Mancini set to wield axe at City after Saints flop
Joe Hart, Edin Dzeko, Gareth Barry and Samir Nasri are all set for the Manchester City chop for FA Cup as boss Roberto Mancini vows to make changes after St Mary's flop.
Angry Roberto Mancini has promised to rip apart his team in a bid to save the Blues’ season with an FA Cup success.
And the City boss promised to be as harshly critical of his own performance as his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Southampton which virtually ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
The players remained in the dressing room for over an hour at St Mary’s Stadium, firstly to discuss their abject display amongst themselves, and then to be addressed by Mancini.
They emerged tight-lipped afterwards, even refusing interviews with the club’s own website, and leaving Mancini to express his fury and disappointment at perhaps the worst team display of his three-year tenure.
Mancini now faces some tough choices for next Sunday’s visit of Leeds in the fifth round FA Cup tie, but says there will be changes – and Southampton flops Joe Hart, Gareth Barry, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko are likely to be top of his hit list.
In a dire warning to his team, Mancini made it plain he will accept below-par performances from time to time, as that is the nature of football.
But he laid it on the line that what he will not have is the lack of heart and combativeness which were the most worrying aspects of the team’s display at St Mary’s.
“I am sure we will change that, because I will change players next week,” Mancini told M.E.N. Sport. “I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games.
“I am very angry with a lot of my players, and very disappointed at the performance, because it is impossible to play the way we did.
“We didn’t fight for every ball. We can’t always win by playing well – that is normal. Sometimes we play well and win, but you also need to be able to win because you fight for every ball, and fight against an opponent who also wants to win the game.
“Every team that plays against us treats it like a Champions League final, but we should know this, it is normal.
“We now have 12 games left, need to do well in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup – there are games left and we can do better. We need to finish the season the way we did last year.”
Mancini conceded the title race is now as good as over, and was left to pick over the ruins of his team’s abject performance – and to wonder what effect it might have had on his superiors.
When he looks back on his own part in a shambolic display, he might reflect on what appears to be confused thinking.
His planning was hit by bad luck, as Carlos Tevez was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a family problem.
That led to some fans, coloured by Tevez’s recent past, to question his commitment, but the club is fully aware of the player’s situation and is supporting him at a difficult time.
He is expected to return to training this week and is likely to be involved against Leeds.
Vincent Kompany is also set to return after Mancini decided not to risk him at Southampton, and plumped for Javi Garcia ahead of both Matija Nastasic, who was left out of the matchday squad, and Kolo Toure.
Nastasic and Kolo were left out as they were deemed to be not quite ready after returning from international duty.
Said Mancini: “Nastasic came back Friday and Kolo came back three or four days ago – plus the last time Garcia played there, he played really, really well.
“On Saturday we played well in defence, but the problem was that we didn’t give the defenders any help. They were left to play alone, and we conceded two goals the like of which I have never seen in my life.
“But it is normal to have so many players away.
“The fixtures are ridiculous sometimes, as we played on Saturday and then had six players who came back on Friday, and five who came back Thursday night.
“Sometimes it is impossible.”
Yaya Toure returned at the same time as his brother, and played 90 minutes, while Aleks Kolarov travelled alongside Nastasic for Serbia’s mid-week game, and played as a substitute. Mancini’s substitutions and switch to a back three also puzzled some, and he explained it thus:
“We tried to change things with two full-backs pushing on, and with Yaya behind the strikers.
“We had two or three chances but when we arrived there, we didn’t score, and that is the problem.
“If you don’t score, you can’t win.
“It’s not enough to score one goal. We need to work hard, for each other.
“I could do nothing. I had no strikers on the bench, but I still thought at half-time we could recover. But then we conceded after five minutes, to a goal like that, and it was over.”
Last season, Mancini famously declared the title race over after defeat at Arsenal, a mantra he stuck to until the trophy was actually in Blue hands. This time, there is no air of mischief, but rather of resignation.
“We didn’t play well, and the gap is too much, especially as we are not playing well, have conceded five goals in two games, and can’t score,” he said.
“We need to change more, and have 11 players working on the pitch, not like Saturday, and not like (against) Liverpool. Now it is really, really difficult. The gap is too much.
“After Saturday, right at this moment, I am really disappointed.
“For me, it is not like being an Englishman, who stays calm – I am really angry about this and over the next few days I need to think about what I did, what mistakes I made in the game. After that I will take decisions.”
Wealthy French side to make sensational Man City double swoop
Monaco are trailing out-of-favour Etihad pairing Samir Nasri and Carlos Tevez
Manchester City are currently reeling from a period of indifferent form, one which appears to have all but shattered their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
Increasingly lethargic and laboured in their approach, City have cut the figure of a side much disjointed in recent weeks.
And a squad overhaul could now occur in the summer, with a number of high-profile departures being touted from the Etihad Stadium.
Perhaps most newsworthy of the potential outgoings, is former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, and the controversial Carlos Tevez.
Both players have found their first-team opportunities limited of late, and these developments have not gone unnoticed by French outfit Monaco.
