Our main rivals for a top four place:

Tottenham

Tottenham were our major rivals for a Champions League spot last season and appeared to be enduring a frustrating time yesterday. Redknapp’s attempts to sell Robbie Keane and bring in Fabiano, Huntelaar, Ryan Babel, Steven Pienaar and even Louis Saha failed to come off.

In fairness, his existing strike force doesn’t seem to bad despite Redknapp’s willingness to sell any of Keane, Crouch or Pavlychenko. His interest in Lassana Diarra was more of a concern. Diarra was excellent under Redknapp at Portsmouth and would have strengthened their midfield.

Sandro is a highly touted Brazilian youngster. He may justify the hype, he may be another Anderson.

Van der Vaart has a good reputation from his time at Ajax and Hamburg, but whether he’ll be any better than Modric is debatable. To accommdate the Dutchman, Spurs may have to play with a single striker which is unlikely to go down well with Keane and co.

If Gallas struggles for form and fitness at 33, then Spurs could again suffer from a lack of fit central defenders. Ledley King’s knee won’t allow him to play Champions League midweek and Premier League at the weekend.

Liverpool

Liverpool endured an even more frustrating last day. After watching Ngog and Torres against us, Hodgson was desperate to find a better partner for the Spaniard. Offers for Carlton Cole and possibly Zamora were rebuffed. At one point it looked like they were after Santa Cruz.

At least they now have a left-back, but Paul Konchesky isn’t a signing to strike fear in the hearts of rival fans. Raul Meireles and Joe Cole look to have taken the pressure of Gerrard. Christian Poulsen is a cheap replacement for Mascherano, but overall their midfield looks stronger.

Liverpool still lack proper wingers and they could have done with a defender to take some responsibility off the aging Carragher.

The favourites for the top three:

Arsenal

Arsnal may have signed a couple of defenders in Koscielny and Squillaci to replace Gallas and er Silvestre, but the failure to bag a keeper is remarkable even by Wenger standards. Maybe they were to busy congratulating themselves over hanging on to Fabregas.

Chamakh should be an improvement on Eduardo when replacing the often injured van Persie. The midfield remains full of creative options and there’s been less need to make signings as the youngsters mature.

Funnily enough Wenger’s possession football makes Arsenal less in need of a quality keeper than other sides. It’s still likely to take a big improvement by City to overhaul the Gunners.

Chelsea

The likes of Joe Cole and Ballack may have gone but Chelsea still look a strong outfit. Benayoun will do a job on the creative side while having Essien back means they can afford to wait for Ramires to settle in. The Brazil midfielder is likely to provide depth, rather than an improvement, to the squad.

Abramovich was another frustrated buyer in his pursuit of Torres, and they might struggle if 30 somethings Drogba and Anelka are both injured at the same time.

Man United

Once again Ferguson bemoaned the lack of value in the market, which translates as he’s waiting for Financial Fair Play rules to kick in and prevent the likes of Sheikh Mansour bidding for players.

Smalling doesn’t look to be a Ferdinand or Vidic and for the money, Jerome Boateng looks far better value. Talking of value, let’s not forget kamikaze City spent less on Adam Johnson than United did on Bebe.

Javier Hernandez looks the kind of player Michael Owen wishes he could be and the Mexican may give Ferguson opportunity to rotate his strikers. Little Pea is no Rooney mind, and looking good in pre-season is no guarantee of success in the Premier League.

The other contenders:

Everton

David Moyes usually works the market well so it was a surprise to see Everton so quiet. They still look in need of a quality striker who can stay fit. Jermaine Beckford has plenty to prove.

Injuries and a poor start undermined them last season. They’re repeating the poor start again. No doubt Moyes will up the workrate till the results start to come, but they don’t look any stronger than last year.

Aston Villa

Somehow Villa are now two points ahead of us in the league. Ireland is their only signing of note and we wish him well.

It’s not transfers but the loss of Martin O’Neill which is the biggest change at Villa Park. They weren’t able to sustain a challenge for a Champions League place before and it looks less likely now.

A full list of transfer ins and outs is available here.

