely possible that by the time they meet, City will be above them in the league.
On Sky Sports they were asking fans around the country who they'd like to have as the first match and not one said City despite their being equal second, on points, with Chelsea last year. They still went for the tossers, Arsenal and yes, Liverpool. I wonder how many Premiership titles City will have to win to change opinions.

At the time of writing, City haven't made any forays into the transfer market. It's possible that the board cannot see any value out there and are minded to keep the players they have. There have been rumours about interest in a winger, Sanchez, but either he isn't keen or the price is too high. Mancini hasn't, to be honest, been impressed with either Wright-Phillips or Adam Johnson. The former may well be out of contract by now, which to my mind is a shame because he's a player that gives his all for City. Johnson doesn't seem to have the pace to beat his man on the outside and every left back in the league is now looking for him to come inside, neutralizing his threat.
Craig Bellamy doesn't seem to have any friends in the Club management but they have set a price of £4m for the left winger, a high price for a player at the back end of his career. I wish they could sort something out because City were never good on the left, resorting at the end to a Kolarov, Zabaleta alliance that never came off. Besides, Bellamy is a good crosser of the ball, something else that was lacking last season as the number of headed goals in the season reminds us. Three in total was the lowest in the league.

Shay Given. I wonder whether or not he's decided to stay. He's 35; he's had a good run and he may have decided to stay where he is on a good salary rather than the upheavel of moving for what may turn out to be a short stay elsewhwere. He's respected at CoMStad and could play a vital role underpinning Hart in a Champions League Season. I can see Given, for instance, playing in the Carling Cup games.

Boateng looks set to leave. When Mancini discovered how good Richards was as an attacking full back his only chance was as a central midfielder and with Kompany and Lescott playing so well at the back, his opportunities looked slim. I was not a great fan of Lescott but he's done the job, the side conceding only 33 goals in the season, a total only matched by Chelsea.

There has been a lot of talk about Modric, the Tottenham midfielder. There is no doubt that he is a quality player but who would he replace at City? I can't see Mancini dropping Yaya Toure or Silva for him, not at a price of £30m anyway. Nor can I see Mancini wanting to change his strikers. I believe that in Dzeko and Ballotelli he has two of the most exciting players in the league to support a more settled Tevez. The lure of Champions League football will surely keep the Argentinian on board although he and Zabaleta will want David Cameron to shut up about the Falkland Islands.

What of Barry and Milner? They have excited a certain amount of passion amongst the fans over last season but they have two enduring qualities. They are reliable and at times can turn in match winning performances. They are also largely injury free. I know Milner had a spell away last season but it's not surprising when you consider the miles these players clock up in a match. They are now part of the fabric of the team and it's difficult to see them moving although I won't be surprised if McCleish, the new manager at Villa, tries to tempt Milner back.

With the fixtures published we can almost feel the new season upon us and I, for one, can't wait. Only a few weeks until the US tour and I wish I was going with them.

Bolton 0 - 2 City

2011-05-23T12:40:00.002+02:00

The game started well with Tevez spurning an early chance after a great run and cross from Silva. At the other end City's frailty in the air was exposed when Davies headed just wide. Bolton had a further chance to take the lead when ex City player Sturridge found Elmander whose first time shot was brilliantly saved by Hart.
At the other end Yaya Toure fed Boyata whose cross was met by Barry who thundered his header against the bar. Not long after, Yaya Toure broke out of his own half and tested the keeper with a fierce shot that rebounded out. First Tevez's shot was saved and then with the goal at his mercy, Silva blazed his shot over.
City scored just before half time when a Johnson corner arrived, Kompany having declined the header, at a surprised Lescott's head and rebounded twenty yards into the net. It took a second or two for Lescott to realise what had happened before accepting the gratitude of his team. It was bizarre but City just about deserved their lead.
After an hour, Johnson gave way for Dzeko and within a minute he'd scored. Tevez fed Barry who crossed for the big forward to convert at the second attempt.
Sturridge, always busy in the game, fought well against his former club but was sent off for a reckless tackle against Dzeko just before the end.
To my mind it wasn't one of City's better games but they always had too much skill and power against a Bolton side who have acquitted themselves well in the league this year.

Well that's it for another season and what a year its been. Automatic group stage in next year's Champions League. FA Cup winners and highest position in the league for ages. Mancini has proved he's the man for the job. He can be trusted to carry forward the project that will end with City being the top club in the world.
It's strange being a City supporter these days. Although we've always travelled in hope the road to the top has always been littered with disappointments. Dare we hope for greater things next year? Why ever not? I can't wait for next season to begin.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Boyata, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta (Wabara 88),
de Jong, Barry, Yaya Toure, A Johnson (Dzeko 60), D Silva (Milner 77),
Tevez

Unused subs:
Given, Vieira, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli

Bolton v City preview

2011-05-20T14:50:00.003+02:00

So it comes down to the final match. Unless Arsenal get more points than City this Sunday, City will qualify for the group stage of the Champions League. It will bring the curtain down on City's best ever season in the Premier League.

News from Argentina says that Captain Tevez has again said that he would like to leave the club at the end of the season despite assuring Mancini that he was now minded to stay. It seems a constant battle to decide what exactly the man wants. He says that he's well looked after at City but insists he would like to see more of his family. Only he can decide but I would have thought that those who advise him should press on him to make his mind up so that alternative arrangements can be made. I believe that City are well placed to cope without him. I now believe that Balotelli and Dzeko can do a good job for the Club up front.
Whatever he eventually decides, City can count on his putting in his usual strong shift against Bolton. He has the added incentive that he might forge ahead of Berbatov in the race for the 'Golden Boot' as top league scorer, but he doesn't need this spur. He just loves to win.

Bolton have been going through a bad patch since losing so heavily to Stoke in the FA Cup semi-final but it wasn't long ago since they beat Arsenal at home. I thought they played well, scoring three away goals, in losing to a deperate Blackpool last weekend, with Kevin Davies doing particularly well.

Assuming that City have no more injury problems, I believe that they may start with the same team that beat Stoke so well last Tuesday, with Barry perhaps in for Milner. It has been a long hard season but all the players will surely want to play and end the season on a high. I believe that City can win this game and secure third place in the League.

City 3 - 0 Stoke

2011-05-18T09:28:00.000+02:00

Another win, another clean sheet and City move above Arsenal into third place in the Premier League. It was at times a masterclass, with some peerless football from City against a team that although short of key players, never stopped trying.

As in the FA Cup Final, Stoke were a tough team to overcome, giving their fans a full blooded defensive exhibition against wave after wave of City attacks. The Stoke fans too must take credit for their graciousness in defeat at Wembley, marked by the City board by the playing of the Stoke anthem, Delilah before the match.

