Source: Telegraph
Manchester City's pricey defence needs more time to gel says Shay Given
The former Newcastle player has watched City's sound start to the season - keeping four clean sheets in their opening four games - give way to defensive uncertainty, despite the £38 million Hughes spent to bring Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott to the club, and he has now been beaten in each of City's last seven games. [LNB]Indeed, City were fortunate to escape from Eastlands on Sunday with a point against Fulham after Roy Hodgson's side created a host of clear-cut opportunities in addition to goals from Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey, the latter scoring from a set-piece, City's apparent Achilles heel in recent weeks. [LNB]Premier League Round-up: Wigan beat West Brom late on, Aston Villa held by Fulham'It will take a bit of time,' said the Irishman, 'we're all getting to know each other's games and we've had a lot of players come to the club in a short space of time. We have to look at the set-plays and see where we can get stronger. [LNB]'The games we were winning 1-0 and 2-0 earlier in the season came from clean sheets, and we have to get back to that and hopefully we will. Myself, the defenders and the team as a whole as a unit want to be defending better because clean sheets give you a great base.' [LNB]
