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The Times
"Manchester City win, but soft centre is exposed"
Almost 12 months after his England team’s hopes of qualifying for the European Championship finals were dashed by a 3-2 defeat by Croatia at Wembley, Steve McClaren watched with a certain sense of irony as Twente went down by the same scoreline to Manchester City last night.
While McClaren failed to extract the best out of a supposed golden generation of English players, however, the former England head coach appears to have got a far more limited group punching above their weight at his new club, and City were thankful to escape with all three points in their opening Uefa Cup group A game.
This may ultimately have proven another fruitless homecoming for McClaren, whose dismay at losing was compounded by the ridicule that he was subjected to from an unforgiving City support, but it was Mark Hughes who was probably left with more to chew over after a performance that embodied all that is good, bad and downright ugly about his team.
As an attacking force, City were magnificent, with Robinho shaking off his first-half inertia to inspire his team to victory during the second period. In defence, however, they were ramshackle, and had it not been for a couple of abysmal misses from Stein Huysegems in the closing stages, McClaren might have been savouring a memorable victory. As it was, he left England for the second time this season with nothing — Twente having lost 4-0 at Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie in August.
A first-half substitute, Huysegems squandered two gilt-edged opportunities late in the game after City’s defence had erred for the umpteenth time, first shooting wide from close range and then blazing over the bar from ten yards when it seemed easier to score.
“We’re very disappointed with the result, we felt we should have got something and maybe with some more belief we would have done,” McClaren said. “For me, it was a missed opportunity.” Hughes could point to the fact that Robinho twice shot against the same post in the final 15 minutes, but for all his team’s verve going forward, they remain an accident waiting to happen at the back, with Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Garrido, the full backs, unconvincing and Micah Richards looking a shadow of the player who was being trumpeted as England’s most promising defender since Bobby Moore not too long ago.
City were 3-1 up after 62 minutes and cruising. Then Twente pulled back a goal out of the blue, when Rob Wielaert was allowed far too much space by Richard Dunne to head home a corner, and suddenly it was game on. Zabaleta, in particular, was run ragged on the right and only Huysegems will know how he did not punish City.
In fairness, the City defence were routinely left exposed by a front five only too happy to bomb forward, yet not enamoured about tracking back and, in the absence of the injured Vincent Kompany, City always looked susceptible on the counter-attack.
Gelson Fernandes did his best as City’s midfield anchor but even Claude Makelele at his peak might have struggled with so little support.
“There’s always the danger when you’re attack-minded like we are,” Hughes said. “There has to be a reality check on occasions, when you have to see games out more easily than we are at the moment.”
It is a double-edged sword in so many respects. City are breathtaking going forward and seem to have no problem finding the net, but they are just as likely to ship goals as they are score them. And so it proved.
Shaun Wright-Phillips’s fifth goal of the season put them in front after only two minutes, the England winger exchanging a clever one-two with Jô before firing into the far corner, but Twente were soon level thanks to some haphazard defending.
Eljero Elia nicked the ball away from Zabaleta as the City right back led with his head, but with the Twente striker just over the halfway line, there should have been no immediate danger. Instead, Elia was allowed to run 50 yards unchecked between Richards and Dunne, both of whom were caught flat-footed, and to shoot across Joe Hart from just inside the penalty area.
City started the second period with the same gusto and purpose with which they had begun the first. Robinho suddenly discovered himself, cutting inside Ronnie Stam to launch a swerving drive into the corner from the edge of the penalty area and then releasing Benjani Mwaruwari, on as a substitute for Jô, to score, albeit courtesy of a deflection off Douglas.
This was Benjani’s first appearance of the season and the goal, as fortuitous as it may have been, was gratefully received, especially as City almost proceeded to throw it away after that.
The Independent
"Robinho back in Chelsea's sights"
Chelsea are considering whether to renew their interest in Robinho despite the Brazilian's record £32.5m move to Manchester City at the end of August. The club are examining the attacking options available to manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, with a realisation that it is an area of the squad that is vulnerable, and are still smarting over their failure to sign the 24-year-old striker during the summer.
The collapse of the move led to an acrimonious fall-out between the club's owner Roman Abramovich – who was furious having been led to believe the move would go through – and various agents and representatives involved in the deal. It also contributed to Robinho's decision to part with his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, who represented him for six years, and who, The Independent revealed in September, received £4.2m in commission for the transfer.
Robinho is now being looked after by his father, Gilvan de Souza, although there is no shortage of other agents wanting to involve themselves in the player's future and affairs.
There are major stumbling blocks to any potential deal, not least whether City, and their new owners Abu Dhabi United Group, would contemplate selling a player who is, at present, their star asset. Also any move for Robinho may have to wait until next summer, rather than the January transfer window, because of Article 5.2 of the Fifa rules on player registration which limits a player to one transfer per season.
There are various means to contest or appeal against this rule – as happened with Javier Mascherano's move from West Ham United to Liverpool – but they usually involve a player who has moved between continents, when seasons run at different time periods, or who is being prevented from playing. These factors do not apply in the case of Robinho.
Scolari, however, remains a strong admirer of the player who he regarded as vital to his plans this season. He was frustrated by the failure to sign Robinho although the blame has been pinned on agents rather than the player. Chelsea believed they had struck a deal for Robinho to arrive for £30m from Real Madrid – with the Spanish club resigned to selling – before City's dramatic intervention. Crucially, it is felt, the agent's cut of the transfer was significantly higher, more than £1m more, under the City deal.
