City have been drawn against fellow Premier League side Fulham in the third round of the Carling Cup. The tie is due to take place in the week beginning 21 September. This lies between the Old Trafford derby on Sunday 18 September and the home game against West Ham on Monday 28 September.
Whilst not the easiest draw we could have hoped for, at least we are at home. Fulham are also competing in the group stages of the Europa League, so it’s quite possible that this fixture won’t be amongst Roy Hodgson’s uppermost priorities this season.
The cottagers don’t have the biggest squad so we could be facing weaker opposition than we might expect in a Premier League game. Mark Hughes, of course, named a full strength team for the Palace game and will be lexoected to continue in the same vein.
With this in mind, it looks like a reasonable draw and City will be confident of progressing in our quest for silverware and a trip to Wembley.
Given – If Ireland is Superman what does that make Shay? Once again superb in handling, positioning and shot stopping. 9
Richards – Given a tough test by Moses. Micah didn’t come through with flying colours. His additional height and strength is probably all that’s keeping Zabaleta on the bench at the moment. 5
Toure – His leadership qualities as captain are going to be essential in organising that defence. A decent showing on the night, but not at the same level as the performances against Blackburn and Wolves. 6
Lescott – Thrown in at the deep end by Hughes, but showed some quality moments. The defence was under a lot more pressure than one would have hoped. Good to see him making tackles and bringing the ball out from the back. 6
Bridge – In attack, slowly but surely there’s an understanding forming between Wayne and Robinho. In defence he’s still on his own, but continued to cope better than in the past. 6
Wright-Phillips – Our most effective attacking player on the night, scoring one and sending over the cross for the second. Some great runs, but still needs a more consistent end product. 8
Ireland – Once again the fulcrum of our attacking. His eagerness to burst into the opposition penalty area does leave the team exposed when possession is lost. 6
Barry – More timely interceptions, but not able to cover the ground quick enough when asked to hold the midfield on his own. 6
Tevez – Worked a good chance in the opening couple of minutes but fired over. His first goal eventually came and with a little more sharpness those shooting boots should start to find the net as well. 7
Adebayor – Failed to score, but provided some excellent link up play. The Togolese continues to look a class act. 7
Robinho – We saw plenty of endeavour from the Brazilian and great control in playing in Wright-Phillips for a shot against the bar. Unlucky with one offside in particular, when he was reprimanded for cheekily lobbing the keeper. 7
Subs:
Bellamy – The Welshman isn’t proving as effective from the bench as when he starts. His role seems a little unclear and isn’t getting the best out of him. 6
De Jong – Barely time for a touch, but he’s still a welcome sight. 6
Man of the match: Shay Given
Mark Hughes has stated that the incredible turnover of players in the last two transfer windows isn’t going to be repeated in the future.
These are fascinating statements that appear to confirm how Sheikh Mansour has invested heavily in the short team, with a view to having City compete for the Champions League positions.
Mark Hughes:
“In the future we won’t be going into the market to this extent again. We have gone very quickly into the market and brought in big numbers of players.
“Usually in football this doesn’t happen over short periods. We are obviously investing heavily in our academy and in our scouting.
“In future we will be looking to acquire players we feel will add value to the club and become great players at Manchester City, rather than going out to the market and at times paying a premium because we need the players now.
“We will be in the market if top players become available, but it won’t be at the level we have seen in the last two windows.
“I set out what I felt the club needed in terms of players.
“It was basically a process that should have been done over a three- to five-year period but we made the decision that we would try to make it happen in two windows, and to see how far we could get with it.
“For us to bring in the amount of players we have brought in, and the amount who have gone out, means we have changed personnel at an unprecedented level. Twenty-six players have been sold, released or sent out on loan and that is a huge turnover.
“The challenge we have is that we have a lot of new faces, but those new faces are of the type of character that we think will help in that gelling process.â€Â
Will rival clubs, the media, Michel Platini and Uefa now relax and recognize that we’re not the death of football? Will they recognize that we’re only making an initial investment in the same way Blackburn did when Jack Walker took over, or Chelsea did when Roman Abramovich took over?
It would be nice to think so, but in the short term I doubt it.
In a relatively quiet transfer window elsewhere for the Premier League, we have generated reams of good copy for the press. Columnists will still need to fill their columns and with our higher profile, editors know that ‘outrage’ stories on our new money will continue to prove popular with readers.
Platini and Uefa have their own agenda to push in trying to curb the success of a Premier League that shows up the flaws in the Uefa competitions. Talking up the threat of our spending also helps Platini push the idea of a wage cap. Details of how a wage cap would work are conspicuously harder to find than proclamations on our ‘immoral’ spending.
However it would be interesting to see if the comments by Hughes prove to be true. Whilst I’m sure we won’t see the volume of transfers in future windows, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a smaller number of bigger signings.
If City were to gain a Champions League place then the ‘galactico’ players who have previously said no to our advances, may become more amenable to joining us. To challenge for the Champions League these top class players may even be a necessity, and I get the impression that Sheikh Mansour doesn’t intend to settle for being an also-ran.
Whatever happens, this has been an amazing transfer window, and it will be fascinating to watch how the team comes together.
With the arrival of Joleon Lescott, speculation has increased that Richard Dunne may be leaving the club, while Ben Haim is being linked with a season-long loan to Portsmouth.
The Daily Mail earlier claimed that Aston Villa have agreed a £6m fee for Dunne, and this has since appeared in The Guardian. As of today Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott look set to be our first choice centre back pairing and it’s doubtful if Dunne will be happy with a place on the bench in a World Cup year. Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland are well placed in their qualification group and Dunne wouldn’t want to miss out.
Nedum Onuoha has recently inked a contract extension to confirm the management have faith in his abilities. With Vincent Kompany also a more than capable centre-half, Dunne may be considered expendable by Hughes. It’s hard on the loyal servant, but there are decent options available to him. One problem could be whether potential suitors would match the wages the Irishman is currently on. If they do, it could mean a fond farewell to the Joe Royle signing.