City sitting pretty, but Mancini still has ‘big ‘problems’
Think again.
Seven goals in two games, a free-flowing, creative and ominous looking front line and an open chequebook. What is there not to like? Well, in Mancini’s world there is plenty.
He believes he has two “big problems” to overcome at the moment; problems that are far harder than this contest even if this was a wonderfully exciting and attacking game of football.
Problem number one: he is desperate to sign Samir Nasri from Arsenal before Arsene Wenger gets chance to use him in the Champions League against Udinese on Wednesday evening — a move that would seriously jeopardise his move to City as it would cup-tie him for this year’s competition.
Problem number two: his at times statue-like defence, an issue that almost allowed Bolton to scrape a point out of this contest when City should have been light years ahead.
“I hope that we can have Samir Nasri in the next day,” Mancini said.
“But I don’t know when. We still have 10 days. We need some players if we want to complete our team. I hope he (Nasri) is not the last one in.
“If he plays in the Champions League (for Arsenal) it is a big problem. I don’t know if I would still sign him but hopefully we will close in the next 24 hours.
“We need to pay more attention. We cannot afford to concede these goals and we need to pay more attention on this if we want to be a good team.
“We need to score 15 goals more than last year but we cannot concede more than last year.
“We can concede one or two more but no more.”
City’s ability to attack through any channel and avenue they sit fit was proven by the efforts of Dzeko and particularly David Silva in a wonderful afternoon’s work as they picked up where Sergio Aguero left off last Monday evening.
After the easiest – and most feted — Premier League debut imaginable against a supine Swansea City team, Sergio Aguero found out yesterday that the English top-flight may not be as willing to bend to his superior power after all.
Two first half misses from Aguero, both of which he should have scored, underlined that any bookings to see him walking on water will have to be temporarily suspended.
However, the joy for City is that where one superstar has an off day any number of others can step up and don the hero outfit.
If being the richest club in the world does not buy you that luxury then what is the point? Firstly, Silva benefited from a Jussi Jaaskelainen error as the Bolton keeper misjudged his tame looking shot to give City the lead before a thunderbolt from Gareth Barry had City in cruise mode.
But somebody should have told their defence that an afternoon’s hard graft was still required.
Immediately after Barry’s finish, Ivan Klasnic got in front of Joleon Lescott to fire through Joe Hart’s legs and prove that a cornered animal is a lethal animal although Dzeko’s strike just after the interval seemed to administer the fatal dose to Owen Coyle’s side.
However, City again drifted off to never-never land and allowed the home side back into the contest as Kevin Davies was the man to outfox Lescott this time, outjumping him to give Hart no chance.
Yet that is where City’s benevolence ended. It was where Mancini’s chagrin began. An interesting week awaits.
“City have assembled a terrific team and you have to give credit where credit is due,” Bolton manager Coyle added.
“It would have been easy to feel sorry for ourselves at 2-0 down and 3-1 down but we fought positively and that is what we will take from the match.”
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen 4; Steinsson 6, Cahill 7, Knight 6, Robinson 7; Eagles 6, Muamba 7, Reo-Coker 7, Petrov 8; Kevin Davies 7, Klasnic 8.
Subs: M Davies 6 for Muamba (59), Pratley 6 for Eagles (78).
MAN CITY: Hart 6; Richards 7, Lescott 5, Kompany 6, Kolarov 7; Milner 6, Toure Yaya 7, Barry 7, Silva 9; Dzeko 9, Aguero 7.
Subs: Tevez 6 for Aguero 68), Johnson 6 for Dzeko (80), Zabaleta 6 for Silva (88).
Referee: Mike Jones.
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