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We've all accepted that we're out of the title race now, right? Right. Even if we were to win our remaining six fixtures, which seems unlikely given the way in which the players performed last night, we would finish on 86 points, while Chelsea could potentially reach 87, Liverpool 89. A draw in the game between those two most likely wouldn't be enough for City either. So, yes, I'd say that we're done for another year.

There are a number of reasons why this season, rather the way in which it looks set to finish, has been, or is, so disappointing. 

Firstly, it promised so much, but looks set to yield little other than a league cup win (which I damn well celebrated) and Champions League qualification. I never bought into the quadruple shouts, because there's no way this squad is good or deep enough for that. But a domestic treble definitely seemed possible given, well, all the goals.

Also, with Ferguson retiring, we seemed to have a clear run at the title. It sounds arrogant to say that, but United employed a clown, Chelsea didn't really have a striker, and at the time, no other side really came into the picture where the league title was concerned, which is part of the reason why Liverpool winning the title would Rodgers' achievement all the more spectacular.

But the goals have dried up since January, and with them the confidence and possibilities which they brought. Obviously, as the season progresses, legs become weary and the players are less likely to be able to win games by three or four goals every couple of weeks. So, they need to be able to grind out wins, like we did at Hull, but this side and manager don't seem capable of doing it on a regular basis.

When all is going well, Pellegrini is probably the perfect manager, but over the last month, he has watched more or less our whole season collapse and simply hasn't reacted in games. I'm not going to be one of those sarky cunts who takes the piss out of him being friendly with staff and players, because that's probably important and part of the reason we were putting five past sides each week over the first three months of the season. But he needs to show more. He seems to have too much faith in 4-4-2, too much naïveté, and we're often overrun in midfield, the best example being Bayern Munich at home, the most painful example being Sunderland at home last night. You can get away with it when Yaya and Silva play because of how well they keep the ball, but without them and only four in midfield, we're pretty much fucked.

Pellegrini is a problem, but he has done a lot of good (just look at Silva and Yaya), and I'm not going to pine for Mancini because our entire season last year was a joke, not least the last third of it.

However, there are other problems, perhaps more concerning problems in the squad. The first of which is Vincent Kompany. It's all well and good saying that Kompany deserves a better partner in defence, but let's not pretend that, but for an excellent six weeks either side of February, he has been infrequently good over the last two years or so. At times this season, it has seemed that he almost wants to do ALL OF THE DEFENDING. He is often caught a yard or so out of line, and is making so many mistakes, both minor such as letting his man go at set-pieces, but also major, such as laying one across the box for Coutinho to smash home. I don't even think that this is a physical issue, despite injuries, because he has all the physical attributes to be the best. It seems to be mental, but whatever it is, the issue needs to be resolved because he is regressing. Quickly.

Injuries have obviously hit us hard again this season, but that may well be down to a lack of preparation. Despite what was said of our squad at the start of the year, there is no way that it's deep enough to compete on four fronts, and fixture congestion over December and January caused an abundance of muscle injuries. Obviously, you have to question the players' fitness regimes, but perhaps also the manager and his bosses. Could he have rotated more often over that period? Probably. Could they have provided him with a more balanced squad? Probably. There's too much shite in the same areas and not enough quality to rotate the really, really good players.

Take for example, David Silva. If you rest him, you can't rest Samir Nasri, and Silva really needs resting because of his ongoing ankle injury. So, who do you play? James Milner, perhaps, but as much as I like Milner, without Silva in the side, he offers sweet fuck all going forward. When David does play, Milner operates almost like a more advanced wing-back, overlapping and running inside the opposition's fullback. Without him, he is largely ineffective. You could say similar of Navas, who needs the game to be stretched in order to have any influence whatsoever.

Then there is Hart. How many of his errors have cost us this season? He has, to be fair, improved his form somewhat since returning to the side, but he's still making mistakes, and frustrating fans with his distribution. he seems to constantly be lacking focus. 

