5. The January Transfer Window
Even with the signing of Javi Garcia, Matija Nastasic and Maicon at the end of the summer window, one wonders how happy Roberto Mancini was with the summer dealings. Missing out on Eden Hazard and most bitterly Robin van Persie to Chelsea and Manchester United respectively meant no marquee signing arrived at the Etihad. The squad has numbers but a worrying lack of depth in some positions: both club and country pray Joe Hart remains fit for many years to come as the back-ups do not fill you with confidence. Vincent Kompany continues to be the glue that is holding a slightly shoddy defence together, although even he was exposed by Real during the week; Yaya Toure brings qualities to midfield, both offensively and defensively, that no one else can match, while even Mancini, with his unwavering belief in Mario Balotelli, would shudder at the thought of relying on the Italian for any length of time. The January transfer window is never the best time to go shopping as there are few stellar players available but Mancinis hand may be forced to address issues like a lack of width high up the pitch and to increase numbers in key areas. If City are into the knock out stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history then the owners may be convinced they need to get the chequebook out again. If they barely scrape into the last sixteen the owners may be forced into writing more cheques. What do you think City fans - can Mancini mount a serious charge on the Champions League? Share your thoughts below.