MAN CITY 0 – 0 Birmingham – PLAYER RATINGS

Hart - Dealt very comfortably with any rare Birmingham attacks, saving low from both Fahey and Larsson. Looked to distribute the ball early, but none of teammates were so eager to receive it - 6

Boateng – Not as his World Cup best, failing to supply any sort of decent end product on his attacking forays. Was defensively sound though and adds height at set-pieces. What he needs to work on is his right-footed crossing, as he always seems to cut back onto his left before delivering the ball into the box- 6

K. Touré – Zigic and Jerome had the potential to be tricky customers, but both Touré and Kompany dealt with them relatively well. Saw a lot of the ball and got forward from defence a few times in the second half, but he will be pleased with a third consecutive clean sheet - 7

Kompany - Very similar to the review of his central defensive partner. Handled the aerial threat of Zigic well and used the ball carefully - 7 

Kolarov - Will take time to fully settle in, but this was a more than promising start. He attacked with regularity and gave us some width down the left, but his shooting was a bit awry. Give him a couple of months and we will start to see the best from him - 7  

De Jong – Unfortunately, it says everything that he was probably man of the match at home to Birmingham. He continued his rich vein of form by winning his challenges and using the ball with precision - 7.5

Y. Touré - He should be so much better than he is. I was surprised to see him start in place of Gareth Barry after Wednesday, and he dropped into a deeper role, next to de Jong. Got forward more than the Dutchman but lacks conviction in the final third. Could do with a little break - 6

Milner – Nearly opened the scoring at the very start of the second half when his shot was cleared off the line by Stephen Carr. Takes a lot of stick from fans who don’t appreciate the hard work he does. Got some decent crosses in but to no avail, with only Tévez lurking in the box - 6.5

Silva – Not one of the Spaniard’s better days. Was one of only a couple of players eager to be on the ball and he looked bright, but his little reverse passes and tricks didn’t quite come off. Still a joy to watch his movement and vision - 6.5

A. Johnson – Again, just as I predicted, fails to have any impact when he starts a game. Mancini has realised this but still the fans get annoyed when he’s on the bench. A couple of decent moments, but not enough end product - 6

Tévez - As I stated in the main review of this game, Tévez was far too greedy. He refused to pass to his teammates despite them being in better positions until he himself had scoured all possible avenues. Worked hard but just not his day - 5

Subs

Santa Cruz – Admittedly, I’m a Santa Cruz fan, but his application was just not there. He looked laboured and lethargic and failed to win any aerial balls, which is normally his strength - 5.5

Zabaleta – Replaced the tiring Kolarov in the last ten minutes but had no time to influence the game - No time to mark

Barry – Came on for Tévez in a move that resulted in boos for Mancini. Came close with one shot but not long enough - No time to mark