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Roberto Mancini was in a difficult situation last year. Despite City splashing the cash, he didn't have as many established attacking stars as was assumed - Mario Balotelli was in and out of the side, and Adam Johnson didn't seem to suit the system. Mancini favoured a 4-3-3 with Carlos Tevez dropping deep, which worked well for the first half of the season. The problem, though, was that when Mancini acquired another striker, Edin Dzeko, there was no place for him. Would he go out on the left, or would Tevez? Mancini tried both, but neither worked.

Dzeko's brilliant start to the season is partly because he's become used to English football, but also because he now has an obvious role in the side - in fact, the side is arguably now based around him. By his own admission, he's more comfortable when he has a strike partner, and with Sergio Aguero played in a central role just behind, he has been excellent so far.

The front four of Dzeko, Aguero, Samir Nasri and David Silva, as seen against Tottenham, might turn out to be City's first-choice quartet, although Tevez is another option. He will probably be an occasional replacement for Aguero, or maybe used on the flank when Mancini is feeling particularly adventurous. A return to a system with Tevez dropping deep as the focal point seems unworkable with Nasri and Silva also wanting to move into that zone, whilst Tevez and Aguero didn't combine well at the Copa America. This really does seem a Dzeko-dominated side, even at this early stage, and 5.1 for him to finish Premier League top scorer is decent value - probably more so than Aguero at 7.0, who might be eased into regular action by Mancini. Tevez's stock has fallen remarkably since being the joint winner of the Golden Boot last season, and is available to back at 40.0.

Balotelli is another factor, and despite Mancini's difficulties with his compatriot, he is likely to be given plenty more chances. He's different to Nasri and Silva in that he can start wide and then powerfully charge at goal, giving opponents a more direct threat. The danger of Nasri and Silva starting together is that they both like to come inside, and few opponents will be as tactically-naïve as Tottenham, who fielded no holding midfielder and left a lot of space between the lines. That said, Nasri showed his ability to stay wide and deliver crosses for Dzeko, so perhaps the two can be fielded wide without too many problems. James Milner is a more functional option against dangerous opposition full-backs.

In midfield, it is widely expected that Yaya Toure will play deeper than last season alongside Nigel de Jong, although we are yet to see this combination so far. Gareth Barry, the man many anticipate making way, has been very good in all three of City's games so far, and will make more appearances than many expect.

At full-back, Mancini has Micah Richards or Pablo Zabaleta on the right, with Gael Clichy and Aleksander Kolarov on the left. They will be rotated according to their suitability for particular opponents. Richards was favoured against relatively weak teams like Swansea and Bolton because he can drive forward (he picked up an assist in both games), but Mancini entrusted Zabaleta for dealing with Gareth Bale. On the other side, Kolarov might be favoured against physical sides, whilst Clichy can deal with nipper wingers. Again, selection so far backs this up - Kolarov played against the direct threat offered by Bolton, whilst Clichy featured against the pace of Swansea's Nathan Dyer and Tottenham's Aaron Lennon.

Vincent Kompany is undroppable at centre-back , but Joleon Lescott has arguably been responsible for all three goals City have conceded so far, and with Kolo Toure's drugs ban expiring next week, he may find his place under threat. Twenty-year-old Stefan Savic, a summer signing from Partizan, is probably the long-term partner for Kompany.

In all, Mancini's squad looks remarkably settled considering how many new arrivals there have been, and team selection looks manageable despite the superstars on show. It's now up to the manager to persist with his attacking approach, and go for wins where last year he may have settled for draws.

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