Man City away - verdict

It was a game of debuts tonight at the Etihad stadium between Swansea City and Manchester City which is a common occurrence when you’re talking about the first game of a new season. Notably the debuts of Sergio Aguero and Michel Vorm would have caught the eyes of many.  Aguero would be happy with his debut performance and will have silenced any doubt about his price tag. Firstly, it has to be said that Man City were definitely in the mood and it was unfortunate that they had some bouncing back to do after their defeat by Manchester United in the Community Shield last week. That said, Swansea for me can still hold their heads up high and be proud of a first half performance which saw Man City’s attempts at breaking the dead lock quashed time after time. Swansea played some impressive football throughout the game with some great link up play from Dobbie and Sinclair as well as some great passing and moving generally throughout the team.  Secondly, Michel Vorm had an outstanding debut and was a big part of the reason Man City failed to score in the first half. When Swansea found themselves in the final third, they never quite managed to find that pass that would unlock the Man City defence.  It was crying out for someone just to find that one bit of individualism when in those crucial positions. Had that happened, all of a sudden it becomes a different game. Suppose Man City had gone a goal down while they were being matched by Swansea then they would quite quickly feel the need to push higher up the pitch to find a goal. Instead, it was Swansea that found themselves in that position which contributed to the high score line. It’s true that goals really do change games, especially when scored at crucial times which Dobbie almost re-enforced. The result would suggest that Swansea were battered but they were not! There were some defensive frailties where the lack of concentration allowed Man City in and there were some tired legs.  On the whole though, Swansea can take comfort in matching the most expensive team around for 45 minuets and be confident that results will come with the style of football they are playing.