Nasri Next Out Of The Door? Not a Chance....

It has been a pretty bad week to be a blue, well that is if you believe what you read in the papers.  According to our fantastic media the end is nigh, Roberto Mancini is preparing to quit to take over as Italy coach because his wife can't settle in Manchester, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Mario Balotelli are all leaving, we were snubbed by Eden Hazard and now according to reports in France, Samir Nasri is on the way as well.  It's great being a City fan isn't it?


Clearly the media circus around the club is going to get more mental every year, but the notion of moving on about half of our playing staff as well as our manager to be honest is ridiculous, and yet people get paid to write this stuff?  Obviously, there are going to be players departing this Summer, that is the nature of the game, just as there will be a few new arrivals, but the wholesale revolution being talked of in the media seems nothing short of farce. 

The latest claims doing the rounds revolve around the future of Samir Nasri and they originate from the bastion of quality French journalism, sports paper L'Equipe.  The paper claim that the former Arsenal man has not impressed his manager this season and claim that City are prepared to 'listen to offers', and with that comment comes my first problem with the piece.  The story is being spun as if we are seeking to move on the midfielder after only one season, when what it actually says is that we may be prepared to listen to other clubs should they make an offer that is deemed acceptable.  Now, outside of Aguero, Toure, Silva, Kompany and Hart I think you could say the exact same about any member of our squad, but there again 'City would consider selling Nasri if a good offer comes in' doesn't quite have the right sensationalist ring to it does it?


If we ignore that aspect of the story, there are other ridiculous things at play here as well.  Firstly why would we be wanting rid of the 24 year old?  In my mind he has had a solid season, some criticised him in the opening period, but I think that is a bit harsh, and perhaps underestimates the challenge of adapting to a new club and team.  In the last few months of the season however, Nasri has been one of our best performers, and he has taken some of the slack off Silva who toiled for a spell during the beginning of 2012.  It is also worth pointing out that he has got more assists to his name this season alone than in his entire career at Arsenal, but supposedly Mancini isn't impressed?

I am not going to second guess the management of the club, they know what they are doing, and whilst Nasri may not have been quite as glittering as some expected I just can't imagine why we would be looking to sell the French international, who, at 24, has still got his peak and prime to come.  


If we return to the original point though, I still find the whole story incredibly misleading, it says in black and white that we aren't looking to sell, but would listen to offers.  Now wait and see what the red tops do with that tomorrow morning.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Eden Hazard But Were Afraid To Ask!

A lot of names get thrown about every year, there are some players that just live on the back pages, permanently linked with that 'big' move.  For the last few years Eden Hazard has been one of those people, and over that time pretty much every football fan has stated how much they admire him, and made claims about how much he would be of benefit to their particular team.


Not to question the knowledge of other fans, but it does lead me to wonder how many people watch Ligue 1, because to have the knowledge of the player that people claim to have, they must watch Lille an awful lot!  I will hold my hands up and admit that 12 months ago, I was one of those people, I wanted Hazard at City, but I wasn't entirely sure why.  The hysteria around him had got so high, everyone wanted their club to sign him, but if you asked said fan whether he was right or left footed, they would in many cases be unable to answer you.  For that reason, I am going to spread the word, and make it clear just who Eden Hazard actually is, and why he'd be a great addition to the City squad.

We have all read the following admiring quotes from Mancini in recent days:

"I like Hazard a lot. He's a good player, he's young and he would do great things in our team...Given his technical qualities, City would be the perfect destination for him. I know him and have been following him for a long time. He's a player a lot of teams want.".

So what is it about the player that would make us such a 'perfect destination'?  To be quite honest from what I have seen and read the kid has it all.  Capable of playing on either wing, he has that prized asset of being pretty two footed, he may naturally use his right, but he is equally adapt on his left, he is also comfortable playing centrally behind the forward line.  He creates chances no matter where he is playing on the pitch, and he is also not shy of scoring himself, notching up 16 league goals (and 13 assists) this season in 33 appearances, not a bad return for an attacking midfield player.

The Belgian certainly doesn't lack self confidence, some may deem him cocky, but others, and more importantly those that have worked with him believe it is more positive than that, he believes in his own ability and at 21 that is crucial.  The midfielder was fast tracked from the Lille academy into the first team squad at just 16 and became the youngest ever professional player in France.  Hazard is lauded for many parts of his game, he is searingly quick with and without the ball, and with supreme dribbling ability he can create something out of nothing in a flash.  His technical ability is hugely impressive as well, he has a fine range of passing and an excellent strike.  He has been likened to some of the very top players in the global game, similarities between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not wide of the mark, the scary thing is that he is probably ahead of where they were at his age.  


