MAN CITY 3 – 1 Lech Poznań – PLAYER RATINGS and MY THOUGHTS

Controlled and comfortable would be the two adjectives I’d choose to describe this victory. We were never put under too much threat and had sufficient quality going forward to record a 3-1 win and move top of the group, a position from which we should to the next round with ease.

A hat-trick from the much-maligned Emmanuel Adebayor secured the three points, with the Poles only threatening sporadically, and their goal was but a mere consolation. In addition to the Togo striker’s superb finishing, World Cup winner David Silva pulled the strings in midfield, orchestrating every attack with his easy on the eye passing football.

A special mention must be given to the visiting Polish fans, who turned up to the ground in their thousands, and despite their team’s performance, they were lively throughout, singing at the top of their voices, bouncing around with their shirts off and generally having a whale of a time. In comparison, City’s supporters totalled a meagre 33,000 and were relatively silent, but that is sure to change come the weekend and a mouthwatering fixture against Arsenal.

Hart - Not called into action a great deal, but dealt fairly comfortably with anything thrown in his way. Couldn’t do anything for the goal - 6

Richards – In the absence of the rested Boateng, this was his chance, and to be fair to Micah, he did a decent job. Got forward as much as he could but still lacks any creativity in the final third. Defended solidly and will hope to start against Arsenal – 7

Boyata - I continue to be impressed by the promising Belgian. He had one shaky moment, when an underhit backpass nearly landed the side in trouble, but on the whole he looks composed, defended well and is continuing to progress - 7 

Lescott – Not as commanding as he should have been. Was the senior figure at the back, but oozed jittery behaviour, rather than confidence. Solid in the air, but was left wanting for the goal. Will be hoping that Kolo Touré doesn’t recover from injury in time for the Arsenal game - 5.5

Zabaleta – The versatile Argentinean was shifted to the left of the back four, but competed manfully, getting stuck into several tackles. Didn’t get forward a great deal but was solid enough at the back- 6

SWP - Handed a rare opportunity but unfortunately failed to grasp his chance. His control let him down on several occasions and his confidence looked shot. SWP is someone who needs to be playing regularly, and struggles to find his best form when only playing in fitful bursts, but must do better when given a chance - 6

De Jong - The Dutchman seemed to be nearing his pugnacious best after the recent lull. He threw himself into tackles like the de Jong of two matches ago, winning all of them, despite Stan Collymore’s best efforts to claim that one tackle was dangerous, if only the Polish player had left his foot in! - 7

Vieira - The vastly experienced Frenchman was in his element during this game, controlling the tempo at which we played. He passed the ball around neatly and supplied Adebayor’s first goal with a lovely assist. Looked slightly leggy towards the end and won’t feature against Arsenal, but these are the types of games he is made for - 7.5

A. Johnson - At times, the youngster sparkled, most notably for that one moment which nearly provided the best goal seen at the stadium for quite some time. His wing play was very effective, but what pleased me most was the sight of him tracking back in the 93rd minute to stop the Lech right-back from getting forward. Clearly Mancini has got through to him! - 8

Silva - An absolute pleasure to watch. He looks so at ease with the ball, passing it around like it were a training session. He brings others into play, helps to dictate the tempo and got stuck in. His cross for Adebayor’s second was sublime and he continues to go from strength to strength - 9

Adebayor - After all the stick many (including me) threw at him,, he responded in the best possible way. His first two goals were superbly taken, whilst his third was a fitting way to score City’s first European hat-trick. Will have his confidence boosted just in time to face Arsenal, but if I have one criticism, he needs to work on his diabolical first touch - 8.5

Subs

Y. Touré - Brought on to stretch his legs for the final few minutes, the Ivorian looked impressive, showing a fantastic burst of pace on a number of occasions to escape his man. Will probably start against Arsenal and will need to be at the top of his game - 7

Jo – No time to mark

Bridge - No time to mark