Manchester City 0-1 Everton: Unlimited cash makes City limited team

Mark Hughes should send a tape of this game to his Arab rulers, before they spend any more of their millions, and stamp it: Brazilians 0 Resilients 1.

If ever proof was needed that the Premier League is a place for reality and not fantasy, this match provided it.

Hughes is fighting a battle to keep cash-rich City in the real world. He wants to bring in players who will win games, not a showbiz XI big on stardust but short on steel.

What's the point of signing Brazilians for vast sums and scouring the catalogues for fading superstars who might briefly put bums on seats - but won't put trophies on the sideboard - when Everton underlined on Saturday that what is really needed to survive a bleak English mid-winter is sheer grit?

Hughes was the manager when Robinho and Jo were signed, even if those decisions were made by people with more clout at Eastlands. Elano was brought in on Sven Goran Eriksson's watch.

Robinho has paid his way in goals but three Brazilians at one Premier League club is too many - and a fourth or fifth would just make things ludicrous. On Saturday Robinho had one of his anonymous days, but so did his mates.

Jo came on with his bright yellowygreen boots and looked like a caricature.

Elano is now a shadow of the player who first arrived.

Sparky Hughes and sexy football was always going to be an unlikely match.

The Welshman is organised and thorough; what the City money-men want is glamour.

Maybe the breaking point is coming sooner than imagined. The January transfer window is going to be a major test of the relationship, with Hughes wanting toilers while his paymasters demand tinsel .

At Blackburn it was easier for Hughes. He didn't have much money to spend and what he did have he spent well.

Now at City no player is too expensive for him. His instincts are to stick to his tried-and-tested beliefs but he knows that to keep his job he has to play ball with the spend-spend-spend money-men.

Hughes wants a keeper, a left-back, two central midfield players and a tough striker, all preferably English or with Premier League experience. Even with limitless funds, however, it is proving difficult to net them.

The frustrated boss said: "I would like to do business as quickly as I can in January but it's fair to say there will be a Manchester City premium on prices. We have got a market value and we won't be going above that."

Jo is obviously not wanted by Hughes and Benjani could well be shipped out next month too.

The City boss said: "We need to show a physical threat and a desire to get on to the end of things when a ball is flashing across the box.

"We also need to mess people around."

Hughes had just seen injury-hit Everton do exactly that, and without a recognised striker.

The Mersey men fought like tigers and got an injury-time winner from Tim Cahill, pushed into emergency service up front when manager David Moyes found out he was without a fit striker.

Cahill alone showed more aggression than half a dozen City men put together.

Even the City chief said: "Cahill was excellent. He messed us around and he did a real job for the team. We needed more players at the top of their game."

If City's Arab owners persist in their plans to pack the team with artists rather than artisans, it's hard to see Hughes staying at the helm too long.

Sparky took a few years to build a reputation as one of the most solid managers in the game. He took on City because he felt there would be more money to spend to get to that proverbial 'next level.' Now, however, he is finding out that unlimited cash brings its own problems.

Expectations are sky-high and building that stairway to heaven is hard.

Nor is Hughes fooling anyone when he looks at the table and pretends that there is no major problem looming.

After this defeat, the West Brom trip next weekend is suddenly a relegation six-pointer.

If City go into the January transfer window in or around the bottom three, all of the arguments over players and fees might be irrelevant - for Hughes anyway.

Man City : Hart 6, Zabaleta 6, Richards 6, Dunne 6, Ball 6, Ireland 7, Kompany 5, Elano 6, Wright-Phillips 8, Benjani 5 (Jo 45, 4), Robinho 5 (Vassell 82).

Everton : Howard 7, Neville 6, Yobo 6, Jagielka 6, Lescott 6, Osman 6, Arteta 8, Castillo 6, Pienaar 6, Fellaini 7, Cahill 7. Goal: Cahill 90.

Referee : Mark Halsey
Attendance : 41,344

MAN OF THE MATCH (Worth an extra two Fantasy League points) Mikel Arteta (EVERTON) 8 Not his usual performance but a match-winning display

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH Jo (MAN CITY) 4 What is he all about? Totally unsuited to English football

NEXT THREE GAMES
MAN CITY
Thursday: Santander (a) UEFA Cup
Sunday: West Brom (a) Prem
Fri Dec 26: Hull (h) Prem

EVERTON
Mon Dec 22: Chelsea (h) Prem
Fri Dec 26: M'boro (a) Prem
Sun Dec 28: Sunderland (h) Prem

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