Hart – Nothing to do for most of the match, then unable to do anything as the ball flew over him and cracked against the bar. Consequently he’ll be relived to have the clean sheet. 6
Lescott – Montenegro didn’t attack in great numbers but Joleon had to be on his guard as England players pushed forward and left Ferdinand and himself two against two. Coped admirably, looking solid and not in the slightest bit rusty despite his lack of match time at centre-back. Mancini should be encouraged. 7
City famously had six players on the pitch in England’s last England qualifier, with the prospect of another five on offer tonight. The most remarkable of these might be Joleon Lescott at centre-back.
The reason for this surprise is Joleon’s inability to get a game in his preferred position at club level. So far this season he has been used as cover for Aleksandar Kolarov and Wayne Bridge at left back.
Two highly rated Crewe youngsters who have played for the England U-17 side are being linked with City according to thefootballnetwork.net. Nick Powell and Max Clayton are both 16, though only Powell has featured for the Crewe first team thus far.
Naturally the players have been watched by several premier league clubs and Liverpool were believed to be the club reported by Crewe for making an illegal approach for Clayton. The article claims City are “close to tabling a combined bid of over £5,000,000″. We’ll believe that when we see it!
It may feel like the transfer window has only just shut but that hasn’t stopped talk of Roberto Mancini making some final additions to his squad in January. Normally this would be unlikely as major deals are considered to difficult and costly during the mid-season window.
However, this January represents the last chance for Sheikh Mansour to splash his cash on new signings. From next summer onwards club finances will come under the scrutiny of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules.
Falcao, the Brazilian futsal legend, has paid a visit to City this week to demonstrate his skills to City’s under 18 squad. Never mind the under 18′s, there’s plenty in the first team who could learn a thing or two from from Falcao!
For those unfamiliar with futsal, it’s like five a side with a smaller ball and is hugely popular in Brazil. The main reason for this article is an opportunity to show some Falcao on video.
Whether Wayne Bridge would have been sufficiently up to speed to play in the Chelsea game is now immaterial as Mark Ogden reports that he’s set to be out for two weeks with a thigh injury.
With Kolarov and Lescott also missing, Roberto Mancini is down to his fourth choice left-back for a match against the free scoring champions. Hardly ideal.
Joe Hart – An excellent display against Bulgaria had the nation purring, and the first half against Switzerland saw Joe a spectator. It was a surprise then to see him spill the wet ball a couple of times before conceding a goal he had no chance with. The fumbles may be useful in reminding everyone he’s human and Joe shouldn’t let the headlines go to his head. Bulgaria 8. Switzerland 6.
Apparently there’s a little article about Wayne Rooney in today’s News of the World. However the United player’s private life is of less concern here than another ‘exclusive’ claiming City were offering to host a World Cup semi-final in 2018 with our 75,000 seat stadium.
Yes 75,000. That’s the claim, though figures from the News of the World should always be treated with a degree of caution. Elsewhere there has been talk of a 60,000 capacity, though the larger figure would be required if we are to fulfill the aim of matching United. The increased stadium capacity is just one aspect of the transformation set to take place around Eastlands.
The last day of the transfer window is done and it was quieter than anticipated for City fans. Robinho was the expected high profile exit and only Adam Clayton joined him in leaving Eastlands.
Shay Given, Roque Santa Cruz, Jo and Felipe Caicedo all remain along with Shaleum Logan and Kelvin Etuhu who also qualify for the 25 man senior squad. Given, Santa Cruz and the newly in favour Jo are surely set to be included in the squad.
With closure at 6pm (or shortly after) transfer deadline day is well under way. At the time of writing it’s looking like outgoings only for City.
As it was two years ago, the big story of the day is set to be Robinho and it’s looking ominous for City getting a decent return on the Brazilian.
