Run-in looks favourable - on paper

LEGEND . . . Les Chapman.

IT proved to be another frustrating weekend for Manchester City as they were held by battling Middlesbrough.

Of course Boro are fighting for their lives down at the bottom, but it was yet another game where City ought to have come away with the three points.

The race for the top four is still most definitely on.

It's certainly tight between Liverpool, City and United.

Actually, on paper, I believe City have the easiest run-in of those three teams now so maybe top three should be well within reach.

City have got Palace this weekend, then Leicester, West Brom and Watford, so I would hope they'll be looking at 10 points minimum from those games.

That will hopefully be enough to get into the top three.

United have got a tricky final few games left yet, including against Tottenham, Arsenal and Southampton away.

I was pleased to see Gabriel Jesus back and in the goals at Boro.

City have missed him of course. He really is a top player.

He's got lots of brilliant attributes, and it's not all about his goals.

If you watch him, he works his socks off for the team.

He's a real team player and that's just one of the main reasons why I think he's a truly exceptional prospect.

So it's Crystal Palace at home next for City, and that's a game they should win.

It would be good if David Silva returned from injury, while Vincent Kompany has been terrific since he came back in. What a leader he is.

I'm jetting off to Istanbul later this week to meet and interview Nigel de Jong. Nigel is a great player and was a great lad when he was at City, but he's doing fine at Galatasaray in Turkey now.

We're filming another interview for a Aguero goal video, aimed at marking five years since that famous goal which won the title.

I'll have soon spoken to all the team that played that day, though Mario Balotelli is proving a little elusive so far!