Churning

In sympathy with City, my stomach roiled and boiled last night, just after the final whistle. For the first time in ages, I was nastily sick all over the toilet and surrounding floorspace. I actually think my stomach was unsettled for most of the day, but it was only after being sick that I realised it. Funny, really.

On a day when Chelsea madness took a further step forward, and when Israeli madness seemed to take a tentative step backwards, City inevitably bowed out of the Champions League for another year. Not a great show from us, it has to be said, though there was at least a little bit of fight in the second half. The penalty was something of a gift, and it never really felt as if we were going to get another goal. Clearly, the damage was done at the Bernabeu when we surrendered an unlikely lead and gave the game away in those crazy last few minutes. In all honesty, we have been pretty conclusively outplayed in all of our CL fixtures this year, with both Dortmund and Ajax making us look slightly amateurish, and appearing very naive in allowing the Spaniards back in at that first match. More than the Galacticos however, I was hugely impressed with both the other two, but especially the Germans, who look to be an extremely accomplished and combative side, able to give any Premier League team a torrid time.

And there's the essence of the thing really. This year's season at the top table of English club football has been of even lower quality than last. No disrespect to West Brom, and apologies to the once cultured Hammers, but the presence of these two teams so near the top of the league really speaks to that drop in standards. It's all to the good, I suppose, to have a more open competition, and it would be great if the Prem were more like the Championship, with any team capable of beating any other at any time. Yet it doesn't help the standing of English football in the European elite.

It's not all bad though. For the moment, we are top of the league, a point ahead of the Rags, and starting to play a little better. As well as that, Rafa Benitez is installed at Chelsea, and one can only hope that his arrival will not be one of those which galvanizes a moribund team into action. Finally, my own predilection for getting scores and outcomes correct is starting to become a little bit scary. I rightly said 2-1 against Spurs, tipped a heavy win with Tevez goals against Villa and predicted a draw against Mourinho's men last night. As far as Chelsea go on Sunday (in case you fancy a punt) I reckon 2-1 City. You can have that one on me.

A bout de souffle

Well, what can we say about that? We certainly can't complain about a lack of excitement. I am disappointed, if not as much as Hart, that we ended up losing, but in truth it would have been something of a mugging if we had got a win. I'm really not sure what to say about the game, so I think I'll just list each player and say a few words about their performance, along with giving them a mark out of 10.

Hart. One of his best performances between the sticks, I think. Made several excellent saves and a few other correct decisions. Though I (grudgingly) agree in part with Killer Keane on ITV that he might have been slightly at fault for their second, I disagree that he could be criticised for the third. I'd give Joe 8 out of 10.

Maicon. H'mm. Clearly short of pace at 31, he nonetheless showed some creativity. Should perhaps not have been put up against Ronaldo, who was unlucky not to score two or three more. I'll give Maicon only a 5.

Nastasic. Strangely thrown into a monumental debut, he did show some good stuff, though was as guilty as many of City's back line with some incredibly casual defending. As he's young, I'll give him a 6, and think he will be an improvement on Lescott.

Clichy. Not the force he can be in Premier League games, he disappointed slightly. He can have a 5.

Kompany. Though sometimes solid, the challenge of stopping Mourinho's men eventually took its toll. He was booked, and should not have ducked when Ronaldo hit the winning goal. 5 out of 10.

Barry. Seemed like an England player in being out of his depth on occasion. I can't recall him contributing much to the game. He gets a 5 as well.

Nasri. Another disappointing outing before going off injured. Often goes missing just when you need him most, and is not the player he thinks he is, or should be. Only 4 for Samir.

Javi Garcia. Still early days. I think he has potential, but again was way too lax defensively. I can only go as far as a 5.

Silva. Struggling still to match the sublime levels he reached last season, but always lurking dangerously. Sadly, I can't give him more than a 5.

Yaya. Yet again, a truly Herculean performance, and at the heart of everything good we did. He grew into the game, and is a magnificent player. 9 out of 10.

Tevez. Although he gave the ball away a lot in the early stages, he never stopped trying. Isolated in attack, but more of a threat after Nasri went off. I'll be generous and give Carlos a 6.

Dzeko. Took his goal well, and contributed well to the team as sub. Hit and miss on times, but more of a hit last night. Deserves a 7.

Kolarov. Gives me the jitters in defence, but his dead ball skills are undeniable, evidenced by the goal from his free kick. A solid 6.

Zabaleta. A real workhorse, who tirelessly legs it up and down the field. He was there and gets a 6.

Bobby. Strange choices in team set up, though who knows what lies behind Balotelli being left out? I also have to reluctantly agree with Richard Williams' criticism that Mancini shows his anger all too readily. The ridiculous attack on Hart frames the game for the tabloids and makes him look like a twat. I don't think Hart said anything controversial, and he did have the microphone shoved in his face just minutes after losing the match so dramatically. Mancini gets 5 out of 10.

There's a lot of hard work now to stay in this, although Ajax beating Dortmund does give some cause for optimism. So far, this is proving to be one of those 'difficult second seasons'.

Forward

Well, the Hillsborough drama continues, eagerly watched, and yet we all must move on to the next fixture. Before the Bernabeu trip next week, we have the little matter of sodding Stoke away again. I'm never comfortable with the trip up there, and it's always a tough assignment. I have a recurring daymare of Michael Owen scoring against us, and keep remembering that Crouch volley from last season with a shudder. The Graun is wondering whether Bobby will rest Yaya and others for the Champions League game, and whether he will pay the price if he does. Frankly, it's a match I could do without, especially at this time, but that is not an option. I'm hopeful of a 2-0 victory, and it will be nice to see some of the new buys get a run, but I fear a low scoring draw or worse.

As for the Madrid match, sorry to say that I'm not overly optimistic about that one either. They always look very strong, even though as a Barca fan when it comes to the Iberian peninsula I hate them, and Mourinho (you have to say) knows what he's doing. Perhaps that little twat Ronaldo really is unhappy there, and won't be arsed playing at his best, but I'm not holding my breath. Agüero is on his way back, and didn't play for the Argies even though he went out with them, so where there's Kun there's hope. Word is that he will be back in the team in time for the Champions League tie.

It was difficult to guage from the England games what sort of form our players are in. Hart is giving me a bit of the collywobbles, though he wasn't terrible. He seems to be making some strange decisions when it comes to crosses. Milner was I thought one of the better players for England against the Ukraine, but it was hardly a scintillating team performance. The one positive was that Cleverly was so utterly shite (I stand by my pre-season prediction that Arsenal will do better than the Rags this season) even if I'm not sure where that leaves us in World Cup terms. Up shit creek, I suppose.