All the news, views and transfer rumours from the Etihad this weekend…
Manchester City won 2-0 against Hull City on Saturday, but in so doing proved there is still some work to be done before the Blues become silky slayers of their Premier League rivals.
For now, they will make do with three points, courtesy of second-half goals from Alvaro Negredo and Yaya Toure.
The Ivorian midfielder’s wonderful late free-kick was the icing on a less-than-sumptuous cake, as Steve Bruce’s Hull side created the better chances in the first half, and had a fair crack in the second half, too.
But in the end City’s quality told, as Negredo staked another claim for a starting birth and Toure proved why he is vital to this next stage in City’s evolution.
After the match, manager Manuel Pellegrini was happy with the points if not the performance.
“First of all, the most important (thing) is the points,” he said.
“I am concerned but 2-0 is a good score. The Premier League is tough.”
He will be grateful to have overcome a tricky hurdle following last weekend’s shock defeat against Cardiff City. Edin Dzeko, on the other hand, may wonder if he will still have his starting spot come the visit to Stoke City.
In transfer news, Sky Sports has reported that defender Martin Demichelis had a medical earlier today, prior to his move to the Etihad.
The 32-year-old knows Pellegrini well from his time at Malaga, and looks set to join City from Atletico Madrid for around £4million.
It is a good piece of business by the Spanish side, who signed the Argentinian on a free transfer earlier this summer.
And finally, former City player Mario Balotelli is hoping to be reunited with his old teammates in this season’s Champions League.
Talking to the Sunday Mirror, the AC Milan striker said, “It is a dream to play against Manchester City in Europe.
“There is never an easy group, but it is a much better group for City than they have had for the last two seasons and I expect them to qualify.”
Should they do so, that reunion could be on the cards.
image: © geetarchurchy
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