Dzeko 2.0

Flop, overpaid, dud, lampost. All of these and more have been used to describe the Bosnian hitman acquired by Roberto Mancini in the 2011 January transfer window but City fans have found a new word to describe the big man from the Balkans; simply brilliant.

Many media outlets and fans alike criticized Roberto Mancini for his expensive Bundesliga player purchase as Edin Dzeko's touch and pace were looking to be inadequate for EPL standards. With a full preseason behind him, Dzeko has silenced critics by scoring three goals in three competitive fixtures in the 2011/2012 season.

If his performance was great against Swansea, today's match performance against Bolton was simply sublime. All of the factors that were under scrutiny and were viewed as weak points in the striker's resume have turned into fortes.

In the 15 league matches Dzeko played in in his half-season at City after the January transfer, he only managed two goals, and created a total of nine chances. In this new league season, Dzeko is two for two, with nine chances created in only two games, matching his previous season record. The figures do not lie, and neither does the confidence and swagger that can be plainly seen on the field. Dzeko's first touch has improved by miles and his pace has allowed him to create space and make runs forward, giving him the chance to lead the front line.

During his victorious Bundesliga campaign with Wolfsburg, when he teamed up with Grafite in the most dynamic Bundesliga duo of all time, Dzeko was able to create his own chances but quite frequently scored from crosses into the box. These have not been plentiful at City, with Aleksandar Kolarov and Micah Richards, as well as James Milner at times, providing the long-balls for him. The scary part is that even this sector of City's game will improve with new acquisitions allowing a variety of formations at Mancini's disposal. This can only mean one thing; more goals for the big man from Bosnia.

Perhaps this is not a new Dzeko, perhaps this is Edin Dzeko in a new gear, an upgraded version. Dzeko 2.0