11:00PM GMT 28 Oct 2012
The swelling on Richards’s knee prevented him from undergoing a scan at the weekend after the incident that led to the England full-back receiving oxygen on the pitch and eventually to him being carried off an a stretcher.
Having earlier complained of cramp in his right leg, Richards had fallen to
the ground unchallenged as he backtracked towards the
Initial tests have suggested that the 24 year-old might have suffered cartilage damage, although a full assessment will not be made until after the scan.
Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm was also badly injured, suffering a groin tear
while attempting to keep out Carlos Tévez’s 61st-minute goal. The two delays
prompted referee Martin Atkinson to add 12 minutes of stoppage time, which
made this the
The timekeeping extended a long week for City manager Roberto Mancini amid growing disillusionment about his methods in the dressing-room and claims from Richards that the players were unfamiliar with tactical changes made during the Champions League defeat by Ajax last week.
After toiling in the first half against Swansea, City were then booed off at the interval on Saturday.
Despite their Champions League failings, City remain unbeaten in the Premier League, so it seemed odd that supporters chose to vent their spleen at Mancini’s players.
They have had plenty to complain about at City over the years, with the dark days under former chairman Peter Swales at Maine Road infamously being played out to weekly demonstrations.
Yet Mancini’s star-studded team won the Premier League last season and are well-placed to retain the title.
“The supporters must understand that it was a difficult moment [in the first half].” Mancini said.
“When you are tired and have just had a defeat in the Champions League, maybe you can be disappointing, but all the teams need their supporters for 90 minutes. In two years, we have won three trophies, we did well.
“But after all that has been said in the last few days, I thought we were in last position in the Premier League. I’ve just looked at the table and we are in second position.”
With the chances they created, Swansea should have scored four times. In Europe, City have been punished by more ruthless opponents, but Swansea’s wastefulness allowed Tévez to win the game with a stunning 30-yard strike that capped the Argentine forward’s man-of-the-match performance.
