Big-spending Manchester City slipped relatively quietly into second place in the EPL at the weekend with Sunday’s highly fortuitous win at EPL new-boys Blackpool.

But even this on-field announcement of their EPL title-challenging credentials has been overshadowed by the club’s role, real or imagined, in the saga of city rival United’s want-away star Wayne Rooney’s future.

This speculation was dampened by manager Roberto Mancini. And commentators have further speculated that City would struggle to fund an adequate transfer bid, as the highly-indebted club struggles to find ways around UEFA’s fast-approaching “financial fair play” regime.

 

City had the benefit of a number of contentious decisions from the match officials at Bloomfield Road.

Their opponents had a goal erroneously chalked off for offside shortly before an offside-looking Carlos Tevez gave City the lead with a deft flick from substitute David Silva’s cross.

Tevez put City back in front after Blackpool equalised through Marlon Harewood. But he appeared to foul a Blackpool defender before his shot was deflected in.

There was no doubting the quality and legitimacy of City’s third goal, however, big summer signing David Silva skilfully cutting inside two defenders before curling a sublime shot into the corner of the net.

City continued their success with a 3-1 Europa League Group win over Polish side Lech Poznan, thanks to an Emanuel Adebayor hat-trick, the Togolese international’s first goals of the season.

Manager Roberto Mancini has been forced to deny that City have made any moves towards signing Rooney from their arch city rivals.

City are believed to be the only club with the financial wherewithal to meet Rooney’s multi-million pound annual salary demands, with commentators citing City midfielder Yaya Toure’s £200,000+ weekly wage as a benchmark figure for those demands.

But in a press conference ahead of the Poznan victory, Mancini insisted: “There has been no contact. He’s a great player but it’s not my problem.

“I have respect for him, for Ferguson and for United. I want to speak only about my players.”

Man City coaching and management legend Malcolm Allison passed away last week at the age of 83, after years of ill-health.

Allison famously coached the last City team to win the English title, in 1968, alongside Joe Mercer, the pair having guided the club out of the second division as champions only two years previously.

City also won the 1969 FA Cup and the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970.

A club statement described Allison as “flamboyant, brilliant and larger than life,” and added: “Malcolm will be sorely missed by everyone at the club and beyond.”

The club will be paying formal tribute prior to Sunday afternoon’s crunch EPL fixture against third-placed Arsenal.

£25m summer signing Mario Balotelli is in surprise contention for the Arsenal game. The former Inter star played only 33 minutes for City before suffering an injury in a Europa League qualifier.

But despite reports that he would not return until December, the young Italian was back in full training this week.