Man City boss Roberto Mancini will find himself under increased pressure after a 0-0 draw against Birmingham.
Man City offer critics more ammunition after dire stalemate
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will find himself under increased pressure after a 0-0 draw against Birmingham offered his critics more ammunition.
On the back of a drab stalemate against derby rivals Manchester United, Italian Mancini was under the spotlight as a result of his side's negative tactics at Eastlands.
And in the wake of another goalless outing, the former Inter Milan boss' job will continue to prove a topic for discussion amid clear unrest among Manchester City fans
The introduction of Gareth Barry at the expense of captain Carlo Tevez late in the second half drew boos and shouts of, 'you don't know what you're doing', which only increased in volume at full-time.
As Birmingham turned out in a red away kit that could have passed for Manchester United, it was easy to believe this was simply a continuation of Wednesday night's awful fare.
There were obvious differences. For a start, Birmingham were intent on defending their penalty area, a tactic that became apparent within the first five minutes.
Aleksandar Kolarov was introduced for only his second start of the season, a notable figure if only because he came across from his left-back station to take City's right-wing corners.
And Adam Johnson was picked, offering the England star to match his words of discontent about forcing himself into Mancini's plans so infrequently, with meaningful action.
Depressing
Unfortunately, the end product was depressingly similar to a midweek derby generally acknowledged to be one of the worst of recent times.
If anything, due to a chronic lack of atmosphere mainly, this was even worse.
Ben Foster did not have a first half save to make, or at least the one he did need to make but failed, turned out to be of no consequence anyway as Carlos Tevez was ruled to have handled David Silva's cross to get it past the England man.
Referee Mike Jones got that call right, just as he was probably correct to rule it was not a penalty when Liam Ridgewell went down under Johnson's challenge.
It was more a case of accidentally tripping over someone's feet by the Birmingham full-back, who did not complain, even if manager Alex McLeish did.
Kolarov, Tevez and Johnson drove ambitious efforts wide, drawing groans from home supporters who clearly expect much better.
Raised eyebrows
They came very close to getting it within 15 seconds of the restart.
Having organised his defence so well, McLeish must have been startled at how easily they were undone in route one fashion when James Milner breached their defences.
Foster repelled the midfielder's first effort but Milner seemed sure to tuck the rebound home, only for Carr to pop up and make a fine goalline clearance.
It emphasised the greater purpose City had found during the interval, even if Tevez, Milner and, most glaringly, Yaya Toure wasted decent chances.
Toure is yet to win over the Blues support since his summer arrival from Barcelona on a reputed salary in excess of £200,000 a week.
For that money, more is anticipated than a rushed finish to a move in which both Milner and Silva created space for the imposing Ivorian to shoot.
Toure has been part of a spending spree over the past two transfer windows that has turned Roque Santa Cruz into City's forgotten man.
The Paraguayan, signed by Mark Hughes from Blackburn in an £18million deal 17 months ago, admitted earlier this week that he would be seeking pastures new in January.
However, with Emmanuel Adebayor missing due to a bruised heel and his side starting to run out of ideas, Mancini opted to introduce Santa Cruz into a Premier League encounter for the first time this season.
The Paraguayan almost had an instant impact too, slipping an intelligent pass through for Tevez, who dragged his shot wide.
As thoughts of an upturn in fortunes increasingly looked like being an illusion, frustration in the stands turned to fury when Tevez was replaced by Gareth Barry seven minutes from time.
Tevez raised a rueful eyebrow as he took his place in the dug-out, leaving Mancini to face the ire of his own supporters.
| Manchester City |
Team Statistics |
Birmingham City |
| 0 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 7 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 8 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 6 |
Corners |
4 |
| 16 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 85 |
Passing Success |
70.7 |
| 11 |
Tackles |
17 |
| 72.7 |
Tackles Success |
58.8 |
| 60.3 |
Possession |
39.7 |
| 56 |
Territorial Advantage |
44 |
|
