Dzeko and City leave Mick in no doubt of credentials
The £27 million signing from Wolfsburg endured an unhappy first half-season in the English game as he struggled to cope with the pace and demands of Premier League football, a record of two league goals in 15 appearances reflecting that difficulty.
Fast forward to the current campaign and none of the City staff has benefited more from the club’s summer overhaul and their scintillating start to the current season. A two-goal cameo in last week’s stunning derby victory at Manchester United was followed by a simple opening goal against Wolves, three goals to take his tally to nine league strikes already from just eight appearances, and only six starts.
But if his form is a surprise to some, it is most certainly not to Dzeko himself. “I said this so many times that I would be better this season and I’m proving everything now,” he said. “But I think I can be much better.
“The last game against United I could have scored two more goals and in the Carling Cup against Wolves as well. Today in the first half I had another good chance.
“I think I understand the other players better. Last season I was new and everything was hard for me. Now it’s much better.”
It is even a far cry from more recent times, that dismal September night in Munich when City were slumping to a 2-0 defeat against Bayern, Carlos Tevez was throwing away his City career and Dzeko showed dissent towards manager Roberto Mancini after being substituted. While the Tevez situation has, of course, become increasingly poisoned with every passing day, Dzeko and Mancini should be praised for working through what could have been a debilitating issue.
“That’s behind us,” said Dzeko. “I apologised afterwards and everything’s finished. I’m trying to do my best. Sometimes it’s hard when you play badly and don’t score goals.”
Of course, having players like Silva, Aguero and Samir Nasri — ludicrously talented with a work rate to match — certainly helps make Dzeko and everyone else around them look far superior players, a point admitted by the Bosnian.
Dzeko is also adhering to the City party line — one which looks increasingly and insultingly stupid with every passing week — that his club are not favourites to land the title despite a five-point lead at the top of the table and the fact they have dropped just two points from the opening 30.
“There are still a lot of games to play,” said Dzeko. “We’ve played 10 games and we have five more points than United, and for me they are still favourites for the title.”
Dzeko will have fewer more straightforward chances than the latest on his list as he set City on the road to victory. After 51 minutes of dogged defending, and impressive goalkeeping from Wayne Hennessey, the Wolves’ number one had a poor clearance charged down by Aguero with the ball breaking for Dzeko to plant it into the gaping goal.
Aleksandar Kolarov added a second after Hennessey spilled a Silva shot before Stephen Hunt’s penalty — and the sending off of defender Vincent Kompany for a foul on Kevin Doyle — handed Wolves a 73rd-minute lifeline. It was not enough for the visitors, however, and Adam Johnson’s injury-time goal put the cap on yet another quietly impressive City outing.
Now City’s attention turns to Europe and a Champions League visit to Villarreal on Wednesday in which victory is almost a necessity if Mancini’s team are to advance to the knock-out stages in their debut campaign. It looks like an occasion tailor-made for Balotelli, back from European suspension, and his sense of the dramatic.
“It will be very hard because they are a strong team at home,” said Mancini. “They are not good in La Liga at this moment but it is still difficult in the Champions League.
“If we want to do a good job there we will have to have fresh players and play strongly. We will try to win. Mario could be an important player because he knows the Champions League with Inter and it’s an important competition for him because it’s the first game after his ban.”
For Wolves, meanwhile, the season continues to present its problems for manager Mick McCarthy and Sunday’s home meeting with Wigan has the air of a game he must win if they are to remain above the relegation places.
However, for now, most eyes are focused on the top end of the Premier League table and a team that has “champions elect” written all over them and, even if nobody at the club is prepared to talk about it, McCarthy has no doubt who are the current title favourites.
“City are the team to beat at the moment,” said McCarthy. “They made that patently obvious last week when they beat United.”
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