• Which of City’s rivals do you think had the best transfer window?

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, which gives us the following list.

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart (home grown).
Shay Given (home grown).
Stuart Taylor (home grown).

Full backs:

Pablo Zabaleta (also midfield, left-back).
Wayne Bridge (home grown).
Aleksandar Kolarov (also midfield).
Micah Richards (home grown, also central defence).

Central defenders:

Vincent Kompany (also midfield).
Joleon Lescott (home grown).
Jerome Boateng (also right-back).
Kolo Toure.

Central midfielders:

Gareth Barry (home grown).
Nigel de Jong.
Patrick Vieira.
Yaya Toure(also central defence).

Creative midfielders:

David Silva (also winger).

Wingers:

Adam Johnson (home grown).
Shaun Wright-Phillips (home grown).
James Milner (home grown, also creative midfielder).

Strikers:

Emmanuel Adebayor.
Carlos Tevez.
Jo.
Roque Santa Cruz.

This provides us with 23 of the list, resulting in two the following four players missing out.

Michael Johnson (home grown).
Felipe Caicedo.
Kelvin Etuhu (home grown).
Shaleum Logan (home grown).

If Michael Johnson is fit sometime in October, then he ought to be worth a place. If we get past West Brom, then the Carling Cup could be an opportunity for him to get some match fitness.

It’s a surprise to see the other three still with the club, or not loaned out at any rate. Previously Caicedo has made the biggest impression in the Premier League, though if Adebayor is worried about his first team opportunities it really doesn’t bode well for Felipe. With our injured full-backs there’s a stronger case at present for Shaleum Logan even if he has struggled for first team action in the past.

Either way, if the club decide to make a signing or two in January, then there shouldn’t be much trouble accommodating them. So much for all the adverse speculation about our squad size.

Arguably the most notable result of today’s lack of activity is our surplus of strikers. Santa Cruz may not be Ibra or Dzeko but if he can improve his fitness levels, then he remains our best target man.

Roque is unlikely to start many league games, but could be an option from the bench. His quality could be of use in the cup competitions, which we are committed to in our quest for a trophy.

Jo showed in his Europa League outing that he prefers to play off a front man and Mancini sees Balotelli playing in the Bellamy position on the left. As a result all the strikers could feature, even if they don’t all get to start as often as they might like!

• Who would you have in the 25 man squad, and are you happy with today’s transfer activity?

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.

Once again Galliani and Milan have bided their time, as they did with Ibrahimovic, knowing the club want to sell. Daniel Taylor reported Milan have even sent over Mino Raiola to ‘conclude negotiations’.

Apparently City want a sale rather than another loan for Robinho. It would be annoying to see him go for a fee of less than £16m, but Milan are old hands at this kind of thing so prepare to be depressed. If City do dig their heels in, as they have every right to, then some convoluted loan could come into play.

According to Sky Sports Italia, Robinho has already landed in Italy for a medical, so the chances of us creating an auction with Barca look slim.

Better news was Shay Given’s decision to stay and fight for his place. It will be interesting to see Mark Shwarzer still goes to Arsenal, and what the Gunners do if he doesn’t.

City has apparently also confirmed that Adebayor is staying, killing a suprising story in the Mirror which claims Harry Redknapp was set to make a bid!

One striker on his way out appears to be Roque Santa Cruz, though quite where isn’t clear. With reports that a move to Lazio fell through, he’s being linked this morning with joining Liverpool. It would be a surprise for City to allow a player to join a competitor for a Champions League place.

Roy Hodgson has said he wants another striker, one who can play alongside Torres, so it does make sense on those grounds. The Telegraph report Hodgson had an offer for Zamora immediately knocked back by Fulham.

For all his injuries Santa Cruz is a better target man than either Adebayor or Jo, so there is a case for keeping him now that we aren’t getting Dzeko or Ibrahimovic.

It’s to be hoped Felipe Caicedo finds a club today. Kelvin Etuhu and Shaleum Logan are another two over 21.

As it stands the man squad is looking like this:

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart (home grown).
Shay Given (home grown).
Stuart Taylor (home grown).

