Blue Days

It was all the fours for City with a quartet of goals, Roberto Mancini’s fourth win, City’s fourth consecutive league win and, most importantly, up to fourth place in the table.

Given – Failed to come out for a couple of balls into the box. It was noticeable that when Kompany was out of position he did come and punch clear, so he is capable of it. He’s still great at keeping the back four on their toes mind. 6

Zabaleta – Misjudged a few balls and picked up a booking for a typical reckless foul. His passing and link up play were improved. 7

Fourth place in the league and a fourth consecutive win are the targets for City tonight as we take on a Blackburn side who haven’t won in 8 games. Moving in to the Champions League places would be a real statement of intent in what has been a quiet weekend at the top of the Premier League.

The Guardian:

That cruel Stretford End banner flaunting the number of years since Manchester City won the league championship may be ticking over for a year or two yet, but Mark Hughes left Ewood Park on Saturday night looking like a man who knows that, at last, he has a proper football team on his hands.

The Independent:

There was a moment after Emmanuel Adebayor had sat down for his first interview as a Manchester City player in South Africa this summer when …

Given – Stunning save from a Samba header in the first half. Had to be at the top of his game to keep a clean sheet. 9

Richards – His physical presence justified his selection. Showed good concentration and application. 8

Dunne – Who needs Lescott? The kind of physical game that suits him down to the ground. 8

Toure – A stern test on his debut. Came through with flying colours. 8

Bridge – Looking fitter and stronger than last season. Great to …

Goals: Adebayor 3, Ireland 92 for City.

City came through a strong test at Blackburn with a great pair of goals at the beginning and end of the game from Adebayor and Ireland. In between there was grit, determination and character in defence to keep an Allardyce bombardment at bay.

Hughes surprised me with his starting eleven by leaving De Jong on the bench and going 4-4-2 with both Adebayor and Bellamy playing up front. For a difficult away game, this was …