Santa needs games ahead of hectic January

One of the most high-profile and drawn out transfers of recent months saw wantaway Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz arrive at Eastlands from Blackburn for around £17m. The move certainly split fans, mainly due to his patchy and injury-hit final season at Ewood, during which could only muster up six goals and spent as much time on the sidelines moaning as he did in their side.

His season before had been quite spectacular, with the former Bayern forward chipping in with twenty-three goals as Rovers finished in an extremely respectable seventh place under current City boss Mark Hughes. Going off that season i'm sure most of us were excited at the prospect of having him here, and despite that being the only time he's achieved double figures during his decade playing in top European leagues, i still think, more hope that it was closer to his truer form than anything since, injuries permitting.

With progress into our first semi-final in almost three decades assured with last night's comfortable victory over Arsenal, we now know that we'll face city rivals United twice during January. That month will also see us face tricky trips to Everton and Stoke as well as home games against Blackburn and Pompey. For each of these fixtures we'll be without captain Kolo Toure and striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

In truth, the latter's contribution of late has been less than the early signs suggested we might have expected; one goal in seven, generally lethargic and often on his arse, but at least he's match-fit, the same unfortunately cannot be said of his like-for-like and certain replacement, and he'll certainly be a big loss.

It's too early to say what sort of signing Santa Cruz will prove. When he's played he's generally looked off the pace, but not only had he struggled with knocks over the past twelve months but obviously has not been playing regularly so far. What's for sure, though, is that we've got just four weeks and half-a-dozen games to get him ready for a gruelling run that will go some way towards shaping our season.

The intention obviously has to be to win the next game, whenever or whoever that happens to be, and so Hughes will quite probably and rightly play his strongest side whenever possible, and Santa Cruz wouldn't be in that. Without taking our eye off the ball, however, we must have January's rejigging in mind, at both ends of the pitch, but more so in attack. Roque needs minutes, and not just ten or fifteen here or there, but starts in order that he can begin to get an understanding going with certain players, particularly our wingers and dead-ball, well, specialists wouldn't be the right word, takers.

An interesting potential factor could be the expected arrival of Spurs winger David Bentley. Where he'd fit exactly is anyone's guess, but there's no doubt that he was absolutely key in Roque's prolific season, and his directness from the flanks is something we certainly don't have, at least in terms of crossing ability. Another one of Hughes' favourites, it's not a signing i'd be against except in that it could hinder the progress of Vladimir Weiss.

Looking at the fixture list, the league games around the end of December could prove a good chance for Hughes' to blood him, specifically Stoke at home and Wolves away, then the visit of his former club to Eastlands into the New Year. It's a tough call, and no doubt the manager will get it in the neck should points be dropped against such opposition, but we have to have a Plan B or there's a good chance we'll get found out come trips to places like Old Trafford and the Britannia.