Full backs:

Pablo Zabaleta (also midfield, left-back).
Wayne Bridge (home grown).
Aleksandar Kolarov (also midfield).
Micah Richards (home grown, also central defence).

Central defenders:

Vincent Kompany (also midfield).
Joleon Lescott (home grown).
Jerome Boateng (also right-back).
Kolo Toure.

Central midfielders:

Gareth Barry (home grown).
Nigel de Jong.
Patrick Vieira.
Michael Johnson (home grown).
Yaya Toure(also central defence).

Creative midfielders:

David Silva (also winger).
James Milner (home grown, also winger).

Wingers:

Adam Johnson (home grown).
Shaun Wright-Phillips (home grown).

Strikers:

Emmanuel Adebayor.
Carlos Tevez.
Jo.

(23 players listed above)

Possible departures:

Robinho.
Roque Santa Cruz.
Felipe Caicedo.
Kelvin Etuhu (home grown).
Shaleum Logan (home grown).

Three of these five will need to leave today if they want league football before the end of the year.

• What do you see happening?

After a promising first half, City allowed Sunderland to take control in the second period and paid the ultimate price with a last minute Darren Bent penalty conceded by Micah Richards. It could all have been so different had Carlos Tevez not spurned an open goal in the first half.

The Tevez miss will dominate the headlines after the match, and questions will also be asked of Micah Richards. The England U-21 player blotted an otherwise decent defensive performance by allowing Bent to get goalside, giving him the opportunity to crumple to the floor when Micah tried to jump over him. It showed Micah hadn’t learnt from a similar offence commited at White Hart Lane last year.

However these two incidents are not the major concerns in the longer term, even if they did decide this fixture. Roberto Mancini was fuming on the touchline before the penalty as we completely failed to perform in the second half.

It was a return to the bad days of last season where de Jong and Barry were pushed deep and the opposition were able to take territorial control of midfield. Yaya went from looking the most dangerous player on the pitch in the first half to being unable to influence the game in the second.

Cattermole and co cut out everything with far to much ease. We were second to the ball and didn’t press to regain possession. The left side of midfield with Barry and Milner was particularly disappointing. Against Liverpool they shared the same wavelength and looked dangerous. Here they shared a lack of pace and inability to press their opponents.

Neither Johnson or Milner ever dominated their full-backs – something which was essential given the limited attacking abilities of our full-backs. Worse, neither of our wide men were able to fully occupy their opponents in the second-half as Sunderland’s full-backs became a genuine attacking threat.

Tevez endured a difficult game throughout as his passing to often failed to reach his team-mates. This sometimes happens with Carlos, but often gets masked by his industry. Following the miss he was then to keen to make amends, trying to beat the whole Sunderland team when team-mates were better placed.

Yet what are Mancini’s options if Tevez is having an offday? An unhappy Adebayor or Jo. Despite all the outlay, that doesn’t feel enough. With two days of the transfer window remaining, should something be done?

James Milner managed to put over a couple of dangerous crosses but there’s nobody in the City attack loodking for that kind of service. It’s probably to late to do a deal for Dzeko, but it’s hard not to feel the Bosnian would be a better fit than Adebayor in Mancini’s side.

Without an aerial presence up front, there’s little for Joe Hart to aim at. Long balls out of defence frequently come straight back as we don’t have a direct option for alleviating pressure.

Roberto Mancini:

“I want to speak with the players when they come back from the international break because in the second half we were split in two or three places. We made it too easy for Sunderland.

“It’s vital we understand why we lost this game because there will be times when the other team plays 10 men behind the ball. We must be patient, but if we don’t take our chances we will make it hard for ourselves.”

On the plus side yesterday, the defending of the penalty area was again excellent for the most part. In the first half Steve Bruce focused on packing the midfield, leaving Kolo Toure and Kompany to deal with an isolated Bent. They did this effectively and continued to protect Joe Hart well in the second period when the danger steadily increased.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that for much of the first half we did move the ball around well. It seemed only a matter of time before a goal would come. Aside from the Tevez chance, Yaya went closest on the stroke of half-time when he collected the ball from a flicked on Milner free kick. His shot was deflected wide but it is surely only a matter of time before he opens his account.

