Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers: Post-match thoughts

Have you ever witnessed a more one sided game in all your life? I don't think I have in my reasonably short 27 years of it. For around 70 minutes of the game, City had about 86% of possession. It ended with 78% possession, 28 attempts on goal.

City barely had to get out of second gear as Blackburn came with the sole intention of limiting the number of goals City scored. Yakubu cut a lonely figure as the ball was often hoofed in his direction with either Kompany or Lescott waiting to take it back from him.

If there is one negative to take away from the game, it's that despite having 28 shots on goal, only 9 were actually on target. Mancini will no doubt be unhappy with this despite the overall performance. In tougher games, less than a 30% hit rate could cost  City.

The shots that City did have on target (apart from the goals) generally brought pretty good saves out of Paul Robinson, who is said to be reconsidering his international retirement. I'm not entirely sure why though, as he still wont be playing ahead of Joe Hart.

Robinson had to make a fine save very early in the game with barely a minute gone. Silva put through Johnson making a run on the wing who then whipped in a low cross which found. Balotelli. Mario's first time shot towards the bottom corner was parried away though.

Silva was causing all sorts of problems on the edge of the box, keeping the ball close to him, waiting for a teammate to make a run, and almost always finding them.

Zabaleta and Kolarov were chosen as the full-backs for this game and they both played admirably, with Aleks getting man of the match. Both provided the width that was required to get behind the Blackburn defence out wide and each put in a number of good crosses.

It was once again Silva who played the ball into space for one of the full-backs in the 30th minute, this time Kolarov. The cross was driven into low into the box and once again found Balotelli who had drifted into space between defenders. Mario struck the ball across the keeper who could only watch it fly past him into the back of the net.

Balotelli unveiled another message on his under armour, declaring his love for his girlfriend, Raffaella Fico. He had learnt his lesson though and only lifted the shirt high enough to see the message instead of pulling it over his head, avoiding an unnecessary booking.

Kompany nearly made it 2-0 6 minutes later when a corner came towards the near post. Vinnie peeled away from his marker, and in a move not dissimilar to Mancini's famous back-heeled goal during his playing days, clipped the ball towards goal. Once again, Robinson was equal to it and Yaya put the rebound wide of the goal.

City came close again seconds before half time. Balotelli hit a 40 yard pass with the outside of his right boot which Aguero had to chase. And despite having 2 defenders around him and receiving a push in the back, Aguero's tenacity got him to the ball before either of them. It was unlucky that his shot across goal went wide of the target.

Sergio made it 2-0 just 6 minutes into the 2nd half after another City corner. Robinson parried away the initial ball into the box, but it fell right in front of Aguero who fired it into the net.

Dzeko came on for Balotelli on 79 minutes and managed to get himself on the score sheet after only 2 minutes on the pitch. Kolarov again the provider after collecting the ball from substitute Pizarro, crossed the ball into the box and into the path of an oncoming Dzeko. His header powered low to the ground and beat Robinson with ease.

Joe Hart was required just the once in time added on. Yakubu hit a tame shot from outside the 18 yard box to mark Blackburn's only shot on target in 94 minutes of football. Hart easily collected it down at his left.

It has to be mentioned that Yaya was magnificent. With Blackburn rarely attacking, Yaya was able to pass the ball almost at will, completing 101 of his 103 passes. He hit several long range passes that found the target with pin-point accuracy, one of his outstanding qualities as a player. And when he did stride forward, Blackburn simply didn't know what to do. It is hoped that the injury that saw him limp off the pitch 5 minutes from the end isn't serious.

Balotelli also has a great game, showing fantastic attitude throughout. Pizarro looks like he's been with City for years, such is his quality of passing and ability to read the game as though he's looking at it from above. I'm certainly wanting to see more of him before the season ends as he looks a quality signing.

With Tevez returning to training, many fans will no doubt be pleased that Aguero, Balotelli and Dzeko are all back in scoring form and looking likely to keep Tevez out of contention of even an appearance on the bench. It wouldn't surprise me if after all that has happened Mancini isn't happy for the same reasons, if only behind closed doors.


