Roberto Mancini’s side begin another hugely anticipated campaign against Swansea. There’s always an element of the unknown when playing a newly promoted side and their eagerness to impress could make this a trickier encounter than many anticipate.
With Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez still deemed short of match fitness, the attack is likely to resmeble that seen last week with Edin Dzeko supported by Balotelli, Yaya and Silva. Unless his form improves Adam Johnson is only likely to start when City are playing two games a week.
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Contrary to what is being reported elsewhere, Mario Balotelli’s failed attempt to backheel a goal wasn’t the only point of interest in City’s final US match. The game offered both positives and concerns in our bid to improve on last season.
One of the main attractions of pre-season games is the opportunity to see new signings. Mancini started the game with what appeared to be his strongest available side, apart from Yaya, and it was interesting to note Gael Clichy appeared ahead of Aleks Kolarov.
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City secured third place thanks to goals from Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko in a game which saw Joe Hart keep another clean sheet despite a casual first half performance. Bolton failed to take their chances early on and City grew in stature during the second period.
At the outset there were some unexpected changes in the full-back positions. Kolarov wasn’t there and Zabaleta was initially set to start on the bench with Boyata as left-back.
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Hart – Dropped the ball in one momentary lapse, but made a couple of excellent saves to earn another clean sheet. 6
Boyata – A surprise starter and looked initially nervous. Put over an excellent cross from which Barry ought to have scored, but this shouldn’t disguise the fact he needs to play more games at centre-back. 6
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