One of the more curious items of news this weekend was that Mark Hughes flew to Spain to watch Barcelona play Osasuna on Saturday evening – the night before City played Birmingham. Needless to say, speculation about his intentions has varied wildly.
Initially there was the inevitable talk of the trip being related to a transfer for Robinho, but this would make little sense. Any discussion of such a transfer could be done by executives of the clubs and would hardly require Hughes to make a personal trip to Spain the night before a match. The reason is far more likely to be a scouting mission of possible transfer targets.
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Given – A brilliant double save in the first half was arguably even better than the penalty stop. His performance was a real birthday present to the manager. 9
Zabaleta – A steadier game from Pablo, with some good clearing headers. Going forward their was little attacking threat. We were crying out for a repeat of the cross for Santa Cruz he provided against Scunthorpe, but it never arrived. 6
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Mark Hughes’ side returned from St. Andrews with a draw thanks to the performance of Shay Given who left Birmingham’s James McFadden beating the ground in frustration following a second half penalty save.
Remarkably, City have moved up to fourth place despite a fourth consecutive league draw. This says more for the faltering results of those around them rather than any brilliance by the Blues. Once again, City looked a long way from being the collective sum of their individual parts.
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City drew Arsenal at home in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup, which will be played on the week beginning 30 November. The focus will undoubtedly be on Emmanuel Adebayor, but Mark Hughes will be more concerned with taking the club to our first major semi-final since 1981.
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