The 2004 Champions League runners-up currently sit atop of Ligue 2 in France, and promotion would be essential if their ambitious transfer plans have any hopes of coming to fruition.
Three defeats all season would suggest they are poised to return to the French top flight though, and they could celebrate by testing City’s resolve for the French and Argentinian internationals.
It is reported that Monaco, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dimitry Rybolovlev, will bid around £35 million in an attempt to land both players at once.
And the proposition could prove tempting for the pair, with the offering of a tax-free salary sure to be a very positive selling point.
Monaco could comfortably match Tevez’s near £200,000 per week wage demands, whilst regular first-team action would be virtually guaranteed for both players.
Also, with Tevez having only a year remaining on his current Etihad contract, City may be willing to cash in to ensure they receive a significant fee for his services.
Nasri’s deal with the champions runs until 2015, and having arrived at the club for £22 million, City would be keen to recoup a similar fee if he were to move on.
A lengthy string of below-par performances has negated his value to City somewhat though, and the Premier League champions would likely seriously consider a £35 million bid for the duo.
City stars want Vieira Patrick Vieira is the players' choice to replace Roberto Mancini as Manchester City boss (various)
Santa Cruz Won’t Rejoin City
Striker Roque Santa Cruz is not expecting to return to Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Santa Cruz has been on loan at Malaga and the 31-year-old insists that there will be no hard feelings between himself and City.
"At City I had an excellent relationship with each of the coaches that I had - Mark Hughes first and Roberto Mancini later - as well as with the club," he told Sky Sports.
"Mancini was honest with me and I don't blame anyone. They made big investments and I wasn't able to play much, but there is no blame.
"During my season at Manchester City I was not 100 per cent fit, like I am now. But I am not going to go back there.
"In June, I will not be a player of Manchester City anymore. The contract has expired."
Manchester City's demise - and United's success - is an abject lesson in failing to spot the signs of complacency
Manchester City’s degeneration in this season’s title race began a few seconds after they won it last May, on a remarkable final day of the 2011-12 campaign.
As the club began its summer-long title party on the podium at the Etihad, I vividly recall the Manchester United players cutting dejected, shell-shocked figures at The Stadium of Light. When you are denied the Premier League in the cruellest circumstances, the desire to channel all that hurt the following August is unrelenting.
I could imagine Alex Ferguson back at his desk the morning after that incredible afternoon, plotting his attack this season.
While Ferguson sought to ensure United came out all guns blazing this season, you get the impression Manchester City spent too long patting themselves on the back.
As United fixed the problems in their squad that cost them a year ago — not least with the purchase of Robin van Persie – City acted like the hard work was done and committed the errors which have surely now ended their reign.
You can never absolutely say it is over in February, but I see no coming back for City now and although you will not hear Roberto Mancini and Ferguson admit if publicly, privately they know it. The victory lap towards United’s 20th title effectively began at full-time against Everton.
It is an extraordinary re-establishing of United’s dominance but Ferguson’s side has shown the hunger, the desire and the sheer will to win that define champions.
When I watched City against Southampton on Saturday, I saw none of those qualities. In a season where, for the most part, I believe Mancini’s team has been average, and certainly nowhere near their standards of a year ago, this weekend highlighted the difference in mentality in the most severe terms.
I do not see the same spirit and togetherness in the City squad as United. If United gave a first half performance like we had seen from City at St Mary’s, we would have seen Ferguson on the pitch yelling at his players.
However flawed City’s current squad is, a 12-point gap would have been inconceivable at the start of the season but it is a fair reflection of the difference in quality and, perhaps most telling, on-pitch attitude.
City now have some major decisions to make to get back to where they were last summer. When a side wins the title for the first time, you would normally expect they would keep going at that highest level for another three or four years.
You could argue some serious rebuilding will be required already, but one wonders — now the financial restrictions are to be enforced — if they have missed their chance.
They have made no impression in the Champions League and, Vincent Kompany apart, have been in need of defensive reinforcement since the summer. The players they did recruit have made little impression.
I do not believe the manager has been able to get the best of the squad he does have this season, and certain mistakes have been evident for a while.
The Mario Balotelli situation, for example, was allowed to fester for too long. He should have been sold in the summer, the title win seeming to earn him an extended stay when City won it despite rather than because of the striker.
You cannot keep players who cause disharmony. Eventually, you pay the price.
It can be argued, of course, this all premature. You only need look at City recovery a year ago. However, I do not believe the current City team would be good enough to reduce a 12-point gap even if United endured a rough spell.
It is often said when a side has a big lead the only way they can lost the title is if they throw it away themselves. That’s not strictly true. You also need an opponent capable of catching you.
Also, throughout Ferguson’s reign there has been one flaw which has never contaminated Old Trafford in the same way as their rivals.
I made the point as far back as August, when the first, obvious hints City would not be same force of last season were apparent, that City looked like they had been complacent.
United do not have to worry about looking over their shoulder this time. They would have to lose five games, and that would be an unprecedented slip.
When City lifted the title in May, it seemed they had usurped United and would blow them away with their financial power. A year on, it is clear they are now back where they used to be – with still so much to learn from their rivals.
