City 0 PSG 0

• Top spot in the group could have been sealed last night, but on the overall balance of the game a point was a good return. It does however set up a tricky last group game at Racing Santander, who know a victory over us will see them progress at the expense of Schalke, who were defeat last night by FC Twente.
  
  
• Hughes said we lacked creativity, but by and large we were struggled to ultimately break down a PSG side who came and set up with a formation that allowed us to pass the ball around nicely in midfield but were unable to find the cutting edge required. The pace of the game was markedly different to the Premier League and the for the first half in particular PSG were happy to sit back and soak up any pressure that we brought.
  
  
• The last twenty minutes or so we were really under the cosh. PSG sensed their chance and with Sturridge and Vassell playing as wide midfielders following Elano hobbling off it left both flanks exposed with Zabaleta and Garrido struggling to contain the lively PSG attacks. Joe Hart made a couple of smart saves and the impressive Lyundula could have done better with a couple of chances he had.
  
  
• It was interesting to see both Jo and Benjani on the field at the same time yesterday, and it was clear that whilst Benjani was lively, looking for the ball and offering himself at every opportunity, Jo appeared to go into his shell and did not do his future prospects much good. The ITV analysis after the game highlighted the way Jo always looks to come short for the ball as opposed to making runs that attack the goal, and as well as he can link up with the midfield he does not look the answer for us as a goalscorer. For all the players linked with us, this is the most pressing area come January that Hughes needs to address.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts
1	Manchester City	3	2	1	0	7
2	FC Twente	3	2	0	1	6
3	Schalke	4	1	1	2	4
4	Racing Santander	3	0	2	1	2
5	Paris St Germain	3	0	2	1	2

Reports

The reality remains far removed from the fantasy for Manchester City. With headline acts and world record transfers linked to Eastlands on a daily basis, it is easy to forget how bare the cupboard is for Mark Hughes, though not on nights like this. >>guardian.co.uk

Mark Hughes’s determination to ease Manchester City’s passage into the last 32 of the Uefa Cup by winning group A will go the distance against Racing Santander in just over two weeks’ time as a result of their stupor against Paris Saint-Germain last night. That Steve McClaren will be the biggest benefactor from any repeat of this performance in Spain would add to the sense of embarrassment. >>times online

Mark Hughes is going to have a job on his hands persuading the world's best footballers to turn their backs on the glory of the Champions League for a stint in the twilight zone of the Uefa Cup with Manchester City. >>telegraph.co.uk

PSG open thread

“Changes are being forced upon me, but it was always on my mind that I would look at this game and hopefully be in a position to rest some players that have had a big workload in recent weeks. That’s still the case, but winning the group is important to us.”

>>mcfc.co.uk

With the injuries that we at present, it does sound very much as though Hughes will be in experimental mood tonight - although he is keen to secure top spot in the group to assure an easier tie in the knock-out stages.

I still think we should have enough to get past PSG though - themselves fielding a weakend side, and maintain our 100% record and go for a 2-0 win.

As ever, feel free to post any news or comments before, during or after the game.

UEFA Cup draw analysis

Concensus has been that the draw we've been handed is a tough one, but whilst we have a couple of tricky fixtures in there, it is perhaps an easier group than some of the other English sides (certainly Aston Villa) have been handed.

Jack believes that 5 points should be enough to go through, but I would think Mark Hughes would be aiming at six points as a minimum, and probably seven to ensure a smooth progression.

I posted previously that the home games would be crucial, and I firmly believe that 2 wins is a must from the fixtures against Twente and PSG, both sides who are mid-table this season in their respective leagues.

The real big game is the trip to Schalke - a recent perennial Champions League side, who unfortunately came up against Atletico Madrid in the qualifiers. If we took a point from this game it would be a bonus - particularly coming as it does between home fixtures against Arsenal and United.

The final game - at Racing Santander could be a crucial one, although the hope is that we have done enough to secure qualification already, as despite not being a 'big side', they had a good campaign during 2007/08 and were not far off qualifying for the Champions League, and a trip there on the final day needing something to go through will not be an easy prospect.

Whilst we have the undoubted talent to go through - and it will be important to do so to get to the knock-out stages after the January window, the concern could be our lack of European experience as looking at the squad there is not a whole lot there.

The pace of games are slower than the Premier League, and we have seen so far (from lesser sides) that we do have to be patient and bide our time (particularly at home) against sides who will come with a game plan and set their stall out.

Having sounded that note of caution, I am taking us to go through in second place on seven points, along with PSG and group winners Schalke.

Full fixtures:

• Nov 6th - Twente Enschede (h)
• Nov 27th - Schalke 04 (a)
• Dec 3rd - PSG (h)
• Dec 18th - Racing Santander (a)