Twitter: @MikeWalshMCFC or @mcfcDSLeftFoot
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Arsenal: Post Match

What a game that was! Quite possibly the mos t exciting game I've seen this season. With a 1-0 scoreline you would be forgiven for thinking this was an edgy, nervous game with few chances, but you would be very wrong.

It was blatantly clear from the moment the whistle went that both teams were up for this game. City's season was falling apart according to large sections of the media after losing to Chelsea, and with Manchester United beating QPR earlier on in the day City really needed a result to stay top of the league.

Within the first 10 minutes City could have been 1-0 up as Zabaleta (playing at left back) received the ball out wide from a perfectly weighted pass from Barry. With the Arsenal defence retreating,  Zaba placed a wonderful first time pass across the top of the 18 yard box which was collected expertly by Aguero. Sergio's first touch was sublime, his shot however wasn't as he blasted the ball over the bar.

As well as Zabaleta comng in for Kolarov and Clichy (injured and suspended), this game also saw Kolo Toure return to action, chosen ahead of Joleon Lescott. Noteably though, it was Kopmpany who occupied the left side of the central pairing. With the threat of Walcott cutting inside and causing trouble it was up to Kompany and Zaba to make so he didn't have any influence on the game.

That's exactly what they did. Both Zabaleta and Kompany has absolutely superb games. Amongst the best I've ever seen either of them play. Komapny was a giant in defence, nothing was getting past him and he even showed a few deft touches going forward when the opportunity arose. Zabaleta was sensational at left back both in defence and going forward, even hitting the post with a drive from outside the area later in the game.

After his previous performances this season I was a little worried when I saw Kolo's name on the team sheet. But I will hand it to him, he also had a fine game. Perhaps the most notable contribution was executing a perfectly times tackle on Aaron Ramsey with the young gunner 6 yards from goal and certain to score. The look on Ramsey's face said it all, he wouldn't get a better opportunity to score all season.

Balotelli came close to scoring after 25 minutes as he brought the ball down between two Arsenal defenders and shot on the turn from around 8 yards. Unfortunately for City, Szczesny was in fine form, and closed the gap quickly to stop the shot heading into the back of the net.

The first half was exhilarating as both sides seemingly took turns in trading blows. City attacked, then Arsenal attacked, back and forth it went. Joe Hart made a number of fantastic saves to keep City in the game, the best performance from him so far this season as he was clearly desperate to keep a clean sheet. Both teams went in level at 0-0 at the halfway mark.

The deadlock was finally broken on 52 minutes after Zabaleta intercepted a pass on the edge of his own area. Gareth Barry picked up the ball and passed quickly to Samir Nasri who then quickly turned and ran past the halfway line, spotting Balotelli in acres of space to run into on the left wing. Balo took control of the ball 6 yards from the byline, worked his way to the 18 yard box and jinked passed song before firing off a low drive. Szczesny parried the shot but Aguero managed to get his head to the rebound which then fell neatly to Silva who tapped the ball home with his right foot.

Both sides had a number of good chances in the second half. Robin Van Persie had the ball in the back of the net at one point but the assistant flagged for offside. Arsenal may well feel aggrieved after seeing the reply though.  It was a mixture of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from both teams that kept the score down before time was called on a simply breathtaking game.

An outstanding performance from all players. Nasri was given man of the match at the Etihad, Kompany was given it by Sky, although Zabaleta and Gareth Barry were two other very strong shouts for the award.

City remain top of the table despite their season apparently falling apart after the Chelsea game. Stoke visit the Etihad Stadium in the next few days, a different sort of test altogether awaits.




 
Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Manchester City v Arsenal

Another big game ahead as Arsenal travel up from London to the Etihad Stadium. The media have taken delight in declaring City's season is crumbling after falling out of the Champions League and suffering their first domestic defeat against Chelsea. All I will say to that is "pffft, get a grip and find something interesting to write about".

