You have to give congratulations to Manchester City. Nobody can argue that Roberto Mancini's team were individually and collectively the better side. It wasn't the greatest game but I've seen worse finals than this one.
The thing that pleased me about Manchester City, and I have at times wondered about their safety-first approach, was that today that was released a bit. There was much more from them from an attacking point of view.
Everybody will be watching Manchester City with interest this summer. They are the wealthiest side in the country, so money will be made available to them. The outlook is to make them the top side. Regardless of whether you've got money or not that takes time.
Stoke didn't get to the level we know they are capable of. Before the game, one of the things you say to players is, after the game, we don't want any 'if onlys', but one side - the losing side - is always going to have them.
It wasn't a great final, but Manchester City deservedly won the match. They created so many different chances in the game. In the end it was a sweet left-foot half-volley from Yaya Toure that ultimately won it.
I think they were a little bit more adventurous. Carlos Tevez makes all the difference because he runs in behind and drops off short of defenders - he's always working, he's always available. I don't think Edin Dzeko can play that role. Mario Balotelli came off his wide position and joined in and David Silva will always do that.
For Manchester City, getting into the Champions League with the win against Tottenham was massive. Shall we say, the players they bought in the summer were four star, for want of a better description, but now they're in the market for five-star players. They can pay bigger wages than arguably any of the other English clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
It'll be very interesting to see what happens at that football club in the next two to three months. By the end of August, in terms of playing personnel, I think there will be major, major changes.
I think what will peeve Stoke other than losing the game is that they didn't show anything like the team we know, who can be extremely competitive and difficult to play against. I think Manchester City won quite comfortably.
Sometimes you come to these events as a player and you get enmeshed in the build-up, sorting tickets out for people and waving at your family. In the first half Stoke were all over the place. Not even for a 10-minute period did they play the kind of football they are capable of and cause problems for Manchester City. They had just the one chance for Kenwyne Jones, while Manchester City must have had half a dozen.
It was a gamble worth taking on Matthew Etherington's fitness with the way Stoke play. But I can't remember, certainly during the first half, Etherington with the ball at his feet and actually running at Micah Richards.
I also thought Martin Atkinson had a really, really good game. We don't often praise the ref but he was almost unnoticeable, which is good.
The thing that pleased me about Manchester City, and I have at times wondered about their safety-first approach, was that today that was released a bit. There was much more from them from an attacking point of view.
Everybody will be watching Manchester City with interest this summer. They are the wealthiest side in the country, so money will be made available to them. The outlook is to make them the top side. Regardless of whether you've got money or not that takes time.
Stoke didn't get to the level we know they are capable of. Before the game, one of the things you say to players is, after the game, we don't want any 'if onlys', but one side - the losing side - is always going to have them.
It wasn't a great final, but Manchester City deservedly won the match. They created so many different chances in the game. In the end it was a sweet left-foot half-volley from Yaya Toure that ultimately won it.
I think they were a little bit more adventurous. Carlos Tevez makes all the difference because he runs in behind and drops off short of defenders - he's always working, he's always available. I don't think Edin Dzeko can play that role. Mario Balotelli came off his wide position and joined in and David Silva will always do that.
For Manchester City, getting into the Champions League with the win against Tottenham was massive. Shall we say, the players they bought in the summer were four star, for want of a better description, but now they're in the market for five-star players. They can pay bigger wages than arguably any of the other English clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
It'll be very interesting to see what happens at that football club in the next two to three months. By the end of August, in terms of playing personnel, I think there will be major, major changes.
I think what will peeve Stoke other than losing the game is that they didn't show anything like the team we know, who can be extremely competitive and difficult to play against. I think Manchester City won quite comfortably.
It was a gamble worth taking on Matthew Etherington's fitness with the way Stoke play. But I can't remember, certainly during the first half, Etherington with the ball at his feet and actually running at Micah Richards.
I also thought Martin Atkinson had a really, really good game. We don't often praise the ref but he was almost unnoticeable, which is good.
