Garrido goes

Sad news this morning: Javi Garrido has left Manchester City to join Lazio. As the fourth best left-back at the club (I'm counting Zabaleta) chances this year were always going to be limited. And so he goes to replace Aleksandar Kolarov in a league that will suit him well.

I think that is the point with Garrido. As much as I loved him he was so incongruous in the Premier League. In that sense he was as paradigm a Sven-Göran Eriksson purchase as Elano or Vedran Ćorluka: technically excellent and tactically astute but with none of the pace or strength that are a prerequisite to success in England. I suppose Eriksson ought to bear blame for buying players so inappropriate to our needs, but the results were so thrilling for a month or so that I can't bring myself to point fingers.

After a tidy start at City, it was the popping of the Eriksson illusion at Stamford Bridge that revealed his flaws. He spent the next fifteen months alternating duties with Michael Ball before Wayne Bridge arrived but it was always the same. He could clearly play - you don't turn out for Spain U-21s if you can't - but he was weak in the air, slow on the turn and feeble in the tackle. Just look at the brave, relentless running of an Ashley Cole or Patrice Evra - they play a different sport. But his crossing was better than any full-back at the club. And he never, ever complained about losing his place, whether to Ball, Bridge, Zabaleta or Sylvinho. He kept working hard and played as well as he could when called upon. We can say with certainty that he was the finest Basque left-back since Bixente Lizarazu.

And he has left us with two perfect memories. It is no surprise, really, that his finest moments came from dead ball situations, when he could act without the fetter of opposition, when he could relax, breathe, and paint his own piece. The first free-kick was against Liverpool at Eastlands, in October 2008, curled into the top corner to put us 2-0 up in a game we later blew.

The second was even better. Where better for Roberto Mancini's second game in charge than the freezing December night at Molineux; the easily-used rhetorical device made real. Carlos Tévez put us ahead but it was Garrido - a second half substitute - who won it for us. He swung his free-kick around the wall, dropping it just inside Marcus Hahnemann's near post. Tévez later made it 3-0. It remains one of my favourite games under Mancini to date and Garrido made it possible.

He goes to a league where he will get more time on the ball, to produce more of those special moments of his. It plays more to his skill-set - he should excel there and I am sure he will. I'm also pleased he's gone to Lazio. I know you're not meant to be but I've always been quite sympathetic to them. I suppose that's because I endorse the historical memory of Benito Mussolini they're a bitter, jealous second club that play in sky blue. Then we've got the Sven, Ousmane Dabo and Kolarov connections. Rolando Bianchi and Bernardo Corradi both played there.

It goes without saying I'll be keeping an eye or two on Garrido's progress at Lazio, and will be updating where relevant. If he meets Bianchi's Torino in the Coppa Italia I will be seriously compromised.

Javi Garrido. MCFC 2007-2010. 50 starts, 2 goals.

Javi reaches fifty starts

Our greatest ever Basque player has now started fifty games for City and is pleased:

“I always try to do my best and like everyone else at the club, I’d love to play every week, but the fact is we have some great players here and any number who can play at left-back,” he said.

“I train hard and when the manager needs me, I’m always ready. It was really nice to make my 50^th start in a game where we played so well as a team.

“We are in a great position and there is a fantastic spirit within the squad. We have a tough run-in, but we have plenty of confidence and are in great shape to end the season on a real high.”

I would do a 'Garrido's five greatest MCFC moments' but I wouldn't get any further than the free-kick against Liverpool and the free-kick against Wolves. He does have nice things to say about our forwards, too:

“We have so much quality up front that I really enjoy playing behind our front four,” said the Spaniard.

“As a defender, the best thing for me is that they don’t only attack – they defend, too, which is very important for us as a team. Ade and Tevez defend from the front and never give the opposition a moment’s peace and that sets the tone for us...

“Bellamy is more direct in his style while Johnson likes to cut inside more, but they are both very skilful, quick and have a lot of quality on the ball... Shaun Wright-Phillips is another very skilful, hard-working player I enjoy working with."

Garrido set to start?

I thought Pablo Zabaleta would move across to left back, but the placing of a big Javi Garrido interview on the official site hints that it might not be. It's between one of those two, I think: Mancini won't want to move Barry or Lescott, and Sylvinho's lack of pace makes him a candidate for midfield only.

Picking between Zabaleta and Garrido is tough. Zabaleta has performed better in midfield this season than he has in defence, and so recent performances from him aren't necessarily a sign that he ought to step in to Wayne Bridge's shoes. He's not guaranteed to start in the middle on Sunday, due to Patrick Vieira and Stephen Ireland, but it's possible. But on the other hand, Javi Garrido is a fairly limited player - slow, fairly weak, doesn't win headers or tackles etc etc. He's an irrational favourite of mine, yes, but he's been struggling to adjust to the Premier League for almost three years now.