City's captain, Tevez scored twice to go joint top of the goal scoring table with Berbatov (20 goals) with one game to play. Both goals were superb, the first, following a one-two with Milner, coming after a jinxing run put him clear to blast the ball passed the Stoke keeper. The second, a free kick from thirty yards out was too accurate and too fast for the keeper. Tevez started the kick outside of the post and brought it back with unerring accuracy.
Lescott scored the second at the start of the second half with only City's third headed goal of the season from a Johnson cross.

Silva, after a rather muted performance was replaced by Dzeko after 56 minutes and the big striker almost scored after carving out an opening. It is to be hoped he gets more opportunities next season.

Sean Wright-Phillips came on for Johnson just after the hour mark and demonstrated why he should have his contract renewed.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta,
De Jong, Milner, Toure, Silva (Dzeko 56mins),
Tevez (Boyata 88mins), A Johnson (SWP 66mins)

Unused subs:
Given, Kolarov, Barry, and Vieira

City v Stoke preview PL

2011-05-17T11:12:00.003+02:00

Three days after beating Stoke in the FA Cup Final, City face the same team in the Premier League. Following Arsenal's defeat at the weekend against Aston Villa, City can secure third place in the league by winning their last two games. The incentive to do so is immense as by finishing third, City will avoid the play off round of matches.

So soon after the gruelling Final, City should be able to call on a fresher team than Stoke, which coupled with home advantage should be enough to see them through, particularly as they will be keen to show off the Cup and not let their supporters down. Johnson, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Dzeko will all be keen to make an impression before the season ends at Bolton next Sunday. Zabaleta, too, no doubt disappointed not to start on Saturday will, be keen to promote his credentials. With Mancini poised to re-enter the transfer market over the summer months, some players will feel vulnerable and need to impress while they can. Amongst those with something to prove is Lescott. Although he and Kompany have been solid at the back towards the end of the season, there remains some doubt about the former Everton player.

Mancini will find it hard to rest Yaya Toure and Tevez, but Silva may be saved for Bolton.
City ought to win. They have the incentive whilst Stoke have none, except for revenge.

City 1 - 0 Stoke City FA Cup Final

2011-05-15T18:38:00.000+02:00

Toure scores

A trophy at last. City did it, beating Stoke in a fairly one-sided match at Wembley by a single goal from Yaya Toure. Never mind the controversy of playing other Premier League games on the same day, this day belonged to the people who really mattered, the fans of Stoke and Manchester City.

The line up caused some surprise before the game, with Kolarov preferred to Zabaleta and Balotelli up front with a rather tubby looking Tevez, back from a recent hamstring injury. Starting with Balotelli was surely a risk in case he was provoked into indiscipline and being sent off. In fact Huth did his best early on when everyone in the stadium except the officials missed the Stoke man's clear use of the elbow into the Italian's face. The return of Tevez, more as a talisman, was justified as he harried and ran for almost the full ninety minutes. Kolarov, probably sensing that he'd been given an unlikely chance, rose to the occasion and played well, always ready to provide the overlap on the left. Richards also had an immense game, performing the same feat on the right.

Balotelli justified the manager's faith in him and although one has to have some sympathy for Dzeko, the Italian had a great match and could have scored. A shot heading for the top corner of the net was for the second match in a row brilliantly saved by, this time by the Stoke keeper.

Stoke were swept away in the opening minutes of the first half and with no goals coming from all the pressure it was felt that City might pay for it later. Silva missed a sitter when he fired his shot into the ground when it was easier to score. Half time came with no scoring and Pulis, the Stoke manager must have been the happier of the two managers. Stoke had more possession at the start of the second half but really failed to put on any sustained pressure. You could almost sense that City were going to be safe when Delap was taken off. The threat from his prodigeous throws had fizzled out as City's defence held firm. Kompany and Lescott were rarely troubled and de Jong never stopped challenging for the ball, making it difficult for Stoke to break out. Stokes hope of a breakthrough from set pieces never materialized.
City's well deserved goal came from a move down the left after Silva and Balotelli had shots blocked. The ball fell for Toure who followed through with his left boot; an unstoppable, net bulging shot.

The win means that the first tantalizing match of next season, the Charity Shield at Wembley will be played between both Manchester Clubs; another great chance for City to add to the silverware.

It was a great day for the long suffering City supporters who have never wavered during the draught years. The futures bright, the futures sky blue with the bluemoon finally rising.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Kolarov,
de Jong, Barry (Johnson 73mins), Yaya Toure, D Silva,
Balotelli, Tevez (Zabaleta 87mins).

Unused subs:
Given, Boyata, Vieira, Milner, and Dzeko.

FA Cup Rewind: The 1969 Final

2011-05-14T10:49:00.001+02:00

What memories of the one and only Cup Final I have seen. I was a student in London and bought a ticket from a tout. I was so nervous that it would be a fake and that at any time i would be thrown out and i'd wasted my money. It turned out well, although I was in the Leicester end and i was there to see Neil Young score the winner.

FA Cup Rewind: The 1969 Final

FA Cup Final preview

2011-05-13T20:39:00.000+02:00

I have just watched Sky News, sports report, after which the main presenter, Mark Longhurst, thanked the sports reporter for a 'splendid' sports bulletin. 'Splendid ... SPLENDID? There was absolutely no mention, on the eve of the Country's premier Cup competition final, of either Stoke or Manchester City. In a bulletin in which they seemed to be scratching around for a story, there was mention of Dalgleish and Liverpool, a west Ham goalkeeper, and an FA enquiry into FIFA affairs. You could imagine that if the tossers, Arsenal or Chelsea were good enough to reach the final there would have been wall-to-wall coverage, but not for City or Stoke. It was almost as if that arch tosser supporter Eamonn Holmes (Was he born in Manchester?) was in the studio. To their credit the BBC ran interviews with both Mancini and Pulis on their sport's report, recognising that one of the great sporting moments of the year was almost upon us.

Although City will start slight favourites, most of the neutral spectators will be hoping that honest, hard working Stoke can thrash the high spending prima donnas at City and put them in their place. If Stoke do win, it will be the first ever FA Cup trophy in their history an incentive that ensures that they will give their all in pursuit of victory. They are a big, strong side and their forwards are sure to test City's defence, particularly in the air. In this respect, one of Stoke's biggest weapons will be the Delap throw, often a better attacking mode than the corner because of his accuracy.

City fans will be looking for a better display than against Spurs when they conceded too much of the midfield. This may have been because Barry was missing but I doubt it. Nor do I believe it was because Spurs were better in midfield. We have seen this mentality all too often when City rely on keeping a clean sheet rather than consolidate and look for a second goal. In the match at the Brittania stadium, City were pegged back by a late goal after taking the lead and dominating possesssion in the second half. Too often attacking players seemed to want to walk the ball in net rather than test the keeper. It was a cold day and Balotelli looked as if he'd rather be somewhere else. The forecast for tomorrow is for cloud with the odd shower. I can only hope that if Balotelli is selected, there will be more sunshine and a dry pitch.

