MAN CITY 2 0 Stoke Perfect Start For Mancini

A thoroughly profe sional performance from Man City this afternoon earned three points for the Blues in Roberto Mancinis first game in charge of the club. Without Justin Morneau Jersey ever producing the free-flowing football which they are more thancapable of, City, led by the irrepre sible Gareth Barry, comfortably secured a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals by the recalled Martin Petrov and a tenth strike of the season from Carlos Tvez, although the Blues were indebtedto goalkeeper Shay Given as they recorded their first clean sheet in the Premier Leaguesince early November.Time constraints prohibit me from detailing the extent of my thoughts, but suffice to say that Mancinis reign has started in an Harmon Killebrew Jersey uplifting manner, with Citys defence withstanding Stoke aerial bombardment with relative ease. Given was a tower in strength in net, saving on repeated occasions from the likes of Tuncay and James Beattie, whilst Vincent Kompany put in a superb performance at the heart of the defence alongside the improved Kolo Tour. Mancini opted to play an attacking foursome of Robinho, Stevie Ireland, Tvez and Petrov, and their movement confused a physical Rod Carew Jersey Stoke backline.Barry, along with Nigel de Jong, was fantastic, balancing his defensive duties perfectly with supporting our attack. Without a target man upfront, courtesy of injuries to both Emmanuel Adebayor, who now departs to the African Cup of Jason Castro Jersey Nations, and Roque Santa Cruz, Tvez led the line on his own as a striker, and contributed an acrobatic goal to his non-stop performance. The only disappointment for me was the display of Robinho, whose lethargic approach and underwhelming performance frustrated the City faithful. Thank heavens for Craig Bellamy, who, rested for this game, will Joe Mauer Jersey be fit enough to start against Wolves.New manager Roberto Mancini accepts the applause of the City fans before the matchSo, thats all I have time for, but if you would, please read this superb reportof todays game by accomplished Stoke blogger, Alec Vjetica, whose indubitable blogging ability has earned him many worldwide plaudits.
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