Redknapp not overly impressed

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:Tottenham 0, Manchester City 0

THE TROUBLE for Manchester City these days is that everybody has an opinion on them and it is not always complimentary. Take Harry Redknapp’s on Saturday, after his Tottenham Hotspur team had been denied all three points by the excellence of the goalkeeper Joe Hart. Roberto Mancini’s hopes of a flying start for his lavishly remodelled City were confounded amid caution and disjointedness.

“I wouldn’t tip them from what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t say that they’ll win the championship,” Redknapp said. “They have a long way to go. I wouldn’t see them finishing above Chelsea and Manchester United while Arsenal could be close. Liverpool are going to be strong. There’s probably seven or eight scrapping for the top four but Chelsea and Manchester United will be favourites. Arsenal and Liverpool would probably be favourites [for the top four].”

Mancini’s answer to the surfeit of holding midfielders in his squad was to stuff as many of them as possible into the starting line-up; Yaya Toure, Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry played in a line in front of the back four. Redknapp was asked whether he foresaw City winning many games with such an approach and how Mancini could keep all of his players happy.

“No, they’ll find it more difficult,” Redknapp said, in response to the first question. “When Emmanuel Adebayor came on, it gave them a target and it suddenly looked like they might do something. I was more concerned when he came on. Can he [Mancini] keep the players happy? It’s difficult. He’s not going to do it. Sometimes you can cause your own problems by having too many players.”

City find themselves under suffocating scrutiny, with eyes peeled for signs of player unrest. Craig Bellamy has already talked his way to the exit door but the goalkeeper Shay Given, too, made it plain last week that he would not take kindly to Mancini overlooking him. And what of Kolo Toure, who has been forced to hand over the captain’s armband to Carlos Tevez? Mancini cannot consider Toure a shoo-in for selection. “Kolo was surprised,” the manager said. “But it’s normal.”

Mancini has difficult decisions up front, where he has added another combustible striker in Mario Balotelli. Adebayor, it is safe to say, will expect his share of starting minutes.

City’s tremendous wealth has brought pressure, sky-high expectations and bitchiness. The background noise seems deafening and one of the principal challenges facing the dressing room this season will be to shut it out.

Vincent Kompany said: “As a player, if you pay too much attention to that, it has an effect on your game.” The defender, who signed from Hamburg in August 2008, one week before the Abu Dhabi United Group’s takeover, went on: “In 24 months, I have seen the most crazy things so nothing will get me unsettled.” He added: “I have no problem with people not being happy but we always go out to play football. We are trying to create a team spirit rather than get divided about stuff.”

Mancini told a story from the early years of his playing career when he was a substitute for a run of matches. “I was angry every game,” he said. “But every day, you must work to convince the manager to change his decision.” Was he able to convince the manager? “Change the manager,” he replied, with a smile.

The Italian will live or die by how he integrates his expensive signings to fashion a cohesive team. “I don’t know the new players, it’s a joke,” Mancini said. “I saw them for only two days. We never worked together. I think [it will take] one month, maybe two months to make it work.”

Tottenham, by contrast, reaped the benefits of continuity. With the exception of Vedran Corluka for Younes Kaboul at right-back, this was the team that beat City at Eastlands in the penultimate game of last season to clinch the fourth Champions League qualifying spot. Tottenham dominated in the first half and they could feel unhappy at being denied the victory.

“In the first 20 minutes, it was coming from everywhere,” Kompany said. “It was like we were defending our castle, more than anything else.” City may need the mentality for a siege.

• Guardian Service