A dour encounter gives rise to more twists and turns

On paper, yesterday’s trip to the Emirates was a potentially explosive showdown, with ourselves continuing to push for fourth and Arsenal looking to regain some face (and keep their own title aspirations mathematically alive) in the aftermath of their complete and utter capitulation at the hands of Wigan. In the end, both teams delivered a dour encounter, a day that, for me at least, was made slightly worthwhile due to the smattering of celebrities I saw attending the game.

Sven, Paul and Jeremy
After a few pints in the volatile Drayton Arms pub, opposite one of the corners of the ground, we made our way to our seats. Approaching the stadium, we soon found that we were walking behind none other than former City manager Sven Goran-Eriksson. The Swede, no doubt here to check on the form of City captain Kolo Toure, was mobbed by a small throng of City fans – myself included. Whilst Sven is far from being a legend at the Club (let’s face it he wasn’t given much chance to be a legend), its clear that he is still loved by some fans at Club, mostly likely because of the style of football we played under him and the exciting players he brought to the club.

Once inside, we saw who I consider to be a true legend of the club – Paul Lake. A player who could have given City and England so much more, a player whose career was cut short by injury. Lake was more than happy to pose for photographs with fans around him – for me this only reaffirms his legend status, given the amount of fans who must ask him to do this whenever he is in the public eye.

And then for good measure, coming out of the ground we saw former Rugby Union England international Jeremy Guscott. Not bad for a day visit to the capital!

The Emirates
Arsenal should be proud of their stadium, surely one of the finest in the world. I felt rather privileged to be sitting on padded seats – not bad a £33 a hit – although the reality was that, as usual, the away support never sat down and so never took full advantage of this luxury.

Although obviously on a bigger scale the Emirates reminds me very much of Eastlands in terms of how the highest seats of each stand slope up and down. Similarities with COMS do not end there. Both stadiums are not quite there in terms of atmosphere, although yesterday the flatness of the home support was probably down to the team’s performance and the fact that, whatever the result, they knew that they were out of the title race. The major difference between the two stadiums seemed to be what food they sell - will we ever see Salmon Bagels for £4.50 a go at Eastlands?

The game
On the pitch, it was another average performance from City where we never really got at our opponents. On the other side of the coin, they never really got at us. This was perhaps an example of when Mancini’s ‘safety first’ tactics served us well. Against United, one blip caused us to lose the game. Against Arsenal, there were no such blips and thus we came through at the Emirates unscathed. Everybody did their defensive jobs as Mancini opted to go with a defensive midfield in the form of Vieira, Barry and De Jong. Pablo Zabaleta, Wayne Bridge and (when he came on for the injured Bridge) Micah Richards did enough to deal with the likes of Walcott and Nasri. The worrying selection of Robin Van Persie never really presented the City backline with any serious problems.

Unfortunately we didn’t create very much at all at the other end. Adam Johnson faintly threatened on a couple of occasions but - as an Arsenal fan observed to me (in more colourful terms) coming away from the game - Bellamy and Tevez were ineffectual. And we all know what happens when our two lynchpins cannot affect the game: we either draw or lose.

This time we drew, and it was a much more valuable point for us than it was for the Gunners. That said, once again with the attacking talent at our disposal, I felt we should have been making more of a game of it against an Arsenal team with no Fabregas, Dennilson or Gallas. The arrival of Adebayor to the thunderous boos of the home support (incidentally the loudest they were during the entire game) upped our tempo a notch, but still we never really got close to causing Arsenal serious damage.

To add to our lacklustre performance, Shay Given dislocated his shoulder whilst saving a shot from Diaby and will now miss the rest of the season. He was replaced by Gunnar Nielsen, a player whom I knew absolutely nothing of but am now slightly more informed about – apparently he’s the first Faroe Islander to play in the Premier League. Stuart Taylor, the regular goalkeeping No.2 was out with knee surgery.

We must now ask ourselves, are we seriously ready for Champions League football?
When all is said and done, the last two results against United and Arsenal tell me that we are not yet ready to take fourth place. The frustrating thing is that I don’t think we turned up in either encounter, and let’s face it, we should be turning up and making a fight of it at this stage of the season.

