MAN CITY 2 – 0 FC Timişoara: PLAYER RATINGS, Vieira or Boyata for MotM?

Captivating and enthralling; two words which could have described the Liverpool game, yet both of them would be totally out-of-place in a review of this match. To sum it all up neatly, City produced a workmanlike, professional performance to see off our Romanian visitors, and, unusually for the Blues, managed it without any scare or hiccup.

My good friend Roberto Mancini handed starts to Jo, Dedryck ’Dedders’ Boyata, Patrick Vieira and David Silva amongst others, as he made seven changes from the side which so comprehensively beat Liverpool. Despite this relative reserve side, we had for too much class and quality for our opponents, a point emphasised with distinction by two players at contrasting points in their careers.

The experienced Vieira and youthful Boyata were the outstanding men on the night. The former rolled back the years with a majestic display, as he controlled the pace and tempo of the game with his superb passing. The young Belgian defender recovered from a slightly shaky start to put in a more than credible performance, showing good pace and temperament and even scoring a well-taken headed goal.

Player Ratings

Hart - Hardly can a player have done less during a game! Was forced to move maybe once but otherwise, I presume he enjoyed completing a sudoku puzzle - 6

Richards – Got forward on numerous occasions and actually came back quickly, so clearly Mancini has identified that weakness in his game - 6

Boyata – Handled the situation well and looked assured alongside his international colleague. Looks a fantastic prospect for the future. Scored a goal but wasn’t tested too thoroughly - 8

Kompany - The captain for the day, but had very little to do, but was professional and focused - 6

Zabaleta – His versatility was only stretched to two position, but did a solid, if not spectacular, job - 6

SWP - Looked very unimpressive throughout, despite his well-taken goal. Struggled to run at his man with any success. Adam Johnson is, at the moment, in a different league to SWP - 5.5

de Jong - Looked up for the battle and threw himself into challenges with customary gusto, but never really needed to exert his full authority. Even managed one on target shot! - 6.5

Vieira – Completely ran the game. His passing was inch-perfect, his tackling normally sublime and it’s easy to see what he can add to the squad, both on the pitch and in the dressing room – 9

Silva – Showed signs of his creative best with deft touches and cute flicks, but his touch wasn’t quite there. Give him time and he will blossom - 6

Jo – There is still hope for all of us if Joke can play for City. We’d been led to believe that this was a new Jo, however he looked as useless as ever. The sooner he leaves, the better - 3

Adebayor – Worked fairly hard and had a couple of decent lay-offs but not enough to warrant a recall to the first team. Possibly lacking in confidence - 6

Subs:

Cunningham - Nice to see Mancini give Gregory a chance, and truth be told, it wasn’t the hardest of games to fit into. His passing was poor at times, but he did show good pace and strength on a couple of occasions - 6