On tour with Manchester City: The battle to be No1 hots up in Atlanta

28 July 2010 18:28
There is a theory that all coaches just want to be players. In Atlanta on Tuesday evening we saw the evidence.[LNB] An hour-long training session had just ended. Played out in front of the paying public at the impressive Georgia Dome -  a few hundred punters paid $10 each - it had been pretty energetic stuff at times and had ended with a practice game on a small pitch.[LNB] Hard to beat: Goalkeeper Joe Hart dives at the feet of Sporting Lisbon's Joao Pereira[LNB] As the players trooped off to catch the bus back to downtown Atlanta, however, it was clear they were going to have to wait a while. It was time for Roberto Mancini and his staff to have a little fun.[LNB] Put a ball at the feet of anyone involved in football and their natural instinct  is to hammer it towards a net. Some call it 'shooting practice' while others call it 'boys being boys'.[LNB] Here in Atlanta, it was certainly the latter.[LNB] Clearly frustrated at watching their players have all the fun over the previous 60 minutes or so, Mancini, David Platt and Attilio Lombardo decided it was time for penalty practice.[LNB] Goalkeepers Shay Given and Joe Hart certainly didn't seem to mind. Their battle for the number one jersey for the opening day of the season is close fought and they seemed prepared to stay out there all day.[LNB] Anyway, suffice to say the goalkeepers won the battle.[LNB] Platt's penalty taking was decent, befitting a man who stood up to the task in Italia '90 and Euro '96. Mancini's was somewhat less convincing and - it must be said - Lombardo's was of a standard of someone who had never played the game.[LNB] Point to prove: Manchester City's goalkeepers Joe Hart and Shay Given during training[LNB] The former Crystal Palace coach seemed to find it funny as a succession of balls whistled past the target. Which was just as well. Because it was.[LNB] That little cameo apart, though, it was interesting to watch a full City session close up.[LNB] On a normal foreign trip - in the Champions League or Europa League - reporters normally only get to see 15 minutes of training before we are turfed out. All we therefore get to watch is a bunch of static players doing keep ups and stretching. Suffice to say, it is less than fascinating.[LNB] Here in Atlanta - in the more relaxed atmosphere of pre-season - it was much more illuminating. It was especially fascinating to see the goalkeepers at work and see how seriously they take it.[LNB] Hart, Given and City number three Stuart Taylor spent 45 minutes doing drills. Each of them grew steadily more irritated by the occasional mistakes they made.[LNB] Given certainly looks back to full fitness now. His agility and reaction times - at the age of 34 - remain remarkable. Hart, meanwhile, is more physically imposing and equally agile. In this session, though, his handling wasn's quite as good as Given's - even if we are only talking minute fractions.[LNB] Elsewhere, it was noticeable that Platt seems to have assumed a senior role under Mancini. I am told that Lombardo's role will be more connected with scouting while Brian Kidd will continue to act as a buffer between Mancini and his players.[LNB] There has been some opposition to Platt's appointment by City fans. Some don't like the fact he had early connections with Manchester United, some feel he has criticised City during his time as a SKY pundit.[LNB] None of this should matter. All that should matter is his ability as a coach and as an ally to Mancini. I am confident he will prove good at both. He has already shown that is better than his old mate at taking penalties, anyway. [LNB] Summer sagas: What next for Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, James Milner and Javier Mascherano?Club-by-club Premier League guide to every transfer deal in summer 2010Sign up to our FREE Fantasy Football game - with £40,000 in prize money up for grabs[LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail