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With their FA Cup campaign over, Wolverhampton return to the business of staving off relegation with a trip to Bolton on Wednesday.

Wolves cruelly fell 1-0 at home to Stoke City in the fourth round of the cup on Sunday, with Serbia international Nenad Milijas blowing a chance to equalise from the penalty spot in the shadows of full time.

With that disappointment fresh in their minds, Wolves must now attempt to turn around their English Premier League campaign, which is in dire need of resuscitation.

Wolves are wallowing at 19th on the table with a mere 21 points from 23 fixtures, ahead of bottom-placed West Ham United only by goal difference.

Mick McCarthy’s men were soundly beaten 3-0 by Liverpool last Saturday – their third loss from the past four games.

Milijas believes his side can draw confidence from their performance at home to Stoke, even though it ended disastrously.

“We need to turn things around and we need to think about the Bolton game and taking points there to stay in the Premier League,” the Serbian midfielder told The Express and Star.

“That’s the most important thing for us, the fans – everyone. We have good players and I hope we can win it.”

“If we play like we did against Stoke but keep a clean sheet and don’t make a mistake to allow them to score, I think we’ll be okay because I’m convinced we will score.”

Bolton, meanwhile, have slid to 11th after taking just one point from their past five fixtures.

It has been an incredibly disappointing run for Owen Coyle’s side, who were comfortably in the top 10 in the earlier half of the season.

On Monday, the Trotters bore the brunt of Chelsea’s stunning return to form, going down 4-0 in a thoroughly lopsided display.

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That loss was just the second time this season Bolton had failed to take a point at home, and with Wolves losing nine of their past 10 on the road the Trotters will surely fancy their chances of getting one up over McCarthy’s men.

But the Wolves boss may have an ace up his sleeve in the form of Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has signed on loan at the West Midlands club until the season’s end and could make his season debut on Wednesday.

Kevin Doyle missed the clash with Stoke due to illness but is expected to be fit for Bolton, though Stephen Hunt is in major doubt with a calf strain.

Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic watched Bolton’s loss to Chelsea from the bench and could be handed some time on the pitch by Coyle after recovering from a groin strain.

Portugal midfielder Custodio has stated that his side will ‘fight to the death’ against Spain in their Euro 2012 semi-final on Wednesday.

The Iberian nations clash after Paulo Bento’s men beat Czech Republic 1-0 in the last round and the world champions eliminated France 2-0.

Custodio, who is expected to start from the bench, has stated the importance of the game and is dreaming of glory.

“You asked me whether this would be the year of Portugal? I do hope so,” The Guardian quote Custodio as saying.

“I don’t have the ability to guess whether it’s going to be or not, but we’re going to fight to the death for this to be the year of Portugal.

“Spain are a great team that won the last two major competitions. They always play to win, but so do we.

“Our weapons are not a secret, our weapons are the same ones we’ve used in all of our games. Our way of playing is going to be the same. Our way of playing when we have the ball is going to be exactly the same.

“We’re going to try to play our aggressive game, what we have in the attack. We’re going to fight a lot, we’re going to fight a lot when we don’t have the ball. We’re going to try to get it back as quick as possible,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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With the promotion of Brighton, Southampton and Peterborough, who were some of the division’s top spenders and the relegation of Preston, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe who all look to be in transition period, League One certainly looks the weakest it has for many a year so it is the perfect opportunity for a perennial challenger to finally make the step up to the Championship.

Promotion

Huddersfield Town were incredibly unlucky not to achieve automatic promotion last year and only a long unbeaten run by Southampton prevented them before the disappointment of the playoff final defeat. This time round Lee Clarke’s men are rightly favourites as they have all the right attributes to get out of the division however after losing key men in Pilkington, Peltier and Kilbane, it will be interesting to see if they are as consistent this season. I think Preston North End with Phil Brown in charge, who has Premier League experience, have the potential to return to the Championship and I expect them to do the best out of the relegated teams. Their end of season form was much improved despite the inevitable relegation and I believe they have a very capable squad for the division, making them strong contenders.

