Well, the time for talking is over.

New Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has said, in one of the sound-bites that football pundits and punters just love, that he would be improving his English by tuning in to Coronation Street. The Italian probably speaks better English that many people within the game who hail from Blighty but why let that detract from the story!

His first game in charge of City is at home versus Stoke City and the Eastlands is a sell-out. The home crowd will be expecting a procession to all three points but Stoke City aren’t the team you would automatically handpick to play against in your first game.

Yes, they are far more formidable at home but they can still give teams a bloody nose when they are in the mood. Having won at Tottenham this season, Stoke City boss Tony Pullis will see no reason why they cannot triumph again.

Something else in Stoke’s favour is that the City backline is looking rather depleted.

Nedum Onuoha, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge have all been ruled out whilst Micah Richards is an injury doubt. For a new man coming in, juggling a squad around may not be the easiest of tasks so expect Stoke City to bombard the City backline to test them out.

Not that they would have tried any other tactic!

Even though they have defensive difficulties, Shay Given is a dependable stopper and may cover any deficiencies at the back for City.

There are also problems up front with Adebayor carrying a knock which may rule him out but goal scoring hasn’t been City’s problem this season. They notched four last weekend and a repeat striking performance should see Mancini happy.

Stoke could welcome back Robert Huth after serving a suspension but Tony Pullis has concerns over Amdy Faye and Ryan Shawcross.

Will it be a happy beginning for Mancini?

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