Rating the Manchester City Players Against Swansea

Manchester City played out a rather uninspiring scoreless draw with Swansea City Saturday. The deposed champions almost seemed to play like that, perhaps also keeping one eye on the FA Cup final next week and the league clash with West Brom on Tuesday.

City bossed the ball but couldn't find the right moves to break the deadlock. They defended well enough, though neither side looked threatening overall. Read on to see how City's lineup fared, and feel free to add your own assessment below.

Goalkeeper and Defense

Joe Hart 6/10: For the most part, Hart was rather untested. His only real save of note was on a long-range shot from Routledge, which the England international fell on comfortably. His distribution was solid.

Pablo Zabaleta 6/10: He was less involved, as he tended to play more defensively than Gael Clichy on the other side. Also, much of the action went through the left with Samir Nasri. Zabaleta looked decent against Routledge, who moved inside a bit.

Vincent Kompany 6/10: Kompany displayed his usual strong presence in the center, even if he was fairly uninvolved. He moved the ball well and made his share of good tackles.

Matija Nastasic 5.5/10: Nastasic was less assured than his veteran partner. He lost Michu midway through the first and was lucky that the Spaniard missed. He rode his luck again near halftime, clattering the lanky forward, but Mike Jones waved off the penalty claim.

Gael Clichy 6.5/10: Clichy was more than willing to drive forward down the left side and did good work defensively, quieting Nathan Dyer's impact. He displayed good linkup play, but his crossing left something to be desired.

Defensive Midfield

Yaya Toure 5/10: Toure never really got a foothold in the match. He wasn't driving forward as usual but was willing to move around in the middle of the park to find the ball. He was taken off at halftime for Edin Dzeko in an interesting tactical change for Roberto Mancini.

Gareth Barry 7/10: Barry took up a role closer to Toure's usual role, moving forward willingly and playing the ball well. He played one great ball in particular, lofting it over the top to find Nasri who couldn't convert. As usual, though, he did not neglect his defensive work.

James Milner 6/10: Milner started the game wide right, and ran and ran down the right flank as usual. He moved back next to Barry after Toure's substitution and was another assured presence at the back but was not as influential in attack as he can be.

Attacking Midfield and Striker

David Silva 7/10: Silva displayed his usual dizzying array of footwork and short passes. He had a couple good cracks at goal near halftime but was well-blocked. He had a good sight at goal in the 84th minute but flashed it wide and was subbed off right after.

Samir Nasri 6.5/10: This was a performance showing a bit more of the good side than the bad. Nasri blasted a shot over the bar from a corner early on. He was found well by Barry but was stretched one-on-one. He tracked back well and played solid passes.

Sergio Aguero 5.5/10: Aguero was rather isolated early on but started dropping back more to pick up the ball and pull Chico out of position. A few poor touches cost him some chances, and overall he looked below average. He was sacrificed for the last 10 minutes in favor of Carlos Tevez.

Substitutes

Edin Dzeko 5/10: Dzeko replaced Toure at half-time in an interesting tactical decision. He absolutely wasted the team's best chance from inside the six-yard box, scuffing well wide with the net at his mercy. He had a decent header stopped by Michel Vorm in stoppage time.

Carlos Tevez N/A: Tevez entered in the 79th minute, replacing compatriot Aguero in a like-for-like change. He was involved very little as the game ground to a halt.

Jack Rodwell N/A: After a hat-trick with the Elite Development Squad last week, it was nice to see him get the last five minutes or so in his return to full fitness.