Robinho on way back

Hughes says that we should get him some time in November:

"There is a possibility that Robi will be on the bench for Scunthorpe, but it might be a bit soon and I don't like to throw players in before they've had games in training or in the reserves.

"We had to throw Vinnie Kompany in because of the circumstances but ideally he'd have had more time, and with the options we've got we can afford to give Robi some more time."

His main problem will be unseating Craig Bellamy from the left wing position. And the Welshman is on the way back from an injury of his own:

He said: "He's been working with the physios and he's done OK, he'll be back in training with the group on Friday with a view to him being available for selection at the weekend."

The competition between those two will be one of the fascinating stories of the Autumn. This is how I think it will go down.

Balague: No Robinho offer

News from the Spanish transfer oracle - FC Barcelona are not ready to make an offer for Robinho this January:

However, contrary to reports, we can reveal that FC Barcelona have made no contact with Manchester City since the summer regarding a move for Robinho.

The Premier league club have no intention of selling their star player and Barcelona do not have sufficient funds to even consider making a large enough bid that might give City reason to reconsider. Furthermore, the Spanish champions are taking the prospect of Mark Hughes` club becoming a major European player seriously - and are eager to treat City with respect - which is why they have not even considered approaching them over a loan move for a player whom they know City have no desire to sell. (Emphasis Balague's)

Balague has very good sources at Barça and so if he says this then it could well be true. This could all change, though, when Robinho gets fit and finds himself on the bench behind Craig Bellamy or even Martin Petrov as well. The current situation is very much subject to change.

My sense is this: Mark Hughes does not necessarily want to lose Robinho, given the quality he can provide and the different option to Bellamy and Petrov. But: he does not see him as a guaranteed starter and is quite comfortable with picking Bellamy ahead of him. So if Robinho does kick up a fuss and demand a move - and if it looks like disrupting the dressing room at a crucial point of the season - Hughes will allow him to move, and won't let it ruin his Christmas.

More on Tardelli

The Diego Tardelli rumour has got a boost over the last few days, thanks to Martin Samuel's decision to devote almost the first half of his 2,000 words to City's alleged pursuit of the Atlético Mineiro man on Monday. Samuel used the article to contrast Tardelli with Robinho, making the point that City were a step down for Robinho when he left Real Madrid - hence his attitude problems in blue - while it would be a step up for Tardelli:

Hughes may feel City do not need another striker, even if Robinho leaves in January. If he is interested in Tardelli he will no doubt have seen more than one game, and it may have been a poorer performance than he turned in against Sao Paulo. Yet whether Tardelli is the man is immaterial; he is the sort of man that Manchester City should be targeting, because to come to the club would be better than playing in deserted stadia in an inferior league.

It's an interesting point - it's certainly worth reading the whole thing. Martin Samuel writes very interestingly about City, largely thanks to the fact that he's not in the knee-jerk 'money ruins football' party. I'm still not convinced that Tardelli is a genuine target, because he is so at odds with what Mark Hughes looks for in a player. He has twice come to Europe - loan spells at PSV Eindhoven and Real Betis - and twice failed, and twice returned to his comfort zone in the Brazilian league.

The peerless Pitaco do gringo blog has also written about Tardelli, saying that he could well emulate Luís Fabiano:

Comparisons can be made between the two [Tardelli and Fabiano]. Both picked up a reputation for petulance – especially whilst playing for São Paulo – and both got more than their fair share of yellow and red cards. Tardelli’s spells in Europe have not been that impressive. But neither was Fabiano’s stint at Rennes were he appeared 11 times and failed to score. When he returned to Brazil, Fabiano started banging in the goals (62 in 84 games to be exact). After three seasons, he made the move to Porto and has not looked back since. Tardelli has put away 35 goals so far this year. Admittedly, the majority of those have come in some iffy competitions such as the Campeonato Mineiro and Copa do Brasil. But 15 in the Brasileiro is not a bad haul for a 24-year-old.

If Pitaco do gringo says that Tardelli can be the next Fabiano then that's pretty high praise. Fabiano's record at club level is very good (49 in 107 in La Liga), but I'm quite sure that he is the most effective striker in international football at the moment. Not only does he do the Emile Heskey job so well, allowing Kaká, Robinho, Elano to play, but he also scores goals: nine in the qualifiers (the second most in CONMEBOL) as well as winning the golden boot with five at the recent Confederations Cup. When Adebayor throws a strop and leaves I can't think of a better replacement than this guy.

So if Tardelli is going to be that good maybe he is worth a second look.

