PRE-SEASON: Audi Cup 2013

Part three of in-depth look at City pre-season schedule

By Aaron Leggott

After their victory in the Barclays Asia Trophy last weekend, the Blues will be looking to go out and win their second piece of pre-season silverware in Munich over Wednesday and Thursday.

The Audi Cup, which takes place over the two days at the Allianz Arena, home of European Champions Bayern Munich, will see City come up against AC Milan,  São Paulo and of course Bayern Munich. 

It is City's and São Paulo's  first appearances in one of the biggest pre-season competition's in Europe, whilst Bayern and Milan have contested every Audi Cup to date.

Photo: Official MCFC Facebook

The competition takes the format of a knockout competition. The winners of the two semi-finals on Wednesday compete for the Audi Cup, whilst the losers face off for third place. 

City have been drawn to play AC Milan in the first semi-final, with the main story being the reunion of Nigel de Jong and Mario Balotelli to their former club. 

And with Bayern Munich taking on São Paulo in the other semi-final, it is expected that City fans will be hoping to see the team tested against the pinnacle of European football on Thursday. 

England: Progression or Regression?

By Aaron Leggott

After Sunday's quarter final defeat at the hands of Italy, something inside got me thinking about the past couple of years since the disastrous few weeks under Fabio Capello in Bloemfontein.

Before that World Cup, England were in great form under Capello. Losing just two friendlies, the Three Lions won their first eight qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, ensuring qualification with two games to spare.

Have things really improved since Germany humiliated us two years ago?
Photo: Tom Jenkins

EURO 2012: Group C Review

Italy grab a deserved point against Spain whilst Croatia dampen Irish hopes

Match day 1: By Jamie Hepburn

This was the second game in the Euros that featured two of the big teams, and unlike the dull game between Germany and Portugal, this game was exciting from the start. 

Both teams were set up in a strong and attacking manner, leading to an interesting spectacle. From the start Spain were keeping the ball, passing it around how they usually play, but this wasn’t working against an Italian defence which stood up to Spain and made it difficult throughout the game for them to make a clear chance. 

International Duty: How have our players done this weekend?

Well, I think it's quite apt to start with England, considering we had 6 players picked for the squad for the 2 matches this week. Joe Hart and Gareth Barry started for England last night in a side which beat Bulgaria 3-0. James Milner and Adam Johnson also made appearances from the bench.


Hart was a spectator for most of the match, but made a good reaction save in the second half, as well as misjudging a cross. Good performance on an unpredictable pitch.
Barry continued his impressive start to the season and even grabbed an assist for the first goal.
Milner and Johnson were both late substitutes and didn't really have enough time to show their worth. Milner did prove his versatility by slotting into a more central attacking midfield role though.

TSBV Exclusive: Mario Balotelli; Trouble causer or simply misunderstood?

One of Mario's controversial moments last season

Ever since his £22.5 million move from Inter Milan last summer, Mario Balotelli has kept himself in the spotlight almost consistently, and usually for his wrongdoings. Red cards for violent behaviour against the likes of West Brom and Dynamo Kiev and bust ups with his manager and colleagues has led to many City fans contemplating whether he was worth splashing the cash. His off the field behaviour has also grabbed many headlines in the past year, with reportedly throwing darts at youth players and his car already being impounded a staggering 27 times since he arrived from the fashion capital of the world.

However, this contemplation is usually squashed by many optimists, as they realise the 20 year old Italian clearly has the talent and the heart (remember his donation to a homeless man outside a casino?) to become the best in the world if he put his head down. It's just a case of hoping he does this sooner, rather than later. So, is he a trouble causer or just simply misunderstood?

His recent comments about life in Manchester are sure not to help matters to prove he is simply misunderstood, with Balotelli saying that he is basically homesick and wants to go back home, even though he is happy at the club at the moment. Many people clearly misunderstood his comments, with many papers stating that "Mario wants to leave Manchester City" and that he is no longer interested in staying in Manchester. However, I believe that this helps to fuel the arguments that he is a misunderstood player. It is obviously not going to be easy for him to settle into a new country at only 20 years of age, and it doesn't help when everyone in the country slags you off constantly.

Of course he has created a lot of trouble for Manchester City last season, and some of his performances were questionable to say the least, but he has to be given a chance to bed himself in. If you delve deeper into the situation, he is just like any young person his age. He wants to have a good time, the only problem being is that he is always in the media spotlight. As much he likes this type of lifestyle, he might have to sacrifice it if he truly wants to become the world's greatest.

He is also misunderstood as a footballer, and perhaps even a bit controversial. He is a metaphor for why we love football, and always will be able to keep journalists in a job single handedly! Nowadays we seem to expect footballers to be very well behaved both on and off the pitch and be a role model to young children who love football. In an ideal world, we'd love this to be the case, but the fact is, it can't. Players like Mario Balotelli are freshening up the game, and his character just personifies what Manchester City are all about at the moment; we are different, and we are exciting.

I have no doubting Mario's abilities and as a footballer, I can see him being one of the greatest strikers in the world in a few years time, and it can only help that he has a father figure in Roberto Mancini keeping him in check.