All is not so positive however, there are a few drawbacks.  A very important consideration is that whilst he has been dubbed a 'defenders nightmare' and has appeared unplayable at times, this is in a league which does not reach the standards of the English top flight.  There have also been negative suggestions regarded his self confidence, his former manage at Lille Claude Puel, gave some warnings when speaking to BBC Sport:

"Eden's strength is that he never doubts himself...He has so much self-confidence. That enabled him to reach a high level very quickly, but now it's holding him back because he's not pushing himself enough....He has everything he needs to become truly a great player, but he has to understand talent alone isn't enough. You have to work as well and he'll only make the next step if he moves to a more competitive environment.".

This attitude is mirrored by former Arsenal great Emmanuel Petit:

"I always feel short-changed with Hazard...Hazard is a diamond but he needs to be polished by the right jeweller.".

National manager Georges Leekens has also questioned Hazard and suggested that he has a lot more work ahead of him if he wants to be one of the games greats, but, the facts is that noone denies the potential that he possesses.  There is the chance he could go the same way as many of these kids who are told they are world beaters only to stutter, but if that can be overcome he clearly has the potential.

Why though would City be such a good fit?  Well we know that Mancini has a knack of getting the best out of certain players, the improvement of Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards and Gareth Barry confirm that his coaching techniques are of a good standard, so I am confident that he could get the player on the right track and keep him there.

Tactically it is somewhat of a no brainer, we have very little natural width in our squad, Adam Johnson, maligned by many, is in my mind not as bad as many make out but whether he has the ability to ever be a top player I am unsure, Hazard definitely has that though.  Yes, he has a penchant for cutting inside something that makes us tremendously narrow at times but with his 2 footed ability he would always keep defenders guessing as to which way he was going to go.  Perhaps his biggest asset to us as a club though is his pace.  Other than our fullbacks we are not an overly pacey side and that is something that the Belgian would definitely provide, he would commit defenders, and beat defenders, and his playmaking ability could be a joy to watch alongside the likes of Silva, Aguero and Nasri.

Competition for his signature is obviously strong, he has been linked with Arsenal for years, but whether they could compete financially seems unlikely, United are very interested in his signature, as are Spurs and Chelsea.  Clearly we could offer the best deal, but with Real Madrid sniffing around we could face stiff competition there.  In fact it could be the Spanish giants that offer our biggest competition with the clubs sporting director, Zinedine Zidane, saying that he would sign the player 'with his eyes closed'.

Hopefully that has offered a little insight into the much talked about youngster, I think it is crucial to take the positive of the player, there are clearly drawbacks, but the kid is 21 and has the world at his feet, it would be strange if he wasn't a little bit overly self confident.  I personally can see him at City, and the player dubbed 'the right footed Messi' by ex-Marseille coach Rolland Courbis would light up Eastlands and the Premier League in my opinion, a truly mouth watering prospect.

A Few Simple Thoughts On Our Management Situation....

= Si!

= Não!






I did say that they were simple thoughts.  Improvement is key in football, this year is so much better than last.  Sure we could end it without a trophy, but would any City fan disagree with the basic fact that we have been so much improved this season.  Each year under Mancini has been significantly better than the last, so who says next time round won't be even better still.


I realise it is only a minority calling for a change in management, and to those people I ask the simple question that I posed last week.  Have you learnt nothing from our own history? Have you learnt nothing from Chelsea's recent past?  Chopping and changing the management simply doesn't work, we have to give Bobby AT LEAST  one more season, so get behind the team, lets enjoy the run in and Forza Mancini!

We Must Learn From The Mistakes of Others and Our Own History...

A while ago I was cooking something horrifically mundane and I was listening to Radio 5, I am really not into Talksport and their brand of sports 'journalism' and chat, so I spend a lot of time tuning into to Sport on 5.  For those unaware, on a Monday evening, presenter Mark Chapman, journalist Ian McGarry, City hating former Pompey striker Steve Claridge, and John 'Motty' Motson discuss the weekends football stories, this is dubbed 'The Monday Night Club'.  


As I was stirring whatever listless 'delight' was in the pan on the hob, McGarry matter of factly said: 'well obviously if City don't win the league Mancini will be out' or words to that effect.  This was delivered with such an air of authority and confidence that it genuinely bothered me, what made the comments worse was that the other 'pundits' didn't question it, instead it was just glossed over and the conversation continued.  I wondered if McGarry had some kind of inside knowledge, unlikely, or if maybe it was the reasonable action and it was just me that thought it was madness, and then I realised what it was based on, we were being compared to Chelsea, our Abu Dhabi owners were being likened to Roman Abramovich, his attitude of 'no success = no job' was being applied to us.