The last two years kind of feel like a waste, but we fortunately still have time to get back on track. I have no idea what is going to happen with the manager, but at the moment he feels much like a yes-man, a stopgap manager before the right man comes along, or is ready. What is certain is that he and some of the senior players need some sort of kick up the arse, some sort of ultimatum before we're left behind by the two sides currently ahead of us, who will undoubtedly strengthen over the summer.

Going 4-3-3?

Since the arrival of Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano earlier in the season, I've felt that a change in formation, and even style, may not only be possible but maybe even probable. We've all seen their Barcelona, then managed by Frank Rijkaard. That side, at its best in 2006, included the likes of Xavi and Deco in midfield, while Ronaldinho and Eto'o were shoe-ins up front, never mind the (then) younger players such as Lionel Messi and Iniesta. Oh, and there was of course the real hero, Henrik Larsson.
Then of course, they brought Guardiola in and the rest, as they say, is geography.

How does this concern City? Simple really, we're going to copy them. Well, not exactly, but I certainly think we will try and replicate something not dissimilar to the former, if not a Messi-less version of Pep's Barca. That is, in short, 4-3-3.

As things stand, with regards to our first choice defenders and goalkeeper, we're set - they don't have any intentions of leaving and I certainly wouldn't expect us to shift them anytime soon.

So, lets consider the midfield.

Gareth Barry is an excellent Premier League midfielder, someone you can depend on to deliver a solid performance week after week and, if you're lucky, he might even throw in an own goal alongside his interceptions, breaking up of play and quick yet calm passing into our playmaker's feet. Just for good measure. That said, Barry is best suited to a two-man midfield which is part of the reason why he has excelled so much with just Yaya Touré beside him but suffered when another midfielder is played alongside the pair too. Furthermore, his performances in Europe force us to ask whether his quality domestically is largely down to his experience and knowledge of the Premier League, as they haven't been up to scratch.

On the other hand, I think it may well be fair to say that his midfield partner, Yaya Touré is rather less so reliable in the holding role which is why I think buying a defensive midfielder is a necessity in the upcoming transfer window. A screener? No, unless we were signing the very finest i.e. Sergio Busquets, I don't think such a player would be effective domestically as a ball-winner such as, say, Lars Bender? Technically able, tenacious and reads the game excellently. Given that the best of his type (Arturo Vidal and Sami Khedira) would seemingly be unavailable, I'm convinced Bender, Lars would be our best bet.

There's still another spot available in midfield though which surely must be taken up by David Silva. A more central role and one more fitting for a playmaker of his quality albeit deeper than the position he now occupies. It would, however, afford him more room to work with than the wing to which he is frequently cast out offers him. As for his work-rate, no sweat, his is criminally underrated and shouldn't prove to be a problem.

Regarding the front three, one thing I wouldn't want to see is Aguero shunted out wide. He's a striker - a number nine who can sometimes play as the creative type behind another striker. Some would prefer a forward who is going to score 35 goals a season, rather, one that they are almost certain will score 35 goals a season such as Cavani or Falcao, but Aguero is perfectly capable of achieving such figures with only fewer injuries and distractions. What's more, an in-form Aguero is one of the most exciting players in the world.

No, it's acquiring the right players to play either side of Kun that is important. Alexis Sanchez is a player we know City have been after before and despite his problems this season at Barcelona, I'd welcome him here. Strong, quick, skillful and possesses an element of fearlessness that a winger needs to really have an impact, potentially match-winning given his quality, on a game. It seems inevitable that he'll leave Barcelona this summer and I'd hope that we're at the front of the queue tying him down.

Another player we've been linked with in recent months is Roma's Erik Lamela. He's tall and powerful, has quick feet and doesn't lack pace. Not necessarily a conventional winger who provides crosses for 90 minutes a week, although he does create chances, Lamela's more of a goal-scorer, and a scorer of important goals too. In fact, in the right side, he'd become a player capable of scoring at least 20 goals a season from the right wing.

Believe me, such a front three would be breathtaking. I know it doesn't include Bale who would mighty fine too, but it has almost everything including three very hard-working footballers.