Playoff Contenders

Charlton are tipped to have a big season but I think they may be a bit overrated with some un-inspiring signings. They will surely be an improved side with all the new arrivals but I am not sure if Chris Powell is the man to take them back to the Championship. However I can see the Addicks challenging for the top six near the end of the season. Havign both Sheffield clubs in the third tier of English football is a rare sight and they will be looking to make the playoffs at least. Wednesday are not going to be the best team to watch under Gary Megson but if the style of football achieves promotion their fans won’t to mind. They should be contenders come the end of the season but need to find a goalscorer first. Over the city at Bramall Lane, Danny Wilson may have faced a lot of stick after taking the job but if he can take them back at the first time of asking the early animosity will be forgotten. They will be looking to use their excellent youth team to help them achieve after getting rid a number of expensive players and a place in the playoffs at the end of the season should be within their grasp.

Outsiders

Fellow relegated side Scunthorpe looked a different outfit under Alan Knill at the end of last season but it wasn’t enough to save them. A summer of departures has followed and a limited budget has meant only a few new signings to replace them. However if they can find a 20 goal a season man and sort their leaky defence, they will have enough quality to challenge for a play-off berth. Brentford look a good shot for playoffs under former Man City striker Uwe Rosler. The signing of League Two top goal scorer Clayton Donaldson is just one of their impressive captures this summer and pre-season results have been encouraging with the Bees looking like a team on the up. MK Dons under Karl Robinson enhanced as the season went on and if they continue this improvement they have the squad to sustain a challenge for the playoffs again despite the loss of key man Peter Leven.

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Dark Horses

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Current League Two Champions, Chesterfield could be this year’s surprise package after playing some fantastic football last year. John Sherdian looks to be a very capable manager and they could well make a challenge for the playoffs although the loss of Craig Davies may affect their charge up the divisions.

Let me know your thoughts on my predictions and what you think of the upcoming League Two season also look out for the teams who will be trying to avoid relegation tomorrow. Follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney for more Football League debate.

The glitz, the glamour, the fast cars and the beautiful women. Yes, the life of a Premier League footballer sure is tempting. The closest that I ever got to this lifestyle were the dreams of international soccer stardom that I had as a kid, but for a few select youngsters the Premier League is within their reach. The lure of playing of playing in sell-out, state of the art stadia every week  can be too much to resist, but are too many of the brightest young players making this jump too early in their careers?

The mentality of getting to the top as quickly as possible exists in just about every profession with the lure of the big bucks often hard to turn down. However, a young player turning his back on a lower league club to join the riches of the Premier League can often find himself consigned to the reserve team scrap-heap. The buzz around the youngster fizzles away and he becomes another ‘what if’ player.

The latest young players linked with their big Premier League moves are Ipswich’s Connor Wickham and Southampton’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and both have gone about their business very differently.

Oxlade-Chambelain is only 17 years-old and has just broken into the Southampton first-team, yet has been tipped with a move to the Premier League since December. It appears like he is keen to make the move this month to either Liverpool or Arsenal and his father, Mark Chamberlain, has made no secret of who he’s like his son to join. He said: “Arsenal, with the manager there, the way they play and how they develop players I think they are the ideal choice”.

On the other side, we have Wickham. Wickham is also 17, yet has made almost twice as many first-team appearances as Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has been on the big boy’s radar since making his debut at the age of 16 in 2009 and is continually linked with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal. He has gone about his business quietly and has remained a consistent performer at Portman Road. He has recently signed a new deal which will keep him at Ipswich until 2013 in order to keep progressing and playing football.

Both players have chosen to take different paths in their careers and only time will tell who has made the better decision for their career.