Roberto Mancini has delivered success and Manchester City owners must share blame for this season's failings
It was over coffee and biscuits last July, in the lobby of Kuala Lumpur’s Palace of the Golden Horses, that Roberto Mancini spelt out to journalists the inconvenient truth about Manchester City’s reaction to winning the Premier League.
City were preparing to fly home from their pre-season tour of Asia, yet Mancini was still waiting to add to his squad, having identified Robin van Persie, among others, as crucial additions.
“We have to improve as a team and as players,” Mancini said. “If you don't change a lot of players, you can't hope to win like other teams.
“I don’t think we can play for the Champions League with this squad. That is my opinion, so for this reason we have to buy.”
As City slumped to an ignominious defeat at Southampton on Saturday evening, one which as good as ended their title defence, Mancini’s summer warning to the club’s owners was borne out.
The lack of depth in the squad saw Mancini deploy a midfielder – Javi Garcia – at centre-half and many of last season’s heroes – Joe Hart, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure – perform woefully, underlining the manager’s concerns of players failing to build on their title-winning efforts.
Mancini’s pointed pre-season criticism of Brian Marwood, then charged with overseeing City’s transfer dealings, centred on his belief that the club was failing to build from a position at strength.
Marwood was an easy target, with Mancini fully aware that the former Arsenal winger was merely implementing the blueprint of chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak, yet the manager’s criticism of Marwood was an attack on the club’s more prudent approach to recruitment – a policy rooted in City’s attempts to prove their determination to comply with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
Mindful that he had been set the twin objectives of retaining the title and progressing beyond the Champions League group stage, Mancini spoke out in the manner of man who felt he lacked the tools to satisfy his bosses’ demands.
Ultimately, five new players arrived for just short of £50m, but none were the top targets that Mancini had identified. Most, apart from defender Matija Nastasic, have failed.
As manager, Mancini knows the buck has to stop with him, regardless of mitigating factors, and the Italian’s future will be on the line at the end of the season simply because he appears certain to fail to achieve the two targets set by City’s Abu Dhabi hierarchy after signing a five-year contract last summer.
City’s problems are not purely a result of their transfer market failings, though.
Mancini was out-smarted tactically by Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Frank de Boer in the Champions League, while Premier League rivals have devised ways to counter City’s wingless formation.
Within the dressing-room, Mancini is unpopular due to his authoritarian approach. His withering post-match comments following the Southampton defeat, when he refused to protect the likes of Hart, was not the first example of Mancini publicly turning on his players.
His relationship with Marwood’s replacement, Txiki Begiristain, is understood to be progressing well, but the big test of that will come when the summer transfer strategy is drawn up.
Mancini is by no means certain to remain as manager long enough to devise a transfer hit-list, having failed to meet his objectives, yet the one constituency where he does command huge support is among the supporters.
The Abu Dhabi regime has always stressed its aversion to Roman Abramovich’s hire-and-fire approach at Chelsea, but if Mancini is dismissed for finishing second, with two trophies on his City record and the backing of the fans, it will be an interesting summer.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Shane Long has scored 14 goals in 54 league appearances for West Brom, including six this season
The agent of Chilean midfielder Cristian Cuevas has said the 17-year-old, who is rated at £3.4m by his club O'Higgins, is in "advanced negotiations" with Chelsea and could be moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer if everything goes to plan. DSSC
Lazio and Sevilla both want West Bromwich Albion striker Shane Long, 26, who will enter the final year of his contract at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Arsenal full-back Andre Santos, 29, says he is joining Gremio to "be a champion" after flying to Brazil to finalise a loan move. skysports.com
Vasco da Gama midfielder Indio, 16, has been given a brief trial with Arsenal. skysports.com
Ajax director of football Marc Overmars says the club's highly-rated Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, 20, does not want to sign a new contract. Inside Futbol
Tottenham boss Andre-Villas Boas says the club will punish striker Emmanuel Adebayor after missing his deadline to return from the Africa Cup of Nations. Spurs were forced to send a private jet to bring the 28-year-old Togo international back for Saturday's win over Newcastle. Daily Mirror
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has claimed Wednesday's Champions League showdown between his side and Manchester United in Spain is the "match the world is waiting for". DSSC
Winger Stewart Downing, 28, still fears for his Liverpool future, despite finally nailing down a place in Brendan Rodgers's first-team plans. DSSC
Aston Villa central defender Richard Dunne, 33, has been told he could get a new contract - even though he has yet to play a game this season. Daily Mirror
Celtic winger Kris Commons says he is not bothered that Rangers have offered Juventus use of their Murray Park training ground ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game. "If they want to prepare at a Division Three training ground, let them get on with it," he said. Daily Record
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard tried to persuade Jamie Carragher to delay retirement and continue playing for another 12 months. Liverpool Echo
Southampton midfielder Steven Davis says the Saints players are enjoying new manager Mauricio Pochettino's style of play - even if it means they have to work exceptionally hard. Daily Echo
Manchester United, 12 points clear at the top of the table with 12 games remaining, have won the title according to bookmakers Paddy Power, who have started to pay out on winning the Premier League. DSSC