We have thrown away a good momentum far too easily. The destruction of Burnley and Birmingham set us up nicely for the run in, but we never really gave ourselves the chance to win against the likes of United and Arsenal, and in so doing I feel we have dropped vital points and – most importantly have lost the momentum.

I have never wanted United to win as much as I did yesterday, and they did, so we must take the defeat of Spurs at Old Trafford as a positive, even if we failed to take full advantage of it. But still the narrative of the League issues us with more twists and turns. Today, after their 1-0 victory over Birmingham City, Aston Villa have somehow found a way back into the mix and now have as good a chance as Spurs and ourselves on making 4th position.

If we were to lose against Villa this coming Saturday, mathematically we would still be in the hunt for fourth, but speaking realistically, in our heads we will surely feel as if we have blown it. Anything less than victory will now not suffice as we enter a three game mini season that will have a major impact on the club’s trajectory over the next couple of years.

Watching City from afar

It has been a strange couple of weeks. I have watched the last couple of City games from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, from where I now write. I was due back in Manchester for last weekend's derby showdown, but a certain volcano in Iceland soon put paid to that. Whether or not the footballing events of last weekend have put paid to our aspirations on fourth place is another matter entirely.

5-1 at Arthur's

I watched the slow dismantling of Birmingham City from Arthur's Bar in the touristy Puerto Del Carmen. The trip here was a planned excursion to a bar that styles itself as the Lanzarote branch of City's overseas support. Arthur's shows that support through the numerous City strips that cover the ceiling of the bar, whilst the walls are lined with various City memorabilia signed by anyone from Paul Dickov to Ricky Hatton.

Indeed the backdrop to this game proved to be as entertaining as the victory itself. Arthur's Bar - a jovial and very British drinking establishment, can no doubt tell a few stories. Perhaps the most lasting memory I will take from here was the airing of the old song: "City! Manchester City! We are the boys who are playing to win!" very loudly through the Bar's speakers everytime the Blues put one in the back of the net.

As you can imagine, the record got played over and over against Birmingham. Following the demolition of Burnley, we once again showed what we can do when our attack clicks. Going into the game I expected McLeish's men to produce stiff resistance, but Cameron Jerome's strike aside, they generated little in the way of attacking threats until they were smothered by the usual suspects: Tevez and Adebayor, and a slightly unusual one in the form of Nedum Onohua, whose surging run cut through the Birmingham defence to produce and excellent solo strike. Onohua's goal reminded me very much of the way his captain, Kolo Toure, makes forays forward from time to time.

0-1 at Erik's

After the frustration of delays and airport closures due to volcanic ash spreading throughout most of Europe, I wasn't able to make it back to Manchester for what was a bigger than usual Manchester derby. I contented myself with watching the game in a quieter bar in another part of the island, but basked in warm sunlight for good measure. It looked like an equally glorious day in Manchester, a great day for putting the title hopes of our rivals to the sword. The reality of course was a very average derby, a complete and utter damp squib that neither side deserved to win.

The game ended on an all too familiar note, the recurring, unpalatable taste of defeat to United, once again in the dying embers of the game, once again as we thought we had done enough. It pains and irks me like a bone in the throat. Frankly it has been a horrific season for City fans in terms of derby football.

Last Saturday was a day where we suffered rather than benefited at the hands of Mancini's tactics. We gave United too much respect and allowed them too much time on the ball. For me this was the overarching reason for our loss.

I can certainly see the potential fruits of Mancini's thinking. The Italian certainly likes to keep it tight and there are great benefits to be drawn from this. But for me, this is cagey football, suicide against team like United and certainly not what this City team should be about. Call it want you what, but our negativity / defensive-mindedness / cautiousness was our undoing because it sent the wrong messages to the opposition. We dropped back far too early on and we saw little of Tevez's usual efforts to harass and pressurise the opposition backline. At times, it felt like we were almost inviting them to attack, a reckless strategy to pursue against team vying for the title, let alone a team that we want so badly to defeat.