One can't help but think that Balotelli has been rested of late to protect him from injury and/ or a red card. Can Mancini trust him in the supercharged atmosphere created by 90,000 spectators, not to get sent off and leave City to play on, a man short. Will Tevez play a part in the match? Will Mancini overlook the skipper if he feels the man is determined to leave in the summer? Would he be better playing Dzeko, a man who wants desperately to succeed at CoMStad?

At the Brittania, Manini played down the middle, asking his full backs, Richards and Kolarov to supply the width. I think he'll persevere with this style, using Zabaleta on the left in place of Kolarov, who hasn't played well of late. Kompany and Lescott should play at the back in a formation that seems to be gelling. De Jong is a certain starter, as is Silva and Yaya Toure. Two of Milner, Vieira and Barry will start with the third on the bench. Mancini, I believe will keep Johnson on the bench whilst starting with Tevez and Dzeko up front. Balotelli will come on if City go behind or need some one to create something out of nothing. The Italian may be disappointed but his time will come when he has calmed down.

I would like to think that City can win comfortably, but I've watched them for too long to know that this is unlikely. It will be another nail-biter with City winning hopefully by the odd goal in three.

City 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspurs

2011-05-11T10:48:00.003+02:00

City have secured a Champion's League place with this narrow win over an impressive Spurs side. City will now finish in the top four with a chance to make third place if they win their last two games and Arsenal falter. The ridiculous loss to Everton seems all the more disappointing this morning.
Although Spurs dominated this match for long periods they didn't create many chances whilst City could have finished with a few more, with Yaya Toure and Tevez missing golden chances towards the end.
It started well but City soon started to defend too deeply, allowing Spurs to control the midfield. De Jong and Yaya Toure couldn't get hold of the ball, allowing the visitors too much possession. At times it looked as if Spurs were the home side and one felt sorry for those that had paid £50 to watch the game, so poor were City. It was no surprise when City's goal cane courtesy of an own goal by Crouch, the player who ironically scored the goal that sunk City in the game last year that left the blue's in fifth place. The rest of the half belonged to Spurs but they created little in front of goal.
The second half continued as before, Mancini's half time talk clearly not adding urgency to the collective team effort. City's first attempt on goal was in the 23rd minute of the second period when Silva shot wide. However, Spurs were tiring and City were beginning to find gaps in the defence. By the end, even with an added five minutes, Spurs could not find a way through the City defence in which all the back four played well. When they did get through, as with Pienaar's header, Hart was there with a first classs save to palm the ball from his line. Richards had a good first game back, attacking freely down the line at times. Tevez, anxious to start had been warming up for some time before Mancini gave him the last ten minutes. He might have scored in the dying seconds but his shot was well saved by the Spurs' keeper.
By the end the fans couldn't care less about this performance. The team had won; another three points in the bag.
City can now concentrate on the FA Cup Final against Stoke, this Saturday, happy that they don't have to worry about Champions League qualification. Heady days for City fans, but they'll want to know that the team will play more positively against the 'potters'. City's frailty at the back, against headers,will have been noted by Pulis who will doubtless ask for deep crosses and throw ins for his big forwards to attack.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Zabaleta (Kolarov 57),
DeJong, Milner, Yaya Toure, Silva (Tevez 83mins), A Johnson (Vieira 66mins),
Dzeko

Unused subs:
Given, Boyata, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli, Tevez

Everton 2 - 1 City

2011-05-08T12:51:00.002+02:00

It was predictable! City were the better team but succumbed to two second half goals having failed to take their first half chances. Mancini blamed the defeat on selfish attacking and defending too deeply. I don't believe the attack was too selfish, rather that the finishing was poor. Dzeko seemed to be always two metres behind the ball. That the team defended too deeply is a recurring problem, allowing the opposition to play long balls into the penalty area. Not for the first time, City succumbed to headers, on this occasion to one from a short player who managed to get a glancing header away.
Yaya Toure and Dzeko spurned chances to put City two up in the second half before bogeyman Cahill entered the fray. Barely had he arrived when City were pegged back by ex City player Distin. The rest is history.
Balotelli was not included in the starting eleven, presumably to protect him from picking up a red card in the run-up to the Cup Final. Tevez and Richards, both recovering from injury, were not included in the squad but will probably feature sometime on Tuesday.

The first half was conducted as if the players had no greater thought on their mind than the current match. This was a relief because one thought that the players would be thinking of the FA Cup final in a week's time. At times, so much in command were they, it looked as if City were the home side. Whatever was said at half time, it was Everton that turned the match around and clearly, Mancini, Platt and Kidd were not doing their job in keeping City's effort positive. It cannot be over emphasised how important the management are in these situations and clearly Moyes was able to better motivate his players.
The defeat was softened with the news that Spurs dropped two home points to Blackpool, but the match on Tuesday now takes on additional importance.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta (Balotelli 81mins), Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov,
DeJong (Jo 89mins), Vieira (Johnson 77mins), Silva, Milner, Yaya Toure,
Dzeko

Unused subs:
Given, Boyata, SWP, McGivern

Everton v City preview

2011-05-06T09:55:00.002+02:00

This will be, as it always is, one of the hardest fixtures of the year; and not because my brother is an Everton fan. The blue side of Liverpool always seem to save something special for the visit of City and nothing can be taken for granted until the final whistle. A win for City this time will, however, almost certainly see them in the Champions League next season for the first time, adding to the tension of Tuesday's home match with Spurs. Mancini will be keen to secure fourth place before taking the team to Wembley for the FA Cup Final.
Further good news for Mancini was that Richards and Tevez are back in training although neither is likely to feature this weekend. Both will be keen to play at wembley and therefore may play some part in the match on Tuesday, but the manager will have some difficult decisions to make with selections. I will be sorry if Zabaleta doesn't have a chance to play in the Final as I believe the game is made for him.
Having recently been away in Thailand, I have only just seen a video of the semi-final match against the tossers and have to admit that after a slow start they were easily the best side and could have won by more than the one goal. They should have also scored more in the match against West Ham. Too often a City player, particularly Silva, had an opportunity to shoot but looked to pass the ball. Nearly always it resulted in a lost ball and Mancini should encourage more selfishness with added killer instinct.
Balotelli looked good against the tossers but not so good against the Hammers. It was almost as if he couldn't be bothered, although one shot from distance, which will have warmed the keeper's hand, stays in the memory. Dzeko should be given a chance.
With the final just a week away some players will be anxious to avoid injury and therefore shun physical confrontation. Mancini, however, must impress on the team that this is no time to ease up. All will be well if City go three up before half time and he can rest some players, but this is unlikely unless we have a change of luck in front of goal.
Everton are not the same team that played in the Autumn and Mancini will probably take a draw. So will I.

