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Manchester City
enjoy flexing their financial muscles but if a title challenge is to
materialise, teams like Birmingham City, who visit Eastlands on
Saturday, must start feeling the force on the field.

Manager Roberto
Mancini’s main concern against lowly Birmingham will be a victory to
consolidate their top-four position but fans of the club, despite the
millions spent, could be forgiven for feeling short-changed in the
entertainment stakes. City have managed just seven goals in six home
matches and have found the net only 15 times this season, a poor return
and one that could undermine their hopes of barging into the title
race. Leaders, Chelsea, who host Sunderland on Sunday, have scored 28,
and second and third-placed Manchester United and Arsenal have bagged
24 each. City ground out a timid 0-0 draw at home to United on
Wednesday, wasting the perfect opportunity to lay down a marker against
their illustrious rivals.

It was telling that
United manager, Alex Ferguson, appeared disappointed that two points
had been dropped, while City’s Roberto Mancini preferred to stress the
fact that his side had avoided defeat. “I thought Nigel de Jong played
well, as did Gareth Barry,” Mancini said of two of his defensive
midfield shield. “It was good we did not concede any goals in stoppage
time like we did last season.” For all the millions spent on players
since City became the play thing of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
in 2008, the club is struggling to throw off an inferiority complex and
the team, while tough to beat, lacks personality.

Expensive squad

Skipper, Carlos
Tevez, has scored half City’s goals this season; and of the rest of the
expensively assembled squad, only Mario Balotelli, who is suspended for
Saturday’s clash with Birmingham, has managed more than one in the
league. England winger, Adam Johnson, was overlooked for a starting
berth against United with Tevez again left to run himself into the
ground. Emmanuel Adebayor has looked a shadow of the player that used
to terrorise defences at Arsenal, and City get few goals from their
defensively-minded midfield. Despite City’s caution, they remain
well-placed on 21 points, seven behind leaders Chelsea, two behind
Arsenal and three shy of United, none of the top three are firing on
all cylinders.

Manchester United
face Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime knowing victory would close
Chelsea’s gap to a point, but Ferguson will be wary of facing old
adversary, Gerard Houllier. They crossed swords many times when
Houllier was in charge of Liverpool, and the Frenchman achieved the
rare feat of five successive victories over United from 2000-2002.

Houllier’s return
to English football has been low-key with mid-table Villa struggling
for consistency and Wednesday’s last-minute win over Blackpool was
their first in the league since September.

Chelsea have been the model of consistency at Stamford Bridge, winning all six home league games this season without conceding a goal and the champions hope to have Frank Lampard back.

The England midfielder has been sidelined since August with a groin injury and his return is timely in the

light of Michael Essien’s suspension after his red card in the 1-0 win over Fulham on Wednesday.

Arsenal are away to Everton on Sunday while at the other end of the
table on Saturday time appears to be running out for West Ham manager
Avram Grant to turn around the London’s club’s fortunes. Defeat at home
by Blackpool could leave the Hammers dangerously adrift at the bottom.