MAN CITY 1 – 0 Dynamo Kyiv – MY THOUGHTS

It’s all too easy to say now, after the game, that it’s for the best we got knocked out of the competition. After all, I’m gutted that our European adventure has finished for this year, but looking at the situation objectively, we can now concentrate on the Premier League and the FA Cup. I would have loved us to progress and to reach the latter stages, but perhaps it is for the best that we didn’t have quite enough to be victorious.

By the time we face Chelsea on Sunday, we will have played nine more times than them this season, and that is bearing in mind they are still competing in the Champions League. All those extra games, although it is where we should aspire to be, have hit the squad hard recently, so looking on the bright side, our fatigued players will have more time to recover between games.

There doesn’t seem to be the same sense of disappointment at exiting this competition as there was two years ago. The feeling of pain and hurt is still there, just not quite as sharp. We performed well yesterday, deservedly winning on the night, but not by enough to see us victorious over the two legs. And that, in part, was down to a certain Mario Balotelli.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Mario?

Life is never dull with Mario around. His record now reads 20 appearances, 10 goals, 9 yellow card and 2 red cards. It’s easy to see why fans dislike him and have grown increasingly frustrated with him, but on the flip side, he was signed to score goals and there is no doubt that he has performed in that regard.

But despite my growing amicability towards him, he let the players, the manager and the fans down last night. Up until the challenge, I felt he was having a great game. One miss aside, he looked bright, eager and up for the challenge. But then the mist descended.

The challenge was very close to where I was sitting and although I haven’t seen any replay as of yet, I think the ref, for a change, made the correct decision. Balotelli went for the ball fairly but then crucially left his leg in, raking down the chest of the Dynamo player. And that was his night at an end. From then on, the uphill battle grew even steeper and although I think we ought to persevere with him, he should feel guilty at letting City down.

Tévez’s Improved Form

The captain really impressed me last night. He usually leads by example with his workrate, and that, as always, was exemplary, but it was his leadership as a vociferous force that caught my eye. He was constantly urging his teammates on at any break in play, giving them encouragement and doing exactly what a captain should be doing. One more shift against Chelsea is required then he can rest for a couple of weeks.

Returning Players

Another positive to take from the game was the return of Adam Johnson, the one player at City that Roberto Mancini believes can change the course of a game from the bench. He came on for the last twenty minutes or so and caused a few problems near the byline. His return, along with that of James Milner, has come at just the right time for us, allowing the manager to rotate some of his wearied players.

Thoughts Turn To Chelsea

And so we must look forward to Sunday’s visit to Stamford Bridge. We head there tired, both mentally and physically, after a draining recent period, but with this being the last game before an international break, I’d hope that team can summon up one last strong performance. We have the chance, just like last season, of doing the double over them, so expect a decent game.

Chelsea has shown signs of improvement recently, with the signing of David Luiz looking like being a superb piece of business. They will be one of our challengers for a top four place come the end of the season, so, truth be told, I’d take a point if you offered it me now.