City all blood and thunder yet little to show for it

MANCHESTER CITY are literally fighting their way towards the Premier League title yet last night at the Emirates, they surrendered behind enemy lines.

On the eve of their now customary winless trip to Arsenal, former north London favourites Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure were involved in a training ground altercation – the latest in an increasing list of in-house scraps that may threaten their title charge. Showing fight towards your team-mates is one thing, taking the fight to the opposition is another. City failed to do that against Arsenal — although once again managed it in a literal sense — and with no victors on the pitch, the real winners were Manchester United. Alex Ferguson’s men are two points ahead of their noisy neighbours and with two games game in hand to boot.

City’s search for a win at Arsenal stands at 36 years – the same amount of time since they last won a trophy – and if last night’s combat with Arsene Wenger’s side is anything to go by, it may take a while longer yet to end their famine. For all the promise intensified by the arrival of such talented and sought after players, it remains just that at the minute – promise. Only when City finally have reason to bring out the trophy polish will the clouds of uncertainty over the project have a silver lining.