Given – A spectacular diving save in the first half, and a crucial deflected one at the end were the highlights. He’ll be disappointed not to have kept a clean-sheet on his first outing as captain. 7
Zabaleta – His tackling can be his strength, but a degree of recklessness can also be Pablo’s downfall and so it proved with the needless challenge that saw him sent off. Was also caught out of position for Wigan’s goal, when Richards was left two against one. 4
Martin Petrov struck as City came from behind to gain a point with a mixed performance that was divided by Pablo Zabaleta’s sending off. Prior to the Argentine’s dismissal, there was a disjointed look to Mark Hughes’ side with stray passes and a lack of cohesion in our attacks. Reduced to ten men, City found their focus, looked compact and could even have snatched a win.
City look to consolidate their place in the top four this weekend with a trip to Wigan. With so many players having picked up knocks in the past couple of weeks, the options for Mark Hughes are unclear. The same squad who went to Villa could all be available, or injuries could take take their toll on Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, de Jong, Bellamy and Petrov.
Added to that, Carlos Tevez has only just returned from Argentina, though he was hardly overworked with Diego Maradona’s team selections giving him just the final four minutes of a possible two matches.
City have edged ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League, and have a game in hand. With some difficult fixtures coming up for Rafa’s men, could this be the time for Mark Hughes’ side to pile the pressure on?
On current form City are looking good for a Champions League place with 16 points from 7 games. No team has ever finished outside the top four when averaging two points per game. City could lose their next fixture and still be on track.
A report in today’s Times claims that City have agreed to pay £800,000 in compensation to Leeds for the two 14-year-olds, George Swan and Louis Hutton. Previously I’d wrote how the sum had not been revealed by Leeds. City haven’t released any official comment.
It does seem a large sum when compared with City’s reported initial offer of £70,000. One factor may have been the recent tribunal award for Luke Garbutt, who moved from Leeds to Everton. The tribunal set an initial fee of £600,000 which could rise to £1.55 million. However Harding is 16-years-old, and two years can make a big difference in the development of teenagers.
While club football is put on hold for the current international fixtures, the same is not true for the African Cup of Nations which runs from the 10th to 31st January. A quick assessment of the fixtures in this period shows that City may do better than expected.
One of the more improbable news stories this week claimed Ian Rush, at the behest of mobile phone operator Digicel, has recomended six youngsters from Central America for a 10-day trial at Platt Lane. Rush apparently visited Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama on behalf of the Blues.
Fifa vice-president, Jack Warner, said yesterday that wage restraint was necessary in football to ensure a “level playing field”, and a “salary cap should be introduced”. Noble sounding talk from a high ranking official that was once again offering no detail as to how it would work.
Was he suggesting that Manchester United only be allowed to pay as much as Burnley? Who knows, but it’s doubtful. Was he tacitly supporting Michel Platini’s competition destroying idea of limiting a club’s expenditure on wages and transfers to a percentage of it’s revenue? Maybe he was.
As everybody pointed out, the receptions afforded Richard Dunne and Gareth Barry by their former fans contrasted markedly on Monday night at Villa Park. City fans were commended, while Villa fans felt justified. Let’s consider the unwritten rules for players hoping to ensure a happy return after moving to a rival club.
