Roberto Mancini’s side need to cut loose and take advantage of introspection and reconstruction at their Premier League rivals

Manchester City know they are making progress. Others are learning to fear them. For a while they were resented because of their determination to establish a new frontier of extravagance. The club will be less popular now that the money is having its effect. In plain sporting terms, however, the Premier League badly needs Roberto Mancini’s side to sustain some sort of challenge to Manchester United for the title.

City’s opportunity has arrived suddenly. With the exception of United, rivals are caught up in a spell of introspection. It cannot be certain that Chelsea will stay the pace, since the revitalisation of the squad is incomplete. An ingrained persistence was called for on Saturday to see them through to victory over West Bromwich at Stamford Bridge, with Florent Malouda’s winner coming in the 83rd minute.

Liverpool are under development, even if Kenny Dalglish has already had an impact. Arsenal are gripped by angst, with Cesc Fábregas gone to Barcelona and Samir Nasri semi-detached, although he is still on the payroll. All in all, it is good for the allure of the Premier League that City are to the fore, even if they are associated with the sort of extravagance that made other clubs warm to Uefa’s financial fair-play initiative.

Mancini’s team are virtually compelled to show more verve. After such outlay, it was disobliging to score only 60 times in the league last season and City were a hindrance to themselves. When goals are constrained, the flow of points is choked off. That fault is being addressed. Swansea were beaten 4-0 before the 3-2 win at Bolton on Sunday. The bookies, however, quote similar odds for City and Chelsea, with United naturally favourites to be champions again.

Mancini is starting his second full season as manager but demands are great and patience meagre when so much has been spent. The FA Cup was welcome, especially since United were beaten in the semi-final, but it is inevitable that priorities lie with the Premier League and Champions League. The City manager has much to prove and he will not be counting on unlimited time to hit the targets set for him.

There are concerns. The game at the Reebok was enjoyable, in part, because Mancini’s side are still in the midst of reconstruction. Having ceased to be so stolid City, licensing several players to attack, were vulnerable. The injury that sidelined the defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong had consequences against Bolton. Denied cover, the back four were exposed and Joleon Lescott, at centre-half, had a particularly bad afternoon. There may be a solution that could concern the England defender since Kolo Touré will be available next month, when his ban for a failed drug test is completed.

At present, Mancini is virtually coerced into allowing an uninhibited style. City teemed with attackers at Bolton since Sergio Agüero and David Silva started. They are crowd-pleasers who also have impact. James Milner took his toll of the opposition with sustained effectiveness and Carlos Tevez came off the bench.

The substitute may not wish to be in England but time is running out in this transfer window and clubs ready to offer, say, £50m for a forward who turns 28 in February are scarce.

Should he continue to be on City’s books next month, Tevez could distract himself with a pursuit of the title that will have some credibility even though it is liable to fall short. It says much for the club’s advance that his frame of mind is no longer critical. Edin Dzeko, playing in his natural role as a centre-forward, is making his mark. Having arrived in January, the Bosnian scored two Premier League goals last season. He has as many to his name already in this campaign.

City are improving but that does not imply that they will become unassailable. The long-term planning of Manchester United is as much of a barrier to them as it has been to other clubs who get the better of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team in a particular battle but realise that the Old Trafford citadel is yet to be stormed.

Mancini could hardly be more circumspect and speaks as if further signings are essential, irrespective of the vast outlay to date. As matters stand, he still seems to regard City as having only an eye-catching role in the supporting cast while United hold centre stage. Owners who have inundated the club with a torrent of money will surely expect a far grander return.

Manchester CityRoberto ManciniCarlos TevezChelseaManchester UnitedKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk

Manchester City put up the shutters and relied on a risky counter-attacking strategy to defeat Chelsea

The pre-match build-up suggested we might see an exciting, fast-paced encounter. Chelsea had dispatched 21 Premier League goals already but – more significantly – Manchester City had conceded only two. Roberto Mancini made defence his priority in this game, and challenged Chelsea to break down his Sky Blue wall.

Against Blackpool a week earlier, Chelsea roared to high, wide, forward positions and thrashed in some unplayable early crosses. Mancini had taken note. In an uneventful, at times boring first period, the visitors never broke free of City’s straitjacket. The game got strangled. City, sitting deep, left little space behind their back four while the full-backs were well covered by the wide midfielders, James Milner and David Silva. Mancini’s mantra seemed to be: “Come and beat us if you can.” Chelsea controlled possession but could not muster much of a threat, with Didier Drogba well marshalled by Kolo Touré and his excellent defensive partner, Vincent Kompany.

Relying on counterattacking can be a dangerous policy when playing at home. Your supporters expect you to take the game to the opposition, but if they gain the belief that you can threaten the opposition on the break, they will learn to accept this tactic. Here Carlos Tevez was left to forage, hustle and chase as a lone striker, a role he enjoys. For much of the game it looked likely to end in a no-score draw, with Petr Cech, like Joe Hart, rarely troubled.

Chelsea might have provided a partner for Drogba early in the game, at the expense of their midfield sitter, Mikel John Obi. They may have been forced to play more direct as a result, bypassing midfield at times, but it was a day for such tactics. Instead they were guilty of being too patient with the ball, giving City time to get in position. So when Chelsea’s full-backs, so important to their play, received the ball they had few options.

If City continue to play this system home and away they will concede few goals. Mancini can justify this blockade against the champions, but it will be fascinating to see if they play lesser teams in the same fashion.

Manchester CityChelseaPremier LeagueDavid Pleatguardian.co.uk