It is important for young players to be playing first-team football regularly – which is the reason that so many Premier League teams send their young players out on loan to lower-league clubs. Nowadays teams sometimes use the option to buy a player and then let him spend the first year of his contract on loan at the team which they have brought him from, a scenario usually beneficial to all parties involved. The lower league team can retain the players’ services for another year, the player himself continues to develop in familiar surroundings and with the same coaches while the buying team know that their investment is playing regular football and is in good hands. From a fan’s perspective, if they know a young player won’t go straight into their first team and risks being forgotten about in the reserves then the loan move is clearly the better option.

Tottenham’s squad contains good examples of players who have made the step up at an early stage in their career, but to mixed fortunes. Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton, both right backs, both joined Spurs from Sheffield United in 2009. While thought highly of by fans, they have amassed a total of four first team appearances between them since they joined. Walker was loaned back to Sheffield United for the 09/10 season where he played every game until February, but Naughton was not. Both have gone on numerous loan moves since, but with Alan Hutton, Vedran Corluka and even Younes Kaboul ahead of them in the pecking order neither is any closer to a regular staring place now then when they joined.

Gareth Bale and Tom Huddlestone’s stories though have been slightly more successful. Bale joined at the age of 18 and Huddlestone joined at the age of 19 and both currently find themselves a permanent fixture in the first team. So why the contrasting stories?

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Like it or not, footballers rely heavily on luck. Would Gareth Bale be making headlines if Benoit Assou Ekotto hadn’t got injured last January? Who’d have thought that Alan Hutton would still be at Tottenham, let alone having an extended run in the side, thus keeping Naughton and Walker away from the first team? Things happen in football which means that some players get breaks and some don’t. Bale and Huddlestone both had to wait their turn in order to get their chance, so young players need to remember that the opportunity that they crave may take some time in coming.

It should be considered that just because a player isn’t making headlines on the back pages it doesn’t mean that he isn’t progressing as a player, learning the game and growing up. Some players take longer to mature than others. But then some players just aren’t suited to the Premier League, but how will they know unless they try? – surely it’s better to make the move when you have the chance then risk never having the opportunity again.

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Republic of Ireland crashed out of Euro 2012 after defending champions Spain thumped four past them in Gdansk and boosted their chances of progressing to last eight.

After to losing to Croatia last week Giovani Trapattoni’s men need a win at the PGE Arena to remain in the tournament but had the wind knocked out of their sails before they’d had a chance to settle as Fernando Torres justified his inclusion in the starting eleven with an early goal of world class conviction. Their fate was sealed in the second half after David Silva struck five minutes after the restart before Torres scored his second and substitute Cesc Fabregas rubbed salt into Ireland’s wounds in the 70th minute to send them packing and leave Spain needing to avoid defeat in their final Group C fixture against Croatia to confirm a quarter final place.

The emphasis on the Irish side before kick-off was to retain their discipline and and remain focused during Spain’s long bouts of possession and an early warning shot across the bow from Simon Cox, selected ahead of Kevin Doyle, forced Iker Casillas into a low save suggested they wouldn’t be restricted in their attacking intentions. But once again Ireland were the architects of their own downfall as Torres opened the scoring inside four minutes following some slapstick defending. A sliding challenge from Richard Dunne saw the ball spin free in the penalty area that the Chelsea forward nipped onto, drifted past Stephen Ward and blasted into the top corner past Shay Given from 10-yards for his first competitive goal since September 2010.

From that point on Spain were in control playing much of their football in the Irish half leaving Robbie Keane isolated in attack on the odd occasion when Trapattoni’s men managed to wrestle the ball away from the World Cup winners. In fact La Roja should have gone into the break in a position of greater dominance but couldn’t find a way past Given as the Aston Villa keeper kept out efforts from Silva and Andre Iniesta whilst Torres prodded wide and Gerard Pique failed to capitalise on some careless Ireland defending as they struggled to clear a corner.

The second half followed a similar patter and within five minutes Spain had doubled their advantage. Given weakly punched a Torres shot straight to the feet of Silva and the Manchester City winger did superbly to tiptoe past two Irish bodies and nonchalantly pass the ball into the bottom. Given then made up for his error with a brilliant full stretch save to deny Xavi but could do nothing 20 minutes from time when Silva dinked the ball through for Torres to run on to and finish with a confidence that has been absent from his arsenal for the last 18-months.

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Fabregas then came on for Torres and with eight minutes left the Barcelona midfielder made it 4-0 receiving the ball in space from a corner before beating two Ireland defenders and arrowing the ball across Given and into the far corner as Vincente Del Bosque’s side go top of Group C on goal difference ahead of Croatia ahead of their meeting on Monday that will decide who makes it through to the knock-out stage.

Roberto Mancini is building a Manchester City squad capable of challenging for honours next season. The arrival of Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid only increases the competition for places in City’s attack but what is their ideal strike partnership?

City currently have seven Premier League standard strikers within their squad but for the sake of convenience and probability I am going to consider how first choice strikers (and those most likely to stay for now) Mario Balotelli, Aguero and Edin Dzeko could work together. The likes of Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz are out of favour and look to be close to an exit whilst Carlos Tevez’s transfer saga continues to role on.

Who starts City’s first game of the season may depend a lot on Mancini’s choice of formation. He has been criticised in the past for being too defensive with the Italian often liking to employ just one lone striker. The more defensive option would be a 4-2-3-1 with the more attacking choice a 4-3-3.

Whatever formation Mancini employs, new boy Aguero must be at the heart of City’s tactics. Despite the comparisons to Tevez with his eye for goal, skill and reasonable strength, I am not sure whether Aguero could lead the line on his own for City. It may leave the Argentine isolated and constricted to one position. Mancini will get the best out of Aguero when he allows him the freedom to drop deep and run at defenders. One of Tevez’s best qualities was also his work rate and Aguero doesn’t have the same industrious style of play that is needed to lead the line. Another possibility would then be to play Aguero off a target man, most likely Balotelli or Dzeko. This would give Aguero the freedom to pick off loose balls and terrorise defenders from deep.

The more natural choice for a lone striker would be Dzeko. He is a more natural target man and possesses the height and presence to cause defenders problems when the ball is whipped into the box. But the Bosnian’s dreadful run of form since his arrival in Manchester would mean Mancini was taking a huge risk is putting his faith in a striker lacking confidence. However if Mancini can get the best out of Dzeko and help him recreate his Bundesliga form then he could be the perfect foil for Aguero.

Apart from convincing him about the advantages of living in Manchester, Mancini will also have to work out how to get the best out of unpredictable Italian Balotelli on the pitch. The young striker’s talent is undoubted and at times he is unplayable. But Balotelli doesn’t possess the awareness or team ethic to lead the line and Mancini would be best suited to keep Balotelli out wide (like he often has before) where he can cut inside and run at defenders. On paper Aguero and Balotelli sound like the best strike partnership in the Premier League but in reality Mancini may have trouble playing the two together.

As he is still at the club it is also worth quickly noting Carlos Tevez’s role at City if he were to stay. Despite looking like he was signed as a replacement, Aguero and Tevez could play together. Despite possessing similar styles of play, their familiarity with each other’s game at international level could be a great advantage and Tevez’s work rate combined with Aguero’s skill would make a deadly partnership.

Although having a strong and large squad is a fantastic advantage during a long Premier League season, Mancini faces a headache in choosing his strike partnership. I don’t think the often cautious Italian would completely change his style and play all three so one will unfortunately miss out but whatever tactics Mancini employs, new boy Aguero should be at the heart of City’s style next season.

