Blue Days

And with a challenge all to reminiscent of Nigel de Jong in the World Cup final it was over. Mario Balotelli saw red in the first half and despite going on to win on the night, courtesy of an Aleksandar Kolarov strike, City went out of the Europa League 2-1 on aggregate.

Roberto Mancini went with his strongest available line-up and in the opening minutes City could have taken the lead. That man Mario skied a presentable chance over the bar. Kiev chose to defend their advantage and looked a far weaker side than they had in the Ukraine.

Hart – A relatively quiet evening as Kiev showed little interest in scoring an away goal. 6

Richards – Sought to push forward whenever possible but didn’t always receive the ball. Kiev defenders became wise to his runs and he needs to vary them a little. 6

City go into the 12th game of our Europa League campaign knowing it will be the last unless a two goal deficit to Dynamo Kiev is overturned. Unbeaten in 11 games and dangerous on the break there is also the fear that a goal for the Ukrainians will leave City needing four.

Whether we can cope with another five games in the Europa League, or whether we would be better off out of it, is a question currently dividing City fans.

Roberto Mancini fielded a strong line-up and suffered from a lack of freshness as City slipped to a two goal defeat. It could have been worse as the team pushed forward for an away goal and were nearly caught on the break in the closing stages.

Once again Balotelli drew the headlines, though not for his contribution to the game. Apparently he has an allergy to certain types of grass, and missed the start of the second half as he was receiving anti-histamine shots. With a swelling face he soon departed and in hindsight Mancini would have been better off leaving the Italian at home and playing Jo.

Hart – Beaten for the first goal by the poacher’s instinct of Shevchenko. No chance with the second and produced a terrific block in the closing minutes. 7

Richards – Drifted offside a couple of times in the first half, but continued to push on and posed a danger throughout. 6

City embark on the latest round of the Europa League with a trip to the Ukraine and a potentially difficult tie against Dynamo Kiev. With a tired squad, it will be interesting to see the level to which Roberto Mancini rotates from the side that narrowly beat Wigan.

The manager has recently complained how injuries have reduced his options. This wasn’t entirely true, particularly for the likes of Boyata and Jo.