There could be a big clear out of the Manchester City squad in the summer, which could possibly see Roberto Mancini also exit the club, say Rodney Marsh.
The former player believes six to eight players could all be moved on as they look set to fail in their bid to win the Premier League.
And he feels Roberto Mancini could also be moved on but he feels talk of his demise may be a little premature.
He told The Press Pass: “I think there is a possibility there could be an enormous clear out and when I say enormous I mean like six or seven or even eight players gone, possibly even the manager because Man City are a great football team, a great football club and if they’re going to challenge next year they have to go out all guns blazing, all the time for a whole 90 minutes for a whole season.
“And if they don’t do that they’ll come up short again.
“If you’re going to take the title off Manchester United you have to be up for it for the whole season. City, for three-quarters of the season have been absolutely brilliant.
“I actually saw the 6-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford and some of the football was breathtaking but you have to play for the whole season, as we all know, and they didn’t.
“There are so many things that have gone right at Man City. Over the last three or four years they have turned the whole football club around and it became a really top level football club, so whether you make another change [of manager] at this particular stage only the next few weeks will tell.” TalkSHITE AUDIO: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/ ... %99-169182
MOTD3 on Man City's woes and Mario Balotelli's future
Colin Murray is joined by Lee Dixon and Robbie Savage to look back at the weekend's football in the latest edition of Match of the Day 3, including Manchester City's 1-0 defeat by Arsenal , which leaves them eight points behind leaders United in the table.
The trio discuss why they think City have lost the Premier League title race, and whether or not Mario Balotelli and Roberto Mancini will stay at the club next season.
Savage thinks Balotelli is a "liability", while Dixon believes his behaviour has sometimes been a "distraction" for City this season, but both pundits think Mancini should remain at the club.
Manchester City's problem is they haven't got a Sir Alex Ferguson says Alan Hansen
If Manchester City were managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, they’d be the ones celebrating winning the Premier League title this weekend.
For 100 years, I would advocate the view that the league has been won by the club with the best players. For the last two seasons, it has been the manager who has made the difference.
Give Ferguson the squad City have and put Roberto Mancini in charge of the current Manchester United side, and City would have won the title by 20 points.
United are on the verge of winning it again because City have capitulated and their manager has made too many mistakes, the biggest of which is failing to gel his assortment of talented players.
I look at City and I don’t see the togetherness, the spirit and kind of team bonding which is fundamental to any title success. These are the qualities United possess in abundance and which Ferguson has instilled into his club.
You don’t get the histrionics we’ve seen at City at Old Trafford, or if you do it happens only once a season and is dealt with immediately.
Mancini has allowed this cult of the individual to sabotage his title bid. Watching his side effectively give up their last hope of catching United at the Emirates yesterday, there was only one player who symbolised everything you need at this stage of the season. Vincent Kompany, the City captain, was heroic at centre-half. A genuine leader, brave and prepared to put his body on the line for his team-mates.
Then you see Mario Balotelli, yet again the villain of the piece.
To win the league you need four or five with the heart of Kompany and you need to root out the likes of Balotelli. United have four or five like Kompany and none of the disruptive influences, and that’s because the manager identifies potential problems quickly and efficiently.
Mancini is culpable. It’s down to him to create the right spirit in the side. He shouldn’t be allowing his players to use weekends off to go to all four corners of the globe. Again, compare his approach to Ferguson, who took his players away for a golfing weekend in Scotland to ensure they were mentally prepared as a unit for the final straight.
It shows on the pitch the way United fight for each other, look after each other and make sure if one of them is down, there are 10 others to lift him up.
One word sums this up. Reliability.
Ferguson will look around his dressing room, glare into the eyes of each of his players and know he can trust them. Those same players will do likewise to their team-mates and feel exactly the same.
Is it the same in the City dressing room before kick-off? Will Kompany look at Balotelli and seriously believe he won’t let the side down? Would anyone be surprised by his sending off yesterday?
If we were still in an era of 11 players and two subs, it would be impossible to keep a dressing room together in which everyone liked each other. With 20-man squads it’s even more challenging managing all the personalities.
Ferguson excels at this, unifying all the elements of his side by ensuring they work for the common good. Mancini has been unable to replicate it at the Etihad Stadium.
I will never advocate a manager losing his job, but it’s a fair observation Mancini is now in danger of losing his given the size of the lead City have thrown away and the failure to use the resources at his disposal as effectively as he should.