The introductions of Adebayor and Silva were understandable, but there was also a case for bringing Vieira on. His performance on Thursday, working the ball forwards, quickly and accurately, from the centre of the pitch was just what we were missing in the second half. His natural authority wouldn’t have gone amiss either.

There’s two days of the transfer window left and it will be interesting to see how the club reacts to this defeat. If anyone was thinking we’re the finished article, then think again. When Tevez has an off-day we lack an alternative.

External reports:

• BBC
• The Guardian
• Manchester Evening News
• MCFC site
• The Telegraph

Blog reports:

• The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll
• Manchester City Mad

Richards – His concentration, positioning and defending were all looking good until… allowing Bent to get goalside and clumsily leaping over him. The penalty was all to reminiscent of one he conceded at White Hart Lane last year. 6

Lescott (Adebayor 74) – Once again he didn’t do a great deal wrong defensively. Still wasn’t sharp enough with his passing to properly augment the attack in the first half. 6

K Toure – Lacked the authority of previous games and looked increasingly flustered, though he did defend the area well. 6

Kompany – Increasingly important as the game wore on when balls starting coming into our penalty area. Stood tall as our best defender. 7

de Jong – Tried his best to keep Sunderland at bay, but needed more help from his colleagues in the second half. Unable to get us moving forward when we needed to. 6

Barry – Looked ok in the first half but disappeared when Sunderland upped the pace in the second period. At least he didn’t suffer defensively at left-back and made a couple of timely blocks. When defending deep Gareth lacks the pace to get forward quickly enough. 5

Y Toure – Excellent during the first half, particularly with the run that set up Tevez. His lack of influence in the second half indicates his fitness levels aren’t yet up to scratch. 7

Milner – A disappointing second performance. Link up play was sloppy and his lack of pace enabled Sunderland to crowd him out. Still managed to put over a couple of telling crosses, but we lacked the presence in the penalty area to get on the end of them. 5

A Johnson (Silva 80) – Unable to repeat his glorious goal last season. Struggled to show his quality as Richardson did surprisingly well against the native Wearsider. 6

Tevez – Aside from the miss, this wasn’t Carlos’ finest match. To often his link-up play failed to find team-mates. Following the miss he seemed intent on trying to take on Sunderland single-handed whenever he got the chance. They weren’t going to let him dance round them and he needed to bring in colleagues. 5

Subs:

Adebayor – Came closest to scoring in the second half with a backheel volley – a great effort. Tried to take the game to Sunderland without ever looking like breaking through. 6

Silva – Not able to get into the game. 5

Jo – Barely time to get a touch.

Man of the match: No-one warranted it in the second half, so it goes to Yaya for at least looking good in the opening period.

If we show the same resolute defending as we did against Liverpool then victory should be within our capabilities with Carlos Tevez in attack. The obvious danger man is Darren Bent now that Kenwyne Jones has departed.

Patrick Vieira and Dedryck Boyata were the two best performers against FC Timisoara but don’t expect either to start at the Stadium of Light. It will be a surprise to see anything other than the same side which beat Liverpool.

Boateng, Balotelli, Kolarov and Bridge are all still missing. Robinho apparently didn’t train on Friday so there’s unlikely to be any surprise inclusion of the Brazilian in the squad.

Despite being at home, Sunderland could set their stall out to frustrate us. The early goal against Liverpool settled us down, but it would be interesting to see how we fared against a packed defence for a longer period. With our attacking full-backs missing, there remains the danger of us failing to attack with sufficient menace down the flanks.

Tevez likes to roam which can result in our attacks lacking a focal point. Having no target man also removes the option of high balls if we’re lacking sufficient guile in our passing.

Faced with difficulties, the main options on the bench would be Adebayor and Silva. Following Ade’s comments about being willing to leave the club, there are big questions about his commitment. With Silva the doubts surround his acclimatisation to the Premier League.

Shaun Wright-Phillips may have scored on Thursday but did little else to suggest he’s a greater threat than Johnson. If Jo appears ahead of Adebayor again, then there has to be a question mark over whether the Togolese will still be at the club when the transfer window closes.

