There’s winning ugly and there’s winning pig ugly and extending this unsightly encounter to make it the longest Premier League fixture in history did nothing to beautify proceedings. A near capacity Etihad crowd endured an additional 12 minutes and 45 seconds after the regulation 90 minutes were interrupted for medical treatment following nasty injuries to Swansea keeper Michel Vorm and Micah Richards. It was a case of quantity over quality […]

Manchester City should be ok today as long as it’s made clear to Roberto Mancini and his first team squad that a team from a ‘foreign’ country does NOT always represent insurmountable European opposition! Forgive the sardonic comment but it’s odds on City will contrive to deliver a singularly underwhelming performance if there’s even a hint of the continent about their opponents. Non-English Swansea, thankfully, don’t qualify. Michael Laudrup’s side […]

Ajax cleaned up in the Amsterdam ArenA after Manchester City produced a stinking performance that leaves their Champions League campaign in a proper mess. In one of the most liberalized cities in Europe, where cannabis is smoked without a whiff of compunction, City seemed suitably ‘spaced out’. Frank De Boer’s young side simply brushed aside the challenge of the English champions and flushed City’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout […]

As reigning champions of England and the Netherlands, Manchester City and Ajax are waging almost carbon copy defences of their domestic crowns. Both remain undefeated and yet both are perceived to be under-performing in their respective leagues.  Ajax have won four and drawn five of their nine games so far, whereas City have won five and drawn three of their opening eight fixtures. Whether that is a harsh judgment – […]

Manchester City’s thoroughly deserved 2-1 win at The Hawthorns was undoubtedly the late late Edin Dzeko show as 10-man City persevered in adversity. But it was a victory built on a resilience, self belief and strength of purpose stemming from that memorable, last minute, title-clinching win over QPR last May. Has there ever been a team more aware of the rewards to be had by keeping going until the final […]

For the second time in the space of five weeks Manchester City face a tough domestic spat quickly followed by a more cultured contest on the continent – but they’ll need to do better this time out. City’s star spangled squad has to cope with the blood and thunder of West Bromwich Albion and the subtle sophistication of Ajax in the next few days. It’s almost a carbon copy of […]

Serbian hitman Aleksander Kolarov’s lethal left foot weapon fired champions Manchester City up to second place in the Premier League in a display of precision shooting. All action Kolarov dispelled the ubiquitous notion that the reigning English Champions have somehow lost their way, as City annihilated previously unbeaten Sunderland. The three goal margin in no way reflected City’s total domination. 8-0 would not have flattered Roberto’s resurgent troops as they […]

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’ […]