Obviously, as much as we need quality within the starting eleven, we really need strength in depth, Everton away just a few weeks ago proved as much but I'm not going to list possible targets, the important thing is that Txiki and Ferran get the job done, and I don't think they'll be satisfied until they do so. The players they sign will not only be suited to the above system but also malleable and adaptable to suit any other system the manager and director of football decide on as alternatives.

A final point on those two is that at Barcelona, they bought Ronaldinho, a superstar in every sense of the word and he only improved there and took the club upwards with him. I do wonder whether we'll make a huge pitch to Neymar this summer in order to get him on board, in fact, I'm certain we will. I know he may not be everyone's cup of tea and that he's yet to have played in any European league but everyone who should know says that he's not just a phenomenal talent but already a phenomenal footballer who could play for any side in the world. I don't know, I haven't seen enough but I'd wager that we've held talks.
What I will say on him, albeit rather cynically, is that he's an absolute cash cow, and although that may not be important to us as fans, it will be to them as businessmen.

David Silva

As a child, I used to watch numerous videos that had been passed down to me from cousins, uncles and so on. There were all sorts. Videos that reveled in the 'hilarious' humiliation of professional footballers such as Own Goals and Gaffes. Then there were documentary-like videos of individual players, and coming from a family which is inundated with reds, there was a hefty number of these things that pontificated about, quite rightly I'll admit, George Best, Cantona et al. My favourites, however, were the Football Italia videos, often just recorded episodes from Channel 4, but it made them by no means less holy.
There were some fine imports; Ronaldo, Batistuta and Rui Costa, and of course some stupendous defenders. Nevertheless, none were as pure, nor as loved by myself than the Italian number 10. Le fantasiste. Baggio, Mancini, Zola and then a little bit later, Del Piero and Totti.
As a footballer, Totti is an idol of mine, even now at the age of thirty-six he takes control of a game like I used to think only the said type of player can. Like only a genius can. For quite a long time I hoped that I'd see an Italian certified genius such as Mancini, such as Baggio pull on City's number 10. If we are to see one, it won't be for a number of years as they currently don't look like producing any, unfortunately.
Nevertheless, we need not cry. Spain have duly taken over the attacking-midfielder-mass-production duties from Italy and added their own blends and spices. Italians, of course, have impeccable style, and the way their 10s played football is not excepted here. They also, as individuals, have a lot of substance in their games. These Spaniards are a little bit different. They're all "diminutive" or whatever your adjective of choice maybe to describe the lovely, short-arses. However, individually, they're not as productive in terms of statistics as one may like. Stick them together though, and they're very much the immovable force. That's not to say they can't function unless together though, as all City fans know all too well.
You see, we've got a Spaniard who possibly doesn't chip in with as many goals as he should do. In fact, for one so talented, it amazes me how much his arse can go to pieces in shooting positions.
Many journalists seem to have convinced themselves that Yaya Toure is City's most important player, maybe because he's a big force in midfield. Others may be inclined to say that Kompany is as he's a fantastic centre-back and the captain, the leader in the team. Make no mistake though, it's David Silva.
Silva brings a calming influence to the side that only a Spaniard can. Some people would like him to shoot more which confuses me a little. Generally, exceptional players are exceptional players for a reason and more often than not, this reason is decision-making. I won't do him an injustice though by labelling him as only a calming influence because he is so much more than that.
He is as skilful anyone in the Premier League. he's shown this on so many occasions since joining in 2010. I'm not talking individual pieces of skill but truly masterful displays which included wizardry that you can only find in novels in England. Fulham, Real Madrid, United, Tottenham. I'm certain there are more performances at the end of which I've sat back and thought "Christ, that was so close to a ten-on-ten performance."
When he's out of the side, often due to some nasty swines having snapped at his poorly ankle weeks previously, the difference in quality and purpose is remarkable. The play is slow, lethargic and lacks direction. Nasri is incompatible alongside Silva and often doesn't step up when needed should Silva be out. Yaya can step into an attacking position but, while "he's got good feet for a big man", he has nowhere near the guile, coolness or scheming nature that Silva possesses, nobody at City does.
I' said for a while that I'd love to see Silva behind Aguero, almost like a number ten. A lot of fans might take a skeptical approach towards such a move because of Silva's lack of goals, but what's the point in having arguably your best and certainly your most important player out wide? He doesn't mind doing the dirty work, but I think a player of his magnitude is above that. He's the type you build a side around. He's the piece not a piece.
Sven-For Eriksson once said that there was no point in giving tactical instructions to Mancini,a s he was too good for them. He defied them. Well, it's time that Mancini takes took similar approach with Silva. I don't care if it means leaving three strikers on the bench, even from a purely selfish point of view, I want to see it happen, I desperately want to see Silva in a free role with the defensive shackles off and taking control of games every week. I don't think opposition fans appreciate how good he is, but believe me, he's that good. He could be to Aguero what Mancini was to Vialli.
At last, City have got a genius within their ranks and our formation is limiting him. You don't need to take the shirt, David, just the role, por favor.

