Blackburn - City, thoughts ahead of the game.

Firstly, congratulations to David Silva on picking up the Barclays Premier League Player of the Month Award for September 2011.
After a disappointing turn of events in Germany, City find themselves in the media spotlight. Carlos is up to his old disruptive tricks again and even Edin Dzeko has decided to cause a stir. What's going on?
Nothing that hasn't happened before. Every relationship has its problems every now and then, and every problem is solved... until next time.

If we beat Blackburn, we'll have made our best ever start to a league season. I have to thannk Sheikh Mansour for this because I don't think any of the past 6 months would have happened had it not been for his huge investment and strong willpower.

I think Blackburn will provide a sterner test than many City fans think. They my be without a large part of their back line (Dann, Salgado) but any fringe players wanting to cement their place in the team for the time-being will want to show Steve Kean why they should get the nod, and Yakubu has been busy since his summer move, scoring against Arsenal in a 4-3 win.

City will be emotionally tested for the first time this season. We've had our first fall out of the 2010-11 campaign, so now it's time to act like the grown men we are and puff our chests out to the press with a fine display. But that 'Typical City' tag has scared me once again. Knowing it could be our best start to a season - ever - just brings back memories of awful false dawns and missed Robbie Fowler penalties.

I'd like to see six changes from the mid-week game against Bayern made. Out go Kolo & Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Gael Clichy and Gareth Barry; in come Joleon Lescott, James Milner, Adam Johnson, Mario Balotelli, Aleksandar Kolarov and Nigel de Jong.

PREDICTION: Blackburn 1-1 Manchester City.

Bayern - City, my thoughts.

To start, I have to refer you all to the tagline of the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - DON'T PANIC.

Bayern Munich showed why they are feared across the world of football. Ribery and Kroos pulling the strings, with Gomez showing once again that he knows where the net is. A set-back, yes; a mistake, yes. But it's nothing we can't learn from.

Let's just get a bit of a reality check here.

It took United 6 years to fully establish themselves in Europe. Bayern have had 149 more Champions League games than us, while we have players in very important positions that have never step foot on this stage before (Barry).

A win against Villareal and we're back in it regardless of what happens between Napoli and Bayern. We're not going to fly through our very difficult group in our very first season as a Champions League team. We might be banging in the goals in England but European football is totally different.

In five years time, we'll be in this position again on this night and we'll be the team with the two goal lead. As much as we want it to happen soon, we're not going to be a danger to these huge European sides for at least half a decade.

We're new to this.

We can move on with a win against Blackburn on Saturday, regroup and start again. This is not the end of the Earth.

Bayern - City, thoughts ahead of the game.

Well boys and girls, this is it. Bayern Munich, arguably the most established opponents City have faced in a competitive match in their history, at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League. Does it really get much better than this?

I'll go ahead and say I think we're going to get absolutely smashed to pieces tonight. Many of the players that finished the game on Saturday in the 2-0 win over Everton will start tonight (Silva, Kompany, Clichy, Barry etc.), so it's likely that they will run completely out of steam after 60 minutes or so, and with Bayern boasting world-class talents like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery I can't see past a Bayern win - I'm sorry.

I think we'll give it a good go for half an hour, but Bayern will eventually get the home crowd behind them and go on to take the game 3-0. If City are to pull off a miracle and win the game, then we need to be at least a goal in front by half time. We know how good we can be at the back on our best defensive days, but Bayern have won their last ten games without conceding a goal. Oops.

I think Mancini may make a bold decision tonight and go with Nigel de Jong in the centre of midfield. However, if he isn't fit I don't see a problem with replacing Yaya with Milner. Milner has been excellent since returning from a hamstring injury late last season, so rewarding him with a Champions League start is a good move in my books.

Of course we have the players capable of securing the unlikely outcome of a City win, but after 60 minutes, I fear our time will run out. I will say right here, around 8 hours before kick-off, that I will happily take a draw.

Bayern Munich 3-0 Manchester City

Manchester City 2-0 Everton, my thoughts

A win is a win, whether it is hard-fought or beautiful. Our more adventurous efforts paid off as Mario Balotelli and James Milner both scored after being introduced to the game to finally break down Everton's excellent resilience.

If anything, this win shows that we've come a long way since April's 2-1 loss at Goodison Park; we never allowed Everton fully in to the game and we never allowed Tim Cahill to do anything dangerous, other than glance a header wide in the second half and nearly remove Vincent Kompany's legs.

Last season, we lacked cutting edge against sides that set up defensively like Everton did yesterday. Our home draws against Blackburn and Birmingham last season came about because we simply lacked that final ball. But against Everton on Saturday, that final ball coupled with a bit of audacity helped us pull off a very important win.

Mario Balotelli's shot took a wicked deflection off Phil Jagielka to put us 1-0 up. As wicked as that deflecton was, Mario must have some balls to attempt to open his body up and attempt a difficult shot. And David Silva must have had some balls to attempt a pass that seemed impossible to everyone apart from him; a beautiful, incisive, defence splitting pass that set away James Milner who poked under Everton 'keeper Tim Howard to score his first ever league goal for us.David Silva is fast becoming a City legend and deservedly so. He picked up Sky's Man of the Match for his performance, and he's gaining more and more fans each week.

