With Manchester City’s Carling Cup defeat to Liverpool, questions are starting to be asked about the Etihad club. Outplayed by Liverpool over the two legs and fortunate to beat Arsenal in the previous round, Roberto Mancini’s perfect season has the prospect of derailing right at the crucial stage.
The Liverpool defeat came quickly after neighbours Manchester United knocked their noisy neighbours out of the FA Cup. A couple of bad nights in the Europa League next month against Porto, could easily see them with only the league to concentrate on. Publicly Manchester City won’t mind this but don’t forget a few months ago talk of 3 or 4 trophies were the noises coming out of the club.
Also in recent weeks, the apparent lack of discipline behind the scenes has started to shine through. Vincent Kompany has become a one man judge on what is and isn’t a red card offense while Mario Balotelli continues to show why some doubt he should even be allowed onto a football pitch in the first place.
So where has it gone wrong for the men with more money than sense. Well to start with, the way the club has handled the players financed before Mancini took over is appalling. Wayne Bridge has been left to rot away, Roque Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor have been allowed to go out on loan deals, Shay Given was left in the reserves for a year before being allowed to leave for Aston Villa, Craig Bellamy was allowed to leave for Anfield and come back to haunt his former employers, Jerome Boateng was granted his move away to eventual Champions League opponents Bayern Munich and the way the club has held Carlos Tevez to personality ransom, leaves many with a sour taste.
Then some of Mancini’s signings have not shone as brightly as he thought. Stefan Savic has shown why he was largely unheard of before his move, Gael Clichy hasn’t reproduced his Arsenal form, Owen Hargreaves left many scratching their heads to his worth and even Eden Dzeko hasn’t hit his Bundesliga form. Starting Adam Johnson on the bench and making him a bit part player hasn’t done much for the England youngster. Gareth Barry seems to be stuck in reverse at the moment and even talented James Milner seems frustrated by his varied positions.
Most managers would use the current “slump” to create a siege mentality but this pressure has been brought on by Manchester City themselves. After thumping Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford, they should of kicked on but instead an arrogance appeared in the squad. As if it didn’t matter how bad things got. After all they had the wealth to paper over the cracks.
It would not surprise me if Manchester United who have come back from that game exceptionally well, finish above City in the league this season. There are plenty of twists and turns in store but the game between the two at the end of April is sure to be key. And where do City go should they end the season empty handed.
They need another world class defender to play alongside Kompany and also a regular left back. Jan Vertonghen, another Belgian is a sought after commodity who is a centre back. Mancini must decide on Clichy, Kolarov or Zabaleta and stick with one for a run of games. The other piece of the jigsaw is a world class forward. I think City will break the bank in the summer and make Hulk their major signing.
What do you think Manchester City are missing in this crucial part of the season? Comment in the box below.
Written by Wesley Hillier @armchairstato.blogspot.com
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Tevez has to be allowed to play till the end of the season. We have to forgive him really.
Utter nonsense
This article was sheer drivel!
Dear me, what a bollockbrained little twerp you are. City were not outplayed by Liverpool, but failed to progress in the CC because of a refereeing error, not poor performance. Mancini made it clear in November and December that January would be a difficult month, and the club have never claimed that they would win several trophies this season. That was media hype. We have also seen worse tackles than Vincent’s with no sendings off, and as for Mario’s incident with Scott Parker. Look at it again, objectively, and at normal speed, and there is considerable room for doubt, but then again idiots like you revel in any opportunity for City bashing.
Nonsense, typical drivel from unintelligent fool.
‘where has it gone wrong for the men with more money than sense?’
You have answered that with your biased drivel. You sound as sure as Chris Foy in the derby or Dowd at Anfield?
When we lose fairly maybe you can talk about it going wrong for the team at the TOP of the league. Try picking a game without a red cards, suspensions and suspect penalties.
Got an opinion on Maxi’s two footed challenge today? Didn’t catch that one? Suprise suprise.
Wind up merchant!
What a ridiculous article. Try writng objectively for a change.
Well said – no class man shitey
They will just spend more money and buy players who have never heard of shitey but they love the money
If this is a representative example of your scribblings may I suggest you drop the use of the word ‘class’Steve?
steve let me help you understand what my fellow blue means…..shitey ?…now class would understand how to spell ‘shitty’…. that word meaning we are crap etc blah blah, for your concern i hope we dont develop Diarrhea because you lot below us wouldn’t be a pretty sight now would you ?
Suggest you stop writing such crap and find a more rewarding career as a clown in a circus.
where did it all go wrong? Defeats in cup competitions, one in a semi final, and look at the form table for the past 6 league games. City are top!! And still the second meanest defence in the league without Kompany for 4 games. If that’s “gone wrong”, I’ll take that until the end of the season. Stupid article. In Mancini we trust!
That really is utter bullshit. May Isuggest you don’t write again, ever. Fuckwit.
Did anyone see Paul Konchesky’s challenge yesterday for Leicester against Swindon? Didn’t even get a yellow card!! Double standards, shit officiating coupled with jealousy is costing City at the minute. But do we care? Not really nothing and nobody outside Manchester matters. CTID
You’re absolutely unbelievable. I don’t mind your ridiculous claims about City pulling back the throttle after the United derby, or that Mario shouldn’t play soccer, or even that City will sign Hulk in the summer. They’re all wrong, but they’re your opinion, and can rationally be defended.
But this paragraph:
Then some of Mancini’s signings have not shone as brightly as he thought. Stefan Savic has shown why he was largely unheard of before his move, Gael Clichy hasn’t reproduced his Arsenal form, Owen Hargreaves left many scratching their heads to his worth and even Eden Dzeko hasn’t hit his Bundesliga form. Starting Adam Johnson on the bench and making him a bit part player hasn’t done much for the England youngster. Gareth Barry seems to be stuck in reverse at the moment and even talented James Milner seems frustrated by his varied positions.
What an absolute joke. Savic is 20 and had to come in because Kolo left for the Cup of Nations and Kompany was suspended. Clichy has been magnificent. He adds a better defensive option than Kolarov and his speed and crosses have been great. Hargreaves was not even playing, and came on a free transfer for cover for the injured de Jong and the departing Yaya to the Cup of Nations. Dzeko is 5th in the Premier league in goals scored this season, and has scored in his last two games. The most absurd claims are about Barry and Milner. Barry won PLAYER OF THE MONTH last month! He’s in the form of his life, and loving life at the moment. “Stuck in reverse?” What’s in your head? And Milner is starting centrally – where he wants to play – and is playing excellently as well.
Listen, write all you want about City, their prospective transfer plans, and what you imagine the dressing room to be like. But stay away from current form when you have no idea what you’re talking about.
What a d1ckhead
what a completely biased and openly negative anti city piece of hack journalism which bitter arsenal fan or spiteful utd fan write this drivel? I shall print it off and wipe my arse on it as that’s about all its good for.
what a completely biased and openly negative anti city piece of hack journalism which bitter arsenal fan or spiteful utd fan write this drivel? I shall print it off and wipe my backside with it
There’s nothing in this article that’s worth reading, or even factually correct. For example both Barry and Milner have been awesome for City. And how can you say City haven’t “kicked on” when they are still top of the league, the only team in the whole of England to have 100% record at home, equal record number of points, and have achieved a record number of goals for this stage of the season?