We'll play Stoke at their own game, says Mancini

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Roberto Mancini is ready to rip up his usual game plan in a bid to beat Stoke and keep alive the dream of winning the FA Cup in his debut season as Blues boss.

City's manager delivered the Italian equivalent on cue to mark his first campaign in charge at his three previous clubs Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter Milan.

But Mancini knows City face a huge challenge in Wednesday night's fifth-round replay at the Britannia Stadium following Stoke's 1-1 draw in the first tie at City of Manchester Stadium.

Only Gareth Barry's late strike salvaged a point in last week's 1-1 Premier League draw at the Britannia and Mancini has confessed that "there are no teams like Stoke in Serie A".

Now he will ask his players to counter Stoke's threat by matching their style of play in a bold, calculated attempt to earn a quarter-final date with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Mancini, whose side are at Chelsea in the League on Saturday, said: "Now we have a good game at Stoke. We want to play Chelsea twice so we want to win at Stoke. It's difficult but we will try.

"Against Stoke, the ball will always be in the air. So we will prepare for a different game and not play our football.

"We must work on the high ball, on corners and free kicks, long balls and long passes. If we want to win this game, we must play like them."

City's boss, whose only fully-fit available striker against Liverpool was Emmanuel Adebayor, hopes Roque Santa Cruz's knee will improve for Stoke. Skipper Kolo Toure could also be back.

mcfc.co.uk

[KinkyKinkladze]

Probably just as well this isn't on tv.

[walmai]

[Twobob]

LOL

Reccon we'll sneak that in under a towel ;-)

[Kladze]

I hope he's joking.

But I'm not laughing .......

[HeyMark]

I'm not his biggest fan but I think the man has a point with this one

[Twobob]

I hope he's joking.

But I'm not laughing .......

Know whatcha mean - joking apart if we try to play like they do we'll really get screwed over!

Erm - hope this is 'miss-information' ... please ...

[mr_nool]

I'm not his biggest fan but I think the man has a point with this one

No he doesn't. Yes, we should make sure to stay alert and win everything in the iar defensivly, but when going forward, we should do it along the ground and in a high pace.

[Buffalo Soldier]

Well we've been practicing playing like them for the last month so we should be pretty good at it by now.

[Beefymcfc]

Hopefully Gareth can do a Babel type clearance on Fuller!

[Beefymcfc]

I'm not his biggest fan but I think the man has a point with this one

No he doesn't. Yes, we should make sure to stay alert and win everything in the iar defensivly, but when going forward, we should do it along the ground and in a high pace.

So, we are changing our tactics then?

[spiv]

I hope we dont abandon the passing game and try and compete with them for hoofing the ball as far and as high as possible.

[Original Dub]

Sweet suffering Jesus/

Can't wait to see Shauny, Bellers, Johnson and co winning aerial battles against Stoke.

I hope to God the man is taking the piss and this is a smoke screen for the world class attacking play we undoubtably possess...

[CTID Hants]

My confidence is at an all time low I'm afraid. Just want it to be next Monday and feeling better than I do now about our beloved club.

I seriously can't remember feeling this low, yeah we cancelled out Scouse yesterday but really not confident about where we are at the moment which is strange as I have certainly had lower expectations of where we are heading than most on here.

Sometimes I just wish the OS didn't keep putting this stuff out, its beginning to make me cringe, it really is.

Please, please, please just start doing the talking on the fookin pitch, we are a fookin footie club, NOT a fookin propaganda machine!!

[Redna]

If you can't beat'em, join'em. I can smell a dead rat as well as seing a giant smoke screen. At least I hope.
CTID!!

[Crossie]

Oi Mancini, your a wanker.

[btajim]

We're busy practising throw-ins? Has Doug H reported on this, today?

I'd get Stretch Armstrong or Go Go Gadget Arms to take them. City will win 15-14.

[bluej]

Isn't that the exact opposite of what you're supposed to do against teams like Stoke?

[Original Dub]

Isn't that the exact opposite of what you're supposed to do against teams like Stoke?

Who was it said the other day that "nobody in the world plays football like Stoke". And "If football was played that way by every team, Stoke would win the champion's league"??

Then "The LibrarianTM" comes out and says we'll use a team of midgets and beat them in an aerial, physical battle?

You couldn't make it up...

[dazlebluefrog]

Can't wait to see Shauny, Bellers, Johnson and co winning aerial battles against Stoke.

sorry to disappoint you dub but he's cup tied
who mentioned 15-14 to us??do you mean on pens?who remembers back in the early 80's going to stoke on a midweek night(old victoria ground and big joe saved us in the league cup on pens , he said as he was the next one up to take one for us he didn't think much of himself as a pen taken so had to stop their pen i reckon if it goes to pens shay will pull us through