One win, two goals, three valuable points.

Ratings.
Hart - 7

Richards - 8
Kompany - 7
Lescott - 9
Clichy - 7

Yaya Toure - 6
Barry - 8
Silva - 9
Nasri - 7

Aguero - 7
Dzeko - 6

Sub ratings:
Balotelli - 9
Milner - 7
Savic - 7

My brief thoughts on last week.

Well, we were excellent for 60 minutes against Fulham before we fell apart. Aguero was on fire as usual, Silva was on fire as usual and it looked as if everything was going to be fine, but City surrendered a lead when it look impossible to drop points. It's 13 points from a possible 15, and that's title-winning form!

Not all is lost, though: City are into the fourth round of the Carling Cup! An excellent goal from Owen Hargreaves and a stellar debut from Abdul Razak helped us beat the current holders Birmingham 2-0 in a routine night at the Etihad Stadium.

Thanks for a pretty average week.

Fulham - Manchester City, thoughts ahead of the game.

City are in the form of their lives at the moment; unbeaten in 5 in all competitions with only two losses since April (Everton and Manchester United), Edin Dzeko is firing on all cylinders and David Silva has set the Premier League alight early on. It's difficult for me to see anything but a City win on Sunday.

City did play against Napoli midweek so they may be a little tired, but Fulham also had European commitments of their own a day later than City, and City's strength in depth will surely be enough to grab a win this afternoon.

Fulham look mixed up at the moment. Jol has a good Premier League record, but while Fulham are adjusting to his style of play they're dropping points when they need an early season boost. Fulham sit bottom of the Premier League with no wins under their belt at all, and they've only managed to score two goals - the Premier League's lowest goals total so far.

Meanwhile, we look like no English team can stop us. Jol will have watched Napoli's defensive discipline on Wednesday night as he is sure to try and replicate it on Sunday. Napoli controlled City's attacking style on Wednesday and knew when to pounce on the counter. But that's easier said than done, and Fulham's defenders - no disrespect - are not of the same level as Campagnaro and Cannavaro, so they will have their work cut out to tame the man the City fans call 'The Wizard' - David Silva.

I think City will win 2-0. Fulham are often a tricky opponent for us, but our squad is much, much, much better than theirs now. Added to that, Fulham's form doesn't look like taking a turn for the better at the moment.

City team?Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Milner, Barry; Silva, Balotelli, Tevez, Dzeko.

Subs: Pantilimon; Zabaleta, Kolo Toure; Yaya Toure, Nasri; Johnson, Aguero.

Manchester City - Napoli preview.

Manchester City are finally going to play their first ever game in the Champions League. They're in a difficult group, but they're perfectly capable of getting through it. Their first test is Italian side Napoli, whose front three have gained an incredible reputation for their skill and finishing ability.
City are stressing over the fitness of James Milner and Gareth Barry, who both have late fitness tests on Wednesday ahead of the game itself. Nigel de Jong is missing as well, so we could be forced right down to the bare bones of their midfield. It could also force Mancini to play five at the back.

Mancini does have some positive selection issues up front, though (if positive issues exist). Mario Balotelli is suspended after picking up a straight-red card against Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League in March, so it's between Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero to fill the forward positions. Personally, I think we'll see a front four of Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and David Silva. The football those four produce when playing together is out of this world, and with Napoli expected to play just three in defence, it could work to our advantage.

Napoli's main threats are Ezequel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani and Marek Hamsik, who set Serie A on fire last season and attracted some of Europe's top football clubs, including Barcelona & City!

I think we're going to be in for a shock on Wednesday. City have scored 15 goals in 4 games in the Premier League, but I don't think we're going to have the same freedom against Napoli. Having a manager with Champions League experience and Italian tactical know-how is needed when a situation like this arises, and Roberto Mancini should have all the right moves to dodge Napoli's darts.

I think City will win 2-1. Napoli are a week or two behind in preparation for the new Champions League season, and some of the players we have at our disposal should hopefully carry us through! City's strength in depth is about to be tested for the first time this season, and think we'll be okay.

Hart; Richards, Kompany, Savic, Lescott, Clichy; Yaya Toure, Silva, Nasri; Aguero, Dzeko.
Subs: Pantilimon; Kolarov, Onuoha, Zabaleta; Balotelli, A. Johnson, Tevez.

Manchester 3-0 Wigan: my thoughts.

It was the Sergio and David show as Manchester City mercilessly dominated a very poor Wigan showing. A match-ball for City's new number 16 Aguero, David Silva continued his incredible early season form by supplying two of the goals, and Samir Nasri's super-sub impact that killed the game off made everything look promising ahead of City's first ever game in the Champions League.