City 2 - 1 West Ham

2011-05-03T11:30:00.002+02:00

It seems a little churlish after a win to be critical but City got off to a good start and then allowed the hammers back into the game with the old enemies, sloppy passing, sloppy ball control and bad decision making. That said they could easily have scored more, especially in the second half when Balotelli hit a post and he and Silva managed to miss when it was easier to score. Balotelli had a poor game. He ran around well but never was able to get in front of a defender to pose a real threat. He should have been replaced early on by Dzeko who fizzed from the moment he eventually was added to the attack. Two stinging shots from outside the area, tested the Hammer's keeper. Much more like what was needed.
With Tottenham losing to Chelsea thanks to poor decision making by the officials, City now have a golden chance to qualify for the Champions league, but they really must close out games better. City were two up within fifteen minutes and we looked set for another Sunderland type score. Credit to West Ham however as they never gave up and pulled one back when the City defence failed to clear the ball in a ten minute spell of Hammers domination.
City's first after ten minutes was de Jong's much anticipated first for the Club. The second followed a smart move down the right when Zabaleta ran into position and hit a shot that found the net after colliding with the boot of a Hammer's defender.
Everton away next Saturday will be a stern test. Usually City's bogey team, especially if Cahill is playing. Defeat will be okay if City beat Spurs at home but City's winning habit should prevail.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov,
De Jong (Milner 46mins), Barry (Dzeko 73mins)Yaya Toure, Silva, A. Johnson,
Balotelli (Vieira 85mins)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Boyata, Wright-Phillips, Jo

Blackburn 0 - 1 City

2011-04-27T11:00:00.003+02:00

Well! I'm back after a month away in Thailand, during which I missed City's great win over the tossers at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
The day I arrived I was lucky enough to see, live, the City Sunderland match on a TV in a bar in Soi 7, but thereafter it was difficult to keep in touch. What a great game that was, though, watched through eyes that were dimmed by my twelve hour sojoin in that particular bar.
I hadn't realised until I landed back in the UK, early Monday morning, that City's game was on Sky and I hadn't missed it. Mind you apart from the result, there wasn't much to enthuse about as City found it difficult to break down a team, just as desperate for points although for a totally different reason. It all might have been different if Silva's shot had gone in instead of rebounding from the top of the post and going safe. It was the best effort in an opening twenty minutes where City dominated, creating five chances without reply, despite the Blackburn manager's assertion in a pre-match interview that his team were to take the game to City from the start. However, the goal wouldn't materialise and as Blackburn's confidence grew, City's inventiveness dried up. Inexplicably, the ball was not reaching Johnson despite his ability to consistently beat the defence and Yaya Toure became anonymous. The passing lacked precision as we've often seen and players became statuesque, not running into spaces, as they no longer had the beating of a Blackburn defence that was becoming dominant. Even Blotelli became frustrated at his lack in incisiveness and when this happens, a yellow card is sure to follow as a red mist descends over him. The first half ended 0-0, with Blackburn well and truly back in contention.
It was much the same for the second half and watching we felt that City needed to change something to put more spirit into proceedings. Passions were high and some telling tackles were flying in as both teams tried to assert themselves. Following his yellow, it seemed most likely that the ineffective Balotelli would make way for Dzeko, but Mancini has faith in his genius to produce that one telling moment of brilliance that can change a game. In the end it was Johnson that came off and what an inspirational change it was, because within minutes, Dzeko had scored. Silva's shot ricocheted from a defender staright to Dzeko who calmly slotted it past the keeper. Balotelli, might have ruined the attempt by partially obscuring the keeper as Dzeko took aim, but in the event the officials allowed the goal to stand. It may have been harsh on a bold Blackburn side who had given their all to take the points, but it was City who had won ugly that finished winners. It is this winning difficult games that mark a team as a good league side and it's beginning to look as if City have finally found the players who won't give up, who won't lie down when the game turns against them.
With Tottenham giving up points at the weekend, City not only cemented their position in fourth place but also edged closer to Arsenal, who have recently faltered, in the race for third. City have five games left, two of which are pivotal: the home game against Tottenham and an away fixture at Everton. If City can win both and Arsenal lose against the tossers, who knows??

Manchester City:

Hart;

Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov;

De Jong, Barry; Silva (Boyata, 90), Yaya Toure, Adam Johnson (Dzeko, 72);

Balotelli (Vieira, 84)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Jo

Rewind: Rovers v City 2000

2011-04-25T12:33:00.000+02:00

Rewind: Rovers v City 2000

City v Sunderland preview

2011-04-01T10:56:00.001+02:00

They are all important games now. With regards 4th place City have their destiny in their own hands as long as they keep winning! The other, competing, teams will have slip ups along the way which may afford City some latitude, but they must be over their bad patch and mentally strong for the run-in.

Tevez might be back but Zabaleta will play having returned from compassionate leave in Argentina. Richards is out after damaging a hamstring playing for England Under 21s.
Sunderland are going through their own bad patch having not won in six PL games. Further, they have the benefit of the win on home soil thanks to a late penalty, which even Bruce, the Blackcats manager, admitted was a stroke of luck. The problem that day was City couldn't score. Its been a recurring problem for City through the season. Sunderland will fight but if City can get the first goal they should win comfortably.

Personally, I am off to Thailand for a month and will likely miss a few games, including Sunderland (and the FA Cup semi-final against the tossers).

Chelsea 2 - 0 City

2011-03-21T09:36:00.000+01:00

If City didn't deserve to lose this game, they cannot expect to progress in any competitions if they don't score goals. It's as simple as that!

Despite being without Captain Tevez through injury, they had chances but were unable to take them. The defeat means that they are now struggling for their second target, 4th place in the league having been knocked out of the Europa league in midweek. Why is it sometimes they can score plenty and other times they cannot get one? There is a reluctance to shoot when they have the chance, seeming to want to get another pass in. Silva is particularly guilty of this. There were a number of occasions one wanted to see him run and take on defenders only for him to stop and look around for help.
City started well before Chelsea could get into their stride. Yaya Toure, who had a good game was central, spraying passes all around as he criss-crossed the pitch with his characteristic lope. It reminds one of those Africans that daily run a gazelle down, often running a marathon distance before the creature collapses with exhaustion under the hot sun.
With ten minutes to play, it was beginning to look as if City might get the draw their play deserved; Chelsea had huffed and puffed to no avail, when they
were awarded a dubious corner and Luiz scored with a glancing header that Hart couldn't stop.
Johnson and Balotelli were brought on but despite City mounting some pressure, they couldn't find an opening and were cruelly hit again in time-added when Ramires showed everybody how to finish.
I'm not sure Balotelli knows what he's meant to be doing in the Premier League. I missed the Dynamo Kiev match when the Italian was sent off, reducing his team to ten when they needed to score three to win the tie. In his ten minutes at Stamford Bridge he still looked bemused and I'm beginning to think he should be saved until next season.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Kolarov,
De Jong, Barry, Yaya Toure (A Johnson, 81), Milner (Balotelli, 81), Silva,
Dzeko

Unused subs:
Taylor, Boyata, Boateng, Vieira, Wright-Phillips

City 1 - 0 Reading FA Cup 6th Round

2011-03-14T12:34:00.000+01:00

City finally overcame Championship side, Reading with a finely taken goal from full back, Micah Richards.