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Who do you think Mancini should start in attack? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

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Speaking before last night’s draw with Manchester City, Arsene Wenger has spoken about the problem that Chelsea and Manchester City have become to football and how he could never manage Manchester City. Where most football purists want to see the back of billionaire owners, is it proactive for Wenger to constantly attack what they are doing? What is right for one club may not be right for another. While Arsenal fans trust Wenger, they must be frustrated at the lack of spending at The Emirates.

“I run Arsenal like I feel it needs to be run. It is a new problem but they don’t steal the money, they have it.

“I’m personally a big fan of the way we do it, so I try to be successful with the way we do it.

“You can also do it the way Inter do, or Manchester City. They buy the best players in the world and it works as well. What I want to show is it works our way as well.”

The problem for Arsenal fans must be the trench that Wenger is digging himself. It is clear that he despises what these clubs are doing, and is determined to beat them his way. Is that at the cost of Arsenal though? Is Arsene Wenger refusing to spend money, so he can prove that his way is the right way? Arsenal fans know that if the squad is to challenge for honours they need to invest in the squad this January. Arsenal desperately needs a quality centre half, but will Wenger invest in a player of the quality Arsenal fans expect?

Arsene Wenger needs to strike a balance between his own philosophy and that of the ambitions of the club. What can’t be hidden is the fact that Arsenal have not looked like serious title contenders for many years, now they do, is it time to invest? There is no doubt that Arsene Wenger has nurtured a side that is good enough to challenge, but if he was to spend a large sum of money, that potential could turn to medals come May.

I don’t think any Arsenal fan would want their club to invest a huge amount of money on players. It would actually stunt the development of some very promising youngsters at the club. However, as many have argued before, there needs to be a balance. If Arsene Wenger was more willing to invest a bit more there is a case to argue that the squad would learn a great deal from a different method of thinking. For example, if Arsenal were to bring in a top quality centre half in the mould of David Luiz, he would bring with him his own set of training principals that Arsene Wenger could tap into. Without investing in the very best, can Arsenal hold on to Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie?

If Arsene Wenger has entrenched himself into a transfer policy that could harm the success of Arsenal, he needs to reverse his thinking. Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have shown English football that success can be had without spending vast amounts of money. However, times have changed and unfortunately for the game the change is irreversible. Money controlling football is here to stay and Wenger must now strike a balance in order to compete year in year out.

Join the debate below and follow me on twitter

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International tournaments are a cheap and easy way to scout new players. They might not always turn out as you thought they would (Poborsky to United after Euro ’96 springs to mind) but it is, nonetheless, an opportunity for players to make an entrance on to the world stage, or just remind us that they still have something to offer. With the transfer window just a week away there’s no better place to be in the quest for the solution to your club’s ailments. So, here are a few players attracting suitors amongst the Premier League’s elite.

Alan Dazagoev – Russia and CSKA Moscow

Dzagoev, now 22, has been a regular for the Russian national side since his debut as an 18 year old yet his performances last season for CSKA have seen him emerge as the long-term successor to Arshavin’s role as the central force of the Russian national side.

His performance in the opening game against the Czech Republic was particularly impressive as he helped himself to a brace. Dzagoev likes to play behind the striker but has also been deployed on the wing by Russia. Despite Russia being knocked out in the group stages Dzagoev left the tournament averaging a goal per game.

His eye for a pass is as good as his eye for a goal and he would be a valuable asset for a number of Premier League clubs. Tottenham could use him as an alternative to van der Vaart playing in the hole as he offers slightly more pace and agility. Alternatively he could be a useful purchase for Arsenal looking to replace Arshavin or even as an extra creative force up front for Liverpool as they look to reduce the burden currently placed on Luis Suarez.

