Dapper City gaffer Roberto Mancini, in an exclusive interview with France Football magazine defiantly declares that City will be contenders for a long time to come…
The shrewd Blues boss has spoken of the belief he has in his side ahead of next week’s massive Manchester derby at The Etihad Stadium and also of the benchmark he perceives to be City’s opponents.
‘They have more experience and that team spirit that we are currently building. But even when we lost to them, we have had interesting games. Against them, we have always managed to excel.
‘…for twenty years, the they have won constantly. Even when they are behind in a game, or in the league, they know they can come back because they have this inner strength borne from all of their success.’
There could be a bit of kidology in play here. Despite clawing back draws, United have not won a game during which they have fallen behind in all season. Another fact that points towards changing times.
‘Playing against United has helped our progression, it helped us to learn…A few weeks ago, we were eight points behind United. When you are so much behind in the table, you can give up, but it was not true in our case and this is very important. It shows that, beyond the technical qualities of this team, there is strength. Beating United 6-1 gave us strength for the future.
..it was also a strong signal. Our victory over United in the FA Cup Semi-Final last season was also important. That kind of game is a turning-point.’
Despite the hype surrounding ‘the shoot out’ in East Manchester, Mancio remains cool for cats and unruffled by claims that defeat will represent failure.
‘In the league, we have made enormous progress over teams who have been in the Champions League for a long time. We can be proud of our work. We are improving. We have played very well and we were top for 28 games. If Manchester City do not win the league this season, we will win it next season and we will be successful in the future years.
‘This is not the most important match of my life. I will sleep well on Sunday night…I’ll sleep peacefully. There are more important things in life.’
France Football Magazine
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UPCOMING FIXTURES:
all times East Manchester
Mo 30 Apr 20:00 The rags, The Etihad, PL
Su 6 May 14:00 Newcastle, St James’ Park, PL
Su 13 May 15:00 QPR, The Etihad, PL
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