City players celebrate a goal

Manchester City makes rapid strides

Manchester City Football Club has set an example for the rest of the English Premier League clubs by rising from the bottom to the third position in the standings. How did the transformation come about?

City fortunes changed after the team was bought by an Abu Dhabi business group. What also made a significant difference was the arrival of Manager Roberto Mancini who instilled self-belief in the team.

Mancini was given a free hand by chairman of the club Khaldoon Al Mubarak to rope in the players he felt could make a difference to the club. Carlos Tevez has been a key playmaker for the side and marshals the field well.

Recently, City won the FA Cup after 30 years and this has reignited the passion among its die-hard fans who now wish to see the club finish at the top of Premier league. The team will now boost its summer spending to sign up some quality strikers.

Soccer pundits are surprised at the progress made by City. In soccer, it is not about splurging but rather putting the money where the mouth is. Sadly, some big clubs go after the big names without even considering whether the stars will fit into their team composition.

Though City has been performing consistently, the team has been found wanting when it comes to striking prowess. A couple of matches could have been won but poor finishing let them down.

Another important thing that has helped City to make rapid progress is that the owners of City don't interfere in the selection process of the team. This enables the manager to field his best players. Some clubs have been hit by the interference in the team selection.

This leaves room for animosity between the manager and the owners. City is quite resourceful under the new management.

I believe that City should rope in Cristiano Ronaldo or Dimitar Berbatov. These two players are within the reach of City and will boost the side significantly. This will also give the side the right balance. City now should carry their winning momentum forward and go for title.