Of course, if we'd have nicked a 1-0 win I would have been singing Mancini's praises. And we certainly did forge openings that could have produced that outcome. Tevez's freekick in the first half, and Barry's breaking run into the box in the second come to mind.

I also don't want to heap the blame solely onto the shoulders of the manager. For 90 odd minutes the team managed to achieve probably the most important element of Mancini's game plan - keep United out. But once again we fell down at the final hurdle because of a glaring individual error, once again a red shirt was unmarked in the box in the final minutes, and once again we capitulated - only this time not Owen, nor Rooney, but to Paul Scholes.

We certainly should not have lost the game, but we certainly did not deserve to win it either. United edged it on performance and and certainly had the better chances, but given our recent experiences with our rivals we should not have been switching off as the game came to a close. It was an encounter that had draw written all over it, and we should have seen that eventuality out.

The tables turn once again

Just as last week ourselves and Chelsea were in the box seats for our respective League battles, this week United and Tottenham have both made inroads. Looking at our own battle, and the small gap that is developing between 5th and 6th position, it is now looking more likely that the race for fourth will be between ourselves and Redknapp's men.

It remains an impossible one to call, but how cruel will it be if defeats like last Saturday's mean the difference between Champions and Europa League football?

Claret on the sword

It has taken us roughly seven months, but last Saturday at Turf Moor we finally gave someone a good tonking. I’d love to say that this result has been coming, but I don’t think it has. We haven’t been playing particularly well of late and haven’t looked like giving anyone a hammering. But I’m certainly not complaining. Plucked right out of the blue, our 6-1 demolition of Burnley could not have come at a better time.

Just like watching Brazil
On the occasions when the team have been playing well down the years, City fans have been known to sing this line from the terraces. Whilst rubbing City’s dominance into the faces of opposing fans, the undertone of the line also served to self-mock. In reality of course, City would be nowhere near the level of the Brazilian national team. I have to say though, that this was not so yesterday, the day when everything went right for us in an attacking sense, the day when every offensive clog clicked. It actually was like watching Brazil.

Gravity begins to pull on Laws’ Burnley
A large part of that was down to the complete and utter shambles that was Burnley. I have never seen a top flight team collapse so early in a game that meant so much. I must admit, I thought Burnley would be well up for the battle, primed with a David vs. Goliath attitude. But they simply melted away from the very first minute. You have to wonder what was said in the dressing room immediately before the game. You have to wonder what the manager has been telling his players all week. One look at Laws’ face ten minutes into the match, 3-0 down and staring down the barrel of more oncoming City attacks, and you knew it personified the meaning of perplexed. It was the look of a manager, the look of a team that do not seriously think they can stay up. Anything is still possible of course, but if you are that low in the League at this point in the season and losing by those kinds of margins, it is difficult to look beyond any other scenario than one of relegation.

Demolition men
This should take nothing away from City’s performance. The Clarets were awful but they still had to be beat. Everywhere you looked there were openings, and City exploited each one in full. Bellamy and Johnson were running riot from wide positions. Tevez looked as dangerous as ever. Even Emmanuel Adebayor got in on the act, and hopefully his two goal salvo will now get his season back on track. Patrick Vieira is coming in for quite a bit of stick from the terraces at present. Some of this is justified, as he does seem off the pace at times and more often than not this leads to us conceding possession. But the Frenchman still retains class that has been understated during his time at Eastlands. He is the most creative defensive midfielder I have seen, a unique gift in today’s game. This was evident at Turf Moor when he sent through Adebayor for his second, and it has been evident in previous games since his arrival. In fact, he has sent Adebayor through on goal on a number of occasions with different kinds of passes. It just makes you realise what a force he must’ve been in his heyday. At any rate, he played well against Burnley and more than deserved his bullet header of a goal from Johnson’s corner.

This was an excellent result in more ways than one. Building on the 3-0 defeat of Wigan, not only will it have boosted team confidence, it will have boosted Mancini’s chances of staying in the job. There is still a long way to go of course and I suspect the favourites to land fourth place will change game by game, but you cannot deny what an excellent week of results it has been for City. Spurs came a cropper at Sunderland, Liverpool could only manage a draw at Birmingham (and on a completely unrelated result, United were despatched by Chelsea!). The margin of our victory over Burnley also brought us closer to Spurs’ goal difference.