It is nothing new, there were occasions last season when 4th place was far from a certainty, and when we were toiling against lower league opposition in what at the time looked like being a spectacularly fruitless FA Cup run, during these periods the tabloids would run negative stories about Mancini, the knives were well and truly out.  I do wonder what would have happened had we finished 5th and not picked up the FA Cup, would the Italian still be in charge?  There was a great deal of frustration shown towards him at times, our method of grinding out 1-0 wins throughout the early parts of the campaign was not greeted with over the top enthusiasm by supporters, but he won us over and delivered that famous trophy as well as our highest ever Premier League finish, bettering our 4th place aim and finishing level on points with 2nd place Chelsea.


At this moment in time, I genuinely wouldn't swap Mancini for any other manager in the world.  This season has brought with it the best football that I have ever seen City play, at 27, I suppose that is not overly surprising, but surely it must be getting close to, if not better than what we were producing in our glory days.  Clearly there have been disappointments, the defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup was a shame, but is still something everyone can hold their heads up high about.  We were perhaps a bit naive in our first Champions League outing, and the manager will obviously have to take some blame for that, but it is a learning experience for everyone, let us not forget we managed more points than our neighbours in a far more difficult group, and the 10 points we did achieve would normally guarantee progress to the knockout rounds.

I was watching Barcelona dismantle Bayer Leverkusen last night in the Champions League, as the goals rattled in, you could see what the Italian coach was trying to achieve.  The Catalan giants are clearly the template that we are trying to use as our inspiration, now I am not saying that we are close to their quality, but you can see that this season our approach to the game is very similar to how they play.  Mancini would never accept the cavalier attitude that they possess defensively, but their style of keeping the ball, dominating possession and grinding the opposition into the ground is definitely something that we have started to do.  Both teams pass and pass and pass, pull the opposition all over the field, pass, pass, pass until space for the killer ball opens up.  The improvement on the last campaign is huge, scoring 5 at White Hart Lane, 6 at Old Trafford, being top of the league for the majority of the season, this is dreamland!


The man behind all of that is Roberto Mancini, he has put us where we are, sure it has taken hundreds of millions to do it, but as Chelsea have proved, without a good manager at the helm, you won't achieve very much, despite how much you spend.  So is Ian McGarry right? Will Mancini be sacked if we fail to lift the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.  Well as is quite clear from this piece, I sincerely hope he isn't.  I understand that we are in a strong position, but we must recognise that for as great as we have been, our rivals are only just behind us, we have clearly played the best football, but whatever United are doing, it is picking up points.

For me, the most important thing when it comes to judging a manger is improvement, and it is impressive how far we have come over the last 12 months.  Should we finish 2nd, it would really not be the end of the world, should we not win the Europa League it would not be such a big deal.  Sacking Mancini for failing to deliver the league, would be a big error of judgement by those at the top.  Clearly there could be a degree of revisionism, but genuinely at the start of the season I expected us to improve, and I wanted to finish closer to Manchester United, I didn't expect us to win the league, I certainly didn't expect us to play as well as we have, and I would imagine this attitude applies to many City supporters.  So why now should we be disgruntled with our management?


Chelsea have proved on a couple of occasions that sacking the man in charge rarely helps, their decision to bin Carlo Ancelotti was ridiculous, they sacked Scolari after barely giving him a chance, they got rid of Avram Grant despite him guiding them to a Champions League final.  This instability has not helped them, we are progressing well, and we know all too well what chopping and changing the management brings.  Besides if Mancini is to go, do you really want Mourinho in charge at City? REALLY?

Tevez Is Back...Not Sure How To Take It...

I am in a pretty difficult position today.  As many of you that follow me on twitter will be well aware, I have moved on from Carlos Tevez, the guy burnt his bridges, embarrassed himself, and was massively disrespectful to both the club and most importantly in my eyes to the supporters.  I whole heartedly supported the line that Mancini took after that night in Munich saying he would never play for Manchester City again, but now 4 months on, that is looking like a very distinct possibility.


If you have been living under a rock you may be unsure as to what I am going on about; the bottom line appears to be that the Argentine is returning to Manchester tomorrow and has supposedly said that he wants to be part of the team and help them win the league title, it has also been suggested that in order to do this he will be dropping his appeal against his humongous fine.

So how do we feel about this? As many of you will already be aware from my comments on twitter I have always said that I never wanted to see the striker in a City shirt again, I felt that he disgraced the club I love and for me that is something that can't be taken back.  I would genuinely find it difficult to get behind the player after all that he has done and I am frankly uneasy about the whole situation, I can't help but feel this is a ploy from someone.


