Another disappointing result saw Joe Hart gift Blackburn the lead before Patrick Vieira rolled back the years to start and finish a move for the equaliser. City nearly won it at the death but one point from six leaves us outside the top four places and playing catch-up already.
There were surprises in the starting eleven as Tevez was passed fit to play. The Argentine didn’t look 100% and paced himself by playing in bursts.
Continue Reading →Hart – After all the plaudits with England it’s hard to recall Joe making a bigger mistake than that for the opening goal. Nor did he fully command his area against the high balls. A vital one-on-one save in the second half was the only redeeming feature. 5
Richards – Won numerous important defensive headers as Rovers launched balls into the area. Not able to add a great deal to the attack but his solidity at the back was welcome. 6
Continue Reading →Roberto Mancini will be desperate for a victory against Rovers as City look to repair the damage done by the last minute defeat at Sunderland. The England six will return buoyed by two victories with the national team, but three points on Saturday is more important in our bid for a Champions League place.
City dropped to ninth after the Sunderland result when a win would have kept them in fourth spot. It will now take a run of victories to climb the table with little room for error before we take on Chelsea at the end of the month.
Continue Reading →After a promising first half, City allowed Sunderland to take control in the second period and paid the ultimate price with a last minute Darren Bent penalty conceded by Micah Richards. It could all have been so different had Carlos Tevez not spurned an open goal in the first half.
The Tevez miss will dominate the headlines after the match, and questions will also be asked of Micah Richards. The England U-21 player blotted an otherwise decent defensive performance by allowing Bent to get goalside, giving him the opportunity to crumple to the floor when Micah tried to jump over him. It showed Micah hadn’t learnt from a similar offence commited at White Hart Lane last year.
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