Steady

Not the goal-fest that everyone was predicting. Quite a riveting game, though, with City riding their luck on a few occasions.

I watched the game in Diggervision yesterday and Andy Gray was very complimentary towards Vassell, but I remain to be convinced. No offence meant, but every time he gets the ball, my heart sinks. He can still run pretty fast, but he never seems to do anything with it. And the chance... well, at first I couldn't believe my eyes. It didn't seem possible that the ball could have gone in the direction it did. On the replay, it was evident (though not remarked on by Andy G) that Distin got a little touch before the ball reached Vassell, and that pushed it behind him slightly. Nonetheless, I still think it was a miss, even if it was a fairly tough chance.

Good things from the game: Dunne and Richards looked superb, but Dunney was fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first couple of minutes. Hats off, as always, to Kanu. Hart (good Shropshire stock, of course) had a stunning game, and looks as if he might be a great keeper in the making. Hamann is still playing way beyond expectations. With the exception of a couple of errors, Corluka and Garrido look decent, and Ireland is - I have to say it - outstanding. Jury's out on Gelson. He was busy, but a bit lacking in creativity.

Concerns for me: Petrov looked decidedly one footed, easily closed down as he tried to cut inside onto his left peg. Despite that, he was just about our greatest threat. The better teams seem to be closing Elano down and muscling him off the ball. This was most evident against Chelsea, but Pompey showed a fair bit of nous in the same department.



Not sure what's going on with Bianchi - rumours are that he wants away. I've not seen enough of him to know whether this will be a good or a bad thing, but we look pretty thin up front. Adriano would be a nice fit.

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