The other point of view, and it is a perfectly understandable one, is that if he does return and if he helps us win the league then we won't care about what happened in these past few months.  Clearly as we get ever closer to the business end of the season this is a viewpoint that is becoming more difficult to ignore.  If he was to return though there are a few things, that as a supporter I would expect.  

There must be an apology to not just the manager, but also his team mates that he has let down, and perhaps even more importantly to us supporters who pay his wages. It is a really difficult situation for me to get my head around, and I am no closer to working out exactly what I think is for the best.  The apologies though are a must in my eyes, and would it also be too much to ask for him to terminate his association with Kia Joorabchian, a man that I hold responsible for most of the players histrionics.


If though we move on from the morals of the situation and look at how it could affect the team, then it is all quite exciting.  We all know what a top talent Carlos Tevez is, and there have definitely been games over recent weeks where we have missed him, matches against West Brom, Sunderland and Everton were all crying out for the diminutive striker but he wasn't present.  So it would clearly be a boost to the playing staff, the ability to field 2 of Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli or Tevez is incredibly exciting, and opposition teams will definitely be hoping that Carlos doesn't return to our ranks.

I suppose another big question mark hanging over the forward must be his fitness.  I don't think many people truly know whether he has been keeping himself in shape during his 'holiday'.  Claims from the players representative state that he has been keeping himself fit and that with minimal training he could be ready to come straight back into the team, this however must surely be taken with a pinch of salt.  It is believe that the club have a full medical arranged for the player on his return and they have different schedules in place depending on how fit he really is, this would suggest to me that they don't just see him returning to draw a wage, but they see him returning to play a part in the team.


Similarly to many of you I hold City so close to my heart and I can never truly forgive someone that would treat the club as badly and disrespectfully as Tevez has, if he helps us win the title though, how will I feel?  I won't have forgiven him for his actions but I doubt that will affect my mood.

Maybe we should take a leaf out of the players book, forgive and move on, that certainly seems to be the mindset being presented by one of our most passionate players in Pablo Zabaleta: "Tevez would be welcomed by the players. It was a difficult situation. Most important is that we are doing well as a team.", after-all isn't it the good of the team we need to worry about first and foremost?  I won't cheer him, and i'm not happy with him, but maybe I just need to think about whats best for City....

Should Roberto Mancini Backtrack on this Defender?

The loss of Vincent Kompany has made things difficult this month, but I think we have coped pretty well without him.  Youngster Stefan Savic has come into the team and before yesterday was generally doing OK, he had a torrid time against Wigan but kept a clean sheet,  he did give away the penalty against Liverpool but had a decent game otherwise.   Throughout the first half yesterday his confidence seemed to be growing even more, but then, in the 2nd half his frailties were sadly exposed and I fear it could have a pretty big effect on the Montenegrin.  


His woefully misjudged header that allowed Jermaine Defoe to half the arrears at Eastlands seemed to break the man, from that moment he was all over the place and looked like an accident waiting to happen.  That accident nearly did happen right at the death as his dwelling on the ball let in Bale who's cross should really have been turned in by Defoe.

This leaves Mancini with somewhat of a quandary.  At the time of writing we are waiting for a decision on Joleon Lescott's ridiculous forearm smash into the face of Younes Kaboul, but even if the Englishman is cleared of any wrong doing, would it be wise to go into the vital League Cup semifinal second leg against Liverpool with Savic at the heart of the defence?


Many have said all along that the ideal solution would have been switching Richards into the centre, and personally that is what I would have done, but it looks as if this is something Mancini isn't prepared to do, there is someone however that could fill the gap well, that man is Nedum Onuoha.

Clearly the academy graduate has never been flavour of the month with the Italian boss, their relationship deteriorated further when he spoke out against his manager on Soccer AM a couple of years ago.  He spent last year on loan at Sunderland where he performed really well and it would appear City tried their best to find a buyer for him this Summer only to come up short, that fact could now be a real blessing.


It appeared towards the back end of last week that he was on the verge of signing for QPR, this never came to fruition though despite everything appearing to be in place.  There has been suggestions that the player would prefer to stay in the North West with murmurings that Everton could be showing interest.  What of the 3rd option however, the defender has been on the bench for our last 2 outings and he got a few minutes playing time at the end of the Wigan game.

Obviously one reason for that could be a lack of any other options, however we do have youngsters to cover that position Reece Wabara and Karim Rekik for example could do an adequate job if they had to be called upon.  Onuoha's presence must suggest that he is doing something right in training, as well as a slight thawing in the relationship between manager and player.


The ultimate question is this, would you rather see Savic on Wednesday night or Neds?  I am not saying Savic is a poor player, I genuinely believe he has the potential to be a really good defender but at the moment his confidence looks somewhat shot and even during his better performances I have not been entirely comfortable with him in there, there was always the feeling that there was a big mistake just around the corner.  

