...And the blues go marching on!

When I am wrong I will say that I am wrong and hold my hands up. Now I cannot get my hands up as high as Costel Pantilimon but I will try. In my preview comments I said that I thought Mancini may stick with Hart in goal, with this taking us into the semi finals if we could secure a win. I went on to say that Pantilimon hadn't impressed me in the previous League Cup games, and to be fair that is still true. But oh my word what a game the young man had last night! It will certainly make Mancini and us City supporters smile to know that we really do have such talent in reserve should anything happen to Hart.

Sheikh Mansour's men travel to the Emirates. We may bring Silva

After little over 48 hours from securing a great point at Anfield on Sunday, Mancinis men travel down saff! The Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup against Arsenal represent City's first real chance of a cup this season. 

We'll hold you with less players and we'll score your goal too! We're City, we score when we want!

Manchester City have travelled to Anfield on many occasions and as I mentioned in my preview of the game City have very rarely left without anything other than a loss. In fact I believe pre war is where you have to go back to before you see we were totally dominant. That said, you also have to go back a long way in order to find the depth of class in all areas of the pitch that we now currently boast. 

Gods' Speed

I think all football fans agree that when it comes to their particular club they will support them and no other. No matter what adversity they face, you will stay with them no matter what. Very rarely would you find a Manchester City fan agree with one that supports Manchester United. The same with Liverpool and Everton, Newcastle and Sunderland or whichever rivalry you care to choose.

Happy Birthday Mancini, you sexy beast of a man!

Mancini! Whooah!

Mancini! Whooah!

He came from Italy 

To manage Man City!

Mancini! Whooah!

Mancini! Whooah!

Some people have likened the Country of Italy to a lady's leg in high heels. If this is the case then on the 27th November 1964 our savior was born right, slap bang on her sexy calf muscle, in Lesi. 

Mancini played for four clubs over a twenty year period but spent the majority of his career at Sampdoria, where David Platt also played for two years during Mancinis time. During his playing career he picked up the Serie A title with two different teams, Lazio and Sampdoria. He also won the Coppa Italia six times with the same two, Supercoppa Italiana twice and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice, again once with each two. He also picked up the UEFA Super Cup once with Lazio while picking up a World Cup bronze medal in a game won by Italy while playing England. The English goalscorer that game? David Platt!

As a manager, pre Manchester City, he has been just as successful. Serie A winner three consecutive times while boss of Inter. Four time Coppa Italia winner, once each with Lazio and Fiorentina and twice at Inter with the Supercoppa Italia also picked up twice while at Inter.

Sunday the Italian celebrates his birthday while in charge of his 72nd league game at the helm at City.

Over that period he has masterminded 43 wins (that is a 60% win ratio) with a goal difference of plus 80! He has already pushed City up to a top three finish for the first time in City's Premiership history and first time in the top flight since Tony Book was in charge, the season after we won our last trophy. Speaking of which he delivered us success in the FA Cup which was the first cup success of any sort since 1976 and the first in that particular competition since 1969. 

The Italian has been breaking records all through his tenure so far and you feel that he has only just begun. He has experience in Europe and that has lifted City from qualifying for the Europa via fair play to qualifying for the Champions League via league position and no play offs! It has been a sharp learning curve for City and this Champions League campaign reflects that. Despite this he still has an overall 53% win record in Europe with City. Last seasons Europa League was the furthest we had got in European competition for decades.

I spoke about Roberto masterminding the FA Cup victory last season but what is not mentioned is the fact we are now in the Quarter Final of the Carling Cup for the second time in his time here. Just for record, currently Mancinis win percentage stands at almost 65% in domestic cups. 

All told, Mancini has been in charge for 105 competitive Manchester City games and has won exactly 60% of them, while losing and drawing 20% a piece. Despite being criticised as a defensive minded coach City have currently scored over 200 goals in all competitions and only conceded 93. That is a difference of 110 goals, average almost two goals a game and conceding just under a goal a game. With these stats combined with the progression we see at City (top of the League expected rather than eighth hoped for, FA Cup wins and Champions League games) the future may be bright, and it is certain to be Blue!

Happy Birthday Roberto Mancini !!!

Written By PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy) 

Calm down, calm down. Mancini in scouse douse

The midweek game will have to be put to the back of minds on Sunday as Manchester City try to continue their record breaking start to the Premier League season with a trip to one of their least successful grounds.

