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Welcome dear readers. I hope we all enjoyed that fine comeback win in London on Saturday.
Today I want to show you a chart which features all the selection data of Man City's first six PL games.
B=bench D=dropped inj=injured
The column on the far right of the chart is the total percentage of minutes played.
Depth Chart
| Southampton | Liverpool | QPR | Stoke | Arsenal | Fulham | ||
| Player | 3-2 | 2-2 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | |
| Hart | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 100% |
| Pantilimon | B | B | B | B | B | B | 0% |
| Kolarov | 3 | 90 | 90 | B | B | B | 33.8% |
| Clichy | 90 | Maternity | B | 90 | 90 | 90 | 66.6% |
| Kompany | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 100% |
| Lescott | 90 | B | 90 | 90 | 90 | B | 66.6% |
| Nastasic | n/a | n/a | n/a | D | B | 90 | 16.6% |
| K Toure | B | 90 | 15 | B | D | D | 19.4% |
| Zabaletta | 90 | 90 | 75 | Inj | 90 | 90 | 87% |
| Richards | Inj | Inj | Inj | Inj | Inj | inj | 0% |
| Maicon | n/a | n/a | n/a | 90 | Inj | inj | 33.3% |
| Javi Garcia | n/a | n/a | n/a | 90 | 90 | 86 | 98.5% |
| YaYa Toure | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 100% |
| Milner | B | 76 | 8 | inj | inj | B | 15.5 |
| De Jong | B | 90 | sold | sold | sold | sold | 50% |
| Rodwell | 90 | 30 | 90 | B | 45 | inj | 47.2% |
| Barry | inj | inj | inj | 26 | B | 76 | 18.8% |
| Razak | D | B | 1 | D | D | L | 0.002% |
| Nasri | 90 | 60 | 90 | 90 | Inj | 14 | 63.7% |
| Silva | 72 | 14 | 82 | 16 | 90 | 90 | 67.4% |
| Sinclair | n/a | n/a | B | 74 | 45 | D | 33% |
| Balotelli | 18 | 62 | B | 90 | 5 | 24 | 36.8% |
| Dzeko | 76 | 28 | 90 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 38.7% |
| Aguero | 14 | Inj | Inj | Inj | 90 | 90 | 35.9% |
| Tevez | 87 | 90 | 90 | 64 | 22 | 66 | 77.5% |
So, here is the full list. As we can see, these are the minutes each player played in any specific game. If he did not play in that fixture then the reason is listed, he may have been benched, dropped from the squad completely or injured.
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart has played 100% of all league minutes. He will continue to do so barring an injury that may be so catastrophic that it exposes us to Costel Pantilimon.
Defense
Kompany has played every minute so far and he will continue to do so if fit. Gael Clichy is Man City's first choice left back having played 66.6% compared to Kolarov's 33.8%. Zabaletta, with Richards out injured, is Man City's first choice right back. Upon Richards' return this will be an interesting area to look at. The full backs may be rotated in accordance to tactical needs and set-up.
Joleon Lescott has been dropped for 2 out of 3 of Man City's away games, featuring only in the away trip to Stoke where his height was needed. Why has Joleon not played in the other 2 away games? It looks like a tactical decision, one which may need further examination. Yet, I think it have something to do with Nastisic's better distribution of the ball which fits with trying to gain a greater share of away possession than we did last season. It help's that Nastasic looks considerably quicker.
Midfield
Y. Toure. 100%. Crucial, all important player who may be the best all-rounder of the worlds best midfielders. It's staggering to think that certain Man City bloggers still held, up until recently, the opinion that Toure was not a very good footballer.
Javi Garcia has played nearly every minute that he has been available to play. There were those of us who thought Javi was just a slightly more mobile De Jong replacement with a better passing range. This may be true but I doubt that Roberto Mancini's thinks like this. Javi Garcia has been used far more frequently than de Jong would have been.
Nasri will play often when fit. Milner, it appears, won't play often when fit. David Silva is still finding his form and sharpness after another long summer of passing teams to death and picking up medals. This warming up period shows in his minutes played.
72, 82, 90 minutes played in the respective home fixtures.
14, 16, 90 minutes played in the away fixtures.
Is Silva being given the soft home minutes to rediscover form, sharpness and confidence? It may be so or it could be a strange coincidence.
Strikers
Who is Man City's number 1 striker? In terms of minutes played through six games it is Carlos Tevez. But it is inportant to note than when Sergio Aguero has been fit he has played every minute available to him. I assume that it will be Aguero #1, Tevez #2 and whatever the game situation demands it will be either Dzeko or Balotelli to be first off of the bench.
Hats off to Edin, though. Another sub appearance and another goal. he now stands at a goal scored every 69.6 minutes and this is a fine return. He will be desperately disappointed to not feature more in the last 3 games where he has come on as a replacement for 3, 8 and 4 minutes respectively.
Of the Balotelli/Dzeko replacement axis it is Mario who features in more minutes away from home and Edin who gets more minutes at home. It's early season and these may be strange coincidences.
I shall leave you with this small chart.
Man Games Lost To Injury
| Man games lost to injury | Man games lost per game | |
| Man City | 19 | 3.1 |
| Man Utd | 23 | 3.8 |
We have injuries as a club but it could be worse. Get well Micah.