The Most Difficult Job In Football?

Vital Manchester City newbie, Martain21 sent us the following.

Reading the title may have had you thinking, ey? Managing Manchester City can't be the most difficult job in football, have you seen the players we have?

That's not what I meant, its not managing the team that is the hardest job in football, it is managing the ridiculous expectations of City fans this season.

My other articles have been a little negative in ways and I am not going to try and do that with this one - I want to challenge you to this. Name your best starting eleven, with everyone available for the game against Sunderland. Mine would look something like this:

Hart
Richards, Lescott, Kompany, Zabaleta
Milner, De Jong, Barry
Tevez, Dzeko, Silva

I guarantee at least half of you will disagree...people will say where is Adam Johnson, where is Kolarov, where is Yaya?

Three world class players who I missed out. Not purposely, just three players who didn't come into my head when picking the squad for this game. I will explain why.

Adam Johnson - Now I am one of 'AJ's biggest fans, but can anyone remember a starting game where he had the same impact as when he came off the bench? I can't.

Yaya Toure - Now you may have gathered from my previous articles that I am not exactly his biggest fan, but that isn't the reason. I think leaving him out would maybe motivate him to put some effort in when he does play.

Aleksander Kolarov - Possibly the best set piece taker and striker of a ball in our squad. But is that good enough for a left back? I think not. Zabaleta has proven time and time again why he should be playing.

That's just three players I have left out, there are others who could have played and if I'm honest I had to think for a long time to put this team together. That is what Mancini has to do every week. Now I know he gets paid good money to do so but do you think it's easy? I don't.

When Sheikh Mansour took over our beloved club, both he and Garry Cook said this is part of a ten year plan to make Manchester City one of the biggest clubs in the world. Lets be honest, four of the worlds biggest teams are already in our league, meaning we have that challenge to overcome first.

So why are we complaining we might end up in fourth and not winning the title? I am over the moon that we could be playing Champions League football under MANCINI. Under Hughes we finished 10th and even with all this money I don't think he would have got us in the Champions League. I also very much doubt David Silva would have signed, and he is arguably the best signing this season.

I put this challenge to you, choose the best Manchester City starting eleven, and then explain to the thousands of people who will criticise your decisions why you have gone with that. Then do the same next week, and the week after and see if you get fed up like I can see Mancini doing if we don't back him. We are still City after all!

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