Mancini’s equation
It was also a good result for fans’ confidence in Mancini. There seems to be two schools of thought developing about how the team play. Those that want to go back to the more free flowing attack of Mark Hughes’ tenure, and those who prefer the more cautious approach of Mancini, sometimes employing three defensive midfielders. Although Burnley were bad, this result proves that sometimes in football, you can have it all. Indeed, Sven-Goran Eriksson, watching from the stands, and Kevin Keegan, watching from the ESPN studio would have no doubt both been in complete rapture. This was the kind of side they dreamed of building, the kind of the performance longed to deliver, a statement from their school of footballing philosophy – that you really can play high octane, unfettered attacking football whilst keeping the door shut at the other end. If nothing else, the result proves that there is a middle way out there that leads between the naïve attacking spirit of Hughes’ side and the smothering, defensive-mindedness of Mancini’s. The devil in the detail for Mancini is finding the right balance, the right solution for the equation. If he can merge his own philosophy with a kind similar to that we saw under Hughes, then he will keep his job, because that solution will secure us fourth.

It is interesting that Mancini seems to identify Emanuel Adebayor as being integral to that balance. So much so that the Italian directly linked our chances of finishing fourth with the level of Adebayor’s performances. He has a point. Whilst formidable, Carlos Tevez cannot do it all on his own and he has been carrying the can for far too long with little help. Think of how much better we would be with the talent of Adebayor firing on all cylinders?

We should now briefly bask in the light of this fantastic performance, and take comfort in the fact that we are back in the box seat for Champions League football. Of course we should take nothing for granted. We’re City fans for Christ sakes. In the court of footballing opinion, we will never be found guilty of taking things for granted. But the fact remains: its April, we are 32 games in and we are in fourth position. As a City fan, when was the last time you could say that?

Now its win or bust against Wigan

To say that the next game is always the most important is to repeat an over used phrase in football, but that phrase applies to Manchester City now probably more than at any other point this season.

Everton and form

Whilst far from being our worst performance of the season, the Everton defeat felt very much like the defeat against Spurs at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. As a supporter, there was very, very little in the way of positives that you could take from the game. There is no other way to say it other than to say that we were just well beat. Everton more than matched us in every single department. When it doesn’t go for our two talisman – Tevez and Bellamy – we fast run out of attacking ideas.

The outcome last Wednesday was a frustrating and alarming result. Frustrating because we never really got a grip of Everton – even more so because we allowed the dreaded head of Tim Cahill to deflect a free kick beyond Shay Given and we should’ve been all over Cahill in the box. Alarming because the defeat once again demonstrates that we are clearly not the form team going into the 4^th place run in. The last convincing performance I can think of was the win at Stamford Bridge, and even then we weren’t at the races in the first 45 minutes.

In some ways this has been a strange season. We certainly haven’t been consistent, we’ve never quite got it right at the back and I don’t believe we’ve hit the heights of our attacking talent – we’ve not given anyone a good hidingfor example - but we are still up there in the European places with a chance of Champions League football, and in terms of our final points total, the result will probably be a lot more rosy that previous seasons’ efforts.

For all our talent, there is still something missing within the team, something that is very difficult to measure and put your finger on. Its probably something like togetherness. David Moyes spoke about our deficiencies in the team spirit department. I think he’s right. Who has a real affinity for the club? I don't want to sound negative but there can't be that many, if for no other reason than that we are still a relatively new team.

Togetherness and spirit are things that are developed over the long term, through thick and thin but always on the basis of stability. The trouble is, we still don’t have stability at the club. There’s been a lot of personnel changes, and equally worrying is the growing sense that Mancini will fall by the wayside if we do not make fourth place. I think its highly likely, given that the Board sacked Hughes because they thought he was unable to deliver this finishing position.