HISTORY

City have played Liverpool in the League 150 times in their history and have lost 50% of the ties. In fact we have only won 38 times although the most recent fixture between the two teams in which City won was last season, under Mancini. However that was at our own place and the return fixture resulted in a 3-0 Liverpool win. The last time City won at Anfield in a League game was all the way back on May 3rd 2003. Ex Liverpool player, Nicolas Anelka scored twice for City that day, once from the penalty spot which made our last two winning games against Liverpool seeing us score from the spot. Be excited if we get a penalty on Sunday!

There have been many losses to Liverpool over the years and they always seem to score multiple of goals against us while conceding few if any. We lost 3-0 last season and in Sept 2002 and also in March 1991. City fans will also remember the 6-0 hammering in our relegation season of 1995/96. That particular game came in October of that season but in the last game we played Liverpool again and despite going down to them we clawed back to get a 2-2 draw. Despite that great result we were still relegated, but only on goal difference. 

Other than that there really isn't much statistically that we can get positives from as winning at Liverpool has not been our normal result over the past few decades. However there has been nothing normal about this season from City in the League so far either. Beating Everton, hammering Villa, Spurs and United have not been normal.   

Other big losses against Liverpool have been 4-0 in 1974, twice in 1978 and again in 1983 and a 5-0 in 1983. But it hasn't always been negative results for City. In start of the 1974 season we beat them 2-0 at Maine Road but in both 1981 and in 1952 we travelled to Anfield and secured the win, 3-1 and 2-1 respectively. 

For City fans to see when their team totally dominated Liverpool you would have to look back before the Second World War. In the year 1937 we beat Liverpool 5-0 at their place before a 5-1 win at Maine Road. Two years before that we enjoyed a 2-0 win there before a 6-0 win at our house.  

The good news for City is that win, lose or draw we will still be top of the league and with Manchester United playing Newcastle some points will be dropped from teams close behind us. The other current top four side Tottenham face a difficult trip to West Brom. 

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool will again be without Steven Gerrard for the visit of City, who also come off a difficult visit to Stamford Bridge last weekend. The Merseysiders themselves have been stuttering this season with wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton contrasting with draws against newly promoted Swansea and Norwich and a 4-0 defeat against Spurs! With no game midweek they will have had the chance to be rested but will also have one eye possibly on Tuesdays Cup game against Chelsea which could see them have their best chance for silverware this season. 

Manchester City by contrast have been secure in their Premiership performances, winning all but one, which was a draw away to Fulham. Expect Clichy and Richards to return to the backline for City as Mancini will be eager to continue their attacking League play. Like Liverpool though they may have one eye on the Quarter Final cup tie only 48 hours later but Mancini has a squad he can rotate and so that should play into City's favour. 

Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)

Happy Thanksgiving, City may have offloaded turkey!

It has been a while since we have spoken about the Rebel without a cause, Carlos 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' Tevez. I know you were all wondering what happened to the Argentinian after he was evicted from the big brother house. Well after missing training and deciding to take an impromptu holiday in Argentina I though the guys career was over. I mean who would want to pay this guys wages and have him disrupt the team as he does? The answer, the same team that took Robinho!

Reports broke on the American Thanksgiving holiday that the Italian side were in talks with Tevez advisors, Kia Joorabchian. If that isn't something to be thankful for then I don't know what is. I could make a comment about turkeys but that may be taking it to far, the guy was a hero at Manchester last season. 

The Rossoneri will probably be willing to pay a fee of around 25 million for the Argentine, which is significantly less than the 40 million tag he had in the summer. Although with Robinho, Pato, Ibramovic, Inzaghi and Cassano already fighting for first team football I am unsure as to whether he will not just be warming their bench. What's that? Take Pato in exchange? We could do that, unless you see anyone else you like in their squad? 

Whatever the outcome it seems that I was wrong and Tevez still may be able to collect interest from other big teams and with Italy being so much closer to Argentina I am sure his life will suddenly be filled with rainbows and unicorns! 

The majority of City fans will just be glad to see the back of him at this point with his off field antics and disruption to the team (in regards press conference questions revolve around the guy rather than how well the team is doing). It now seems that his building of cult status with the City faithful has been somewhat diluted if not totally contaminated by the last two months. City need to offload this dead weight and January can not come quick enough providing this is to happen.

Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)