City vs United Preview

I fucking hate derbies so this one will be relatively short and sweet.

Team
Mancini has said that Silva, Clichy and Milner could all play, so here's the team the Italian could select:

You'll notice that - Zabaleta and Nastasic aside - it's the exact same eleven that started in the 6-1 win at Old Trafford last October. Silva won't be restricted to the left as it's unlikely that he'll have so much defending to do other as United are without Valencia and Nani, Ashley Young is their only fit winger. Similarly, Milner won't be used strictly as a winger but will be expected to fill in for the Ivorian should he go charging forward.
I'm convinced Balotelli will start for a number of reasons, the simplest of which being that Mancini rested both he and Aguero on Tuesday night. I say rested because it was quite clear that, well, we weren't that arsed. Up to Mario how he plays, if he's up for it and is composed just as he was away to United last season, he can win the game for City, as long as he gets the service his runs require.

Despite what Ferguson has said, there's every chance that Vidic and/or Kagawa could feature, it's all part of the 'mind games'. However, they will certainly be without Valencia, Nani and Anderson. Valencia hasn't had the greatest of seasons thus far but has proved over the past couple of years how dangerous he can be, so him being out is a bonus for City, as is the injury to Nani who, despite his incredible inconsistency, always seems to perform against us.
 Ferguson may be forced into playing Fletcher and Carrick in midfield, and he may also play Scholes if he wants to keep the ball with Rooney playing behind either van Persie and Welbeck or van Persie and Hernandez. Everything will go through Rooney for them, that much I'm sure of.

Midfield
Ask a group of United fans to select the City player they'd like most in their team and about four-fifths of them would answer without a moment's hesitation; "Yaya Toure". Given how big an influence he's been in recent derbies, I can't say that I'd expect any different, nor are they wrong to desire Yaya as he is quite simply, a fantastic player. An absolute monster. However, he's been a constant in City's midfield for however many months and looks to be suffering from fatigue. Consequently, he can be something of a liability in defensive midfield where much of the dirty work goes on. He had a rest in midweek so should be fresher than most of the rest, if he's up for it, I don't envisage any United player stopping him from exposing the gaps in their midfield. I suppose Rooney could drop deeper and sit on Yaya, but he's failed to complete similar similar tasks in the past for both club and country.
If he doesn't fancy going on one of those runs, then it will be up to Silva to find the space between the lines that he often does so well, he's got to make himself impossible to mark, always moving. If Tevez doesn't play, he'll have a lot more space to himself in the final third as Carlos often occupies not only much of the same space as Aguero but also as David when he plays alongside Kun, which is why, in my opinion, City are  best served playing him up front on his own when he plays. That'll never happen though, not while we've got four £24m+ strikers.

In short, City will have much of the ball in the second half, less so in the first half, but will win the game if they can stifle Rooney.

