Blackburn Player Ratings

Given- 6. One good save when on the edge of the box. No particularly exceptional saves. Could have been more vocal on a couple of occasions where mix ups lead to soft corners.

Zabaleta- 5. His poorest performance recently. Looked shaky defensively, and was caught out a few times. A few good passes when going forward. Would expect him to be a casualty of an injury free defense.

Richards- 8. A completely different than the one that started the season (United game in particular). Very solid defensively, and an excellent barnstorming run forward to slot in Benjani, and stayed alert enough to finish well. One of the winners of the Mancini Era thus far.

Kompany- 7. Again, looked very solid in the middle of the park. Watching him play filled me with more confidence than any other player in those positions thus far this season. Made a costly mistake that lead to Blackburns goal and possible resurgence.

Garrido- 6. An unremarkable performance. Looked better going forward than defending. One I would expect to drop to the bench when Bridge returns from injury, to be used as a sub for midfield.

Petrov- 6. Not his best performance this season. Played on the right wing for most of the game, and played some good balls in, but nothing to suggest he should start ahead of a fit SWP.

De Jong- 7. A solid, if unremarkable performance. Broke up a physical Blackburn side in the middle of the park and played some good balls. Gave away a few silly fouls in the first half, but im not sure if he wasn't just announcing his intent.

Barry- 7. Similar to De Jong. A very solid performance in the middle of the park. Broke up the Blackburn movement forward well, and played some good balls forward.

Bellamy- 5. Quiet. Started on the right, but soon shifted to the left. Some good wing work, but nothing extraordinary.

Tevez- 9.5. Outstanding. All over the pitch, always looking for the ball, willing to give the killer pass, and world class finishing. Fully deserved his hat trick, could have easily had 5. If he stays in this form, contender for player of the season.

Benjani- 5. Perhaps harsh. Set up the first two goals, albeit by missing shots he should have buried. Good strength for the third however, but looked slow and lacking sharpness, which is to be expected when you are 13 months without a game. Would expect him to lose his place to RSC or Adebayor when available.

Subs

Santa Cruz- 6. A fairly average performance. Selfish on one chance where he could have slipped Tevez in.

Robinho- 6.5. Looked hungry. Still issues defending (we looked weakest just after he game on). A good shot from distance. Clear he is still recovering from three months out, and lacking confidence. Needs game time.

Botaya- NA. Too late to mark.

Manchester City 4- 1 Blackburn Rovers

Mancini makes it four wins out of four. A solid performance in all areas.

Blackburn Preview

With the Carling Cup semi-final postponed, Roberto Mancini has had a full week with his squad ahead of tonights game against Blackburn at Eastlands, although the weather will have no doubt limited the training the squad has been able to do. The game, which at the time of writing is still expected to go ahead, despite cold and icy conditions up and down the country, is the first since Patrick Vieira joined from Inter Milan, although he is not expected to feature due to injury. Shaun Wright-Phillips is also expected to be fit, and RSC is an outside chance to feature, as he battles to overcome his own injuries.

With our injuries, and players off in the African Cup of Nations, or on indefinite leave, Mancini is again limited in the choices he has to field in this game. Despite that, I would not expect Benjani or Weiss to hold onto their positions in the starting eleven. Whilst possible that Boyata will be handed a home debut, I would expect him to drop back to the bench, with Richards and Kompany the central defensive partnership. Zabaleta and either Sylvinho or Garrido should play in the full back positions.

In midfield, the sound partnership of Barry and De Jong will remain as holding midfield players. Ahead of them, I expect Petrov to keep his place after some solid performances, likely playing on the right wing. Bellamy should play on the opposite flank, with Tevez ahead of them. It would not surprise me if Robinho plays, and I believe he should start. He has had alot of time sidelined through injury, and needs game time, and a home game against Blackburn is a good chance for him to get some minutes on the clock and build up some confidence. He has shown signs in his last few appearances of improvement, particularly in this new more tactically solid side under Roberto Mancini. Playing in the hole behind Tevez will hopefully bring out some of his creativity, as too often he was marginalized on the wing. I would expect him to come off for Wright-Phillips in the second half.

So, all things considered, here is my team prediction:

--------------Given--------------
Zab---Richards--Kompany---Sylvinho
-------De Jong----Barry----------
Petrov--------Robinho------Bellamy
---------------Tevez--------------

I think this will be a tight game, but I think City will win 2-0.

Vieira to Have Medical, 18 Month Contract to Follow

Patrick Vieira is set to have a medical at some point today, with a view to signing an 18 month contract.

Speaking of the move, Vieira said

"I set myself an objective, I want to go to the World Cup," he told Eurosport.

"The important thing for me is to go to Manchester City and to show the coach (Roberto Mancini) I'm the same player as when he was in charge of Inter."

It looks like the veteran Frenchman could be available for the Blackburn game, even if only from the bench.