Dueling Man-jos, part 2

The weekend before last, the second half of the Manchester derby went off at the City of Manchester Stadium, and Man City took it 3-1, earning local bragging rights for the year after drawing United at Old Trafford in the first meeting.

I thought City looked pretty good for much of the game. Granted, this is a United team that has looked offensively impotent at times this year, but few of those times have been within the league itself (most were in the CL), so City's defense looked pretty solid, especially considering Sommeil and Mills were both out. The offense was fairly solid as well, with some decent passing, good shot selection (Man U had one more shot for the game, but City had three more on goal), and of course some nice goals. I recognize how well the Cole-Vassell tandem has played up front, but Fowler needs to see more action. The guy clearly has something to prove with three goals in the FA Cup and one in his first league appearance (and in just 15 minutes of time, no less)... isn't there any way to work him in?

While we're on the subject, what's with the talk of signing Georgios Samaras? How many strikers does one club need?

Of course, failing to build in any way on the United win, City turned right around and dropped a 2-0 decision to Bolton, so maybe the answer is "More." Just two shots on goal the whole game? Woof. Even bringing Fowler on for Cole ten minutes earlier than in the derby didn't help, though at least he's getting in the game now. At least this was a road match; hopefully the FA Cup tie against Wigan this weekend (which I may try to listen to live, though the whole "9 in the morning" thing will make it a challenge) will finish better.