Derby Week Bingo

You just know it's that time of year, don't you? Home Alone is on TV every other Sunday, as is that Coca-Cola advert and certain people in some quarters of this island have descended into hysteria as the slightest bit of snow falls. Despite this, Manchester United have still found the time to wheel out some of their most despicable has-beens in an attempt to try to enforce this now hilarious sense of royalty. In recent years, the likes of David May et al have awoken themselves from sleep at ungodly hours to mouth off on the 4AM slot on TalkSPORT. This year has been no different, so in light of the #DerbyWeekBingo hash tag, lets have a look at some of the best.

Same shit, different year. "Manchester City are like a little brother who will never take their "big brother's" place" is how it reads from BBC Sport. The analogy is new to me but, those Norwegians eh? They put butter and sugar on their spuds. Different breed.

Now, Gary Neville has received, rightfully I suppose, a lot of praise thanks to his very good punditry and analysis over the last eighteen months, nevertheless, G-Nev, as he prefers to be referred to when roaming the streets of Harlem, has disappointed me to no end with this one. There's a fair chance that the headline could be a template, substitute "Manchester City" for "Chelsea" and "Roberto Mancini" for Chelsea manager at time of said article and voilà, you have your article. Abramovich and Mansour run their respective clubs exactly the same way don't they? Typical derby week article. Son, I am disappoint.

I think we should all take a moment to thank Ryan for his efforts both this season and last. Once a fantastic winger, he's now developing into a parody of himself both on and off the pitch. His exploits at Norwich last month were laughable, and yet, rather than consider his own future, Giggs has decided to tire us all with a history (they like that don't they) lesson regarding the Manchester Ship Canal. To eradicate any doubt, Giggs, you're biggest rival is a namesake. 

A couple of other beauties that have arisen in recent hours are United's left-back Alexander Buttner claiming that he was unaware that the Sick Swan had even taken place, the pikey was contracted to Dutch Club Vitesse at the time, not the historic red devils. Additionally, Ferguson claimed only today in his press conference that if United were awarded as many penalties as City, there would be a national inquiry. Nice going, pisscan.

Hot Tip

Have a look out for two things over the next 36 hours. Firstly, there's a fair chance you'll see Bryan Robson at some point on Sky Sports News talking about history. What's almost certain is that he'll be in some boozer with his dick in a pint. His pint. Finally, Michael Owen, despite being pressed for time given all the work he's doing at Stoke, is expected to tweet something along the lines of "can't see past United.." because either a) they're playing so much better than a faltering City side, or b) there's a togetherness in the United camp that City can't match for all the money in the world. 

Is that Fairytale of New York I can hear playing?

City Out of Europe

Whatever your opinion may be, there are plenty of valid reasons as to why qualifying for the Europa League may have benefited us as a club and as a fanbase. Trips to some of the continent's most beautiful cities, consumption of some of its finest ales and experience of some of its most hostile atmospheres. Regardless of the level of European competition, nine times out of ten, you're guaranteed quite a tour. So in that sense, I'm not only disappointed that we were dumped out of the Champions League, but possibly even more so that the effort from the players last night, when the chance of post-Christmas European football was at stake, was nigh non-existent.
There was always going to be contrasting atmospheres withing the two camps, Dortmund had qualified as group winners prior to the game whereas City had been knocked out of UEFA's elite competition in their previous group game against Real Madrid. Nevertheless, I was shocked at the difference between the attitudes of both the Dortmund staff, whether back-room members on the bench or players on the pitch, and our own. Throughout the game, Klopp could be seen embracing his players throughout the game, he gave them a whole lot of loving, but that's his style, a lot of managers will have different relationships with their players, including our very own Roberto Mancini, who is a much more abrasive character, he likes to keep his players on edge. It's worked in some respects, many other managers have a similar style but possibly treat and individual differently, one that is going to win them championships, Mancini has done the same, only his fatherly affection has been shown toward Mario Balotelli.
As said above, the players looked like, among other things such as for some being out of their depth, they couldn't be arsed -Tevez aside. Dzeko was complacent in his running in behind, although that's not unusual. Garcia and Barry were poor, particularly the Spaniard who is on thin ice among many fans, he played like a crab on its back for much of last night's game. As much as I love Barry in the league, he's not proved himself to be good enough for European football. Nasri played? Oh, I was unaware of that. I won't be fed that "he's the man who recycles the ball in our team" bile anymore. He's got talent, he just hasn't any bollocks. The rest didn't show much passion last night either. Cheers, lads.
That said, Mancini didn't cover himself in glory last night, nor has he in our previous Champions League groups/campaigns. Understandably, he wanted to rest Zabaleta, that was fine by me with half an eye on Sunday, but it forced Nastasic out wide to left-back, and as good as a defender he is proving to be, he was lost when Blaszczkowski came on. Furthermore, it was one of the reasons as to why we had no shape whatsoever, alongside our forwards well, just being there with what looked like little instruction.
But shape isn't something that I think City have had this season. The inconsistency in Mancini's team selections won't help, and to be fair to him, we've had injuries but other than when he's switched to 3-4-1-2 in the later stages of Premier League games, City's system has looked much like as follows: A goalkeeper, four defenders and then five 'players'. It often looks like Mancini has set his team out in a very Roberto Di Matteo like system; the attackers attack and the defenders defend, there is no collective graft as a unit that has helped Dortmund themselves to become so successful over the last couple of years. The purchase of just a single player would help us with this problem drastically. We've been linked with him quite a bit. De Rossi, I believe he's called.
City's squad is unbalanced, just as the starting XI is so often. You question the players hunger to play for the fans, they're playing at a tempo you may find at Hough End, Platt Fields, Heaton Park, wherever on a Saturday morning. Reports today suggest that Txiki intends to sort this out. Thank fuck.

