Manchester City's negative approach against Arsenal (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

ON THE BALL: Sheikh Mansour has been misled by City tactics

2:53pm Thursday 6th January 2011

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FIVE HUNDRED million pounds doesn't get you very far nowadays, does it?

Sheikh Mansour would have been forgiven for thinking his vast investment in Manchester City would enable manager Roberto Mancini to assemble a galaxy of stars capable of playing some attractive football. After all, the club is his play-thing. Surely he is within his right to expect to be entertained when watching his expensive toy paraded on a football pitch?

Clearly not, on the evidence of Wednesday night. In fact he would have been better served watching paint dry. At least there's chance the paint might run. Nobody in City's team seemed keen on doing much of that in the direction of Arsenal's goal.

Mancini must have been given special dispensation by Emirates officials to park the team bus on Joe Hart's goal-line, for that is where most of his players gathered for the entire 90 minutes.

Apart from the opening 15 minutes, it was a steadfast and resolute defensive display, with Kolo Toure and Hart the two outstanding players for City. No doubt they got what they came for; a point at the home of a title rival. Such was the extravagance of the high-fives after the final whistle, though, that one would have been forgiven for thinking they had actually won the game. That would have been difficult, as they did not muster a shot on target against a notoriously fallible Arsenal defence all match.

Had Jack Wilshere's cross-cum-shot been better directed in the first minute of the contest, then an entirely different game would have materialised, and we would have seen what attacking treasures Mancini really does have at his disposal.

Let's be honest, if you have designs on winning the Premier League title, as City do, and you are trailing the leaders, especially your close rivals, by several points, you make a fist of it don't you? Even more so when you consider that there was about £70m worth of talent in City's front three alone. Drop back to midfield and there is more than £50m on display. One would have thought all that money would at least buy you a shot on target.

It is not particularly difficult to throw limitless amounts of money at a team and achieve results. It does take some form of managerial ability to get those over-paid players to gel and play an attractive, attacking brand of football that is the envy of the division. Mancini is achieving the results, and in his defence there are no extra marks for aesthetic pleasure. But if you're Sheikh Mansour, you can't help but feel a little deceived, can you?