With a week having passed since the game against Spurs, the Mario Balotelli-Scott Parker incident still rates a raft of coverage.

Today is the first chance that Sunday columnists have had to get their teeth into the hot topic of our enigmatic Italian striker, with plenty of others having had their chance over the last seven days.

Graeme Souness tells the Star that, "...it would be the City striker's loss if he moved elsewhere.

"To start with Manchester City is the place to be at the moment and, secondly, it would not help his development as a player to leave the club and manager Roberto Mancini."

The People's Dave Kidd has a wide-ranging take on recent events and how they may affect out title tilt, with his focus on the most crucial part of the puzzle being further back on the pitch than where Mario operates.

City may have the most expensive squad in world football but the Italian still has a point when he argues that the recruitment of one extra central defender may have made all the difference in the title race.

...Dave Kidd

"Vincent Kompany has been sorely missed during his four-match ban and will return for Tuesday’s tricky visit to Everton. Yet Mancini’s most important player now is not Balotelli, Kompany nor even David Silva but Joe Hart.

"Titles are rarely, if ever, won with dodgy keepers. And if United had Hart, you’d make them firm favourites for the crown."

And over on the Mail's web site, Gary Neville follows up his opinions on last Sunday with even more on how Mario and City are the centre of attention - and likely to remain so for some time!

"The biggest compliment City and Balotelli should take from this week is that they are now a story.

"You're on TV 25 times a year because of the quality of players such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Balotelli and more and more of these incidents will be highlighted. No big club likes it but they had better get used to it because it's not going to change. It's part of the journey if you want to become a major force in English football."