I personally would love to see Onuoha brought in for a few games just to see if he could do us a job until the end of the season.  Granted this could all be irrelevant as he could be an Everton or QPR player at any time, but if Mancini was willing to back down, I for one would be happy with that decision.

When Will The Media Realise Adam Johnson Is Not Ignored By Roberto Mancini?

It is clearly the done thing to knock Manchester City, it is impossible for some sections of the press to be entirely positive about the club.  Whilst things on the pitch are going pretty well at the moment, various people feel the need to find some dirt and they aren't shy in flinging it.


City crushed Wolves last night 5-2, defensively we were a bit shambolic at times but as an attacking unit things were pretty impressive, the personel may have been different but the offensive fluidity demonstrated on numerous occasions so far this season was still present.  Man of the match for me was Adam Johnson, a player that can thrill and frustrate in equal measure, last night he was good, I would go as far as to say very good, but rather than focus on this the Sky commentators and pitchline reporter felt the need to find drama and negativity, and to be honest I am getting pretty sick of it.

Johnson is a very good footballer, but he is not as great as the media make him out to be, he is certainly worthy of a place in the squad and he has a massive part to play, but this attitude that he is undroppable I do not understand.  I am a fan of the player perhaps a bigger fan than other fans of the club, but I can still recognise his weaknesses as can Roberto Mancini, pundits in the press however can not.  Commentators, football writers, former players and managers are wowed by his tricky feet, his excellent passing, his precision shooting, but they ignore his occasional lack of willingness to track back or the fact that sometimes he can be a touch too selfish, or that sometimes he overcomplicates situations as opposed to taking the simpler option.

Clearly in this day of modern football, not all players will be running the length of the pitch to attack and then defend, and some players do struggle tackling, but that isn't to say players can't try to improve that side of their game.  That is something that Roberto Mancini is trying to instill in the player, and for me there has definitely been improvements in that side of his game over the last 12 months, the player is working hard to learn but that is being ignored.


If you were to believe what you read in the papers however, you would be lead to believe that Johnson is not rated by Mancini and that the player is heading for the exit, this despite the Italian saying in numerous interviews that AJ is going nowhere and that he personally believes the winger has the potential to be one of the best players in the world in that position.  The general attitude coming from the media is that Johnson is ignored and underused, but the statistics tell an entirely different story.

This season Johnson has started 10 games in all competitions, hardly a bit part player, and last term he appeared in 43 games across all of the teams competitions, these are not the sort of figures being racked up by a player who is supposedly ignored by the manager.


The 24 year old is still learning about the game and he is still developing and this will continue to happen, many have compared him with Joe Cole at Chelsea who played far more games for the Stamford Bridge club than people realised.  Many said he was ignored by the hierarchy at the and that he should move on, he eventually did move, it didn't exactly pan out for him did it....


Johnson is at the right club, with the right manager, he is an important part of the team and will play a massive part this season, maybe someday soon journalists and football reporters will actually do some research and notice how often he appears for the club.

This Could Be Our Most Important Signing Of The Year

Just over 12 months ago on the 13th November 2010 the final whistle ended a 0-0 draw between City and Birmingham, boo's rung out around the stadium and to be frank the atmosphere was vile.  Many supporters were aiming their frustration squarely at manager Roberto Mancini.  It was the second home 0-0 draw that week (the first coming in one of the worst Manchester derbies ever) and the team were looking goal shy.  It was expected that the game against Birmingham would be a home banker and we all hoped the Italian would take the reigns off and let City play, that wasn't to be.

It was another incredibly cautious display, the aim to manufacture a tight 1-0 win.  The moment Mancini NEARLY lost the ground was when in the 83rd minute he decided to replace leading scorer Tevez with Gareth Barry, it was a nonsensical decision to be honest and left many scratching their heads and many others showing their anger towards the manager.


On Saturday, Alex McLeish was back at Eastlands, again hoping to stifle Mancini and his team, this time it didn't work.  A lot has changed since that day, the anger aimed at the manager has well and truly dissipated and even his harshest critic on that day must surely now remain silent.  The 4-1 demolition of Villa put City on top of the Premier League table, played 8, won 7, drawn 1, it is a fantastic record.  On top of that he guided us to a 3rd place finish last year improving on expectation by one place and of course he delivered silverware, Mancini is doing a brilliant job.

He has spoken previously about wanting total control of the club and whilst that may not be entirely possible in this modern day where finances play such a big part, the backing he has received from the board over the Tevez saga suggests that his plea's are being listened too, and that can only be of benefit to us all.