Chelsea, and Scolari in particular, have continued to monitor Robinho's progress at City where he has scored six goals in eight League games, including a hat-trick against Stoke, although away from home he has been a less influential performer as his team has stuttered and supporters remain to be convinced. It is also felt by some of those close to Robinho that he is still a little shell-shocked by the astonishing collapse of his move to Chelsea and then his whirlwind transfer to City. He has been a restless player in the past, of course, and was regarded, while at Real Madrid, as being something of a prima donna.
If Chelsea receive any encouragement, from Robinho or from City, they may well pursue a deal and part of the discussions will be whether to include a player, such as Nicolas Anelka, a former City striker. Anelka has been Chelsea's main striker this season, with Didier Drogba injured and still returning to fitness, although he has failed to convince.
Blues prepared for UEFA Cup challengeThe Daily Mirror kick us off with a preview for tonight's game...
'Manchester City's Brazilian stars must add steel to style says Mark Hughes'
UEFA CUP MAN C v FC TWENTE GROUP A, TONIGHT KICK-OFF 7.45PM
The Manchester City boss feels Robinho, Elano and Jo need to work harder to help smooth out the Blues' erratic form.
City are nine points worse off than they were at this point last season, having lost six games, and Hughes feels his talented side must show more grit.
"When I talk to the team about fundamentals, they all apply irrespective of whether or not you're physically strong or technically gifted," said the City manager. "The players all have to run back, all have to chase people down and it doesn't matter if you're not very big or strong, you still have to do it.
"They have to understand in certain games against certain opposition, it won't be a technical game, it'll be a battle and they must be ready for that."
Hughes is trying to change the laidback mind-set of the squad he inherited from Sven Goran Eriksson and has underlined his work ethos by installing a new state-of-the-art gym at their Carrington training ground.
But he doesn't want Robinho pumping iron all day, adding: "It's a balance. You have to have the ability to be strong, you have to withstand challenges, stand up to tackles, you have to exploit situations where defenders maybe over-commit.
"The emphasis will always be on getting the ball down and playing good football, but at times you have to stand up and be counted.
"The more games they play, the more they understand what the Premier League is all about. We're a young side in years and in experience."
Steve McClaren's FC Twente should not pose City any of the problems Bolton's street-fighters did on Sunday and Hughes feels they are more like his side in style.
Hughes feels McClaren should be applauded for taking the plunge with the Dutch minnows following his exit from the England job almost a year ago, although he does expect he will receive some stick tonight at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Hughes said: "Possibly there will be some friendly banter.
"But Steve has moved on and so have the England team. He's plying his trade in a foreign country and he should be applauded for that."
McClaren admits he "wants shooting again" if he hasn't learnt from his England flop.
The Twente coach said: "If I'm not a stronger person and a better manager I want shooting again because I should be from all the lessons that were learnt."
Hughes has Jo, Benjani and Darius Vassell back following illness and injury respectively for City's opening UEFA Cup group game.
But City will be without Martin Petrov until after March while he has knee surgery. He was hurt playing for Bulgaria.
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaletta, Dunne, Ben Haim, Richards; Wright-Phillips, Kompany, Ireland, Elano; Jo, Robinho.
FC Twente: Boschker; Wielaert, Douglas, Heubach, Tiot, Perez, Stam, Brama, Denneboom, Nkufo, Elia.
The Mirror also reveal...
'Exclusive: Manchester City bid to buy Pompey's Lassana Diarra'
Manchester City are lining up a £10million January bid for Portsmouth's Lassana Diarra and are set to foil Harry Redknapp's attempts to re-sign the ace.
Highly-rated French midfielder Diarra, 23, was expected to link up again with former Pompey boss Redknapp at Spurs in the New Year.
The ex-Chelsea ace has been a revelation on the South Coast since swapping Arsenal for Fratton Park in January for £5.5m.
But Pompey need to cut costs and Diarra is keen to quit after being unsettled by Redknapp's move to White Hart Lane.
Tottenham were hot favourites until City, bankrolled by the Abu Dhabi royal family, dangled a huge £85,000-a-week offer towards Diarra's representatives.
Man City manager Mark Hughes is optimistic of landing him after pulling off the audacious signing of Brazilian superstar Robinho on £160,000-a-week.
For 10 facts about the Pompey player, click here >
And finally the Daily Mail tell us...
'Manchester City's reject Castillo joins up with Sven's Mexico squad to prepare for key World Cup qualifier'
Manchester City forward Nery Castillo is confident he is in good shape after arriving in Mexico ahead the national team's friendly against Ecuador next week.
The San Luis Potosi-born forward arrived yesterday in Mexico City before travelling to Guadalajara where he will train until the national team start their preparations for the Ecuador game on November 12 and the crucial final World Cup qualifier against their nearest rivals Honduras in San Pedro Sula seven days later.
Castillo has been unable to secure regular first-team football at City this season but he remains confident it will not affect his ability to perform for his country, who are managed by Sven Goran Eriksson.
'I think I don't need much more time to reach my best shape,' he said. 'I believe that when I play against Ecuador I will be fit.
'In England I have been playing in the second team, so I'm training and doing everything my team-mates do.'
Eriksson's side are top of Group B with 10 points from five games, followed by Honduras (nine points from five) and Jamaica (seven from five).
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