Dortmund vs City: Preview

In truth, this has become a game of much insignificance, to Borussia Dortmund anyway, I would hope not to City.
Even if City win tomorrow, the German champions will qualify top of the group regardless of how many goals Madrid may put past Ajax thanks to the head-to-head record between the two - Dortmund won at home a couple of weeks before taking a point away from the Bernabeu. Given their current position in the Bundesliga, coach Jurgen Klopp may be tempted to select a significantly weaker said than has been the norm in Europe thus far.
As I've already said in my piece on the Europa League, I'd actually quite like to compete in it for a number of reasons, not least because it's another piece of potential silverware. However, Mancini faces a dilemma regarding team selection. I think he himself would like the chance of winning the formerly named UEFA Cup, but City face Manchester United on Saturday in what is certain to be a game of huge significance. United themselves are home and dry in their quest for qualification for European football after Christmas, so Ferguson has the option to test his fringe players when they host Cluj on Wednesday night.
Yaya Toure is suspended so won't feature, perhaps fortunately for him as he is in great need of a rest for me, a week off might just leave him refreshed for Sunday. Additionally, Clichy faces a fight to prove his fitness for the derby so is extremely unlikely to feature, as is Aleks Kolarov who limped out of Sunday's draw at home to Everton after just a few minutes. Furthermore, David Silva hasn't even travelled due to a hamstring injury, and is a doubt for the game against United, there are a lot of blues out there with there fingers corssed right now. But Jack Rodwell has returned to training so may play some part should Mancini wish to give Gareth Barry a rest as well, although he could feature alongside Barry and Garcia in a three man midfield. There are some news outlets reporting that Milner is fit for selection, I approach the verity of that news with some trepidation, as just just five days ago, Mancini said he expected him to be out for ten days.

Here's how City could line up:

Mancini could go for three in the middle as we've been outnumbered in that department a few times so far this season, he may even opt for a diamond-like midfield. He forfeits pace on the counter-attack however, if he does select something similar to that above, so will have to chose both Aguero and Balotelli, in my opinion, as they are firstly, our quickest strikers and secondly, I believe that it may well be his preferred strike partnership, and he'd like to play them both on Sunday. Neither are unfit but this is a chance for them to find a bit of form prior to the derby.

Dortmund haven't endured so much success in the league so far this term, but have proved that they are more than a match for Europe's elite, so it will be more than tough, regardless of the eleven Klopp selects, the hostile atmosphere will see to that. City will need their forwards to provide a spark that has largely been missing this season, and there might now be a more important time to find it than this week.