It is for that reason that I was particularly pleased to see the Sunday Mirror claiming that talks were about to begin over a contract extension for the Italian, he needs to be tied down.  He is quoted as saying:

“I don’t want to leave, I’m very happy here. If the club want me to stay, then that’s good…In England, managers have more power regarding the team and everything else about the club….I’m not saying I can have the power of someone like (Sir Alex) Ferguson but if a manager stays at a club for five or six years it is natural that he has more power.”

The backing he has received in recent weeks from the supporters demonstrates what a massive shift in feeling there has been.  Not all supporters got on his back that day against Birmingham, but there was perceived to be pressure on his shoulders and it currently looks as if he has survived and come through it all incredibly well.  For me personally I hope this extension can be wrapped up as soon as possible because I genuinely don't believe there is anyone better for the job, so lets sing it one more time....."Mancini Wooooah....Mancini Wooooaaahh.......".

Will The Tevez Saga Galvanise Us or Tear Us Apart?

Is there really anything left to say about the little ponce?  As we all know Carlos Tevez refused to pull on the blue shirt last night something that we would all do for nothing, and would love to do for, oh say, £200k a week.


My biggest fear with the whole situation though is the effect it could have on Roberto Mancini, and how it could affect his position as manager.  Bobby told the press in no uncertain terms that the Argentine striker would never play for Manchester City again on his watch, it was a big statement and one that as fans I expect we would all go along with, what about the financial implications though?

I am no economics whizz-kid, in fact I would go as far as to say I am clueless on the topic, but I am not sure realistically what the club can do.  If money was no object, he would be put in the reserves for the length of his contract and just left there to rot, but with the impending FFP rules that sadly is not an option.  The player may claim otherwise, but I don't believe that we have treated him badly, we bent over backwards for him this Summer and made attempts to move him on, we even signed a replacement in Sergio Aguero, but there was simply no realistic buyers.


I think the chances of this changing in January are slim to none, especially given last nights pathetic display of childishness.  My biggest fear is that Mancini may be forced to accept this mornings pathetic apology from the player, he may claim it was a mistake, and a misunderstanding, and that his mental state wasn't right, but does anyone believe that tosh?  He makes the point that on the pitch he always gives his all, and I wouldn't debate this, but getting him onto the field now appears to be a challenge, so what does that matter?

If the Italian is forced to welcome Tevez back into the first team squad, I can see him walking.  He has spoken of wanting total control before, but in the modern game that is difficult.  With FFP, decisions have to be made by CEO's, owners and Irene the tea lady.  I do think the manager should have the last word, and I agree Tevez should be alienated, but how well that will go down with the money men I am unsure.


The best solution to me would seem to be convinced the player to buy himself out of his contract, that would allow the club to move on and receive a substantial sum of money from the player, Mancini would get his wish, and Tevez would no longer be an issue, going back to my limited knowledge of football clubs I am unsure as to how this could or even if it would work.

On the more positive side of things, if a deal is agreed and the board are seen to be backing the manager it could turn into a real plus, the events of last night could galvanise the team and bring them together.  Obviously it could go the other way and the squad could tear itself apart, but with the positive attitude that MOST players seem to be exhibiting a definitive stance from the board to back the manager could really help City in the long run, and lets be honest, that is what we all want.


Forza Mancini, lets get behind him, the club and everyone that is pulling in the right direction, the blue moon will continue to rise, hopefully without Tevez.

Barclays Premier League 2011/12 Preview - Manchester City

Manchester City



Manager: Roberto Mancini



Captain: Vincent Kompany



Last Season: 3rd



In:



Kun Aguero – Athletico Madrid – £39.6 million

Stefan Savic – Partizan Belgrade – £10.5 million

Gael Clichy – Arsenal – £6.9 million



Out:



Jerome Boateng – Bayern Munich – £11.9 million

Shay Given – Aston Villa - £3.3 million

Felipe Caicedo – Levante – £880,000

Michael Johnson – Leicester – Loan

Jo – Internacional – Free







This Season:



Well, where to start, the oil rich blue side of Manchester have brought in one of the best forwards in the world in Sergio Aguero to replace the frustrated Carlos Tevez. As I write this, Tevez is still on the books at Man City, and he’s going to have to sit it out until January at least.



Roberto Mancini achieved his objectives from last season, winning the FA Cup, ascertaining third place in the Premiership, and subsequently gaining Champions League qualification. Now it’s time for them to kick on and mount a serious challenge for the title. They have the most money in the league, they have arguably the best squad in the league, but this is my major sticking point, I do not believe they have the best team in the league, and this could hinder their progress. Unhappy, tantrum throwing players and in fighting could all damage Man City’s shot of winning their first Premiership title. Carlos Tevez pretty much hates Manchester, Adam Johnson isn’t happy warming the bench, Jerome Boateng wanted out and subsequently got his wish, and Mancini has shown this preseason that he still hasn’t tamed the enigmatic and wild Mario Balotelli. Last season saw fights in training, off the field drug bans and all sorts of madness, yet City still managed to achieve their objectives!



