Hart – Caught in no-mans land for Wigan’s one chance of the first-half, and the hardest save of the second-half was straight at him. A comfortable afternoon. 6
Richards – Martinez tried to catch City out by stationing Rodallega on the wing but Micah was wise to it, and up for the physical challenge. Unlucky not to score when played in by Tevez.
Bang in form City take on a Wigan side currently unbeaten in seven Premier League games in what promises to be another game of free flowing football. Roberto Mancini will be looking for another win to maintain our early momentum.
There are concerns however, with the disruption caused by international fixtures and the prospect of Napoli on Wednesday. Players such as Aguero and Zabaleta have travelled long distances and may be rested for the Champions League opener.
Hart – Pulled out a top class diving save to deny James McCarthy. At other times it was a relief to see Wigan miss the target. 7
Richards – Could have seen red for diving in at full speed on Man United loanee Tom Cleverley. Otherwise steady as he returns from injury. 6
City produced their second 2-0 away victory in the space of four days courtesy of goals from Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure. Heavy rain resulted in a saturated pitch which induced mistakes everywhere except in a City defence that once again looked impregnable.
In the starting line-up David Silva kept his place, while Mancini also went for the industry of James Milner ahead of Adam Johnson’s directness. Wayne Bridge wasn’t fit once again, so Pablo Zabaleta was given the job of keeping the potentially dangerous N’Zogbia quiet.
City head to Wigan buoyed by Europa League victory after two disappointing Premier League results. Apparently we have won just two of our last nine Premier League matches. Our first league victory away to Wigan is a must if we’re to get back amongst the Champions League places.
Roberto Mancini faces an intriguing selection headache following David Silva’s impressive display in midweek. If he starts on Saturday, who would make way from last weekend’s creative players? Both Adam Johnson (our stand out performer thus far) and James Milner were rested on Thursday.
Frustration ultimately gave way to satisfaction as Carlos Tevez once again inspired City to victory with a 12 minute hat-trick in the second-half. Wigan will point to the sending off of Caldwell on 71 minutes as the turning point, but City fans won’t care as we maintained our chase for a Champions League place.
Given – Kept a welcome clean sheet thanks to a couple of excellent saves. The opportunity to demonstrate his skills ought to be a confidence booster. 7
Zabaleta – Was given some testing moments by the strong and pacy Rodallega. A tenth booking of the season sees him miss the next two fixtures. 6
Despite City’s poor record against Wigan, there are reasons to be optimistic about tonight’s fixture. Following wins for both Spurs and Liverpool, victory is essential and Mancini’s new attacking style should be improved by the return of Emmanuel Adebayor.
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.