Reading started quickly, pinning City in their own half before the home side gradually took complete control. Wright-Phillips enjoyed his start and made some darting runs but may have done better when he was put through by Silva. Yaya Toure made some good surging runs as we know he can but City couldn't find a way through the well prepared Reading defence. Yaya Toure, Silva and Wright-Phillips all had direct shots at goal and failed. Although City were creating loads of chances, at the other end Reading had little ot offer and City deserved their goal when it finally arrived, midway through the second half from a Silva corner. Before then Silva and Tevez, working well together, had several chances to open the scoring and a Kolarov corner was headed off the line. Wright-Phillips burst through on the right but his perfect cross was mit-hit by Tevez in front of goal.
Richards had one header tipped over from a Kolarov corner before getting his well deserved reward a little while later. It was a bullet of a header that earned him a hug from relieved manager, Mancini.
Although Reading tried hard to pull the game back, City were not to be denied their Wembley semi-final clash with the tossers.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov,
Vieira (Balotelli, 69), De Jong (Barry, 82), Yaya Toure, Wright-Phillips (Boyata, 90),
Silva, Tevez.

Unused subs:
Taylor, Dzeko, Jo, Razak

City v Reading FA Cup 6th Rd preview

2011-03-12T13:34:00.002+01:00

City's final push for glory on three fronts faltered when they were beaten on a freezing night in Kiev. They have the relative luxury of a second bite of the cherry with the return leg, next week, but this Sunday it is do or die in the FA Cup 6th Round against the Championship side, Reading.
The prize is a semi-final match at Wembley.

Reading haven't been beaten in the league since early February, their last game being a 3-1 demolishing of Ipswich at Portman Road. Indeed their away form is quite strong for a team lying eigth in the Champuionship table, losing only five of their eighteeen games.
Reading have already beaten two Premier League Clubs, West Brom and Everton at Goodison and the City squad know that they cannot afford to underestimate the visitors.

The Reading manager, Mc Dermott is worried about a growing injury list whilst Mancini is happy to welcome back some of his key players including Balotelli who was replaced in Kiev after suffering an allergic reaction. Wright-Phillips and de Jong will have been happy to get onto the pitch, albeit for a short time in Kiev and should play a part on Sunday.

FA Cup matches are notoriously unpredictable, often hingeing on a stroke of luck. City can improve their chances of a lucky break by upping the number of goal chances they create. The weather forecast for the match is overcast skies with the possibility of some showers. It might not be ideal for some of City's overseas players but they ought to be professional enough to cope with the conditions and see off Reading's ambition.

Come on City!

Dynamo Kiev 2 - 0 City Europa League

2011-03-12T10:53:00.000+01:00

In a below par performance, City have left themselves a big task to reach the quarter finals of the Europa league, losing to Dynamo Kiev by two goals to nil.
City started well but lost their way on a cold, late night in the Ukraine. Presumably to accommodate TV schedules the match didn't kick off until 10pm local time; poor, to my mind, for players and spectators alike with the game finishing at nearly midnight. Balotelli was one who seemed to abandon any interest early on after a starting burst of life. To my mind this was predictable an he should never have started, although the manager pointed to an 'allergic reaction' as the reason for his replacement by Tevez early in the second half. In fact Mancini's starting line-up looked to be attack minded, giving the impression that he wanted this tie wrapped up before the return encounter, allowing him to rest players before the crucial league match at Stamford Bridge. It might have paid off too with City creating several openings in the first twenty minutes. Thereafter they drifted back into the slow build up- nobody moving pattern we have seen in the past month. At one point in the first half I wondered if Dzeko was actually on the pitch so little part did he play. Kiev scored half way through the first half when Shevchenko beat Hart to a cross and poked it passed the keeper.
The second half was nearly all City, with Dynamo content to sit back and hit City on the counter attack. Despite taking the game to the Ukranians, they had no luck and it was Kiev who scored their all important second goal, showing the City forwards what finishing is all about. They might have added a third late on as City pushed forward, looking for an away goal, but Hart saved well.
When the final whistle came it was obvious what the victory meant to the home side; you'd have thought they'd won the cup- perhaps they have after this performance.
Mancini maintains that the situation is recoverable and I suggest it is back in the comfort of CoMStad, but he will want a better effort from all quarters of his team because Kiev will almost certainly play the same counter-attacking game.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Zabaleta,
Barry, Yaya Toure, Kolarov (Wright-Phillips, 82), David Silva,
Dzeko, Balotelli (Tevez, 57)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Boateng, De Jong, Vieira

Dynamo Kiev v City. Europa League preview

2011-03-08T10:41:00.000+01:00

Following City's win last weekend in the Premier League, it is a welcome return to the last sixteen of the europa league. Mancini has been complaining of late that the unending pressure of the PL is sapping his player's energy and with a fortnight to go to the important Chelsea match, he can relax for a moment knowing that in a two leg tie the pressure is off.
Or is it?
Dynamo are second in the Ukrainian League behind Shakhtar having beaten Metaluhr D away at the weekend. They have only beeen beaten three times in the twenty matches played, demonstrating that they are a team to be reckoned with. Add this to the weather which is going to be cold and in my opinion, City ought to be happy to come away from Kiev with a draw and an away goal, hoping to secure advancement at home the following week.
Mancini may be able to welcome back de Jong who had fifteen torrid minutes on Saturday as Wigan pressed for an equaliser. Milner, Johnson and Wright-Phillips however may still be unavailable. I've given up waiting for Michael Johnson who despite appearing on the bench never looks likely to be ready for first team action.
So, bearing in mind the FA Cup tie against Reading on Sunday, who will play? I think Dzeko will play up front with Jo. Tevez needs a rest and Balotelli will not like the cold.
In midfield, there is a case for not risking Silva and I think he will play Barry, de Jong and Kolarov with either Vieira or one of the youngsters. Zabaleta will play at left back in a formation he's tried before. Kompany will start as captain with Boateng or Boyata and Richards to his right.

City 1 - 0 Wigan Athletic

2011-03-06T08:45:00.000+01:00

The positives first. Another win and another clean sheet.