Arsene Wenger's side haven't exactly got off to a flying start to the season after selling 3 very important players over the summer. Their defensive record is quite shocking overall, conceding more goals than anyone in the top 7 teams.

This poor record is partly down to their complete and utter capitulation to Manchester United earlier on in the season, but they have only conceded 2 in their last 5 Premier League games. However, their numbers at the back have taken a serious hit and are without a recognised full-back on either side of the pitch.

Unsurprisingly I would say their main threat is Robin van Persie. RVP has almost single handedly kept the Gunners in the top half of the table, scoring 15 or the team's 31 league goals. And they said City relied too much on Tevez last season! I've not heard much (anything) about how van Persie has been carrying the squad from the media, and you wont do either.

Given RVP's goal scoring form, it is a little concerning that City haven't kept a clean sheet for 8 consecutive league games. The absence of Nigel De Jong has certainly showed this season as Mancini has opted for the combination of Barry and Toure in the middle rather than Barry and De Jong with Toure further up the pitch.

On the plus side of this though it has obviously enabled City to be more adventurous despite using the exact same formation as last season as we now have more quality attacking players to choose from. There can be no denying that City's ability going forward has more than made up for less cover at the back.

Talking of cover at the back, Micah Richards is set to return at right-back which is a big boost to the squad. Pablo Zabaleta is likely to move over to the left of defence as Kolarov is still recovering from injury and Clichy is suspended. Other than that, there are no injury concerns at this time.

City are once again favourites with the bookies to come out on top, and despite Arsenal slowly getting themselves back into top form and City's little blip in the league I'd have to agree with them. Arsenal will come and play football, there will be no buses parked in front of their goal. This, coupled with their makeshift defence, could play right into City's strength on the break.

And FIFA 12 predicts...

Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Chelsea v Manchester City: Post Match

I'm not sure I can remember the last time so many people rejoiced over a Manchester City loss. Times are changing for sure. It was certainly an exciting game to watch although the end result wasn't what any City fan wanted to see.  

It all started so well on a very wet and windy night at Stamford Bridge when Aguero received the ball just inside the Chelsea half, found his way out of a dead end and threaded a perfect ball to Balotelli who's perfectly timed run gave him the space to run at the goal with Ivanovic struggling to catch up. He still had a lot of work to do though as Cech came out to meet him and Ivanovic tried to put in a challenge from behind. Mario oozed pure class by effortlessly easing the ball around Cech and neatly slotted the ball into the back of the net. Less than 2 minutes on the clock and City were already 0-1 up at Stamford Bridge.

City totally dominated the next 30 minutes with some exquisite one-touch passing which left Chelsea chasing shadows for the most part. Even when they didn't have the ball they gave Chelsea little room to breathe, closing down players quickly and forcing errors. However, City failed to capitalise on some very good chances as well as having a very good penalty shout turned down by Clattenburg.

Silva jinked his way into the penalty area, ending up on the deck as he passed Bosingwa who stuck out a leg and made contact with Silva's knee. Clattenburg waved play on. How he could just wave play on is a mystery as the call had to be either a penalty to City or a yellow card to Silva for diving if Clattenburg felt it wasn't a penalty.

Chelsea managed to find their way back into the game against the run of play after 34 minutes when Daniel Sturridge managed to get around Gael Clichy and whip in a cross which was met by Raul Meireles. It was good movement by Meireles although the defending could, and should have been better. Zabaleta could have come closer to him (although he would have left the far post unguarded) and Yaya Toure stopped tracking him the closer he got to goal.

Meireles was lucky to still be on the pitch after that as he committed a studs high challenge either side of that goal. First he caught Silva and the calf after he was 2nd to the ball and then caught Zabaleta's knee in very similar circumstances. Only one of these was punished with a card, yet both were yellow card offences. Both sides returned to the dressing rooms with 11 men and all to play for at half time.