If we are able to get ahead then Mancini may call on Zabaleta or Vieira to help close the game out. Despite the injuries there remains sufficient options for the manager.

Sunderland were unlucky not to win their opening home fixture and shouldn’t be taken lightly. On the plus side, they have yet to form a settled side as their new signings bed in. Nedum Onuoha will be ineligible thanks to the terms of his loan.

Roberto Mancini:

“It is important we play football – no long balls but on the floor, shifting the ball quickly. The players I have brought in need to fit the style I want to bring here.

“I have followed all the players I bought many times and know they all have good mentality.”

In terms of how the match might affect our league standing, there’s an opportunity to consolidate a top four place, which would be perfect going into the international break. Tottenham losing at home to Wigan is a bonus result that provides the opportunity to put some early distance between ourselves and a rival for the Champions League places.

Positioning ourselves in the top four, two points off the top, might also convince any possible new signings that we’re a club whose going to be challenging for trophies this season.

Blue Days line-up (4-2-3-1):
Given
Richards – K Toure – Kompany – Lescott
de Jong – Barry
A Johnson – Y Toure – Milner
Tevez

Prediction: 2-0 to City.

City’s best performers were a central quartet of Kompany, Boyata, de Jong and Vieira who exerted total control over procedings. In our previous European campaign under Mark Hughes, we made heavy weather of the early rounds by failing to dominate teams. There was none of that here.

Roberto Mancini’s side were thoroughly professional in making it four clean sheets from four matches so far this season. Joe Hart rarely had to deal with backpasses never mind shots in his easiest 90 minutes as a City keeper.

Concerns for Shay Given’s future were raised when it became apparent Joe was once again in goal. Have the club agreed to let him go? It appears not according to Mancini’s post match comments.

Roberto Mancini:

“The goalkeeper is a different situation to all the other players. But now we are in the group stage, maybe it is possible to give Shay games.”

With Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta also strong defensively, there was no allowing the Romanians to pose a threat. Not that they seemed overly inclined to.

To keep it tight at the back initially was an understandable tactic for Timisoara. To remain commited to defence for the whole match was bizarre.

It made the game harder for our attackers as creating openings proved difficult despite overwhelming possession. It was a situation requiring a good quality of delivery from our full-backs.

Unfortunately neither Richards or Zabaleta are consistent in this regard, though both were commited to the cause and put over a few decent balls. Wright-Phillips reminded us how he lacks the ability of Johnson to beat an oppenent when face to face. There was little end product from him once again on the right flank.

Mancini sprung a surprise by playing Jo on the left flank and having Silva in the hole behind Adebayor. Initially Jo struggled to get involved in the game, while Silva couldn’t find space and is yet to find the same wavelength as his new team-mates.

All in all it made for limited service to Adebayor. The Togolese is showing decent endeavour but it’s no surprise to hear of his dissatisfaction at the moment. He’s a player who wants to be first choice and playing on the biggest stages.

This lacklustre game in front of a half empty stadium was hardly likely to improve his mood. Both he and the management have a big job ahead to improve the situation.

Mancini swapped around his creative trio of Jo, Silva and Wright-Phillips to good effect. With Vieira pushing higher up the pitch and finding his men with sharp passing it was no surprise the first goal came from his through ball.

Wright-Phillips made an intelligent run from the left through the centre of the Romanian defence and scored with a first time shot. It was a timely reminder of Shaun’s capabilities.

Jo also became more involved when switched about and it was good to see him in a roaming role which suits his game. Despite his height, he’s no target man and prefers the ball to feet and space to move in.

Sometimes he lost possession sloppily, other times there were nice skills and a couple of dangerous passes. In each half he went close with a header to remind us that his height can be a danger.

Unfortunately he still lacks the strength and aggression to make a quality Premier League striker, though there is ability within him. There was just enough from Jo to suggest he could still have a role to play, even if ultimately he’d be better off in La Liga.