Tactically, they’ve become predictable too. Opposing sides have worked them out, recognising they play too narrow. Earlier in the season they were ripping sides apart with the high tempo passing game, but now they look out on their feet.
David Silva was unavailable yesterday because he wasn’t given enough rest earlier in the season. Again, Mancini must take responsibility for not ensuring his main players retained their freshness for the most crucial period of the campaign.
The enduring image of the season will be of City, undermined by Mancini’s inexplicable faith in Balotelli – who I didn’t believe would be picked again after his performance against Chelsea – and United’s Paul Scholes.
He may have played only 14 games, but Scholes is my Player of the Year. Calm, assured, magnificent on the ball and someone who everyone at Old Trafford will look at before an important fixture and say: ‘He is someone you can trust.’
That’s what it all comes down to when the going is toughest. Being able to trust your team and having players who trust each other.
That is why United are going to be champions again and the agonising wait for those City fans will linger on.
Manchester City deny players came to blows after Arsenal defeat
Manchester City denied rumours of a post-match punch-up in their dressing room after Sunday's Barclays Premier League defeat at Arsenal.
The aftermath of City's loss, which could spell the end of their title hopes, saw suggestions emerge of a physical confrontation between members of their squad at the Emirates Stadium. But a club spokesman dismissed that this evening, saying: 'It is rubbish.'
Sunday's result left City eight points behind Manchester United, prompting manager Roberto Mancini to admit their title hopes were 'probably' over.
The match also witnessed another meltdown from Mario Balotelli, who was sent off in the dying moments for a second yellow card after getting away with what looked a certain sending-off offence in the first half when he caught Alex Song with a nasty, knee-high challenge.
Adam Johnson 'set for Manchester City exit with Sunderland interested'
Adam Johnson is facing an uncertain future at Manchester City, but his hometown club Sunderland are reportedly ready to offer him a way out of the Etihad Stadium. The England winger's inconsistency has frustrated Citizens boss Roberto Mancini for some time and the 24-year-old has spent much of the season on bench duty.
Mancini indicated this week he was running out of patience with Johnson.
When asked about the thorny issue of his relationship with Mario Balotelli, the City manager said: 'With Mario it's difficult. Bad or good behaviour, it's Mario, [but] Mario is different from Adam Johnson.
'I'm not arguing with Adam because also Adam has a good talent, but also it's important he puts this on the pitch, this talent. Sometime he doesn't do this.'
.Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill is now monitoring the situation with a view to making a bid when the summer transfer window opens, reports the Daily Star Sunday.
Johnson cost City £7million when he arrived from Middlesbrough in 2010 and the Citizens would want to at least make their money back, if Mancini gives him the green light to leave.
Black Cats fans have already seen the best of Johnson, who scored a sensational goal at the Stadium of Light in his first season at City.
Arsene Wenger fears that Manchester City - who have already tempted Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor away from the Gunners - could be back for more of his players. Times
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Fulham goal ace Clint Dempsey, 29, has refused to rule out a move away from Craven Cottage this summer despite having another year left on his contract. Arsenal and Tottenham are interested. the Sun
Wolves striker Kevin Doyle is a £4m target for Premier League promotion hopefuls Southampton. Daily Mirror
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez could quit the club if manager Kenny Dalglish is sacked in the summer. Daily Star
Injured Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has kicked his last ball for Arsenal as the Gunners prepare to sell the centre-back at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Tony Pulis is backing his in-form Stoke striker Peter Crouch for a return to the England squad. The Independent
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says he will need four or five new signings if they qualify for Europe. Sunday Sun
Aston Villa's Richard Dunne has decided against going to owner Randy Lerner's American football franchise the Cleveland Browns for treatment on his broken collarbone. Birmingham Mail
Sunderland loanee Nicklas Bendtner has refused to get involved in a war of words with Harry Redknapp after the Tottenham Hotspur manager questioned his worth to parent club Arsenal.
Kevin Doyle has scored four goals in 30 league appearances this season. Metro
Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic could be facing a ban from the Football Association after he appeared to punch Wigan Athletic midfielder Shaun Maloney in the stomach in the build-up to his side's winning goal on Saturday. Daily Mail
Liverpool's American owners will fly in to meet manager Kenny Dalglish ahead of the club's FA Cup semi-final against Everton on Saturday. Daily Mail
Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers says he wants his team to finish high up the table with the likes of Liverpool and Everton. WalesOnline
Brazilian league player Volante Derlan had to be restrained by police during a match after he punched the referee following his sending off. Metro