Things took a turn for the worse for City after the restart as Gael Clichy was booked for pulling back Sturridge just inside City's own half. A needless foul given Clichy's pace and the position of other players. He then received a second yellow 11 minutes later after a rash challenge on Ramires, leaving City with 10 men for the next half an hour.

To their credit, City defended well and limited Chelsea's chances despite the lion's share of possession they now had. It wasn't until the 81st minute that Chelsea managed to gain the lead through a Frank Lampard penalty. Daniel Sturridge's shot from just inside the 18 yard box hit Joleon Lescott's arm as he dived to block the ball. It wasn't intentional by any stretch of the imagination, but his arms were high and a penalty was given.

City put up a good fight and still managed to cause Chelsea some problems to the point that it looked as though Chelsea had the man sent off for a short spell, but it wasn't to be. Chelsea's players and staff rejoiced like they'd just secured the quadruple, as did several of SKY's commentary staff.

City have now played Spurs, United, Liverpool and Chelsea away from home, winning 2 drawing 1 and losing 1. 7 points away from home to 4 of the 5 closest title challengers is nothing to be sniffed at. Although there were a couple of disappointing performances from some players last night, the team as a whole can hold its head up high despite the defeat.

Cue the 'resurgent Chelsea' and 'the wheels falling off at City after crashing out of the Champions League' comments from people who either didn't watch the game or should really know better.

Arsenal visit the Etihad on Sunday. Although they're looking good in attack, their depleted defence may just take a beasting after the disappointment of the result last night.




Twitter: @MikeWalsh1880
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot

Corazón De León

As the whole Tevez saga inevitably rumbles on, I'm quite pleased that SKY Sports and the MEN have taken a little time to devote a few column inches to the man for all seasons, Pablo Zabaleta. I have touched on how much I admire Zabman before but there's no harm in going over some of it again is there?

Since arriving from Espanyol in the summer of 2008 Zaba has etched his name in the hearts of City fans around the world. The headlines concerning City have rarely featured Pablo, unlike City's other Argentines Tevez and (this season) Aguero, however he has been just as important to the squad off the pitch as well as on it.

The MEN only has a couple of sentences and focuses more on Pablo's reaction to Tevez refusing to take to the pitch a week last Tuesday. As I mentioned in another post, he  looked royally pee'd off and completely ignored whatever it was Tevez was trying to tell him after the argument had finished.

There were rumours on Twitter that Zab actually punched Tevez in the players tunnel after the match but I'm pretty sure those rumours were rubbish, however we all would like them to be true.

Stuart Brennan also describes Zaba as "a thoroughly professional, driven and competent footballer, and a decent and balanced human being." You'd be struggling to argue with that.

When it comes to life on the pitch there aren't many players as committed to the cause as Zaba. He has to share the right back slot with Micah Richards and fills in where needed. The last 3 seasons have seen him play at both full back positions and in the centre and right of midfield. Has he complained? Has he hell. Pablo just gets on with the job at hand to the best of his ability, which although isn't to a standard as high as Sergio or Carlos, he's still a very able footballer.

He's the type of player every squad and manager needs, the kind of player who wont shy away from responsibilities no matter what the situation. Talking of not shying away, he's more than willing to put his body on the line for the club, quite literally. I (and no doubt Zaba) lost count of how many times he had to be take off the pitch for blood injuries only to come back on moments later bandaged, bruised and (more often than not) nose put back into place.

He can't be described as a dirty player, there's no malice in his tackles, but he picks up his fair share of bookings due to his uncompromising approach to tackling. As with a lot of defenders he will take one for the team and pick up that yellow for a blatant obstruction if need be.

What about life away from the pitch? Zaba arrived in England unable to speak the language but he has stuck to his English lessons and now speaks (and has done for a while now) fluent English, even with a mancunian twang to a few words. It's even reported that he still has up to 6 hours of English lessons a week in a bid to be as fluent as he can possibly be. I'm sure you wont find many footballers that would be doing the same.

