Lee Dixon: Moyes working miracles

There could hardly be a greater footballing contrast than at the Etihad Stadium last night - Roberto Mancini and the Manchester City have-it-alls against David Moyes and the Everton have-nots.

As Mancini works out how to get the most out of one of the game's most expensively assembled squads, Moyes has had to scrimp and save to produce a team as he seeks to keep up his remarkable record in the top flight with Everton.

Given all the doom and gloom that surrounded Everton after Mikel Arteta, their best player, left as the transfer window closed, it was almost a surprise to see they were seventh in the Premier League before last night's game and had not lost since that surprise first home-game reverse to Queens Park Rangers. It shouldn't do, though - seventh was where they finished last season.

You cannot fail to have huge respect for what Moyes has achieved under huge financial restraints. The way he has organised his troops and the levels they have reached - that seventh last season following on from eighth, fifth, fifth, and sixth in earlier campaigns - is way above what anyone could have expected. It's pulling rabbits out of hats.

He has not had the luxury of buying a replacement when a player is injured or out of form, or if he simply wants someone better, as his opposite number overnight has had.

For a manager, that is not always a bad thing. It can force them to rely on what they should be doing - coaching players. If he goes on to a bigger job, Moyes may look at this point of his career as a key in his development as a manager. The restraints he is under at Goodison may have helped make him a better coach.

It's not easy to get current players or managers to come on to Match of the Day 2 but Moyes is someone who is happy to share the sofa and is always a guest worth having. The Scot is one of those who you know within a couple of minutes of meeting that he is worth listening to.

There's no need to read between the lines with him, as there is with some managers - and he has an obvious passion for the game. There is also something of the old school Scottish manager about him. He has not hesitated to take a firm line with Louis Saha, despite his shortage of striking options.

The big question for Moyes and Everton fans is whether a squad solid in defence and midfield but short of attacking options can sustain the level of the past few years.

There are two main worries: Where will the goals come from and what damage could be done to the dressing room when the January transfer window opens? Without a regular scorer - and Arteta - it is difficult to see them finishing as high as seventh.

They have a good defence with the likes of Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin and Johnny Heitinga. Arteta was their most talented performer but Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill carry a midfield threat. Up front, it is less convincing, even if it turns out he's picked up a decent youngster in Apostolos Vellios, the Greece under-21 forward.

The emergence of young players from within the club has become a feature of Moyes' time at Goodison. It has become imperative given their current financial concerns but it's working.

Midfielder Ross Barkley is the one who really stands out at the moment - he's the sort of player who doesn't come around very often. From Wayne Rooney onwards, Moyes has been willing to give youngsters a go and that will make a difference when it comes to attracting players at academy level.

When I started out with Burnley, they were known for bringing players through the club and that can sway decisions. If you are a young player, where do you think you are more likely to get a chance - at Everton or their opponents today?

There are serious off-field issues at Goodison and if they continue it can become an on-field issue, too. Moyes must be dreading January and the offers coming in. Were he to lose a Jagielka then, with no money to spend, the centre half would be replaced by someone of lesser ability.

It's such a different job Moyes faces to the one Mancini has in Manchester but there was one thing in Everton's favour - they've done the double over City for the past two seasons, which only goes to show the difference a good coach can make, no matter the players on the field.

- INDEPENDENT