Mixed week for City Internationals

Just days before the start of the new season, some players had one last chance to impress their respective international managers whilst also building up their match fitness before the weekend.

We all saw England sweep aside a very poor Greek team with a much better performance - why didn't they play like that in the World Cup :-(

Although it's always good to see City players playing on the international stage, it's my sad duty to report that it was not a great week for some of our lads, current and past.

Big Sam had a rather anonymous game for Greece with very few chances to get into the match. Now that's the second game this week where he's failed to impress and the only conclusion I can draw is that he must be saving himself for Sunday at the Bridge.

Rising star Micah Richards brought himself down to earth with a weak back pass that gifted an equalising goal to Moldova in the U21 international with just a few minutes of the game left. It was a real shame for Micah as he'd played well up to that point, but it may prove to be a salutary lesson to remind him that football can be a very cruel game however good you are.

In similar circumstances, former City marksman Stephen Elliot suffered the same fate as Micah in the Republic of Ireland's game against the mighty Dutch as they were trounced by four goals to nil by the men in orange.

Better luck next time lads !

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.