Hart – Commanded his area well, ensuring the defence kept their focus when having to defend in the second half. 7
Boateng – Looked more at ease going forward from right-back. Jerome’s defending was also more solid than we’ve previously seen, with one perfectly executed penalty area tackle standing out. 7
Continue Reading →West Brom came from behind with two quick second-half goals to knock City out of the Carling Cup. Roberto Mancini made a full 11 changes from the side that won on Sunday, while Roberto Di Matteo made 10 for West Brom.
Critically, Mancini also had to allow for injured players in Boateng, Richards, Kolarov, Bridge, Lescott, Michael Johnson, Balotelli and Adebayor. As a result he was forced to field several youngsters with half the team in effect a third choice outfit. Shaun Wright-Phillips was also missing which may mean he had a knock as well.
Continue Reading →City begin their Carling Cup campaign at the Hawthorns with Roberto Mancini keeping one eye on a Saturday lunchtime date with Chelsea. Rotation enables a manager to keep his squad fresh and tonight should see a host of changes.
The Carling Cup appears to be the least of City’s priorities this season which may be a pity as it requires the fewest number of games to pick up some silverware. Just six fixtures have to be negotiated to end City’s quest for a trophy.
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