In a disappointing match, City rode their luck to secure valuable three points against a Wigan side that will justifiably think they deserved better. With almost the last kick of the match, Sammon, a late substitute for Wigan, pulled his shot wide of the post when he should have done better and hardly anyone could have complained if it had gone in.
It had started well with City creating many chances but instead of shooting on sight they chose to try and walk the ball in and continually suffered from bad last touches. Particularly bad in this respect was Yaya Toure who did at last manage one forcing run this game, but overall I thought he was disappointing. He was not alone with several players finding it difficult to get motivated. In the end, it was no surprise that the one goal of the match came through a keeper blunder when Silva's shot trickled through his legs.
Mancini admitted that his team were poor in the second half claiming tiredness and injury for a performance that left most people wondering who was the home team. He may have a point with City having to play two matches a week, often having to travel abroad. Back to the game, City hardly had one creditable effort on goal in the first thirty minutes of the second half as Wigan outplayed them with pace. City's build up was so sluggish, a combination of poor movement up front and lack of incisiveness by Vieira and Barry, that Wigan always had enough players back to snuff out any attack and at the other end were always dangerous with quick breakouts.

Maybe it's the weather. It was grey and damp in Manchester yesterday. Some of City's team may, like Robinho, come alive when the sun eventually shines, when their creative skills can be fully unleashed. What hope is there then when they go to Kiev midweek where the temperature is minus forty at the moment?

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta,
Barry, Vieira, Yaya Toure, Silva (De Jong, 82), Tevez (Dzeko, 85),
Balotelli (Kolarov, 67)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Boateng, Jo, Boyata

City v Wigan preview

2011-03-04T10:54:00.003+01:00

Are City through their bad spell in the Premier League? Can they now push on for a strong finish in all three competitions?
This weekend will possibly provide the answer before three Cup games in a row; two against Dynamo Kiev and the FA Cup 6th round tie against Reading. The next League match, against Chelsea, will be in a fortnight's time. I believe it's important that City register a good win before they break for the knockout tournaments.
Wigan results of late are a mixed bag. A home thrashing by the tossers preceded by an away draw to Liverpool. Wigan's problems and the reason they are bottom in the League lie with their home form. Away from home their form is better than Bolton's who lie 7th in the division, having only been beaten in five matches out of thirteen.
It's difficult to know what sort of threat they will pose but a City team with their best players fit should be able to give their fans the win they need in the quest for a top four finish. One thing is clear; they will have to do it without Kolo Toure who has been suspended for failing a drug's test. The Ivorian claims that the banned substance may have something to do with his wife's dietary medication but we will have to wait and see. It may not be as important as at first seems because Toure hasn't been playing that well and with Kompany due back this week and Boyata having had a run out in midweek, the manager may feel that he can cope.
Mancini's other problem is what to do with his strikers. Playing all three didn't work against Fulham but that may have more to do with there being no Silva to make it gel. Umm! Not sure about that but with Tevez sure to start it, it all boils down to who does Mancini put on the bench.
With Michael Johnson being on the bench for last Wednesday's game there are rumours that he might get on the pitch before the end of March, about the same time as his namesake Adam. Let's hope so!
City to win.

City 3 - 0 Aston Villa FA Cup 5th Round

2011-03-04T09:31:00.001+01:00

A comfortable win for City in the end puts them through to the next round and a home tie against Reading.

It started well with Yaya Toure scoring from a Kolarov corner, following lax defence by a Villa side showing eight changes from their last match. Any accusations of fielding a second team were partially squashed when Heskey created an opening and should have scored at the other end. However, City went further ahead midway through the first half when Balotelli latched on to a great Yaya cross, and scored with a fantastic finish from twenty yards. Balotelli was involved in another elbow incident when he caught a Villa player when contesting for the ball, unlike Rooney's off the ball assault. Referee, Clattenburg, managed to spot this one and gave the Italian a yellow card.
The game was effectively over but wasn't tied up until the second half when following sustained City pressure, Silva controlled the ball in front of goal on the edge of the area and fired powerfully past the Villa keeper into a corner of the net. There is no doubt that Silva is a pivotal player in this City team and his fitness may well decide City's season.
Tevez came on for Balotelli in the last thirty minutes and Dzeko had a rest ahead of Saturday's important clash with Wigan. Mancini might have wanted to protect Balotelli from another yellow card as he showed more desire to compete in this game.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards (Boyata 83), Zabaleta, Boateng, Lescott,
Barry, Vieira, Y Toure (Jo 79), Kolarov, Silva
Balotelli (Tevez 60),

Unused subs:
Taylor, M Johnson, Dzeko, Wabara

City v Aston Villa preview FA Cup 5th Round

2011-03-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

After drawing at home with Fulham at the weekend, who knows how this one will go. Like Sunday's game this should be a home banker but the FA Cup can spring a surprise. Just ask Everton who lost at home to Championship side, Reading, last night.

City will hope to have Silva, Richards and Kompany back from injury but this isn't Mancini's only problem. He has to make up his mind whether or not to continue with his three main forwards on the field at the same time. It hasn't been a great success and he may have to bite the bullet and tell Baotelli that he's on the bench. Mancini will not want another replay and must go for a win first time out. This is no time for caution; surely he must attack from the start. In my opinion he should start with Wright-Phillips, hoping to combine with Richards to give good ball to Dzeko and skipper Tevez. If need be he could drop Yaya Toure who hasn't been at his best lately, but Mancini likes the player and will stick with him.

City have taken just five points from the last five league matches. They need to shake off the current bad patch and kick off on all three fronts, the Premier league, Europa League and FA Cup and hit the end of the season on a high.
Let's hope they can make a start by dispatching Villa first time

City 1 - 1 Fulham

2011-02-28T09:36:00.002+01:00

The most telling action came at the end of the match when Mark Hughes' and Mancini's handshake was conducted with undisguised contempt on the part of the ex City, now Fulham manager. He got what he came for in the match when Fulham achieved a draw but in all honesty they might have taken all three points. City were that bad.
Starting with their three main strikers, Tevez, Balotelli and Dzeko they could barely muster an attempt between them as the midfield, without Silva, again misfunctioned. In a rare moment of brilliance, Balotelli put City ahead in the middle of the first half, with a great strike from outside the box that left the keeper grasping at air. One hoped that having conceded, Fulham would come out and attack allowing City to exploit them at the back but it didn't happen that way as City's moribund midfield couldn't string two passes together.
At the start of the second half, City kept Fulham waiting, no doubt to frustrate them but it didn't work. Within seconds, Fulham showed City how it should be done with an attack up the right that exposed Kolarov for the poor defender he is. The cross was met, not by Lescott or Boateng but by a Fulham player, Duff. It was no more than they deserved because their players, Duff, Dempsey and Murphy put in a proper Premier League shift, unlike Yaya Toure, for instance, who for the third game in a row, was far too complacent.
Kolarov was at last replaced by Milner with Zabaleta reverting to full back but it was too late. The game was crying out for Wright-Phillips to come on and inject some pace but the three wise men of Mancini, Kidd and Platt couldn't or wouldn't take the risk.
It looks as if Kompany and Silva were being saved for Wednesday's FA Cup tie against Villa but the cost has been two lost home points that City can hardly afford if they want top four place.

