Salzburg 0 – 2 MAN CITY – Comfortable Win And JO Scored!!

Thursday 16th September 2010. Remember the day. In the midst of a vastly comfortable victory over a disappointing Austrian side, there was one moment that really stood out. Midway through the second half, our captain Carlos Tévez had a shot, well saved by the goalkeeper. The ball bounced out to our otherwise barren Brazilian, Jo, and he answered the opprobrium heaped upon him by fans and journalists alike. With a delicate swish of his left boot, he caressed the ball into the net. Oh alright, he scuffed a shot, but it was a goal nonetheless!

That unexpected moment overshadowed a first goal for Man City for David Silva, a well taken right footed finish, which enabled the Blues to go into half-time with a comfortable 1-0 lead and, truth be told, it could have been even more. The lethal Jo, Silva and Tévez, whose half-brother incidentally was jailed today for sixteen years, all came close with chances. The home side did threaten on occasions with their Rory Delap-esque long throws and frequent crosses, but Kolo Touré and Vincent Kompany did a sterling job of marshalling the defence.

The Blues follow up this result with a tantalising home tie against Juventus, which is a contest sure to get the juices flowing. It’s a match between the two heavyweight sides in the group, a fixture which is sure to attract vast interest. FC Salzburg face the remaining side in the group, Lech ‘Polski Sklep’ Poznan, in a game which, when compared to the City v Juventus blockbuster, is slightly like comparing Lionel Messi to Bernardo Corradi. However, the Poles should not be taken lightly, having forced an entertaining, and surprising, 3-3 draw with their Italian counterparts.

My good friend Roberto Mancini, hampered by a number of injuries to key players including the likes of Adebayor, Kolarov, Balotelli and Boateng, was faced with a couple of tricky selection dilemmas. He opted to play Joe Hart in goal, despite competition from Shay Given, whilst Pablo Zabaleta and Wayne Bridge replaced Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott, the latter of whom is sidelined for three weeks with injury. Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong were recalled, with James Milner, SWP and Adam Johnson on the bench. There were starts too for David Silva, of whom much is now expected, and the perennially underwhelming Jo.

There was an electric atmosphere inside the Red Bull Arena, and that seemed to inspire our World Cup winner David Silva to produce a performance which highlighted just what he is capable of. With his confidence boosted by his early goal, he displayed great vision and awareness, creating chances and making good use of the extra time he had on the ball. Dutchman Nigel de Jong was another influential figure in the middle, winning virtually every tackle, whilst the centre-back pairing of Kolo Touré and Vincent Kompany were dominant throughout. 

Player Ratings

Hart - Wasn’t tested a great deal but dealt with most involvement with ease. Flapped a couple of times near the end, but would have been pleased to record another clean sheet - 6 

Zabaleta - Selected in favour of Micah Richards and performed solidly, never caught out positionally, yet never seriously threatening in an attacking position. Offers more than Micah though - 6

K. Touré – Continued his good form with another impressive display. Has a great understanding with Kompany and was especially dominating in the air. Possibly picked up a slight injury - 8

Kompany - For Vincent, read Kolo Touré. A professional showing, never out in too much trouble and managed to come through without any major scares - 7.5

Bridge – Made a welcome first start of the season after recovering from injury and offered more than Lescott when going forward. Looked surprisingly assured defensively as well, coveiring for his centre-backs whenever necessary - 7     

De Jong – One man who you would certainly want on your side in a battle. Very solid in the tackle, and even managed to break into Salzburg’s box on one occasion, only to be thwarted by a last-ditch block - 8

Y. Touré - An indifferent performance from the Leviathan Ivorian. Coasted around the pitch, keeping possession but never really doing anything with it. Grew into the game later on, including one powerful run to the byline, but still is yet to convince - 6 

Barry - Another one to impress with a polished performance. Covered a lot of ground and did well on his return to the side - 7

Silva - As promised, was handed a start by Mancini and he didn’d disappoint. Was busy, creative and wanted to be on the ball as much as possible. Confidence will be boosted by his goal and, hopefully, we can expect some more good performances in the future – 8

Tévez - Looked busier and more imposing than usual. Still doesn’t pass enough and he would be even better if he learnt how to use his teammates. But overall, he was impressive, and his new haircut is certainly an improvement! - 6

Jo - Well, what can I say! I remember seeing Felipe Caicedo score for the first time at Racing Santander, and although I was not there at the game tonight, the moment when Jo scored will remain with me forever! Aside from that however, he didn’t do a great deal. Yes he ran around a bit, but his first touch was severely lacking and he looked as lethargic as ever. - 6.5

Subs:

Boyata, SWP and Vieira all came on, replacing Bridge, Silva and Tévez respectively, but the game was sown up by then, and none of the substitutues had a great impact.

Thanks for reading. Who was your Man of the Match?