You can also regularly find Pablo at Ewen Fields watching the EDS, and the Spanish youngster Denis Suarez has singled out Pablo as someone who has helped him settle in. A more high profile player who has been singing his praises is fellow countryman Sergio Aguero.

"During the Copa America he kept asking me if I was coming or not, every day. And when I could tell him that I was, he was really happy.

"He comes round to my house every couple of days with his girlfriend, or we go to their house. He is really happy in Manchester."

And aren't you glad it's Pablo that Aguero is hanging around with off the pitch and not the other Argentine! Enthusiasm is contagious and Zaba seemingly has bags of it for Manchester and City so lets hope that rubs off on Sergio.

As one Argentine has brought yet more embarrassment to the club, one continues to be the consummate professional. So I was pleased to see the creation of a new flag to fly at the Etihad Stadium. One bearing the image of Pablo Zabaleta with the words "Corazón De León" (Heart of a lion) emblazoned on it. Quite fitting in the current climate don't you think?

Tevez given extended leave.

Tevez is to have another 4 days before returning for training at Carrington according to reports at the time of writing this. This will have given him a 21 day break since Argentina crashed out of the Copa America after several under-par displays in the South American tournament. He will now return on Monday, missing the Community Shield.

Sergio Aguero came to Manchester last week to finalise his move, and Pablo Zabaleta was boarding a plane back to England around 12 hours ago (at the time of writing this) so should now be back in Manchester. So why has Tevez been given another 4 days before he has to report back?

Is this something that he has requested himself? Has Mancini spoken to the board and said he doesn't want the team distracted before the Community Shield? We just don't have that information, and we're not likely to get it any time soon.

We all know about Tevez's family issues and problems with England so we don't need to go over that again. Hopefully it is Mancini's way of keeping the unit focused on the season's opener at Wembley rather than a way of trying to keep him sweet. City did enough of that in the past by giving Tevez the captain's armband to give him a sense of higher importance to the team. He was also given leave to sort out family problems which somehow took him several thousand miles away from Argentina into the company of a young model.



Picture by Andy Oliver.

How his return will affect the team is yet to be seen, although David Silva feels there will be little disruption saying; "Carlos has to return and that's great. He's a very important player for us. I don't think there will be a problem. We know Carlos well."

I don't know how good his fortune telling is but lets hope the little Spanish magician is right.

City Slickers Seal Sergio's Saughtafter Signature.

Today saw Manchester City finally announce the signing of Sergio 'Kun' Aguero from Atletico Madrid. Although Aguero actually confirmed it himself via Twitter last night that he was "already a City player." The highly rated 23 year old Argentinian forward was one of City's main summer transfer targets with Carlos Tevez desperate to head out of the door.

Initially City were wanting to sell Tevez before signing Aguero but with the transfer to Brazilian side Corinthians falling through and no other offers coming in, City weren't willing to take the chance of someone else signing Kun. The deal is thought to be worth in the region of £38m which will be the highest fee paid for a single player at the club to date.


Aguero, who started his career at Independiente, holds the record for the youngest player to feature in the Argentine First Division, a record previously held by his father in-law Diego Maradona. He also won the Golden Boot (scoring 6 in 7 games) and the Golden Ball in the 2007 U20 World Cup.


Sergio apparently got the nickname Kun from his grandparents who believed he looked like Kum Kum, the Japanese anime character. Personally I think he looks more like the original Karate Kid. Any other shouts?

It was reported that Kun had been speaking to one of his countrymen during the Copa America about life in Manchester before deciding on joining the club. Thankfully it was Pablo Zabaleta and not Carlos Tevez. Zabaleta, unlike Tevez, has embraced life in Manchester since his move from Espanyol and is not only now fluent in English but is also picking up a Mancunian twang to his accent. City fans would hope that Aguero shows the same attitude that has seen Zabman become one of the Manchester City's firm favourites, especially last season (2010-11)

Can you imagine what Tevez would have said to him? "Well Manchester, it only has two restaurants for a start. It rains too often too and there's no beaches. There's nothing to do at all. Oh and don't even bother going to the cinema or even trying to talk to anyone because guess what? They talk English! You don't want to have the bother of learning another language now do you?"

