Tetchy Mancini’s City struggle with the boos

Man City 1 Everton 1

Not for the team, even though the swashbuckling form of last season has only been glimpsed this time around, and not for the result, as every City fan fears the arrival at the Etihad of their nemesis Everton, the last side to take three points there in December 2010.

No, the jeers came when Roberto Mancini decided to introduce Sergio Aguero, the title hero in May, and take off Carlos Tevez rather than the crowd’s choice Edin Dzeko, who had missed a few chances.

It mattered little that Dzeko “earned” their penalty equaliser — tucked away by Tevez on 43 mintues — at Marouane Fellaini’s cost, failing to keep his feet as attackers are wont to do when a defender gets an illegal, insistent grip on their shirt at a corner kick.

Dzeko did eventually make way for Mario Balotelli as the manager shuffled his misfiring pack again, and Mancini later shrugged off the decision — “I have my reason for this, I am not stupid” — while leaving his number two, David Platt to offer a more detailed explanation.

He said: “It is not quite as simple as one for one sometimes. When you are making substitutions you’ve got to look at everything.

“Everton are an aerial threat at set pieces, so we sat there thinking, ‘we want to get Sergio on, but what do we do? Leave one striker on? Do we take a striker off, do we play with three strikers?’”

The real problem, of course, was Fellaini, a giant in more ways than one. His presence inspired Everton’s fine start to the season and now sustains David Moyes’ men as they attempt to play themselves out of the mire of drawn games that threatens their hopes of Europe. Tevez, attack dog that he is, cannot mark 6ft 4in Fellaini at set pieces as well as 6ft 3in Dzeko. Mancini opted for Edin’s heading, as it were, and City are not the first to struggle to shackle the big Belgian, who can be unplayable at times.

Even a world-class save from Joe Hart, pawing his point-blank header into the air from Leighton Baines’ classic cross, was not enough to deny Fellaini, who bundled home the loose ball for his eighth goal of the season — a better return than any of City’s quartet of expensive strikers.

Defender Phil Jagielka said: “When we do start playing a little bit more direct, it plays into Felli’s hands. His chest control is the best out there. His awareness of where people are has started to come on and he has started scoring goals too. He was a bit clumsy when he first came here but he has worked on his game and has matured. It’s not just the long balls he is good with.”

Moyes fears a top-four place is beyond them: “I’d rather be a manager whose team weren’t playing well and winning, but the facts are there to see.”

For City, Sunday’s Manchester derby is looming. Any winning scoreline is likely to be closer the 1-0 of April than the 6-1 of 2011 at Old Trafford. “The amount of goals we were scoring was alien,” said Platt. “But we’re unbeaten after 15 games and in many ways, haven’t hit top gear yet.”

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart (7); Maicon (6), Kompany (7), Lescott (6), Kolarov (5) (sub Zabaleta 7min 7) Y Toure (6), Barry (6); Nasri (7), Tevez (6) (sub Aguero 68min 5), Silva (6); Dzeko (5) (sub Balotelli 80min 5).

EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard (6); Hibbert (6), Jagielka (8), Distin (7), Baines (7); Naismith (6) (sub Oviedo 73min 5), Gibson (6), Osman (6), Pienaar (6); Fellaini (8); Jelavic (6) (sub Heitinga 90, 5).

Referee: L Probert