Juventus 1 – 1 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS

Given - Nothing he could have done to prevent the goal and made a couple of decent saves later on. Main challenge was to keep warm - 6

Richards - The captain for the day but was at fault for Juventus’s goal, as he was caught on the back foot by the vastly experienced Del Piero. Otherwise had a solid game, and nearly provided an assist in the second minute, but Jo couldn’t apply the finish - 6

Boateng – I like the look of Boateng at centre-back. He was good in the air, pacy and used the ball very well. Won’t displace Touré and Kompany though, and faces a battle with Richards and Zabaleta for the right-back spot - 7

Boyata – Partially to blame for the Juventus goal but impressed me otherwise. Put in a few last-ditch blocks and was controlled in possession. It’s worth remembering he’s only played seventeen games for the Blues – quite a prospect - 6.5

Bridge – Surely a fixture to place himself in the shop window. Did some of his defensive duties well in limiting the threat of Krasic but didn’t get forward enough - 6

SWP - Drifted inside for too often for my liking. He’s much better when he stays on the wing and causes the fullback problems with his direct running. Had one acrobatic effort but was never in the thick of the action - 6

Milner - Looked very bright in his preferred central midfield position and was always available to receive the ball. Drifted out wide on occasions but often made the wrong decision when faced with a pass. Adds more energy though than our midfield usually - 7

Vieira - Likes to play the game at his own tempo but was caught in possession too often last night. Reads the game expertly but doesn’t have the legs to get there. However, he did pass to Johnson to set up the goal - 6

A. Johnson - Was close to not playing after the tragic death of his friend, the former Rushden and Diamonds goalkeeper Dale Roberts, earlier in the week but dedicated his performance here to him. Looked very bright early on and was always willing to commit the fullback. Didn’t produce much end product until his delightful pass to Jo for the goal - 7

Jo - Hard to imagine last season that he would be ahead of Santa Cruz, Bellamy and Adebayor in the pecking order but has worked hard under Mancini and repaid the manager’s faith with a goal here. Looked slightly off the pace in the first half, when he should have scored from two yards, but battled on and scored the equaliser - 6

Nimely - I’m in the odd position of having seen all of his playing time for City, having seen his debut at Burnley last year, and he impressed me again against Juve with his willingness to drop deep to receive the ball and influence our attacks. Could have done better with a first half header but linked up well with his teammates. One for the future - 6.5

Subs

Zabaleta – It’s rare that a substitute is man of the match but in my opinion, Zabaleta deserves that accolade. Replacing a striker, Nimely, with a defensive-minded one, Zabaleta, when a goal down takes some guts from a manager, but it was a gamble that paid off for Mancini. With his energy and drive in midfield, Pablo changed the nature of the game. Picked up a stupid booking for dissent but made a valuable contribution overall - 7.5

Chantler – Another Academy graduate and good for him to make his debut. But didn’t get a touch of the ball! – No time to mark