I was recently asked the question concerning City's 25 man squad. There has been a lot of wild press speculation about the number of players that would have to leave and this seems a good time to get a handle on the situation.

A quite fascinating 3-0 victory over Liverpool last night. If Mancini did what I think he did then I'm not necessarily in awe, but I'm damn impressed. City looked awful against Spurs at the weekend and part of the problem was Tevez coming back into the Attacking Midfield Centre (hereafter AMC) spot and taking up the same space as Silva. And yet Mancini loves the midfield diamond with the three ball winning midfielders* So how to keep that formation and free up Carlos Tevez?

Over the past couple of years City have had five really good players. The Stephen Ireland and Elano of two years ago, the Craig Bellamy in the first half of last season, Shay Given and Carlos Tevez. Ireland and Elano are gone, Bellamy out on loan, Given almost certainly the same and Tevez quoted as not enjoying his football and considering quitting in a couple of years.

Remember last year? Everyone and their dog had Liverpool winning the title. This year it seems those same "everyone" are picking Manchester United to struggle with some even suggesting that Fergie's boys will finish outside the top five. Therefore without further ado my pick to win the Premier League this year is

I like Roberto Mancini. I'm sure this will be a great relief to the City manager and he can now get a good night's sleep before the start of the season. But seriously, all I want in a manager is the perception that he can take the club to the next level. For City that is silverware and the Champions League and I believe Mancini will, given time, get City to both. Let us for the moment return to the final pre season game against Valencia which City won 2-0.

Ruthlessness is, on occasion, a useful trait. Stupidity is not. It's time for the FA to get their act together and get rid of England manager Fabio Capello. If the debacle that was the World Cup wasn't enough, the Italian's almost comical performance leading up to and after the friendly against Hungary should be the final straw.