City struck first when the impressive Aguero finished neatly across goal to bamboozle the impressive Ali Al Habsi after being set up expertly by David Silva. Aguero then added a second when a backheel from Silva was flicked delicately through to him by Samir Nasri. And Aguero completed his hat-trick after some perfect skill from David Silva.

All smiles all round.
Silva is the most impressive player in the Premier League at the moment. His movement, overall ability to read the game and decision making have contributed largely to Manchester City's early season form. He's now kicked off his assists tally which will surely be doubled by this time next month and he's also an early contender for Player of the Season.

His ability to spot passes that nobody has even thought of yet is outstanding. Everything Silva does leaves you begging for more in the same way Lionel Messi leaves jaws wide open in sheer amazement. His dribbling and shooting skills have come on leaps and bounds over the summer, his overall play has increased tenfold, and having Aguero and Nasri buzzing around him creating the space for Silva's intricate passes, there's no describing what City could potentially become.

Silva, Aguero and Nasri seem to read each other like a professor reading a nursery rhyme - and they even make it look easier than that. Aguero's second goal was made by a neat backheel from Silva which found Nasri in just enough space to split the Wigan back four and find Aguero. Some of the stuff they produced in their eleven minutes on the pitch together was world class, and it even showed progress from the way they linked up at White Hart Lane last time out in the 5-1 win over Spurs.

City are electrifying.

There are some problems, though. Adam Johnson once again failed to justify his place in the starting line up: his end-product spolit his neat footwork, he showed for runs and then never went on them, and he frustrated the crowd and himself when he spooned a simple finish over the bar after five minutes.

Is it time to try AJ down the left wing and bring Silva over to the right? Johnson often finds himself stranded on his right foot and unable to cross the ball. And by the time he's switched back on to his left foot, the chance has gone. If he does choose to cross with his right, a defender is normally there to block the ball.

The main talking point aside from the quality on show was Carlos Tevez, who made his first Premier League start of the season. His link up play with some of the players around him was world class, linking up with Milner, Richards and Aguero to fashion them chances. But his finishing was way off the mark; driving wide and missing a horrible penalty before being taken off for Nasri.

Is this the end of Tevez? Probably not. Finshing and sharpness comes with fitness, so he will improve and be used more over the course of the season, but it's nice for us City fans to see that we can do better without Tevez for once after depending entirely on him for so long.

City were nothing short of wonderful. Chance after chance after chance after chance. I could get used to football like this. I could turn up at the impressive Etihad Stadium, sit there with a nice pie and watch the City front four of Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero and David Silva wave their wands and walk the ball in to the net time and time again.

It's great to be a Blue.

Manchester City - Wigan: my thoughts.

Manchester City are back home at the Etihad Stadium after two impressive away wins at Bolton and Tottenham, to greet Wigan Athletic. City have won their opening three games and have scored 12 goals in the process, while Wigan have also had an unbeaten start.


Looking at this game on paper, you would expect a thumping from Manchester City. We boast attacking talent such as Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, David Silva and Sergio Aguero. And if things don't go too well, we can always bring on Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson. But Wigan always make things difficult for Manchester City at the newly named Etihad Stadium. In fact, in this fixture last season, we only beat Wigan because of a terrible howler from Wigan 'keeper al Habsi, who failed to hold on to a shot from David Silva.

Wigan's main threats come from Franco Di Santo and Victor Moses, who have started the season in electric form. Di Santo has 2 goals in three games, while Victor Moses has kept defences busy with his darting runs and tricky skills.

City's main threats almost aren't worth going through, because I'd honestly be listing most of the squad. Edin Dzeko has 6 goals in three games, David Silva has two goals in three games, Gareth Barry has a goal to his name, and Samir Nasri & Sergio Aguero have three assists and three goals respectively. City are packed full of stars, who will hopefully turn on the magic in City's first Saturday 3pm kick off in what seems like a decade.

You never know which Wigan team you're going to get. Are you going to get the Wigan team that lay down and died when playing Manchester United, or are you going to get the spirited Wigan team that managed to secure a win away to Stoke on the last day of the season to stay in the Premier League?

I do think City will come away victorious, but I'm not sure how comfortably the win will be. Wigan seemed difficult to break down at the Etihad Stadium last season, but City have a little more cutting edge about them now. Edin Dzeko is in the form where, if he plays, you expect him to score. Samir Nasri and David Silva are buzzing around delightfully, and Sergio Aguero is in good form. But with the Napoli game in mind, will Mancini go with a slightly weaker team? Adam Johnson in for Samir Nasri? Mario Balotelli in for Edin Dzeko?

City's one weakness is their inability to defend set pieces at the moment. The three goals they've concede this season have come from balls into the box, and this even worried Mancini after they'd thrashed Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane.

Final prediction - Manchester City 2-0 Wigan Athletic.

My thoughts on the team.
Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Savic, Kolarov; de Jong, Barry; Nasri, Silva, Aguero, Dzeko.

Last five meetings.City 1-0 Wigan
Wigan 0-2 City
City 3-0 Wigan
Wigan 1-1 City
City 1-0 Wigan