Implications of yesterday’s results

This weekend’s games have gone both for and against us. Villa’s drubbing at the hands of Chelsea was a welcome surprise. I’ve had O’Neill’s men as favourites to land that fourth spot for a while now, but this 7-1 defeat makes me not so sure. The margin of loss speaks of a team that gave up, unusual for this Aston Villa side, which I have always associated with endeavour and steel. There is still a stretch to go of course, but they may now be out of the mix. Even if they claw it back, goal difference will also now count against them.

The more troublesome result was Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth. It opens up a five point gap between ourselves and Redknapp’s men. I didn’t think Spurs would have the mettle to keep going at this stage of the season. Portsmouth are dangerous opponents these days – whilst not outstanding they are men who have nothing to lose, but Spurs despatched them easily.

And of course this now means that we have to take three points when we meet Wigan at Eastlands on Monday night. If we win, the pressure on Spurs will be kept up, and the longer we keep the pressure on the Londoners, the better chance we will have to succeed. If we are still in touch by the time they come to Eastlands, then 4^th place will be ours to lose – I am sure of this. But I am equally sure that should we fail to despatch Wigan (anything less than a win is failure), then we will crash out of the race for 4^th place on Monday evening.

The race for fourth

With eight games left, Champions League football for next season is still in our own hands. This shows how far we have come. The Premier League is certainly not for the faint hearted, so we have done well, particularly for a relatively newly assembled team that I believe has still yet to reach its potential and find real consistency. Now, three teams stand in the way of us making a good season into an excellent one.

Liverpool, Spurs and Villa

A weak season by Liverpool’s standards has come just at the right time for City. For the last few years, Everton and Aston Villa have been pretenders to the throne, but they have failed to take advantage. Villa have been getting very close recently, and if we weren’t on the scene they’d be definite favourites to clinch fourth spot. But our new investment, from late 2008 onwards, meant we would more than likely be challenging the likes of Villa around this time. This year we have been the (obvious) ace in the pack and that has been to the detriment of Villa and Spurs.

I think Liverpool will still run everybody close. With players like Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano, they still have the armoury and steel capable of hurting anybody in the League. But they are much weaker at the back now, as shown with the recent pitiful display against Wigan, and will always leak goals.

Villa have had a strong season: reaching the League Cup final, now in the Semis of the FA Cup, and of course still vying for fourth. Their cup runs could impact on the League in one of two ways. Performances like the one O’Neill’s men gave against Reading in the second half of their FA Cup Quarter final can galvanise squads into giving that little bit extra as the final straight emerges. On the other hand, Villa are playing more games. Plus, if they get to the FA Cup final, they’ll have that game in the back of their minds until the end of the season.

Spurs have had a similar season to ourselves. Whilst they are at the right end of the table, you feel they’ve never really got into top gear. Fourth position may prove to be just out of their reach, but with the firepower they have up front, you cannot write them off.

On the record

Our record this season against these opponents has been average to bad. Probably our best performance in this department has come at Villa Park early on in the campaign. Everyone can remember our dismal showing at White Hart Lane, definitely one of our worst three showings all season and for me one of the most disappointing. We failed to capitalise on Liverpool’s weaknesses both home and away. After coming back from a goal down at Anfield to lead 2-1, we cheaply allowed Liverpool to nick a draw. I didn’t see the 0-0 at Eastlands, but by all accounts it was a damp squib, devoid of the fire that Bellamy’s big four marketing campaign seemed to promise.

Looking at our remaining fixture list, the two games that really stand out for me are the home matches against Spurs and Villa. If we can win these two encounters then we will certainly not be far away when we reach game number 38. Aside from these, other tough games are on the horizon. Everton at home, Arsenal away, and of course United still have to make the journey to the Eastern side of Manchester – a match that could eventually turn out to have massive implications for both clubs. I really feel that for one of the Mancunian sides this derby will be the real icing on the cake of a season that has played host to the most epic set of derby encounters I can remember. There’s certainly a twist to be had here.

The recipe for fourth

To finish in fourth position, we need this man to come back on song. So far Adebayor has been disappointing, coming far short of the fee we paid for him. For whatever reason, the spectre of Arsenal has consumed him for the best part of this season. The trauma of Angola certainly hasn’t helped. But Adebayor is a footballer, and play football is what he must now do.