Anyhow, should Tevez should, there is a big hole up front. Considering a team with so much quality, he and Yaya Toure carried the City team at times last season. David Silva was brilliant in spells, while Vincent Kompany’s fantastic consistency and excellent defending saw him considered one of the best defenders in the league. Balotelli, Sergio Aguero and James Milner will all need to step up this season and take City to the next level.



Before watching the Community Shield, I had Manchester City as my favourite for the Premiership. But after seeing that Manchester United have just as much, if not more strength in depth as Manchester City, I now have the Red Devils as favourites. Manchester City will have to deal with the Champions League campaign which will ultimately take its toll on their Premier League campaign, and it will be interesting considering how lacklustre they were in the Europa League last year.

For me, a strong Champions League campaign, Premiership runners-up and a strong FA Cup challenge. Transitional yet hugely impressive season lies ahead for the blue half of Manchester.



Prediction: 2nd



Best Starting XI







One to watch this season: Sergio Aguero



Can Man City challenge for the title? How do you think they will do in the Champions League? Leave a comment below

Can Arsenal Win The Premier League?

This weekend was an intriguing indication of how much of a rollercoaster ride the Premiership season has been so far. It was also a clear sign that nothing can be taken for granted, nor can any outcome in the Premier League be guaranteed.

We learned that Manchester United is truly not the unbeatable wrecking machine they have been deemed as, after their unbeaten run came to an end against relegation contenders; Wolverhampton.

We also learned that no matter how many goals Arsenal are winning by, they can still be caught. While Manchester City are still in the title hunt, Tottenham are outsiders, while defending champions Chelsea are surely out of the race altogether (lagging 10 points behind league leaders Man United).

Despite losing to Wolves this weekend, it’s clear that Manchester United is still the strongest side in the Premiership, hence still the team to beat. Today we look at their closest rivals and nearest challengers; Arsenal, who despite their capitulation against Newcastle, and losing 5 games this season, they are only four points behind United, and are the nearest challengers for the Premier League title.



Experience

Arsenal has had this same batch of players, training and competing together for the last 3-4 seasons. Rarely do you see more then 4 or 5 first team squad players joining or leaving the club in any given transfer period.

The spirit and harmony amongst the group is stronger than in previous seasons, while those tricky away games which Arsenal were renowned for struggling with and losing, are no longer evident this season.

Examples of this include the 3-0 victory away to Birmingham City, a 3-0 victory over Manchester City, a 2-1 win over Blackburn and another 3-0 victory against West Ham, all places where Arsenal had notoriously struggled in last season (a 1-1 draw with Birmingham, a 4-2 defeat to Man City, 2-1 defeat to Blackburn and 2-2 draw with West Ham which damaged the Gunners title challenge last season).



With the team growing collectively, individuals have improved and progressed to take a greater responsibility and establish themselves as top quality players. Some of the instrumental figures in their campaign this season are as follows:

Alex Song

The defensive midfielder has been an unsung hero this season, and has come on leaps and bounds in the last two years at Arsenal. The 23 year old Cameroonian international has now matured into an all round midfielder, who has moved on from just “a ball winning midfielder” to a midfielder who wins the ball from the opposition and distributes efficiently in order to start attacks. Similar to what made Claude Makélelé such a World Class midfielder during his time at Real Madrid and Chelsea.

His stats so far this season support his improvement; last year he played 27 Premier League games in total (he’s played 22 times so far, this season) and has significantly improved his contribution to the team. The first improvement is his goal contribution with 4 goals, compared to the solitary single goal he scored last season.

Also an improvement in his defensive statistics have shown that Arsenal have conceded an average of 0.17 goals per game this season, compared to an average of 1.15 goals per game last year. He has also only received 4 yellow cards and 1 red compared to the 10 yellow cards he collected last season.



Samir Nasri

The French international was left out of France’s World Cup squad, which was too many people’s surprise, and this omission subsequently benefitted Nasri and his performances this season. The Frenchman has been in blistering form this season, scoring 9 goals in 21 appearances, compared to the 2 league goals he scored last season.

The 23 year olds dribbling skills, technique, and pace has all been key to his performances this season. He scored vital goals in the victories over Manchester City, West Brom, Aston Villa and Fulham.

Nasri’s excellent form has not gone unnoticed, with him collecting the Barclays PFA Player of the Month award for October, December and January of this season, and there are murmurs he could already be a candidate for PFA Player of the Season.



