Manchester City: Potential Summer Targets?

The midseason window has come and gone and the arrival of Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson has provided a small glimpse into the mind of Mancini. His approach thus far has more often than not produced a lineup able to adapt to the opposition's strengths and weakness in most areas of the pitch.

The performances thus far have been more consistent, when compared to those under Mark Hughes, and the tactical development of the team has been a wonderful, albeit expected improvement.

The squad is as deep as any other team in the premier league but lacks a clear starting 11 on any given match day. The silver lining in this is that each player is fighting for minutes allowing a more accurate assessment of the squad's strengths and weaknesses.

Taking into consideration the current goals: (1) qualifying for the champions league; (2) winning the FA Cup; and (3) implementing a plan for sustained success and growth moving forward, its seems there are a number of areas of the squad that need to be addressed.   

Goalkeepers:
This is one area of the squad where apparently no improvement is needed. Shay Given has been the most consistent keeper in the EPL and is poised to continue this dominance for many years to come.

With the likes of Joe Hart performing unbelievable well while on loan at Birmingham, and excellent understudies in Gunnar Nielsen and Tobias Johansen developing in the reserves, there seems to be little room for improvement in this area.

Potential Targets: None.

My Take: Don't try to fix what is not broken.

Defenders:
This area of the squad has  seen an incredible amount of turnover in the last year. At right back Richards and Zabaleta have played well under Mancini. Toure recently returned from the African Cup only to leave with an injury in Tuesday's match. Kompany has played well as has the young Boyata. Garrido and Onuoho have gotten very little time on the pitch and Lescott and Bridge are finally looking healthy again.

Clearly Mancini has options but unfortunately the only constant has been an unbreakable run of injuries. Top to bottom there are some good pieces here but this is one area that can be improved this summer.

Potential Targets: Giorgio Chiellini, Cristian Ansaldi, Jérôme Boateng & Simon Kjaer.

My Take: Transfer In - Chiellini, Boateng, & Ansaldi. Transfer Out - Bridge. Start - Richards, Toure, Chiellini, Lescott. Bench - Kompany, Boateng, Onuoho, Zabaleta, Boyata & Garrido.

Midfielders:
The midfield is overloaded with holding midfielders and wingers and seriously lacks a creative central presence.

Vieira is a nice addition in the middle and should help both De Jong and Ibrahim improve tactically and mentally. Barry is a very solid left sided player who sits deep in the midfield and can facilitate the shift from defense to offense.

The missing piece is the link between these players and the battalion of forwards at Mancini's disposal.

Weiss will return in the summer from loan and hopefully Michael Johnson can return as well. Mancini will find a way to incorporate Ireland's excellent skill set into the offense but it may take some time to make all the pieces fit.

Wright-Phillips and Petrov are excellent along the touchline but the latter is very one-dimensional. Adam Johnson is an excellent addition and should serve as a long-term replacement for Petrov and the absent Robinho.

Potential Targets: Juan Mata, Javier Pastore, & Sergio Canales

My Take : Transfer In - Pastore. Transfer Out - Petrov, Robinho. Start - Ireland, De Jong, Barry, A. Johnson. Bench - SWP, Weiss, Pastore, Vieira, M. Johnson, Ibrahim.

Forwards:
City is loaded at the front and so the summer looks ripe for a trim. Adebayor and Tevez are indispensable. Santa Cruz and Bellamy are major question marks and the return of Jo and Benjani are non-factors. Interestingly, Bojinov and Caicedo will be returning from loan and David Ball looks like a decent prospect as well.

Potential Targets: Bojan Krkic, Mario Ballotelli, Sergio Aguero & Romelu Lukaku

My Take : Transfer In - Bojan. Transfer Out - Santa Cruz, Jo, & Benjani. Start - Adebayor, Tevez. Bench - Bellamy, Bojan, Bojinov, Caicedo, Ball.

All in all, City looks to be moving in the right direction. Stability is a key element to success so the cornerstone players need to be identified and brought in to the squad as soon as possible if they are not already on the team.

Chiellini is a player that fits this bill. Bojan may be superfluous but good cover is never a bad thing when the players are at different levels of development and can learn from each other. 

Most importantly, Mancini needs to sculpt the midfield into something that can consistently control games and in doing so establish an identity for the squad.