Unbelievable...this guy found any excuse to slag us off in the past...Thanks Ian...but no thanks...
City have all they need to win title
IAN WRIGHT - Columnist
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Published: Today
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THERE is only one thing that can stop Manchester City winning the title this season... themselves.
And after witnessing their show at Anfield on Sunday, you would have to say that's highly unlikely.
A year ago everyone was quick to claim that for all the world class talent in the ranks, the one thing City lacked was unity.
The togetherness, the determination and the spirit which every successful club has always been able to boast.
Well I don't think anyone could level that accusation at them any more.
Not after seeing the way they toughed it out to leave Liverpool with a point and their unbeaten record still intact.
And top of the credit list has to be Joe Hart, who was out of this world. His late save from Andy Carroll was as good as you'll see all season. Liverpool probably deserved it on chances, but were denied by the Hart heroics all game.
We all know that the foundations for winning trophies are laid down by your goalkeeper.
Strikers can win you games, but the man between the sticks saves plenty for you too. Quite simply, you cannot win Premierships or Champions Leagues with a bad keeper.
Look at the great Arsenal side, with David Seaman there. The Manchester United ones who had Peter Schmeichel at the back.
Well I think Hart is heading down the road of joining them. And in City's quest for the title, they will look back on Sunday's draw as a massive point.
It seems strange to think that people talk of a goalkeeping crisis in England, but Hart is certainly the real deal.
The only thing I'd say is that there do seem to be a lack of genuine challengers to him for the national side, and every player needs the competition for places to keep him on his toes.
Aside of young Jack Buckland, on loan at Cheltenham from Birmingham this season, there don't appear to be any real top notchers coming through.
And how ironic, incidentally, that Buckland freely admits how much he learned from Hart when the City keeper was on loan himself at St Andrews.
But Hart is young enough for others to have time to come through, and I' m sure they will.
None of that will be any concern to City, though, and we've all seen the scintillating stuff Roberto Mancini's team have played this season.
Yet at Anfield, even with a man sent off, they were together. Well most of them, at least.
Once again Mario Balotelli found himself making the wrong sort of headlines. Although in this case I do think he was hard done to.
His first yellow card for pulling down Glen Johnson was silly, but the challenge on Martin Skrtel which led to the second was nothing more than clumsy.
Personally I think referee Martin Atkinson took the easy way out, sending him off when a packed Anfield was baying for blood.
The right thing would have been to take a breath, call the captain and Balotelli over and say 'you've just come on, you've been booked, now calm down because one more and you're off.'
I think his reputation went before him on this one, but that is something Balotelli will have to get used to – and learn to handle.
Everyone knows how brilliant he can be, and there is a place for mavericks in the great sides.
The obvious example is Eric Cantona at United, although the big difference was that for all his brilliance, he knew the important thing was the team, not the individual.
With Eric, the pros massively outweighed the cons, and that's a balance Balotelli has got to put right with City.
Come the end of the season, they will be playing a lot of high pressure, intense games, and they will need everyone together, pulling in the same direction.
You can't afford to have someone out on a limb, and that's why Mancini or whoever needs to tell Balotelli 'you're young, you can be part of something great here, but you have to stay focused.' I'm not saying Balotelli will cost City the title, but he could have cost them dear at Anfield and he won't do the cause much good if he's banned and unavailable for the business end of it.
City are on the threshold of magnificent things, and the way they overcame the loss of the young Italian at Liverpool was further proof of how things have changed at the Etihad.
They've got a great keeper, forwards scoring goals for fun, a midfield which can stand along any in England…the title is theirs to lose.
I think the Champions League is probably out of reach this season, but that is a lesson they'll learn – just as they have in the Premier League.
The way they're going it's very hard to see any other outcome right now.
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