An inability to keep clean sheets is the main talking point surrounding Manchester City, as they prepare to face the team that did them the most damage en-route to becoming champions last season. Martin O’Neill’s ‘Black Cats’ come to Fortress Etihad ready to pounce on any opportunity to compound the discomfort of City’s back line and go one better than the point they snared in a spectacular 3-3 draw in […]

A superlative showing from Joe Hart and a sting in the tail from Mario Balotelli kept Manchester City alive in the Group of Death as Borussia Dortmund swarmed all over them in the Champions League. Three elements emerged from a lopsided contest at the Etihad Stadium; Hart is the best goalkeeper in the world, there’s no better penalty taker on the planet than Balotelli and, sadly, City are nowhere near […]

Defeatists might suggest that Manchester City’s encounter with Borussia Dortmund will, at best, help decide who finishes as runners-up in the Champion’s League ‘Group of Death’. The clever money is on Real Madrid to emerge as Group winners and Dutch champions Ajax finishing bottom, leaving City in a straight dogfight with the Bundesliga & German Cup double winners. Any team that can annihilate Bayern Munich and win back-to-back Bundesliga titles […]

The ‘Real’ Manchester City finally arrived in season 2012/13 – 540 minutes into the defence of their Premier League crown. In a master class of fast moving, incisive attacking football, City produced a performance a million miles removed from the abject midweek offering against Aston Villa, as they tore into Fulham from the off. With 71% possession and 23 attempts on goal, maroon clad Manchester clearly overwhelmed their hosts throughout […]

For the first time in nearly six months, Manchester City go into a match off the back of a domestic defeat and four games without a win – an unpalatable scenario for perfectionist Roberto Mancini. Equally unfamiliar is the prospect of kicking off against higher placed Premier League opposition with Fulham one notch above City in sixth position. Mercifully, the domestic reversal in question was limited to the ‘Capital Punishment’ […]

Manchester City fans quite rightly rejoice, get to their feet and blast out a rendition of ‘Stand up for the Champions’ at the Etihad Stadium on match days. Well, the City faithful will remain rooted in their seats next season if they have to suffer many more performances like this.  Mancini’s men seem to have sunk into a malaise – despite remaining unbeaten in the league since Easter Sunday – […]

Who will ever forget the incredulous scenes as Sergio Aguero wheeled away triumphantly, stripped to the waist, shirt whirring in the air proclaiming Manchester City as Premier League champions after the winner against QPR? Amid wild celebrations – seen the world over – City clinched the title accompanied by the now legendary ‘Agueeeerrroooooo’ commentary and iconic footage. Contrast that with the final whistle at the Emirates Stadium just 35 days […]

To lose any game when you’re 2-1 up in the 86th minute is careless, but to capitulate with victory over Real Madrid within touching distance in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium is criminal. With just four minutes of regulation time remaining Aleksander Kolarov’s  30 yard free kick bamboozled the massed Madrid defence and looked destined to give Manchester City a most amazing Champions League victory. S natching defeat from the jaws […]

When Manchester City step out to face Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tomorrow night it will arguably be the high point of the club’s 118 year history. The clash of the champions of Europe’s two most prestigious leagues – La Liga and the Premier League – comes almost 14 years to the day since City were at their lowest ebb, languishing in the third tier of English football. […]

As anybody who knows anything about construction work, Rome was not built in a day. But give an Italian ‘architect’ a thousand days and you’ll see a creation of substance and beauty, erected on firm foundations. And so it was that Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini marked his 1,000th day as City boss with his team of champions displaying both skill and backbone away to Stoke City. There’s always a hint […]

As a summer of outstanding UK sporting success draws to a close Manchester City will be hoping that it won’t be a case of Rule Britannia when they travel to face Tony Pulis’ ‘pugilists’ from the Potteries. The exciting escapades of Andy Murray, Bradley Wiggins and Team GB will be the last thing in the minds of Roberto Mancini’s men as they take on the hostile surroundings of the Britannia […]

The milestones came thick and fast – Roberto Mancini’s 100th game as Manchester City manager, City’s 200thgoal under the Italian’s stewardship and Carlos Tevez’ 50th Premier League strike in sky blue. It’s a fact that whenever Tevez scores in the PL for City or Yaya scores at all, City have never lost – and so it was against QPR on Saturday. But the only statistics that really mattered were three […]