Source: Man_City
Mancini's case for defence
The firmest foundation for any football success is a settled back four. It is a maxim which applies from Barnet to Barcelona and a luxury for which every manager gets down on his knees and prays on a nightly basis. And yet, as City keep up their fascinating scrap for fourth place, they have got through a staggering 19 different combinations. That in itself makes it all the more remarkable that City are heading into the final straight with their hearts and minds firmly fixed on a Champions League place. Even now the curse which has afflicted them will not cease its mischief, with Joleon Lescott injuring himself in the warm-up at Fulham on Sunday. If he had played at left-back, as manager Roberto Mancini intended, it would have been the 20th different back four of the campaign. Failing to get the defence settled has long been a problem for the Blues and one which occupied the former manager Mark Hughes' thoughts for much of last summer. In a season which has seen their defence blighted by injury, an African Cup of Nations call-up, and managerial change, the longest the Blues have managed to keep the same four men at the back is four games. Secure That came back at the start of the season, when Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Lescott and Wayne Bridge teamed up, winning three and then losing in added time at United. That foursome has only managed to play together eight times all season - still twice as many as the next most popular combination. It was no surprise that two of his major summer signings were Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, intended to be the nub of a secure and regular back four. With Wayne Bridge nailed on at left-back and the hope that Micah Richards would add consistency and concentration to his physical attributes and undoubted ability, it appeared to be taking shape - even to the extent of allowing stalwart Richard Dunne go. But the football fates took a hand and by the time he got the sack before Christmas, Hughes was weighing up transfer window moves for two new full- backs, with Bridge injured and neither Richards nor Pablo Zabaleta able to make the right-back slot their own. And with Toure departing for international duty, and Lescott and Nedum Onuoha injured, he was also mulling over the need of signing a new centre-back. From the midst of that chaos came a shining new solution with Vincent Kompany - who makes no bones about preferring life as a midfielder - suddenly becoming first choice at centre-back. And with youngster Dedryck Boyata being plucked from the junior ranks and slung into the white heat of a Carling Cup semi-final against United, the mixing and matching continued unabated. Now the baton passes back to Javier Garrido, another man plucked for obscurity by Mancini, more from necessity than inspiration. Future He had a run in the team during Bridge's injury, to mixed effect. His left foot is a boon at set-pieces and he is a competent footballer but Fulham targeted his defensive vulnerability on Sunday and that will not have escaped Everton's notice ahead of tomorrow night. The good news for Blues fans is that they have won both games in which tomorrow night's expected back four line-up of Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany and Garrido, has played - Sunday's victory at Fulham and the 2-0 dismissal of Portsmouth in January. Garrido was meant to be on the bench at Craven Cottage until Lescott pulled up in the warm-up, but he relished his chance to impress. And after his second unexpected resurrection of the season, he is vowing to grab himself a share of City's future by performing during the absence of Bridge and Lescott. "I've not played for a few weeks and obviously I want to play week in, week out. "But I have to understand the manager's decision, and when he calls me, I have to be ready," said the Spaniard, who had been heading out of Eastlands under Hughes until Mancini's broom poked around in the dusty corners of the dressing room and found him lurking on a forgotten shelf. "I have to work every day to improve, and after that, it's the club's decision. I've always said I'm happy here, but you never know. "I would like to play every week, but I have to understand also that the quality of the team is so high." "I am still only 25 years old and I need to improve different aspects of my game. I work hard in training every day, and when I get the chance to play, I have to show that I can do the business." Of course, being behind an England international in the pecking order is tough on anyone's career. "Wayne is a great, great player, as everybody knows," said Garrido of his teammate, out for at least another three weeks after a hernia operation. "He's been in the England squad because he's got a lot of quality. "It's a pleasure to train and work with him, because he can show me different ways to help me improve." The worry for Garrido is that, but for Lescott's injury, he would have been demoted again, and now looks to be third choice at left-back. Lescott has played plenty of games in that position for Everton, and has even performed there for England - but another shuffle is another week waiting for the cement to set on another back four combo. | Submit Comments| Comments (29)| PrintWhat's this? Emaildel.icio.usDiggredditFacebookStumbleUponNewsvineGoogle BookmarksNetscapeTechnoratiWindows LiveYahoo! MyWebMa.gnolia