Mathieu Debuchy – France and Lille

Deputising for the injured Bacary Sagna, Debuchy has wasted no time in raising his profile with a number of impressive performances. Defensively solid, Debuchy’s real talents lie in his attacking flair. In particular his performance against England was hugely impressive and he succeeded in giving Ashley Cole the kind of nervy game that few wingers can do, let alone opposing full backs

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of Abramovich’s time at Chelsea is that they have never really settled on a consistent right back. Newcastle may be the first club to have announced their interest yet with only Ivanovic as a reliable option in that position Chelsea could do a lot worse than the 26 year old, especially considering that he has a reported release clause of under £7m.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Sweden and AC Milan

What can you say about Zlatan that hasn’t already been said? Enigmatic – yes, petulant – sometimes, entertaining – always. The big man might be the wrong side of thirty but at the Euros he has proved he still has what it takes to push any defence to the limit. Even at a tournament when he wasn’t firing on all cylinders he still played well and scored two goals, one of which was a definite contender for goal of the tournament.

The myth that Ibrahimovic is ineffective against English sides is as boring and overused as it is false. In his most recent meeting with an English side in the Champions League he inspired AC Milan to a 4-0 drubbing of Arsenal at the San Siro and two years before that he scored to brilliant goals in London. Against England too he played an instrumental role in what was a close fought game between Sweden and us.

Ibrahimovic is perfectly built for the Premier League, and as demonstrated when he embarrassed John Terry in the recent Group D game, he still has a few years left at his current level. With Berbatov looking less and less effective at Man Utd the giant Swede could be the perfect signing to bring some flair and variety in to United’s attack.

Mats Hummels – Germany and Dortmund

In the build up to the European Championships I spent time watching Germany’s warm up games. Despite looking impressive you’d have had to say that if they had one weakness it was Per Mertesacker. The giant Arsenal centre back may be a decent player but he is vulnerable to pace and is poor in possession. The same cannot be said for Hummels who has been a revelation for the would-be kings of Europe.

Hummels has displayed his class in almost every area on the pitch. Strong in the air, an excellent tackler and assured in possession he has brought a stability to the German central defence that always seemed slightly wobbly with Mertesacker at the back.

With Arsenal’s defence still weak and Man Utd considering the prospect of an ever aging partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic, Hummels could be in high demand amongst the premier league’s top clubs.

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Daniele De Rossi – Italy and Roma

De Rossi may have just spent the last year contemplating a new contract in the Italian capital, which he signed, but he hasn’t given up hope of one day playing in England. De Rossi has had a magnificent tournament so far excelling in both central midfield and as a makeshift centre half where, despite his size, he comfortably held his own against Spain in the opening group game.

De Rossi has the rare gift of being a defensive midfielder whose distribution is as astute as his defending. With the tackling of Mascherano and passing akin to that of Pirlo’s, although perhaps not quite as good as either individually, De Rossi is the midfielder Gareth Barry wishes he was. And, with De Rossi’s desperately unsubtle hints about England directed in Man City’s direction on’t be surprised to hear more of Daniele in the near future.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Barcelona continued their build-up to the new season with victory over Brazilian side Internacional at the Audi Cup.The match was part of a four-team tournament also featuring Milan and hosts Bayern Munich.

Barcelona were largely under strength, but did include the likes of Victor Valdes, Seydou Keita, Maxwell and Andres Iniesta.

They took the lead after 15 minutes when Thiago Alcantara finished off a swift passing move.

Internacional, the 2010 Copa Libertadores winners, levelled 10 minutes after the break.

Nei finished well after Leandro Damiao’s effort was deflected into his path.

Barcelona were ahead again seven minutes later though, Jonathan Dos Santos took advantage of some poor defending.

Damiao, who has been linked with both Barcelona and Spurs, did find the net five minutes before full-time, heading in after poor goalkeeping from Jose Manuel Pinto.

The match went to penalties, Barcelona prevailing 4-2 after Damiao ballooned his effort.

Pep Guardiola’s side will now play the winner of Bayern Munich’s match with Milan.

It is often quite difficult to define a manager in terms of the tactics, players and shape that they like to go with, as things often change to combat your next opponents, but one noticeable trait of Roberto Mancini’s during his time at Man City thus far has been his defensive attitude which not only stifles some of the clubs creative talents, but fails to get the best out of some of their most expensive acquisitions, namely in this case, £26m summer signing James Milner.

