A boring lack of ambition

As the minutes wore on and a goalless draw looked increasingly likely, my decision to shun The Apprentice to watch Manchester City choke their way to a stalemate against Manchester United fast became a mistake. From the offset this game promised to be anything but last season's 4-3 spectacle as United lacked the players in an injury ravaged squad and City simply lacked the ambition.

Surely there was no better time for the middle Eastlands money men to pull one over their rivals? Ryan Giggs missed his first derby for the first time in 19 years, Wayne Rooney was still rehabilitating in the USA and they were playing a team that, despite being unbeaten, had stuttered their way through the current campaign and rarely found their best form. City, in contrast, had the talismanic Carlos Tevez returning to the fore and a wealth of attacking riches and a bench worth more than many Premier League teams.

But it was there that they were reined in by caution and lack of intent. Roberto Mancini's men had the appearance of a side setting out not to lose rather than a side setting out to win. While caution may prove well at smaller clubs in getting a point, it should not be acceptable at a higher level and certainly not when so many millions have been spent on the squad. Liverpool taught us in their painfully narrow second placed finish that sometimes caution must be thrown to the wind to emerge triumphant - they doubled United and Chelsea that season and lost just twice, but 11 draws cost them the league. Compare that to United, who did not adopt just a defensive tactic when it mattered and, though they may have lost more, ultimately turned enough draws into wins to claim the title.

Which is why City's ultra-defensive approach to games is all the more baffling. Why start with three holding midfielders? Even teams at the latter stages of the World Cup were only employing two, and most of them did not have such attacking among their substitutes. Both teams played this game in a rather cagey, European style that was almost reminiscent of the 'can't lose the opening game' of the World Cup groups.

Any substitutes that were made were all like for like. When the game cried out for a little spark of creativity, Adam Johnson waited until there were just 17 minutes to play and replaced the lethargic James Milner. Aleksander Kolarov replaced James Boetang and, instead of throwing another striker into the mix with enough chance to make a difference, Emmannuel Adebayor replaced Carlos Tevez instead of accompanying him, and after the Togo striker took longer to get ready than a teenage girl he had just seconds to play. Why a £25 million striker is being used as a time wasting substitute must be infuriating to the fans.

City's defensive approach has alienated many of their attacking players already - Johnson has found himself isolated to the bench while Adebayor seems similarly frustrated. Roque Santa Cruz, who cost the club £18m, is already aiming for a January exit. Record signing Robinho soon wilted, and the club no doubt lost a chunk for their £32m outlay when he left for AC Milan. Craig Bellamy was another promising player to be shown the exit as first team opportunities become increasingly limited.

Now, I believe players should not moan about a lack of first team opportunities, but should rather muscle their way into the team. The best way to get in the starting XI is to impress in training rather than complaining to the tabloids. But City do not exactly experiment with their formation into a shape that would allow more opportunites for attacking players, and with Tevez instrumental to their results it seems, he is unlikely to be dropped. So how are their umpteen other strikers supposed to stay motivated?

It would be fair to say they should not complain given each week they receive what most people would hope for in a year, but it is understandable that someone will get frustrated at not being given the opportunity to do their job. Another point is that surely they had an idea of whether they would be a bit-part squad member or a starting XI player before they signed? If not then many must have been naíve.

Regardless of the reasons for attackers' frusrations, City's lack of ambition meant they failed to seize the opportunity to do one over their rivals. True, United were hardly any better themselves, but that misses the point - with increasing ambitions and the game at Eastlands, the onus was on the hosts to send a message, not just that they can compete with United but to close the gap at the top of the table. The chance has passed, and Mancini must surely unshackle his team in games to come if they are to realise their lofty ambitions sooner rather than later.

(Pictures: The BBC and AP)