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City 2 - 0 Valencia

A comfortable enough victory to round out the pre-season campaign, and a first glimpse of new signings David Silva and Jerome Boateng who briefly featured in the 2-0 win against a Valencia side very much in the early stages of their own pre-season.

Some brief thoughts/questions from the game as we now head to the season 'proper':

Whilst Joe Hart has started the final two pre-season games, he and Shay Given have split time equally. The Mail seems to believe that Hart will start the season as first choice, but as of yet Mancini has not given anything away. My hunch is that Hart does get the nod.

Jerome Boateng started the game in central defence, and although he featured at full back for Germany in the World Cup he does look to be a more natural central defender. When he signed it was thought he would slot in on the right, but with questions still persisting over all other candidates in that area (and with the impressive showing of Micah Richards) will Boateng start in the middle? If so, who gets the nod alongside him?

The more attacking positions are even less clear. You'd have to think Nigel de Jong and certainly Yaya Toure are pencilled in to start, so who else gets the nod, and in what formation? David Silva looked impressive in his brief display so where will he fit in? I'd be inclined to think he plays at the tip of the midfield trio (with de Jong and Toure) that would leave Shaun Wright-Phillips (who has got stronger the more pre-season has progressed) and Adam Johnson out wide with Carlos Tevez as the lone front man. However, the signing of James Milner and/or Mario Balotelli could cloud matters further - not to mention that Gareth Barry very much appears to be a Mancini favourite and he may opt for a more cautious line-up at White Hart Lane.

Could Jo complete a Lazarus-like recovery to not only be named in the 25-man squad, but be an option this season? Shuttled around on loan for the past couple of seasons, his City career looked dead and buried. Even when he featured heavily early in pre-season, many thought it was a 'shop window' exercise but the Brazilian has featured in all games and finishes as top scorer. Food for thought.

Perhaps most telling though were the omissions from yesterday. Heavily linked with Aston Villa, Stephen Ireland didn't even feature on the bench, whilst Roque Santa Cruz, Craig Bellamy and Nedum Onouha were all left kicking their heels despite the plethora of substitutions that were made and all very much appear on the outside looking in as attention now turns to White Hart Lane next Saturday lunchtime.