TWENTE made Mark Hughes count to ten last night before his side managed to deliver the decisive knock out blow.

The City boss spent much of the build up to this game denying that the Blues have a soft centre but admitting that they needed to toughen up mentally and impose their own character and style on games.

For a while it seemed as if his calculated words had evaporated into the chill autumn air without managing to stick between the ears of his talented but inconsistent players but in front of an enthusiastic if small Euro audience, the penny finally dropped and they got off to the winning start that life in the quick fire Uefa Cup group stages demands.

The Blues had delivered what ought to have been a decisive early blow with a second minute goal from Shaun Wright-Phillips who, after receiving a neat ball from Gelson Fernandes, swapped passes with Jo before striding into the box and beating Sander Boschker’s right hand with a low drive.

But they let their concentration lapse again and the speedy livewire Eljero Elia took advantage of Pablo Zabaleta losing possession and the central defenders being wide apart to drill home a low equaliser from the edge of the box.

Perhaps the Blues could point to teething problems with a new system. The home side had suffered a blow before a ball was kicked thanks to a groin strain to their most complete midfielder Vincent Kompany and the ensuing reshuffle saw a switch to a 4-3-3 formation with Javier Garrido, Fernandes, Darius Vassell and Jo recalled.

Ben Haim, Elano and Ched Evans were the men to miss out though others may well have paid for lacklustre efforts at Middlesbrough and Bolton had this been a league match.

The fresh formation allowed for a middle three of Ireland, Fernandes and SWP and with the latter playing as an old fashioned schemer it left City devoid of any natural width which wasn’t compensated for by the front three of Jo, Vassell and Robinho – the last two frustratingly tucked in and largely anonymous in the opening forty-five minutes.

At least in the 4-2-3-1 line up the interchangeable Robinho, SWP and Ireland have been both beguiling and a delight to behold especially at Eastlands where, even from the stands, viewers can sense the anxiety of the defenders and smell their fear of being shown up.

Intention

Fifteen goals in five Premier League games at home this season has told its own story and it was one that Steve (or should that be Shteve?) McClaren and his men had read thoroughly.

The former England boss seemingly never had any intention of allowing his side, with three points already in the bag from a win over Spain’s Racing, to stand toe-to-toe with Hughes’ rampaging cavaliers. They defended deeply and broke with purpose, speed and intelligence.

McClaren hoped circumspection, caution and clever defending would be enough to end Twente’s dismal record of never having won an away Euro tie and at the same time continue his own rather more uplifting history of never losing a game as a head coach against City – a tally that stood at eight attempts before it ended last night.

Blaise Nkufo, the Swiss qualified striker who has been the Tukkers’ top scorer for the past five seasons, followed his manager’s script to perfection making clever runs and space for his younger teammates. He led the line in the way Hughes hopes Jo will – eventually!

The more languid Brazilian Jo had the chance to restore City’s lead three minutes from the break but having collected Fernandes’ pass and eye-balled the keeper, he tried to force the ball between his legs and failed.

There was a similarly frustrating effort at the start of the second half after Robinho belatedly came to life and threaded him through but at least the Blues upped the snail like tempo and went at Twente with some gusto.

That was exemplified first by Wright-Phillips whose turf-hugging, twenty-yard effort rippled to side netting and then spectacularly by Robinho who collected Ireland’s pass close to far left of the penalty area and then, pausing only for a cursory glance up, curled a wonder goal beyond Boschker.

That was the signal for the arrival of Benjani for a first senior outing of the season and within three minutes he had doubled the Blues lead with a long range effort that took a deflection on its way past Boschker and into the bottom corner.

That should have been that but City at present seemingly need three goals to win a game and so it proved again as Wielaert pulled one back with a header from a corner in a move that looked borrowed from Liverpool’s play book and successfully converted earlier in the season by Fernando Torres.

The now on fire Robinho ought to have calmed nerves in the 75th minute when he accepted a gift of a pass from a defender, sashayed into the box and then hit the inside of the post a feat he repeated in the dying seconds although City has a scare of their own when Huysegems lifted a shot over from less than ten yards with the goal gaping.

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