Milner, the swashbuckling try hard, a player that is both dynamic and versatile, has disappointed somewhat since his long drawn out move from former employers Aston Villa to Man City this summer that went some way to signalling the departure of Martin O’Neill from Villa Park.

Last season was a breakout season for the England international, establishing himself as Capello’s ‘go to’ man whenever a position needed filling in the national side, it was his deployment in central midfield that sparked such fine form that prompted moneybags City to move for him.

He scored 7 league goals and delivered an impressive 12 assists from his position just ahead of Stiliyan Petrov in the middle of the park last term, which it makes it all the more strange that despite such perseverance in pursuing his signature based on this form, Mancini has reverted to playing back Milner on the wing.

Of course, £26m (£18m in fact, with £8m value Stephen Ireland being exchanged in the opposite direction) was always way too much for a player that seems to lack the pace to truly trouble the best, but such is the way with the market being inflated for English talent, that a premium is put on such players simply due to the nature of their passports, coupled with the fact that every man and his dog knows that City have money to boot. Yet Milner, by his standards anyway, has been inconsistent this term and for this I don’t blame the player, but his current manager’s tactics.

Man City still very much have the look about them of a team of fine individuals as opposed to a fully functioning outfit, so much so that it prompted England international (still feels slightly odd calling him that) Kevin Davies to say as much via his Twitter feed after Saturday’s lacklustre defeat to City away from home. But it’s in Mancini’s inherent cautiousness that Man City have found their biggest achilles heel to date.

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Quite why, with the likes of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and to a lesser extent Adam Johnson and James Milner within their ranks and at his disposal, Mancini feels the need to persist with three recognised holding midfielders in their starting eleven is beyond me.

Gareth Barry’s slump has turned into the norm and he can no longer be expected to look anything other than pedestrian. Nigel De Jong, while a dirty bugger, is certainly one of the best enforcers around, so his position shouldn‘t be under any threat. Whereas Yaya Toure, despite a lovely pass to set up the only goal for Carlos Tevez at the weekend, looks lost at times in an unfamiliarly attacking role.

Toure is used to playing a full 15 yards further back, a role he’s played throughout most of his career, and while technically he is sound, he looks too cumbersome to provide the spark Mancini is looking for on a consistent enough basis and so the link between midfield and attack is often a stunted one, and the over-reliance on Carlos Tevez has become plain for all to see.

A simple remedy to this would be to abandon some of the shackles that seem to be holding this Man City side back and deploy Milner back into the heart of midfield to add a further attacking dimension to their play through the middle. To an extent, Milner may be tired from his excursions playing for his country in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, as the fatigue that dogs so many after an international tournament seems to have reared it’s ugly head again this time around with many of the league’s elite that played that travelled to Africa this summer failing to sparkle, but I think in the main, it has to do with his role in the side.

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This Man City side, at the moment, do not look like capable of challenging for the title, which sounds ludicrous given the amount of money they’ve spent, and it’s not down to so-called in-fighting or the strength of other sides, for this is the most open title race (not quite sure if it qualifies as one after 16 games yet, but hey ho) in recent memory and the league really is there for the taking this year with every other side possessing such obvious flaws.

The fact of the matter is that Milner, while adept at playing out wide, is not a £26m winger, or even an £18m winger depending on how you approach the value of Milner/Ireland deal. He simply can’t beat his man enough on a regular basis and while his delivery can at times be fantastic, to the tune of 4 assists so far this term, he is so much more when giving the license to tear around in the middle of midfield.

The form that prompted Mancini to part with so much of City’s hard earned came from the centre and that’s where he should be restored, otherwise Tevez will continue to be cut an isolated and frustrated figure and Milner will remain a casualty of Mancini’s meddling.

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