Do we write off the Champions league for the Premier League?

[steveo_88]

The day Mancini puts out a team to make up the numbers is the day before he gets the sack. It's not in the mans nature not to fight for every game!

Remember when Keegan left you could see it in his eyes, he had given up. The energy just wasn't there any more, he wasn't challenging for every ball with the players he was dissillusioned. One bright spot from that NotloB game was Diouf spat at the crowd several times and an Irish lad I was with got him back when he came to close to the corner, GET IN!

I'm not saying player's might benefit from more rest but we were never going to win this first time out, it was all about experience. There are alot of players who will have improved thanks to being blooded in the CL, this will benefit them domestically aswell in the long term. So long as there's a chance of success you have to keep fighting!

[BlueinBosnia]

Whatever XI we're thinking of fielding, I hope Kolo plays at Norwich. He seems to really need game time to keep his fitness up. Regular football at this time could mean we get the best out of him before ACN, and the best once he comes back.

BiB, I take your point about the Liverpool game. However, surely it would be in Kolo's interested to comeback from the ACN
fitter. He can use this as a means to get himself back to fitness, rather than City risk his 'wobbling/waffling' at the back.

I agree, but I think Norwich is a match where we can afford to field him, then look towards Bayern. If Lescott got a knock vs Norwich, and was out of contention for Bayern, I wouldn't be too happy with us being forced to rely on Kolo.

With regard to ACN, I'm hoping that it will be a major fitness boost for him, too, and he'll come back at his peak.

[sandman]

The day Mancini puts out a team to make up the numbers is the day before he gets the sack. It's not in the mans nature not to fight for every game!

Liverpool away last year, dropped the key players before the semi final and we got spanked.

[steveo_88]

The day Mancini puts out a team to make up the numbers is the day before he gets the sack. It's not in the mans nature not to fight for every game!

Liverpool away last year, dropped the key players before the semi final and we got spanked.

Hart, Boyata, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Yaya, Gaz Baz, AJ, Tevez, Milner, Dzeko.

That's what started at Liverpool, it's not exactly the kids now is it! Mancini put out a team with enough to win the game and the bench was fully loaded.

The closest he's ever come to making up the numbers was West Brom away in the League Cup where he did play too many kids with Vieira as the leader. He blew it and admitted as much afterwards. A more balanced side versus the Baggies such as the one playing Wolves in the League Cup this year would have won that game as West Brom only just edged us performance wise on the night.