Then come the vital ingredients. Tevez needs to continue the brilliance that he has shown pretty much all season. He missed games through family commitments in South America, but his return against Chelsea was a real shot in our arm for us, no doubt about that. It just underlines how important Carlos Tevez is to this club.

As is his team mate Craig Bellamy. It has been a groundbreaking season for the Welshman. Having seen off the challenges of Martin Petrov and Robinho for the left flank attacking position, Bellamy has simultaneously underlined his own talent and illuminated the good judgement of Mark Hughes in bringing him to the club. There is always going to be questions over Bellamy’s fitness, the condition of his troublesome knee, his ability to handle two games in the space of a week. But the fact remains that without him, without his pace, aggression and tenacity, our attack is severely blunted.

At the back, a defensive partnership of Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany present until the end of the season would be nice. It has taken a while for Lescott to settle, but finally I think we are seeing the signs. Toure’s captaincy has never felt right to me. The guy might be just going through a bad patch in form, but he has not impressed me this season. I think its always hard for a player to sign for a club and become the captain immediately. Toure may well be a talker, a good leader, but his form has been so inconsistent this season that I believe it has hampered his ability to lead credibly.

Mancini also needs to find the right midfield balance. If we play with Vieira, De Jong and Barry in the middle then I believe fourth place will be elusive. There needs to be more creativity coming from behind the front men. Ireland has had the form knocked out of him through his switches of position and injury. Adam Johnson could be an option here, but he has the potential to be so explosive from the wing that it might be an injustice not to have him attacking from wide positions.

Fourth place is there for the taking, or losing, beginning with tomorrow’s trip to Sunderland. Coming off the back of our best away win for a while, the expectation is for us to confidently dispatch Steve Bruce’s men. Somehow I feel we must be at our best if we are to gain anything from tomorrow’s trip to the North East.

Get myself connected

I must apologise to readers for there being little activity over the last couple of weeks. I've had no internet recently, but hopefully that should change next week when I get myself connected. Last week's unbelievable victory at Stamford Bridge sets up a fascinating end to the season, so they'll be plenty to write about!

We don't sense blood

Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Stoke in the FA Cup, and tonight's 1-1 draw – also against Stoke – in the League, confirms that our recent slump in form is indeed a slump and not a flitting aberration. The upturn in performance that inevitably followed Mancini’s arrival is now well and truly over. I think now we will see just how good a manager the Italian is.

Return to mediocrity
The recent wins against Portsmouth and Bolton were mediocre. I suspect most will not have an issue with mediocrity as long as the result is right. But when mediocrity is added to a draw, or even a defeat, it becomes a different matter.

And we have been mediocre for a few games now, probably starting with the visit to Goodison Park. We were outfought against Hull. We just did enough against the likes of Portsmouth and Bolton, but if they’d have been any better they probably would have got something out of the game. Even though we were never behind in these home games, I still felt that our lead was slim and fragile. Maybe that’s just my own typical City mentality shining through. Against Bolton especially, we won because we are a richer club that can afford to buy players who are capable of producing the kind of skill that Adebayor displayed to score the second goal.

As regards to the Stoke FA Cup draw, the most frustrating element was our response once the Potters had drawn level. Apart from an excellent header from Gareth Barry, producing an equally excellent save from Thomas Sorensen, we hardly mustered a chance. Its not that there wasn’t endeavour – we huffed and puffed – but there was little in the way of creativity going forward. It was the kind of performance that reminded me very much of our long run of draws earlier in the season.

I did not see the Stoke League draw, but I listened to parts of the game on the Club’s website. We sounded even worse than we did on Saturday, with crosses into the Stoke box poor and – even when they were better – no-one seemed to want to get on the end of them. To go behind against the 10 men of Stoke was criminal. I accept that playing against 10 men can sometimes be more difficult than 11 – but it should’ve been difficult in terms of us breaking them down, not a reverse (and perverse) scenario where Stoke actually managed to get themselves ahead whilst they were a man down. Shay Given’s form has taken a slight dip of late – and he confirmed this last night by allowing a relatively tame shot from outside the area to trickle past him.