Just how the signing will impact on the Tevez transfer saga is yet to be seen but as it stands now City have Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, and Carlos Tevez who are likely to play. Adding to this, Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy are also still on the wage bill, so City may want to reduce the asking price for those two in order to reduce their outgoings.

It will be interesting to see how Mancini goes about picking who starts as Aguero has recently been keeping Tevez out of and performing better than him in the Argentina squad. Even in the Copa America when Tevez was being chosen ahead of him that appeared to be a mistake as Aguero outperformed him when he came on to the pitch.


The domestic league stats for the two are also very similar for the 2010-11 season.

Carlos Tevez                                 Sergio Aquero

31                            Games                                32

2532               Minutes Played                   2676

20                            Goals                                20

127                 Minutes Per Goal                  134

45                    Shots On Target                     55

41                    Shots Off Target                     49

6                             Assists                                 2

83                  Pass Completion %                 77

Of course Sergio is likely to take a bit of time to adjust to a new league and a new team, but the club's record signing certainly possesses all the neccesary attributes to be able to be a big success at Manchester City. He shouldn't have too much trouble settling in, there's plenty of Spanish speaking teammates to get along with while he finds his feet in England.

The signing also seems to have excited laughing boy Micah Richards as he tweeted "Aguero I pray! Tevez Balotelli Dzeko Ouch! City are back"

Aguero spoke exclusively to mcfc.co.uk:

http://mcfc.co.uk/Video/Interviews/Sergio-Aguero-exclusive

WelKun to Manchester Sergio.

Player of the season 2011-12?

Since Sheikh Mansour took over, Manchester City have embarked on an immense task of developing a mid table side into a team that can seriously contend not only domestically but also on the biggest stage in the Champions League.

There have been a lot of players brought into the club since the takeover. Some have survived the journey and are considered part of the backbone of the team, while others have fallen out of favour and are considered surplus to requirements.

Last season saw the fans truly spoilt for choice when it came to choose their player of the season which was eventually awarded to Vincent Kompany. But who will shine in the 2011-12 season? We’ll take a look at some of the likely candidates.

Joe Hart: The 2010-11 season saw the emergence of Hart as one of the best keepers in the Premiership, solidifying himself as City’s and England’s No.1, pushing several far more experienced keepers out of the running. Perhaps the most impressive was that he was chosen ahead of Shay Given for City’s No.1 spot, as Given has been widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the Premiership for some time. Hart also broke City’s clean sheet record and was awarded ‘Performance of the Season’ at the MCFC Player Awards in May for his outstanding display against Spurs. There is still room for improvement in his game and at 24 he has time on his side. Deeecent.

Vincent Kompany: Mr dependable, player of the season and considered by the vast majority of fans to be next in line for club captain. In fact many believe he should already be captain, such is his composure, consistency and attitude both on and off the pitch. After coming to City as a defensive midfielder under Mark Hughes’ reign he has shifted into the back four with ease and has become arguably the Premiership’s best defender. Kompany, just like Hart is still relatively young for his position and we have certainly not seen the best of him yet. And what thought that is.

Pablo Zabaleta: The ever ready utility player, Zabman has become somewhat of a cult hero amongst City fans for his sheer determination and willingness to put his body on the line for the cause (literally). Pablo was treated for cuts to his head more times than he would care to remember, having who knows how many stitches over the course of the season. Amongst his other injuries were a gash to his thigh as a result of a standard Paul Scholes tackle and breaking his nose multiple times during the season. Don’t believe me? Check this out...  http://mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Social-Media-Choice-9-Zaba-the-indestructible

Nigel De Jong: After being vilified the world over after his ‘kung fu’ style challenge on Spain’s Xabi Alonso during the 2010 World Cup, followed by the hounding he got after Breaking Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg in what was ultimately a fair challenge, you could have forgiven De Jong if he didn’t have the same drive in the rest of the season. But no, the midfield general continued with his no nonsense approach to tackling, breaking up the opposition’s attack before neatly passing the ball back out to someone to build an attack of their own. He even bagged a goal for himself, the first since joining the club in January 09.  

