Elano's resilience surprises Eriksson
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was surprised at the level of performance from playmaker Elano, who scored the winner against Birmingham today.
Elano arrived back at the Carrington training ground only yesterday lunchtime, following his part in Brazil’s midweek defeat of Ecuador.
Yet he was bright enough to score the only goal of this Barclays Premier League match in the 37th minute, after Michael Johnson and Vedran Corluka had been involved in the build up.
It was Elano’s fourth in three games for City, and he is making a huge impression after arriving from Shaktar Donetsk in the summer.
Eriksson said: “We had a lot of players away, and that is always difficult.
“You are not sure what shape they are in when they come back.
“Elano and Micah Richards had not done anything until the warm-up before the game.
“I asked Elano how he was. He said he was fine – and that was the case.
“I was surprised at the way he shook off the jet-lag. He is a great player and is scoring important goals for us.
“The way he took the goal today was something to be proud of.
“I believe Elano can get better – but if he goes on playing like this I will be happy.”
City have now won six successive league games at home and are riding high in the table – but they found Birmingham stubborn opponents.
Eriksson said: “When you can take three points without being at your best, it is a strength.
“The last 30 minutes they played better than we did. But we took all three points, and that is important.”
Birmingham have now lost four successive matches, and manager Steve Bruce was furious the goal stood.
He claimed Johnson had fouled Fabrice Muamba in the build-up to Elano’s vital strike.
“It was a blatant foul, and we feel really harshly treated,” he said.
“It was a ridiculous decision. The game hinged on it, and I did not want that.
“We gave Elano one bit of space – and he scores. But we did not deserve to get beaten.
“The longer the game went on, the more comfortable we got – and Sven said we were the best team they had met.
“It is all very well getting plaudits, but we need a few points on the board to match the performances we are putting in.
“The team could have had a lot more points on the board, and I am happy with what I have seen from my squad so far.”
Bruce remains anxious for his own future to be resolved, with Carson Yeung expected to buy the club before new year.
“I will be at work on Monday morning and at the training ground the next five to six days,” confirmed the former Manchester United defender.
“It [my situation] needs to be sorted, but I will do my best to make sure the players are not affected by all the speculation.”