It was drear at it worst and it is no surprise that City supporters had seen enough ten minutes before the end and began to drift away from the ground, missing the telling managerial handshake.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Boateng, Kolarov (Milner 77), K Toure, Lescott,
Barry, Y Toure, Zabaleta,
Dzeko (Vieira 60), Balotelli, Tevez

Unused subs:
Taylor, Wabara, Jo, Wright-Phillips, Guidetti

City v Fulham preview

2011-02-26T11:33:00.000+01:00

The return of ex manager, Mark Hughes, adds extra spice to this contest, City's third home match of five in a row.
Hughes will have every right to feel aggrieved at the manner of his dismissal fourteen months ago and will be keen to return to CoMstad and put on a display, beating his old team if possible. Fulham arrive having drawn thirteen matches this season, the highest number in the Premier League aware of the irony that it was the very high number of autumnal drawn games that ostensibly cost Hughes his job at City. However since their defeat to Spurs on Jan 1st, Fulham have only been beaten once, away to Liverpool, holding Chelsea to a home draw.

Although suffering from a growing injury list, City are scoring well at home having hit nineteen in their last five home matches and can count on all three of their strikers, Tevez, Dzeko and Balotelli being available on Sunday.
I think that Mancini will hold Balotelli back in reserve and start with Wright-Phillips. Dzeko will be desperate to continue scoring goals after hitting Aris with two although I hope he's spent time at Carrington practising his one-on-one skills against keepers. Poor finishing cost him a hat-trick against Aris.

The midfield and defence will be decided by who'se fit on the day. Boateng has been playing better of late, particularly when in the centre rather than right back. Kompany looks to have shrugged off his hip injury and will surely start with Kolarov on the left. With de Jong unlikely to be fit and with no Milner, Vieira might well get another start alongside Barry.

City can't afford to slip up in their quest for a top four position and should be too strong for Fulham. Hughes will be happy with a draw and might try and get eleven men behind the ball at all times, an easy job if City's build up is too slow. City need to score early as against Aris and if they do I think they'll go on to win.

City 3 - 0 Aris Salonika Europa League

2011-02-25T19:22:00.000+01:00

A pretty comfortable win in the end but with City two up within the first ten minutes, the fans might have expected a bit more. By the end the memory will be of Dzeko's two early strikes, one with each foot. The third came from a Yaya Toure shot which was deflected passed the keeper in the middle of the second half.
Aris rallied in the first half to keep an eager City out but were unable to impact on yet another City clean sheet. Tevez was tireless in his search for openings and Balotelli contributed positively to the effort with some good control of not only the ball but also his temper. The crowd were disappointed when a second half shot rebounded from a post, the Aris keeper well beaten.
Another memeory from this match will be the wonderful supporters the Greek club brought. They might have hoped for a better performance from a team that looked defeated from the outset.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Boateng, Kompany (Zabaleta, 35), Lescott, Kolarov,
Barry, Yaya Toure, Silva (Wright-Phillips, 79), Tevez (Vieira, 79),
Dzeko, Balotelli

Unused subs:
Taylor, Jo, Kolo Toure, Wabara

City v Aris Salonika Europa Cup 2nd Leg

2011-02-23T15:44:00.002+01:00

City should have had this tie sewn up after the first leg when they dominated a match in which the Greeks showed their visitors too much respect.

Aris will now come to CoMstad knowing they have nothing to lose. They can throw caution to the wind in the search for the away goal that will mean City have to score at least twice. Following the late avalanche of goals last Sunday when Notts County tired and Tevez came on, I imagine that Mancini will be keen for the Tevez/Dzeko double-act to continue, with Balotelli warming the bench.
Milner is out and de Jong still unavailable so that of the established midfielders only Vieira, Barry and Toure Y are fit. It may be that a chance will come for one of the youngsters to get a chance although Michael Johnson is apparently still not ready.
Richards is likely to miss the game and Boateng will probably get another run out at right back. It will be interesting to see if the left side combination of Zabaleta and Kolarov is continued.
I think that if his back problem is sorted, Wright-Phillips will be on the bench in case City need to chase the game.

I'm sure this game will produce goals and look forward to win number two in City's bid to win five home games in a row.

City 5 - 0 Notts County FA Cup 4th Round replay

2011-02-21T10:37:00.002+01:00

By the end City had won this match but the score flattered them and belied the effort made by Notts County and the poor first half by City.
It was fifteen minutes into the game before the Notts County keeper touched the ball, so slowly did City start and twenty two minutes before City's first real chance when Dzeko's strong header was tipped over following good work by Richards.
Again, City supporters were witness to more dodgy back passing, more poor ball control as they took an inordinate time to get into their stride.
Mancini brought back the Zabaleta/ Kolarov left side although it failed miserably against the tossers and put his two new attackers, Dzeko and Balotelli, up front in a gesture of attacking intent. There was disappointingly, no Wright-Phillips. If the defensive midfield, particularly Kolo Toure, were suspect, they were matched by Balotelli, starting for the first time since his injury. He strutted around the pitch as if he owned it, but making no contribution worthy of mention other than to get himself booked in a stupid show of petulance. He probably should have had a penalty but that does not excuse his dissolution into a black mood he couldn't escape from. Mancini will have to have words.
City should have been one down by the time they started to play and press home their advantages in both size and skill. Silva was the only player who looked to be making a proper effort to find openings. Finally, Vieira scored with a glancing header at the near post from a corner, calming some of the City nerves. City one up at half time but it might have been different if Notts County's effort which hit the post and bounced along the goal line and out, had gone in instead.
By the time City scored their second, another fine header from Vieira, they were beginning to get on top of a valiant Notts County who were by now tiring of chasing the ball around the pitch. Balotelli continued to do his own thing and it was no surprise to see him replaced by Tevez after an hour. His arrival galvanized the team to up their effort. I remember one particular Tevez run was not spotted by the ball carrier and he jumped up and down with frustration. This is the desire City need in the run in to the end of the season.
Three more goals in the last six minutes gave a distorted view of the game although they were all well taken. With the best pass of the game, a by-now impressive Dzeko put Tevez in space to round the keeper and slot home the third and the skipper's fiftieth goal for the club. For the fourth the favour was returned when Tevez chipped across goal for Dzeko to head home. There was still time for Richards to hammer home the fifth after a tired clearance from a corner and for Dzeko to hit the keeeper's legs when one-on-one.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kolo Toure, Lescott, Zabaleta,
Silva, Yaya Toure (Barry 81mins), Vieira, Kolarov,
Dzeko, Balotelli (Tevez 60mins)

Unused subs:
Taylor, Boateng, Kompany, Jo, Tchumeni-Nimely

Notts County v City FA Cup 4th Round replay Preview

2011-02-18T13:16:00.000+01:00

They can't lose this can they?
Followers of City have grown used to disappointing results over the years but losing to Notts County will have serious consequences this weekend. For a start City are going through a bad spell at the moment with only one win in the last six matches although, to be fair, five of these were away games. It has seen them lose ground in the premiership although they are clinging on in both cup competitions. The problem, despite the introduction of a new and expensive forward, has been the lack of goals which in turn comes from a lack of chances. The lack of goals has led to a lack of confidence which has meant even less chances as passes go astray and players are hesitant about running into spaces. In my opinion this is a direct result of City's deliberate and very slow build up, giving teams of the poorest quality time to get every player behind the ball. How can City's playmakers such as Silva, operate in areas brimming with so many players, they are falling over each other? Watch both Spurs and Arsenal and you can see the merit of moving the ball swiftly and accurately.