David Silva: Signing for City during the 2010 World Cup, many pundits and so called experts gave the diminutive Spaniard little chance of adapting to life in the rough and tumble of the Premiership. But after a relatively slow start the man described by former Spain Manager Luis Aragones as “small with big balls” quickly became a fan favourite claiming the Player of the Month award for three months running from October to December. He became instrumental to the team’s performance, possessing world class vision and ability to pick a pass, providing the vast majority of City’s creative midfield spark throughout the season. Although a little goal shy, always preferring to pick out a fellow player than take the glory for himself, David Silva is set to light up the Premier League again next season.

Adam Johnson: Bought for £6m from Middlesboro in January 2010 he has become a favourite with fans for his pace and dribbling ability causing full backs no end of troubles. Although due to the pace he likes to play the game he often makes less of an impact when starting games than he does when coming on as a sub. But he has provided his fair share of goals and also broke into the England squad since joining City. Considered to sometimes run himself into trouble and lacking end product, he certainly has room for improvement, but like most other players at City he is still young and still developing as a player. AJ certainly has the potential to be a formidable winger in the years to come.

Mario Balotelli: Perhaps the most controversial player on the face of the planet, Mario has divided audiences the world over with his antics both on and off the pitch. He has racked up a number of bookings and red cards, been derided for his lack of effort and his moody countenance even after scoring, been in trouble for throwing darts at youth players, crashed his Audi R8 and when asked by police why he had £5k in cash on him his reply was “Because I am rich.” It doesn’t stop there, he got into trouble after driving into the grounds of a women’s prison because he was curious as to what it was like, has an allergy to certain types of grass, and had bust ups with players and the manager. Oh yes, he can’t’ put on a training bib, heckled one of Wayne Rooney’s (ahem) escorts, has racked up £10k in parking fines, and uses San Carlo’s as you would use Domino’s Pizza, and swore live on TV saying “My whole season has been sh*t, can I say that?” Just for the record, no Mario, you can’t. Have I missed anything out? Oh of course, he’s been accused of having connections to the Mafia and wound up Rio Ferdinand by winking at him. But between these antics he has also sorted out a school bully after signing an autograph for a young boy outside the training ground, gave a homeless person £1k of his winnings outside a casino, regularly tips Big Issue sellers £20, affectionately calls Roberto Mancini ‘papa’ and has several charitable causes that he contributes regularly too. He is such an enigma with masses of potential which we were given a slight glimpse of at the end of the season. Just how will he get on in 2011-12? Time will tell.

Edin Dzeko: After signing from Wolfsburg in January for £27m the Bosnian diamond failed to make the impact that was expected by many. Although in his defence he arrived after the German winter break so lacked match fitness in the toughest league in the world, was played out of position at times, didn’t get the service he needed and appeared to have a distinct lack of confidence as the season progressed. Even so, it was a smart business move by Manchester City as Dzeko is a national hero in his home country and his inclusion in the squad instantly increased City’s fan-base by several million. The true test of his worth will be in next season when he has had time to settle in the squad and has a good pre season under his belt. Will the Bosnian diamond sparkle like his countrymen believe he will? Opinion is divided amongst many City fans.

Well there are eight players with the potential to be Player of the Season come next may, although there are others who could seriously contend for that crown. It certainly shows the kind of squad City have put together since the takeover and who knows, someone not on this list may outshine the rest, Carlos Tevez (if he’s still here), Yaya Toure, Micah Richards James Milner etc. Or could it be a player bought during the current transfer window? Whatever the outcome, the 2011-12 season is set to be on hell of a ride.