If you’re going to be a hardline manager and banish unruly players, then you need to get results. That’s how Fergie gets away with it and Roberto Mancini demonstrated the same trait here.
At half-time it was looking a little different with Aguero having hobbled off and City lacking zip in the final third. If City had failed to make the breakthrough, the whispers would have started as to whether Mancini had done the right thing in banning a player who has won so many games for the blues.
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Hart – Dealt excellently with long balls into the box and raged at the defence whenever they threatened to switch off. Deserved the clean sheet. 7
Zabaleta – Not always at his best going forward and rarely tested defensively. If there’s such a thing as a forward’s tackle, then Pablo was guilty of a defender’s dive. 6
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Leaving Carlos Tevez for another article, there were plenty of other things in City’s defeat by Bayern that warrant discussion. The furore around Carlos has diverted the attention from what was one of Roberto Mancini’s worst nights on the pitch.
There may have been half an hour left when Tevez failed to appear, but with Bayern in complete control and Carlos not in great form, the game was as good as over. Tevez remaining on the bench cannot be said to have cost us the game.
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Hart – Pulled off a series of top class saves and was rightly furious with the lack of protection he received from those in front. 9
Richards – Although Ribery caused plenty of problems, Micah was arguably our best outfield player. Did his best to take the game to Bayern. 7
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