As the boos rang out around Eastlands after another 0-0 draw, this time against Alex McLeish’s Birmingham, I couldn’t help but ask myself; is it all really that bad at Manchester City?

I fully understand the consternation of fans at Roberto Mancini’s total lack of offensive intent with his substitutions in Saturday’s match, where he substituted Carlos Tevez for Gareth Barry, and swapped Aleksandar Kolarov for Pablo Zabaleta, but the statistic that City haven’t scored in three home league games has been slightly overstated by those analysing the club.

A fact that should perhaps be given more gravity is that City also haven’t conceded in three consecutive league games, both home and away, and apart from Chelsea, have the best defensive record in the whole of the Premier League, having been breached only 10 times in 13 games. As for the games they have failed to score in at Eastlands; the Arsenal game was a case of damage limitation after the fifth minute sending off of Dedryck Boyata, and would many City fans have turned down a draw with Manchester United before the game, especially considering the results in the Manchester derby last season? The only real disappointment would be the result against Birmingham.

The lack of entertainment is also a factor in the disenchantment of the City fans, after all, at the most basic level, why do we all go to watch football if it isn’t to be entertained? At a club, however, which is desperately seeking some semblance of stability, the unfortunate fact is that substance will often come before style. Through stopping goals going in at the wrong end, Mancini is building the foundations for a team, which, if given the time, can grab a Champions League place for next year, and subsequent to this, can even dream about winning the club’s first title in over 40 years.

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All great teams are built from the back forwards, and although City have an abundance of talent in their side, and it can even be argued that they may have the strongest squad in the league, they need time to gel, and this doesn’t happen overnight. By tightening things up defensively, this allows the more offensive players’ time to get to know how each other play. It may be a trite and obvious thing to say, but it is very pertinent for City, that, if you don’t concede you don’t lose, and it is about building foundations and platforms for Manchester City from which, in a couple of seasons time, they can launch a sustained assault on major footballing honours. The problem for City fans is that they may have to sit through tight, uninspiring affairs in order to realise their potential.

So while the lack of offensive intent in City’s play is frustrating, it needs to be put in a long-term perspective. Success will come, but foundations need to be laid first. After all, it isn’t all that long ago that Manchester City were in the third tier of English football, celebrating a play-off final victory against Gillingham.

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