For David Silva, coming from La Liga, City fans have more optimism even if there was little here to suggest he should start against Sunderland. To often he was brushed off the ball and passes failed to reach their target. Beating a couple of defenders on the right flank and firing in a shot was by far his best moment.

The player to really shine was Dedryck Boyata. His defending and passing were immaculate. The Academy graduate also managed to get his first goal for the club, nodding home a Silva free-kick after pulling away to the far post.

The bounce of the ball favoured the young Belgian a couple of times when he sought to both tackle and retain possession, but he earned it. Still only nineteen, he looked ready to step into our Premier League side. With strength, height and composure he showed all the qualities to be a future star.

Whilst it’s always a pleasure to City record a comfortable victory, it’s to be hoped the group stages bring a little more excitement and bigger crowds. We have the squad to deal with bigger tests even if this competition is all to often a reminder of the importance of qualifying for the Champions League.

External reports:

• The Guardian
• The Independent
• The Mail
• Manchester Evening News
• The Telegraph

Blog reports:

• Bitter And Blue
• The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll

Video:

• Match highlights

Richards – Once again solid in defence, this was another chance to focus on attacking. Took up decent positions but the delivery was mixed. Looked in need of a trick to go past an opponent. 6

Boyata – Superbly composed for one so young. Passing was faultless and tackling strong. Appeared to have the luck of the bounce on a couple of occasions. Aside from the goal the highlight was matching an opponents sprint through on goal before making the saving tackle. 8

Kompany – Enjoyed a quieter game than his fellow Belgian centre-back. Good to see him with the captain’s armband as he put in another faultless display. 7

Zabaleta – With the emphasis on our full-backs to attack, Pablo wasn’t entirely comfortable going forward on his ‘wrong’ flank. Kept persevering, but looked happier when moved into central midfield. Conceded possession less from there. 6

Wright-Phillips – Took his goal brilliantly with a finely judged run and first time shot. The rest was less encouraging as crosses failed to find their targets and only had mixed success in beating his full-back. 7

De Jong (Cunningham 62) – Excellent commitment in stopping any hint of Romanian danger dead in it’s tracks. No let up in his performance after Monday night. 7

Vieira – Patrick’s passing was as sharp and incisive as it has been since he arrived in January. Appears fit and on top of his game. Good to see him looking ready to step into the breach in the Premier League if required. 8

Silva – Still acclimatising. Playing behind Adebayor, there was little space for David and even less understanding with his team-mates. Benefited from Mancini’s rotation of positions for him, Jo and Wright-Phillips as he found more space on the flanks. Passing was often awry, but did cross for Boyata’s goal and went on one brilliant run near the end. 6

Jo – Unlikely to have won over his critics, but frankly he did as well as Silva. Nearly scored with a header in each half and mixed incisive flair with carelessness. Interesting to see him in his preferred roaming role, collecting the ball with feet rather than played as a target man. Still looks lightweight. 6

Adebayor – Went close on a couple of occasions and showed decent endeavour. Wasn’t helped by the poor service from the flanks and lack of space amongst a packed defence. Still looks in need of a goal and a lift to find his best form. 6

Subs:

Cunningham – Plenty of endeavour, but as with Zabaleta at left-back the distribution was found wanting. 6

Man of the match: Dedryck Boyata

Roberto Mancini on Jo:

“I have been able to see Jo close-up in the last two months and what I have seen makes me think he’s a good player.

“I can also remember seeing him play for CSKA a few years ago when I was with Internazionale and he’s a good striker.”

City produced a solid display in Romania before cutting loose in the closing part of the game to clinch a win thanks to Mario Balotelli’s debut goal. With the hard work supposedly done, tonight ought to see City qualify for the group stages of the Europa League.

However our lead is slender to begin with and the Romanians have nothing to lose. City will want to avoid any early scares and a goal or two before half-time would put us in a position to take it easy for the second half.

The Guardian’s Daniel Taylor was at training yesterday and tweeted:

Mancini working alone with outfield ten: Richards, Boyata, Kompany, Zab; SWP, Vieira, De Jong, Silva; Jo, Adebayor. #MCFC team for tmr?

This would make sense as it offers the rotation which Mancini is looking for in Cup games while enabling the likes of David Silva more game time to adjust to his new surroundings.