Robin Van Persie

After reaching the World Cup final with Holland, the Dutchman made a slow start to the season, which was hampered by an ankle injury that forced him to miss two months of the campaign. He has now managed to maintain a run of games which has taken his goal tally to 8 in 14 appearances, with 5 assists.

The 27 year old scored his first ever Premier League hat trick against Wigan, and has now reached the consistency he desires. He will be vital in Arsenal’s title challenge going into the final third of the season.

Arsene Wenger

The intelligent Frenchman has seen and been through it all during his 15 years in England. He is one of the most experienced managers in world football, and has the knowhow and understands the requirements needed in order to win the Premier League title. He needs to keep his players focused and motivated in order to push on for the final title challenge, as it’s no secret to any Arsenal fan, that in the past four seasons, it’s been the month of February which has seen them falter in the title race. With this more experienced group of players, they are more than capable of winning the league this season.



Fixtures

With 13 Premier League matches left to play, Arsenal has 7 home games to play compared to Manchester United, who have 6. Manchester United still has to play Chelsea twice, local rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as a visit to the Emirates to face Arsenal.

Arsenal still has to welcome Liverpool and Manchester United to the Emirates, and face a tricky trip to Tottenham at White Hart Lane. However of their remaining 13 fixtures, 6 are against teams currently situated in the bottom half of the Premier League table, compared to Manchester United who have to play 5 teams currently in the bottom half of the table.

So on paper, it would favour Arsenal in this fixture list, but as I stated earlier nothing in the Premiership can be taken for granted, but this is just an example of the games still left to play for each side.



Squad Players

Whereas Manchester United have squad players such as Javier Hernandez, Park Ji-Sung, Anderson, as well as the experienced individuals Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown and Paul Scholes, Arsenal’s squad players haven’t been up to scratch, with Wenger relying heavily on his first eleven, and that’s been the reason they are not heading up the Premier League table at the moment.

Czech international Tomas Rosicky, hasn’t been the same since returning from his 18 month injury spell, and his below par performances have angered many Arsenal fans. For an individual who has such an impressive touch, and creativity, he hasn’t scored a league goal since January 2010. For an attacking midfielder this just isn’t good enough.



Fellow midfielders Denilson and Abou Diaby have both been criticised for a lack of up-tempo to their games, while the latter has struggled with injuries which have hampered his progression at Arsenal.

Summer signing Sebastian Squillaci has also been the subject of much criticism, and has been at fault for many of the sloppy defensive performances, while the side has conceded 20 goals in the 15 appearances he has made this season. His immobile and lackadaisical performances have angered many fans, while there were calls for Wenger to sign a new centre back during the January transfer window, which subsequently came and went without a single penny spent by Wenger.



Now with Johan Djourou out for a month, with yet another knee injury, and Alex Song currently sidelined, the Gunners are desperately short at centre back. Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is needed back as soon as possible. With the poorest defensive record of the top four, Arsenal need to sure up defensively if they are to challenge for the Premier League title.

Finally there have been concerns over the goalkeeping department for the past year and a half, with Lukasz Fabianksi given the number one spot, he had been in impressive form this season, and had finally started to come good. Fabianski now has subsequently had shoulder surgery, and is out for the rest of the season.

Now the promising young and fellow Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has taken over as Arsenal’s number one goalkeeper. He is a player with the all the attributes to make it at the highest level, but his performances have been tarnished by some shaky defending in front of him.



Chances?

For me, it is between Manchester United and Arsenal for the Premiership title. Manchester City are not too far behind, they have great individuals, but are not the complete package yet. Plus I feel City manager Roberto Mancini’s tactics of nullifying bigger and better opponents rather than attacking them and attempting to take three points is ultimately their downfall.

Manchester United has the more experience squad, who have been there and done that before. They also have young talented players to bring in, who can add that unknown quality against opponents (such as Rafael, and Javier Hernandez). However United have the trickier fixtures, and face two difficult games against Chelsea, and still have to face title rivals Arsenal. They will also have one eye on the Champions League, in which they are expected to progress quite far into the latter stages.



Arsenal on the other hand, has had very good away form this season, and has shown that they can beat any team at the Emirates. This will be necessary in order to pick up as many home points as possible, and beat their title rivals.

Arsenal has a young, hungry squad, who have a point to prove. They also have the Carling Cup final to look forward to, which can act as a benchmark for them this season, and they can collect that silverware that has eluded them for the past five seasons, should they beat Birmingham City.



There is of course, a long way to go, and plenty of football still play. But as we reach the business end of the season, should Arsenal collect the first possible trophy of the season, it could instil a much needed winning mentality which can act as a basis for them to push for the title, but for now it’s in Manchester United’s hands, and they are justifiably considered the title favourites.

Real Talk Football