Web-master's mid-term report
It has been a wonderful first half of the season for the Blues which sees us in the coveted Champions League spots at the Christmas break.
For such a long time Manchester City FC has been a byword for mediocrity but with Thaksin Shinawatra's investment and Sven-Goran Eriksson's clever scouting and man management, City are once again competitive.
Here's my player ratings so far:
Joe Hart - Confirmed as number one, he has done well this season. Good shot-stopper, seems to communicate well with the defence and excellent at kicking. The only black mark is his decision making on crosses which will hopefully improve. Rating: 7
Vedran Corluka - The Croatian has quickly acclimatised to English football. His positional play and defending is generally excellent and his use of the ball going forward has been superb. Rating: 8
Javier Garrido - After a bright start, the young fullback has gone off the boil. Better going forward than defending. He has struggled to adjust to the more physical Premier League. Excellent passer though. Rating: 6.5
Micah Richards - Like Garrido the England international has struggled to maintain the consistency of performance that a lot of young players suffer with. Critics point to his sense of positional play but IMO he has all the attributes to be a world class centre half. Rating: 7.25
Richard Dunne - Captain fantastic. A rock on which all good teams are built. He doesn't look like a footballer which attracts criticism from those who judge on appearances. Rating: 8
Didi Hamann - Is this fella a new player ? A very good simple passer who stifles the opposition and breaks up a lot of play. He has given the more creative players licence to do their stuff. Rating: 8.5
Michael Johnson - Talent to burn. Has a great eye for a pass and a good football brain. The only thing he lacks is some bite. Rating: 7.5
Stephen Ireland - Elano junior or at least has the potential to be. Great touch and vision but lacks the necessary consistency. Will have competition with the arrival of Castillo. Rating: 7 (for his goals)
ELANO Blumer - Genius. If our position could be attached to one man it would be the Brazilian maestro. A tougher second half of the season awaits our samba star who's no longer unknown. Rating: 9
Martin Petrov - A typical winger: flair one minute frustration the next. A sweet left foot that has provided goals and many assists thus far. People will often criticise the Bulgarian whose mind is always bent on attack. Rating: 8
Emile Mpenza - Emile has grafted hard and been a willing runner but ultimately lacks the class to spearhead a side with ambitions of Europe. Rating: 6
The substitutes, cameos and emerging performers
Darius Vassell - Vass tries so hard but his lack of awareness - a common trait in many pacy players - lets him down. Rating: 5.5
Rolando Bianchi - City fans scratched their head as SGE continued to overlook Rolando. Some of his hold-up play and movement has been a delight. And three goals in three games suggests RB has a future at Eastlands. Rating: 7.5
GEOVANNI Gomez - Geo will be forever remembered for his derby goal. I'm not sure whether he's any more than a last -15 cameo performer. Rating: 6.5
Michael Ball - A better defender than Garrido and combines better with Petrov IMO. Has taken his opportunity and surely changed Sven's mind. Rating: 7
Kelvin Etuhu - Seems to have all the attributes to become a PL player. A pacy, strong, left-footed striker who has filled in well on the right wing and tries to get his head up too. Rating: 7
Nedum Onuoha - Ned has struggled with injuries and might even be a better defender than Micah. Very mature in attitude for one so young. Adaptability will be the key with this lad. Rating: 6.5
Kasper Schmeichel - Injury to Joe Hart gave the young Dane an opportunity which he grabbed with both hands but his fragility on crosses meant he had to be replaced. Rating: 7
Andreas Isakksson - Poor kicking, woeful under high balls and crosses but still an excellent shot-stopper. On his way in the Summer if not earlier. Rating: 6
And the Blues go marching onaHangin' on to that Wembley dreamManchester City 1 - 0 West Ham United Elano 73City claimed a brace of wins over West Ham last night in a curate's egg of a game. A single strike from Elano on 73 minutes was enough to see the Blues into the 4th round.For much of the evening we were below par but endeavoured to play football, which must have pleased Sven who was critical of our "long ball" tactics at Goodison Park.The one moment of real magic came from the left foot of Martin Petrov (who else) who deftly crossed to Rolando Bianchi but the Italian was denied by the woodwork and it required a brave header low down from Elano to break the deadlock.West Ham, give them their due, had a few chances and probably deserved extra time but the City back four and goalkeeper Joe Hart stood firm and seal the victory.It's Bramhall Lane and Sheffield United in the next round on Sunday, 27 January. The game is Live on Sky Sports with a 4:00pm kick-off.
City come unstuck at the Toffees aArt versus labour Everton 1 - 0 Manchester City Lescott 31It was a clash of footballing philosophies at Goodison Park as British agression and determination met European guile and flair. And, not for the first time did Sven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City come off second best against a physical side away from fortress Eastlands.However, it would be foolish to lambaste Sven after today's result. A keen student of the game, there is little doubt that Eriksson worked out what it requires to succeed in the Premier League during his time as England manager. Given patience and the finance he will - in my opinion - build a team to rival the style of Arsenal.But today the Blues were hustled and harried, stifled and stopped by a professional Everton team without much of their African threat. The Merseysiders had clearly done their homework, denying City space at every opportunity and deservedly took the lead on 31 minutes when Joelene Lescott directed a Mikkel Arteta shot past Joe Hart.In the second half City improved and dominated possession but created few chances which was disappointing considering the number of attacking midfielders on display. A fierce shot from form Martin Petrov in the dying moments was the only significant effort on goal and Tim Howard might get next week out of his kit having been woefully under-worked.After the game a frustrated SGE said that the Blues "were knocking the ball too long and challenging for second balls and we shouldn't do that because we are not very good at it. We were not brave enough to bring the ball out from the back and kept giving the ball away."
He was also honest enough that City "didn't create enough chances to get a draw. We want to try and get into the top four, but we have to play better than we did in the first half if we want to think about that."
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