Barry’s equaliser was a massively important goal for us. The major positive must be that we moved into fourth position with this dire performance. We are a team that looks disjointed, but we are still up there with a good chance of securing Champions League football next season. We are playing badly, but we are still picking up points.

In true City fashion, we almost threw the whole thing away in the final minutes as we allowed yet another Rory Delap throw to cause us major problems in the area, which resulted in a Stoke goal that was eventually disallowed. When Stoke were awarded that throw, everyone knew what was coming. Everyone also knew that this was the manner in which we conceded in the Cup game last Saturday. So it was treason for us to so again, so late in the game. The bottom line as we come away from the Britannia is that we were lucky. Stoke’s second should have stood – there was no foul on Given in the area – and most probably Patrick Vieira should have been sent from the field of play by lashing out after a Stoke player challenged him from behind. Even though we are not playing like a top four outfit, perhaps we are developing the luck that seems to favour the top four sides in these kinds of games.

What are we missing?
We already have the players we need at the club to make the top four. So this is not a question of new personnel.

It is obvious that we are a much lesser side without the likes of Tevez and Bellamy. That should be no surprise – any team would suffer without these kinds of players. They are our attacking lynchpins in terms of our creativity and goal scoring threat, and they are also our heartbeat given the intensity that they bring to our game.

But we should still have enough to get by when our key men are not involved. That back up should be coming in the form of Adam Johnson (who of course was not available for the Cup tie) and Stephen Ireland.

I would like nothing more than for Ireland to recapture the form that he showed so consistently last season. At the moment is it not up to that level – this is stark because that level was high for so long last year. Whilst Ireland is a victim of his own success, he is right to think that he is also a victim of changes to the team’s formation. It’s fair to say that his form has been knocked out of him because of these changes. But Ireland remains a key player for us and his creative spark will return if he gets more games attacking from central midfield positions. Of course, Ireland’s wish is a hard one to grant at the moment given the amount of midfield players we have in contention for places.

Recently, there’s been some worrisome rumours regarding the Irishman’s possible sale. If this were to happen, it would represent a grave mistake, one of the worst the club has ever made. Ireland is not only an excellent player and professional, he also has a great affinity with the club and the fans. He is one of the club’s own. As United have proved, players who understand the club and who are in step with its heartbeat are invaluable assets, especially as teams begin to change with the influx of new players. This is very relevant for City, especially now that we have so much new, foreign talent at the club.

Having said that, I’m certainly not placing the blame of our Stoke Cup performance solely on the shoulders of Ireland. Petrov again turned in a below par outing. The Bulgarian just doesn’t look interested and if he continues in this vein I’m sure he’ll be playing for another team next season. Adebayor continues to frustrate me immensely. If only the lad could win headers. Then he would be the complete attacking article. But he cannot win headers and he cannot seem to challenge strongly for balls pumped up to him in advanced positions. His height is perhaps his greatest enemy in the sense that it lures people - like me – into the perception that he is a traditional frontman. He’s clearly not that kind of forward, but still I find his complete inability in winning aerial battles and holding up the ball unusual for one who is so tall and one who knows what it takes to be a frontman in the Premiership.

Once again, mentality
Aside from individual performances, I still feel that we show deficiencies in the mentality department, deficiencies that need not exist given the talent that runs throughout the team. More than anything else, this is the major factor that separates us from the top three. Both City and the top three expect to win. For the top three, it’s a positive thing, an attitude they draw on that fuels their confidence. But for City, at the moment it seems to be negative – our expectation to win seems to make us complacent, disjointed and sluggish.

We didn’t have to do much to put Stoke on the ropes in the second half of the Cup tie. When we decided to get our act together with Barry’s header, we should have turned the screw, upped the intensity and come at Stoke again. When Stoke went a man down in the League game, we should’ve upped the ante and made the extra man count. That’s what top four teams do in these situations. But we just don’t seem to be able to sense the blood of our opponents.

We will soon have to, or else I fear that Messrs Cook and Khaldoon will start sensing the blood of those in the City dugout.