Bridge out for a month

Disappointing injury news this evening: Wayne Bridge requires a shoulder hernia operation and will be out for a month. He'd found a bit of form since coming back from his knee ligament injury, and we need him for a crucial run of games in our sights.

None of the alternatives really demand inclusion. We know that Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott can play there but as two of the pillars of the side I doubt they'll be moved. So it's between the two specialists - Javi Garrido and Sylvinho - and Pablo Zabaleta. Garrido is probably the man in possession, having played there during the winter when Bridge was injured. My hunch is he will go for Zabaleta, who is slightly more reliable, now that Patrick Vieira is available in midfield. Micah Richards will continue at right back.

The Eriksson revival, ii

Mancini - protégé of Eriksson - has brought back two of SGE's buys into the City side - Martin Petrov and Javi Garrido.

This is good, but it's also important. Because on Saturday we return to the Riverside, which hosted our shameful 8-1 defeat in May 2008. Garrido and Petrov both started that game, and if they play this weekend then they have a good opportunity to atone for it.

Bridge goes on the defensive

After Alan Hansen's Match of the Day demolition job:

He said: "I didn't watch Match of the Day that night but it's not going to hurt or bother anyone. I didn't need to watch it to realise I played badly that day.

"Alan Hansen said a few things but I'm not going to cry about it.

"I've come in since and trained hard. Since then I feel I've done well defensively and attacked as much as I could.

The shame with that Burnley horrorshow is that it has distracted people from the fact that Wayne Bridge has had a pretty good season to date. Calm and reliable in defence, and more incisive than people realise going forward - he's certainly a huge improvement on those that have gone before. And so I do feel sorry for him that there has been such attention on what was a very anomalous performance.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see who plays in his place for the next few weeks. I think the most likely scenario is Sylvinho, although he may just use Gareth Barry there as a means to partner Nigel de Jong and Stephen Ireland in central midfield. One other option is Joleon Lescott with either Vincent Kompany or Nedum Onuoha alongside the captain at centre half, but I think Hughes would be loathe to break up what is an increasingly functional partnership. And I'm not sure Javi Garrido has recovered from his shameful Stretford End coining is up to it either.

Bridge injured

Forgot to include this below: Wayne Bridge hobbled off with a thigh strain this evening. If he can't make it on Sunday we may see a City debut for Sylvinho, presuming he's fit. Failing that it's Stretford End coin-assault victim Javi Garrido. I think Zabaleta's a better left back than Garrido - certainly in this sort of game - but he's also struggling for fitness.

Or how about Lescott at left back and a first start of the season for Vincent Kompany?

Or even Gareth Barry at left back and Ireland and de Jong in midfield?

We are literally awash with options.

McGivern joins Leicester

From the Leicester City site:

Nigel Pearson has bolstered his Leicester City squad with the loan signing of Ryan McGivern from Manchester City.

The 19 year old left-back joins the Foxes until January from the Premier League side and City are waiting to hear back from the Premier League for Ryan to receive clearance to play in Monday night's clash against Newcastle United, at St. James' Park.

Unlike most of our loaned-out players, there might just be a future at City for McGivern. With Sylvinho on a one-year deal and Javi Garrido on his way out a good year for McGivern could well see him become our first choice back up left back in 2010/11.

More departures?

Two more of the remaining Eriksson signings are set to leave City, according to Ian Herbert in The Independent. Felipe Caicedo is linked with a loan move to Sporting Lisbon, and Javi Garrido with a transfer to Racing Santander.

Both of these sound very plausible.

McGivern moved up pecking order?

From mcfc.co.uk

Full-back Ryan, who has signed a new three-year deal at the City of Manchester Stadium, was a target for Hartlepool but is needed by Mark Hughes for the Premier League run-in in case Wayne Bridge is ruled out by injury...

Hughes said: "Ryan is progressing really well and I'm delighted we've signed him. The initial idea was that he would go on loan before the end of the season or we'd possibly get him out there next year.

"But it's better now to keep him closer to the first-team squad until the end of the season and see how he does. There may be more of an opportunity for him than he thinks, because he's a promising player who's doing really well. Next year we'll be looking to get him a decent loan period with a good club, but for now we'll keep him close."

Does this mean that he is close to taking Javier Garrido's place as understudy to Wayne Bridge? He has just signed a new three year contract, so he can't be too far from Hughes' plans. And Javi Garrido is rumoured to out in the summer; Bridge was injured against Sunderland and Zabaleta played there instead. May we even see McGivern in the first team before the season is out?