Zabaleta linked with Juve

News coming out of the Italian press today:

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Secco has a list of players, almost all foreign, who can help the Bianconeri in that area.

Zabaleta is Juventus’ No 1 target as he is just 24 and holds a dual passport meaning he wouldn’t fall into the non-EU category.

This all hinges on whether Hughes decides to upgrade at right back in January. There have been reports suggesting that he will. I am certainly quite sceptical as to whether we can seriously improve this position in a winter transfer window. It's not like Maicon is going to be willing to jump ship with Serie A and the Champions' League still up for grabs - even more so given that his position in the Brazil team is under some pressure from Dani Alves.

And if we don't get Maicon - the best there is - then there's not much point in paying well over the odds for a right back who will not massively improve the team. I'm not saying that Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Phillip Lahm etc aren't better than Zabaleta, but that marginal improvements in the first team are not worth their costs in terms of the transfer fee, the disruption to the team, bedding someone in mid-season and so forth.

Anyway, I love Zabaleta and don't want to see him go, even if his conduct yesterday was rather mindless.

Kompany signs new deal

Very good news from the club today: Vincent Kompany has signed a new five year deal, committing him to City until 2014. Mark Hughes said of his second signing at City (I don't count that £19million monstrosity as one of Sparky's):

"Vincent is a model professional who has proved his worth time and time again in a variety of positions. He adapted very quickly to the Premier League and is a great asset to the team."

“He has been desperate to get back into action and in fact we have had to hold him back a little since his operation in the summer such was his desire to return to action.

“But that is the kind of lad that he is. He is still only 23-years-old but is so mature in his outlook; that is why I made him captain last season on occasions. He wants to improve, he is ambitious and he is desperate for success. He was one of our most reliable performers last season and it is great that we have been able to secure his services for the next five years. It is another sign of our commitment to young talent. Vincent is a big part of our future.”

This is great news: I love Kompany. He was one of our best players last season until his toe injury spoilt the second half of his season. I think that if he'd been fit to return to the Nordbank Arena we would not have lost 3-1 and could well have reached the semi-final. Not that it matters anymore.

It's also good news in the sense that he is willing to stay and fight for his place in the side. With Barcelona sniffing about (Yaya and Keita have African Nations Cup in January, leaving them with just three central midfielders) he could easily have left the club in a strop as Martin Petrov tried to do on deadline day. It is certainly going to be difficult given the quality of our squad. But with his ability to play centre back or holding midfield, and to do both with real ability and grace he should get a few games this season. He is one of the many players - like Roque Santa Cruz, Nedum Onuoha, Sylvinho, Martin Petrov, even Robinho - who, if we were in Europe, would start enough games this season to satisfy them. (Check out how many players at United started more than ten games in all competitions last year.) The key for Hughes is to convince them to sit tight this year, not expect to play every week, in the understanding that they will all have greater roles next season. In this case he's clearly succeeded.

Wigan reax

Sam Wallace, The Independent

Mark Hughes' team racked up their eighth away point of the season at this outpost of north-west football, which gives them a total only three short of the amount they earned for the whole of last season. They saw out the draw with only 10 men after Pablo Zabaleta's dismissal. They are one point off the Champions League places. And yet with City's lofty ambitions this might count as a disappointment.

This game made it two points from the last three games for City, not quite the run Hughes will have envisaged but there are good reasons for all those results: a last-minute defeat to Manchester United in controversial circumstances, a hard-fought draw at Villa Park before the international break and yesterday's draw playing with 10 men for 25 minutes. Even so, there can be no mistakes against Fulham at home on Sunday.

Daniel Taylor, The Guardian

It is a measure of Manchester City's new ambitions that they will have been disappointed not to have completed a second-half recovery, even having had to play the last 25 minutes with only 10 men. Pablo Zabaleta's second yellow card will cost him a one-match suspension but, of more immediacy, it significantly damaged their hopes of concocting a winning goal.

Oliver Kay, The Times

Hughes did not whine excessively about the sending-off or about a “nailed-on” penalty appeal that was rejected late on when Wright-Phillips felt he was tripped by Maynor Figueroa. He seemed to accept that, with numerous players missing through injury and others jaded after their exertions on international duty, this represented a decent result, one that seemed to confirm their ability to challenge towards the top end of the Barclays Premier League. Certainly, as Hughes talked afterwards of his belief that City and other clubs — presumably Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur — were threatening the “feeling of invincibility” among the established elite, it was hard not to share his confidence.

8 in 10

Rolando Bianchi continues to dominate Serie B: he scored a heroic late winner for Torino on Saturday, as they won 2-1 at Ascoli.