This line-up would see a 4-4-2 formation, where either Jo or Adebayor could play a slightly deeper role. Jo used to play this role with CSKA when alongside Wagner Love. Adebayor’s passing is often better than he’s given credit for in a deeper role, and he isn’t offside so much!

Silva would presumably play on the left flank, though if one of the strikers plays deep, the formation may resemble a 4-3-3, enabling the Spaniard more opportunity to drift into the middle. The only downside to this is the limited overlapping abilities of Zabaleta from left-back.

With neither de Jong or Vieira likely to venture to far forward, it will be imperative for one of the strikers to drop deep in the manner we’ve been seeing from Tevez recently.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3111715/Shay-Given-gets-Manchester-City-chance.html

The Sun are reporting that Shay Given is likely to start and if true this would indicate he’s likely to stay with the club for the time being. Good news for his fans, but it’s doubtful Shay will be happy knowing that whatever he does Joe Hart will be back in goal on Sunday.

Even with the rotation, this still looks a strong City side capable of providing plenty of entertainment. The third tiers at Eastlands are closed tonight but hopefully they’ll be a sizeable crowd.

Despite the Europa League being the most ridiculously bloated competition, it’s still an opportunity to see some fantastic City players in action.

Blue Days line-up: (4-4-1-1)
Given
Richards – Boyata – Kompany – Zab
Wright-Phillips – Vieira – De Jong – Silva
Jo
Adebayor

Prediction: 4-0 to City.

Remember this? Are we finally to see the CSKA Jo?

Rumours of Mancini not being a huge fan of Adebayor have been circulating all Summer, yet in public the club continue to back the Togolese. Mancini was supposed to have reassured Ade of his future last week, and went on to pick him against FC Timisoara. This ensures Ade won’t be playing for anyone else in Europe this side of Christmas. Robinho on the other hand was not cup-tied while he looks for a new club.

The feeling one gets is that Mancini would prefer Ibrahimovic or Dzeko as our target man. However in keeping with our transfer policy, a player will not be allowed to leave until the new man is signed.

With Ibrahimovic, the player and his wife would prefer a return to Milan and the Champions League. However Barca would presumably prefer to take the money from us rather than the huge financial hit of a loan to relative paupers AC.

Any deal for Ibra would involve his agent, Mino Raiola. Hardly an enticing prospect for City’s negotiating team after the drawn out Balotelli transfer. Raiola has recently stated that Ibra isn’t a player to be loaned, though anything he says must be treated with extreme caution.

Everything has gone quiet regarding a move for Dzeko. Juventus, his other main suitors, have signed Krasic instead. Jose Mourinho has also indicated an interest in the Bosnian striker. The problem remains Wolfsburg are about as keen to do a deal as Arsenal were for Fabregas.

Consequently, Adebayor is likely to stay unless a shock deal goes through for either Ibra or Dzeko in the last week of the transfer window. If it does, then Ade could find himself in a loan move to Italy or Spain. Those mysterious quotes from the other week might make a bit more sense then.

Adebayor as reported by Tuttosport:

“Juventus are a great club in which I would like to play.

“I am sorry to leave the Premier League, but in Europe there are other top leagues”

At the moment Adebayor has not shirked in terms of work-rate when on the pitch. He just looks in need of a goal to really get back on song.

As for Jo, it increasingly looks like he may find himself a place in the 25 man squad. This would crown the most remarkable of comebacks. Mancini and his coaches seem to have seen something in the Brazilian that has put him ahead of Santa Cruz.

When he signed two summers ago, there was a great expection which the then 21-year-old was unable to live up to. This time would see the complete opposite where most fans expect nothing from the perceived flop!

He does look stronger than first time round, and he’s more likely to be content on the fringes of the squad than our other strikers. Maybe there’s a role for him in the Carling Cup, Europa League and cameo substitute appearances as we look to save the legs of Tevez and co.

A couple of goals and a new cult hero could be born!

• Do you think Adebayor or Jo have a future at the club? And is there a realistic chance of signing Ibra or Dzeko this window?