Nasri is Man City's hero as Pellegrini's Bony obsession continues to baffle

The Ivory Coast striker has rarely looked at home in a City shirt and is likely to be moved on this summer, but still he starts in place of the promising Kelechi Iheanacho

Samir Nasri showed Wilfried Bony how it's done on a day when it was the result that mattered most for Manchester City.

Nasri made his first start since September after battling back from a nasty injury that involved his tendon completely removing itself from his thigh bone, something which required around 100 stitches and six months on the sidelines.

He has worked so hard in training that Manuel Pellegrini's decision to remove him from the Champions League squad at the expense of promising striker Kelechi Iheanacho looks premature. Consulting with doctors a month ago, it seemed certain Nasri would not be able to feature in the competition's latter stages, but here he is, back in contention as his team-mates look to progress to the semi-finals.

It might be seen as hindsight in its purest form to suggest he should not have been removed in the first place but for the fact that Iheanacho doesn't look like he will be trusted to play.

Bony continues to get the nod above the 19-year-old - a typically Pellegrini decision and one that is increasingly angering supporters.

Bony simply has not settled into this City team since signing from Swansea for £30 million (including £5m VAT, it was revealed by Football Leaks) last January. He scored twice at the tail end of last season, against his former club and Saturday's opposition, West Brom.





He has hit eight this season but none since the rout of Sunderland on Boxing Day and does not look like breaking that duck. The details of the deal that brought him to the Etihad were leaked as he toiled around the pitch in a goalless draw with Norwich City last month. He did not touch the ball within five yards of the penalty box that day. 

Here, he touched it 25 times in total, ahead only of Joe Hart in the City ranks. Two of those were in the area and two of them were in the centre circle, at kick-offs.

Bony had done little to justifty his start at Norwich nearly a month ago and nothing in the interim to deserve another.

Pellegrini was brought to the club in part to nurture the young talent honing their skills at the brand new Etihad Campus but while it is unrealistic to expect swathes of teenagers to feature in the first team, nobody could say the manager has given the top talents a fair crack of the whip.

He has repeatedly praised Iheanacho, insisting that he played a personal role in the Nigerian being granted his work permit a year ago after months of wrangling, while he says the decision to let Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko leave without replacement was in part down to his faith in the youngster.

But it seems Iheanacho has only featured when there was little choice. Bony has struggled with injuries this season - in his defence, he has recovered from a bout of pre-season malaria - and Kelechi has taken his chances in the first team, notching nine goals and proving why there is so much buzz around this confident, skilful striker.

An FA Cup hat-trick against Aston Villa - as Bony was sidelined with a calf injury - was further proof of his prodigous talent, but you have to wonder now whether he would have got that chance had the Ivorian been fit.

Since returning from that calf injury in March, he has leapfrogged Iheanacho in the pecking order. Forty-five minutes at Anfield were followed by a starts against Villa and Norwich, in which he did little. As City chased the game against Manchester United it was Bony who was brought off the bench as Pellegrini's final substitute.

Iheanacho did come off the bench against Bournemouth last week but, when the chips were down in Paris in midweek, Bony was turned to again. In all these appearances he has done nothing to suggest he deserves to start.

City looked much livelier the second he was withdrawn against the Baggies. Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure added energy and, within two minutes of Bony's departure, Nasri had swept home the winner at the far post. 

Nasri may yet have a role to play as City look to nail down a top-four finish, but Bony's race is surely run. It appears Pellegrini trusts the striker more than Iheanacho, and fortunately for the youngster that is a situation which will surely change this summer when Pep Guardiola takes the reins. 

Manchester City boss Pellegrini hails 'hard working, important' Nasri

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini hailed Samir Nasri as a "hard working, important player" after the French international marked only his second league start of the season with the winner against West Brom.

However, the 28-year-old won't feature in Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal second leg home clash against Paris Saint-Germain after not being included in City’s Champions League squad due to his lengthy absence.

“We expected he was going to come back in the middle of April but we needed to play the Champions League in February and we had just Kun (Aguero) as a striker," said the City manager.

“(Wilfried) Bony was injured so it was important to include Kelechi (Iheanacho) so Samir Nasri had to stay out, but I don’t think he is able to play in three days’ more.

“I’m very happy for him. He was very unlucky to have that kind of injury. It’s very strange to have six months with a muscle injury but he had to have surgery.

“He has worked very well and returned sooner than the doctor expected. I am very impressed he played the 90 minutes after so many months without playing. He is a very important player.”

Nasri, who had to undergo surgery after a thigh muscle was torn from the bone in a training-ground injury last October, said: “It was great to be back and to score the winning goal.

“It has been more than five months since I have been out so I can't explain how happy I am. It is the best thing to do before we play Paris St-Germain in the Champions League next week.

"The medical staff have done some good work but when you are out for so long, you want to prove to everyone you have the quality to be in the side. With all the new players, I wanted to contribute to the team."

Stephane Sessegnon’s early strike gave West Brom the lead but that was cancelled out by Aguero’s penalty – his 23rd goal of the season.

Nasri, in his first start since September, scored the winning goal as City moved within two points of third-placed Arsenal who were held to a 3-3 draw at West Ham in the race to finish in the top four and secure Champions League football for next season.

“It was very difficult for me to choose the choose the starting 11 for different reasons, players that had some problem, players that were tired, players like Yaya (Toure) who had worked for just two days and players like Samir Nasri and (Fabian) Delph who had to play together after so many months without playing," added Pellegrini.

“We are always looking up, not behind our shoulders. You must continue to be as near to the top of the table as you can.

“This was a very important game because the four teams who are involved with us in those positions in the table play together, West Ham and Arsenal, and tomorrow Tottenham and Manchester United."

West Brom manager Tony Pulis was adamant his side should have had a penalty when Eliaquim Mangala barged midfielder Sandro in the back when the score was 1-1 early in the second half.

Even still, his side, which has won just one of their last 10 away league games, pushed City all the way and could have scored a late equaliser with chances for Saido Berahino and James McClean.

“I thought it was a penalty. It does not just affect us as a result, but all the teams around City who are fighting for the Champions League when there are millions at stake. They will be disappointed with that decision," said Pulis.