In Serie A, fellow Eriksson signing Valeri Bozhinov scored the only goal in Parma's 1-0 win over Siena.

Johnson's return

Talking in the Sunday Mirror today:

“A muscle in my abdomen would keep popping every time I thought I was getting back to full fitness, but that stopped after the injections.

“I’m probably still another few months away from getting back into the physical shape I was in before the injury.

“I reckon it will be another eight or 10 games before I’ll really be knocking on the door of the first team.”

This can only be good news. I don't see him getting in ahead of Gareth Barry or Nigel de Jong but he could certainly surprise us, as Stephen Ireland did last year.

Wigan player ratings

Given A few crucial saves including one from close range in the last few minutes which kept us in the hunt. Not at fault for the goal. 7

Zabaleta Silly red card cost us a decent shot at a win. Yes, the first yellow card was harsh but he should not be making the sort of challenges for which he got his second while on a booking. 4

Richards Drafted in for his first game at centre back for almost a year (can anyone clarify this?) he did ok but did lose a challenge in the build up to N'Zogbia's goal. Moved to right back for the last twenty minutes - will have a chance to win this place back next week. 6

Lescott Perhaps his best game for City: he was genuinely dominant in his defending and had a touch of class on the ball too. We must hope that this is the start of something. 7

Bridge Not one of his better games, he looked rather hesitant in attack and defence. May still be suffering from his groin strain picked up on international duty. 5

SWP Looks to be in one of his form dips at the moment. Had one or two good flashes but did not really stretch Wigan too often. Could have won a penalty perhaps. 6

de Jong Another tigerish performance from the man whose warrior spirit is so important to our newfound strength. Showed Zabaleta how to tackle like an animal without getting carded. 7

Barry Exceptional in the first half with his vision and passing. Won a crucial freekick in our own area at 0-0. Faded a bit after the break but his experience was important to us late on. Ireland cannot be very confident of breaking back into central midfield. 7

Petrov What a luxury to have this man as third choice left winger! He did not look 100% fit today - he was unusually reticent about running at defenders - but his passing was pretty good and he took his goal very well. 7

Tévez His best game for City. Drifting into the space between the midfield and Adebayor his work rate and link up play were excellent, including the run and pass for Petrov's goal. He's not going to score twenty goals this season but his contribution should not be underestimated. 8

Adebayor Looked off the pace - he struggled to see much of the ball and when in possession was not particularly threatening. 5

Subs:

Kompany Came on for his first appearance of the season at centre back and looked good. Pleased to see him back. 6

RSC, Ireland Got a few minutes late on, with little impact.

Wigan 1 - 1 City

• I've said this a few times before: our success this season will be determined by our performance on the battlefields of the bottom half. It was the standout failure of last season: losses at Wigan, Stoke, Bolton, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Brom, draws at Blackburn, Hull and Newcastle and a solitary win at Sunderland. Six points from a possible thirty. And in that context today's point was good: we've now got seven from a possible nine and remain unbeaten in these games.

• It was a good point in other ways too. To come from behind to draw is almost always good, to hang on to a point with ten men likewise. And Wigan aren't a terrible side either: they've beaten Chelsea already this season and won at Villa Park. Just ask yourself this: would previous City teams - and I don't just mean Pearce and Eriksson sides but even last season's - have come back and dug in for a point? Would they have maintained that point having gone down to ten men? Of course I want us to win every game: but today was proof that we are moving in the right direction.

• And the performance was quite good. I thought that we were the better side in the first half and that we looked good for the win after Martin Petrov's equaliser. Obviously when down to ten men we looked less threatening but we defended well and still had one or two good attacking moves. We still have a lot of improving left to do - in attack and defence - but given first team absences and other things I have already covered we did well.

• One issue that stands out is how Stephen Ireland gets back into the team. With Hughes' clear preference for a cavalier 4-4-2 with two wingers, the two central midfielders have to bear a serious weight. And a Barry/de Jong pairing is much more able to bear that weight than Barry/Ireland. Ireland came on today and played on the right. That may be the best position for him in the current system.

• It's testament to our big new squad that we put out such a strong eighteen today despite key injuries to Robinho, Craig Bellamy, Kolo Touré (and Nedum Onuoha who would presumably have started alongside Lescott). Our bench today was magnificent. For this fixture last year we had a bench of Kasper Schmeichel, Michael Ball, Tal Ben Haim, Dietmar Hamann, Gelson Fernandes, Danny Sturridge and Ched Evans.