Bobby Manc: The Man City deity

Posted by Jon Champion on 14/01/2010

Their new-found wealth notwithstanding, there truly is no other club quite like Manchester City. Black and white would be more appropriate colours than the cherished light blue because they only seem to deal in extremes.

There is no middle ground for City’s followers. It’s either desolation or delight. The glass is never half-full or half-empty, only brimming over the edge or totally drained.

A straw poll of fans and officials in the wake of Monday’s impressive display against Blackburn uncovered a general belief that world domination cannot now be far away. After December’s messy divorce from Mark Hughes, January has brought a whirlwind romance with Roberto Mancini.

No other manager in the club’s history has begun with four consecutive victories, and when the urbane Italian strolled along the corridors of power at Eastlands late on Monday evening, still wearing that now familiar scarf, he was greeted like some sort of deity.

So anxious are Manchester City’s followers for sustained success that reason may have temporarily deserted them. Yes, they’ve made a perfect start under their new mentor and things look promising, but when this observer dared suggest a touch of realism and pointed out the accommodating nature of their recent fixtures, he was dismissed as some sort of spoilsport lunatic!

They may well be right, but if Roberto Mancini had been allowed to choose his early games, he might well have picked Wolves, Stoke, Middlesbrough and Blackburn. The Carling Cup semi-final ties against their neighbours and Premier League games in February against Liverpool and Chelsea may be a more accurate indicator. So too will be ESPN's live game this Saturday at Goodison Park.

Cruelly deprived of their best players for much of the past year, Everton are beginning to find their feet. They led twice at the Emirates last weekend and both the Gunners’ goals came courtesy of hefty deflections. The signing of Landon Donovan provides new impetus and genuine quality. They will be no-one’s soft touch from here on in.

Therefore we may start to get a clearer picture of where City stand. What Mancini has unquestionably brought is greater defensive rigour. Extra training sessions at Carrington have centred on establishing two banks of four when defending and the manager’s mantra demands those lines of midfielders and defenders should never be more than ten yards apart.

In Mark Hughes’ last four games, City conceded ten goals; in Mancini’s first four matches, they’ve let in just one – and Morten Gamst Pedersen’s effort for Blackburn on Monday elicited immediate anger from the Italian on the touchline.

There’s also the Tevez factor to consider. A United substitute has rapidly become a City star, relishing the trust placed in him and happy to hog the limelight.

Others displaced under Hughes – and I’m thinking in particular of Martin Petrov – have been given a fresh start. And then there was the left-field selection of Benjani, who promptly set up 3 of the 4 goals against hapless Rovers.

So, all in all, a terrific start for Bobby Manc, as the fans have taken to calling Mancini. But Manchester City wouldn’t be the club it is without a history of false dawns, so a little perspective wouldn’t go amiss. We’ll know more in a week’s time.

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Posted by peter clare on 14/01/2010

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