City's next four games will be at home, starting with Notts County on Sunday and they really ought to win all four. To kick start the season manager, Mancini will be looking to win well, with new signing Dzeko getting on the score sheet.
De Jong is still doubtful and Johnson will again be missing but Balotelli should be fit giving the manager a selection headache. Shall he play all three forwards with Tevez alongside Silva, slotting in behind Balotelli and Dzeko.
According to press reports, it is likely that Wright-Phillips will leave the club in the summer although he has pledged to do his best for the club until then. I for one will be sorry to see him go as he always puts in a good shift at both ends of the pitch-not always to good effect but he has a go and I expect him to start against Notts especially as Milner is likely to miss out because of hamstring problems.

Come on CITY.

Aris Salonika 0 - 0 City Europa Cup

2011-02-16T10:14:00.000+01:00

What a dire game! That City didn't win or even score a single goal serves to underwrite how poorly they played as a team. If lack of team cohesion wasn't enough; ball control was abyssmal and accurate passing almost absent in a display that beggered belief. There seemed to be no communication between the players as evidenced by the dispossession of Yaya Toure, unaware of 'man on' or the coming together of Hart and Barry which gave rise to the free kick on the edge of City's penalty area. Too often passes went straight into touch or in the Aris half, attacking moves founded on poor last passes or touches. On a night when Spurs went to Milan and won, it was disappointing that City couldn't at least register an away goal. Their best efforts were from Dzeko. In the first half he only half hit an effort from close in when Silva set him up and a second half header that the Aris goalkeeper did well to tip over the bar. Wright-Phillips had a shot straight at the goalkeeper when he could have looked for a corner of the goal, but Tevez hardly had a chance, one shot from distance missing by a country mile. He had a poor match, mostly running across the pitch, shadowed by his marker, unable to move the ball forward. When players tried to run into positions they were largely ignored so that by the end they didn't bother.
Wright-Phillips fizzed for a while but couldn't get passed his man. Yaya Toure, playing deeper than usual with the absence of de Jong, wasn't really interested. The back four passed amongst themselves too much and too sloppily for my liking, Kolarov especially being negligent with his passing.
Are there any positives? Not really. Balotelli made a brief appearance at the end but all the players gave the impression of not really being up for the game which was a shame for the thousand of fans that could be bothered to turn up to support them.

Two more games without a win means that there has been only one victory in the last six matches in all competitions. If they continue to play like this, not only will they get knocked out of the cup competitions they will finish outside the top six in the league.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kolo Toure, Boateng, Kolarov,
Wright-Phillips (Balotelli 77mins), Barry, Yaya Toure, Silva,
Dzeko (Zabaleta 83mins) and Tevez,

Unused subs:
Given, Kompany Jo, Lescott, Vieira

Aris Salonika v City Europa Cup

2011-02-15T10:28:00.002+01:00

City will hope to bounce back positively after last weekend's disappointment. The squad taken by Mancini includes Michael Johnson who has had little actual football time this season. His last premier League action was sixteen months ago. Whether his inclusion is part of his rehabilitation or whether he will come on at some stage in the game will be interesting to see. Balotelli also travelled but might not play after his injury.
Aris Salonika of Thessaloniki are difficult to beat at home and Mancini might be happy with a draw and an away goal. Wright-Phillips who played well at OT when he was introduced is almost certain to start, especially as Milner is injured. Apart from offering a credible attacking option, Wright-Phillips is also happy to get back and defend. With him in the side, I suspect that Mancini might ask Dzeko to play the lone striker and tell Wright-Phillips to put over some good crosses. For this reason I believe that Mancini will try again the Zabaleta-Kolarov left side. It didn't work against the tossers but it's doubtful if the Greek side has a player of Nani's quality and Kolarov is a good crosser of the ball.

Tossers 2 - 1 City

2011-02-13T12:43:00.001+01:00

So much for my optimistic forecast. The heart ruling my head again.
I wonder how much the accident to his little daughter last Thursday effected Tevez's play against the tossers. He certainly didn't look his usual self in today's Derby match. It was a shame because City put on a good show, commanding much of the game at OT. That they were beaten was due to two things; the first was an exceptionally well taken goal by Rooney and the second was City's final touch on the box let them down from the 4th minute onward when Silva missed a sitter.
Mancini's plan to use both Zabaleta and Kolarov on the left, presumably to try and neutralise Nani, failed but by the time Kolarov was replaced by a genuine winger, Wright-Phillips, in the second half, the tosser's danger man had scored an opening goal against the run of play. A long clearance by Van der Sar was flicked on by Giggs and Nani calmly controlled the ball, shook off Zabaleta and fired past an exposed Hart. City must have been disappointed to go in at half time, one down but they came out fighting after the break. The introduction of Wright-Phillips brought some extra pace on the right and it wasn't long before he was attacking Evra and bringing a new dimension to the game. Shortly afterwards, Dzeko came on for a struggling Milner who seemed to have picked up a strain. Wright-Phillips now had another target man and it wasn't long before it brought a result. This time, cutting in, his cross was met frst time by new man Dzeko who clipped it goalward. It spun off Silva's back and looped into the net. One- one and City in the ascendency. The faithful were quietly hoping that City would now go on and win the match but it wasn't to be. City had further attacks to try and salvage something from the game but their touch and some mass defending by the home side kept them out.

The premier title is now unlikely but the team can still go on and achieve a top four spot or better following this display. The defence played well, notwithstanding the two goals conceded. Even Lescott made few mistakes. If I were Mancini I would not be selling Wright-Philips. He always injects something different into a game. Dzeko was a little disappointing today, not getting into enough goal scoring situations or creating space for an attempt in a way that Balotellli, for instance,would have.

Manchester City:

Hart,
Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta,
Milner (Dzeko 62), Yaya Toure, Barry, Kolarov (Wright-Phillips 53), David Silva,
Tevez.

Unused subs:
Given, Kolo Toure, Boateng, Vieira, Jo.