http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video/Features/Ch ... kes%202011
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has challenged Mario Balotelli to improve his behaviour in the new year.
Italian striker Balotelli, 21, has scored 11 goals this season but has been the subject of controversy for some of his off-field antics.
"I hope the new year can bring a different way for him," said Mancini.
"If he wants to play well and have a good private life, he should have good behaviour always, not for one week yes and then change for two days."
Balotelli joined City in August 2010 and has been involved in a number of incidents away from the pitch.
His form this season has helped City top the Premier League table for much of the campaign, but Mancini insists the Italian international must improve his attitude if he wants to fulfil his potential.
"Mario can improve every week and every month," Mancini continued. "He is young and when you are a young player, you improve always.
"Every top player has a good private life and a good behaviour - they are the first in training every day. This is the way it needs to be for him."
Cont. and VIDEO Discussion on Monday night club: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16267775.stm
Robert Mancini praises Pablo Zabaleta for Man City's win over Arsenal
Roberto Mancini credited unsung hero Pablo Zabaleta with making the decisive contribution to Manchester City’s crucial win over Arsenal.
David Silva bagged the second-half winner on Sunday, leaving City two points clear of neighbours Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
Along with Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli, Silva has hogged the headlines all season.
Yet Mancini is aware there would be no title tilt without the contribution of players like Zabaleta, a right-back who is capable of operating in midfield but who filled in at left-back on Sunday, and kept Theo Walcott in check.
‘In a top team there are 11 players,’ said Mancini. ‘But if we want to win and improve, we need to have 20 good players that have a good attitude.
‘Pablo is a very clever player. He knew before the game it would be difficult. I told him if he played very well against Theo Walcott we would probably win the game.’
Zabaleta shrugged off the plaudits, insisting it was all part of the service.
‘We had some problems with Gael Clichy suspended and Aleksandar Kolarov injured,’ added the 26-year-old.
‘But I have played many games at left-back. It was no problem. I just want to do my best for the team.’
City’s attentions now turn to tomorrow’s home showdown with Stoke. If the hosts claim at least a point, they will top the league table at Christmas for the first time since 1929.
But Mancini isn’t expecting an easy task, saying: ‘It will be hard against Stoke. They are a strong team, who defend very well. It will not be easy.’
AC Milan to meet Manchester City over Carlos Tevez
Tevez has returned to his native Argentina without City's permission AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani will hold talks with Manchester City on Thursday over the possible transfer of Carlos Tevez.
Galliani will travel to Manchester to discuss the move with City officials.
It is believed City will allow the striker, 27, to join Milan on loan in January if the Italian club commits to a permanent deal in the summer.
Milan have previously had a bid of 23m euros (£19.3m) for the Argentine rejected by the Premier League leaders.
The Serie A giants have been chasing Tevez for several weeks, with the sticking point being the terms of the transfer.
Galliani confirmed that a meeting with City had been arranged in interviews with Italian media on Monday.
He said: "On Thursday we have an appointment with Manchester City for Tevez but it will probably not be the decisive one to conclude negotiations.
"We're not going to take him outright, we're offering a free loan with the right to buy in June.
"The player wants to come to us and not PSG [Paris St Germain] and we hope City accept the offer."
Tevez is currently in his native Argentina having flown home without City's permission in November.
He has also been linked with a move to Paris St Germain, but the French side's director of football Leonardo said he will not stand in AC Milan's way if they can conclude a deal.
Leonardo, a former Milan player and manager, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "I will not steal Tevez from Milan.
"I have not contacted the player and I will not get in between the Rossoneri's affairs.
"Even though I didn't share the views of [AC Milan owner Silvio] Berlusconi which meant it was impossible for me to stay at Milan, the relations with the club are good."
Despite clear momentum towards a resolution in the Tevez saga, negotiations between AC Milan and City could still break down over the player's valuation, according to Italian football journalist Massimo Marianella.
"I know for sure AC Milan want Carlos Tevez in January but I am not sure they could reach an agreement with Manchester City because of the money," Marianella told BBC World Service.
"My guess is that AC Milan want to go and see the Manchester City people and say 'the player wants to come to play for us and basically, we don't have the money to buy now, so give him on loan for a few months and see during the summer what we can do'."
Tevez has not played for City since they beat Birmingham on 21 September.
City boss Roberto Mancini alleged he refused to come off the substitutes' bench in September's Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich, while the player maintained there had been a misunderstanding.
An internal club investigation concluded that Tevez, who joined City in July 2009, was guilty of five breaches of his contract and he was fined four weeks' wages, reduced to two following intervention from the Professional Footballers' Association.
If he moves to Milan, Tevez would be joining a squad featuring notoriously temperamental players like Kevin-Prince Boateng, Antonio Cassano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Marianella believes the Serie A champions would have no problem coping with Tevez's personality.
"He is one of the players that comes with the tag, 'handle with care', but, in Italy the best club to do that is AC Milan," he said.
"Don't forget at the moment, [head coach Massimiliano] Allegri and AC Milan have to deal with Boateng, Cassano, Ibrahimovic, so, I think if there is a club in Italy that can handle a player like him, it is AC Milan."
David Silva demands Manchester City 'push to the limit' in title bid
Amid the strong characters and training-ground tensions that have surrounded Manchester City's push for the title this season, there has been no figure more detached or more outstanding than David Silva, their match-winner against Arsenal and already a candidate for player of the year.
Silva's goal on Sunday means that if City beat Stoke tomorrow they will be leaders at Christmas for the first time since 1929 and, of all their expensively assembled squad, few can claim to have played such a key role as Silva.
Against Arsenal he came up against Robin van Persie, the other individual in the Premier League with a claim to be the form player of the season so far, and it was Silva who prevailed.
Silva's reputation has grown to the extent that he is becoming a benchmark for the new standard of attacking midfielder who can play right across the three in a 4-2-3-1 formation and score goals as well.
The City fans at Stamford Bridge berated Chelsea's Juan Mata for being -- in their own words -- a second-rate version of Silva. Harsh? Certainly, but there is no question that Silva is the pre-eminent playmaker-winger at the current time.
There is one aspect of life at City, however, that Silva says he has nothing to do with: the training-ground fights, most recently demonstrated by Micah Richards' spat with Mario Balotelli last week, which the players quickly resolved. "Stuff like that you can always turn into a positive for the team," Silva said. "Everyone is going at it 100pc in training and stuff can happen.
"But we are very united and there is a great team spirit out on the field. I don't get involved because I am very cool-headed and calm. I try to keep a back-seat view of everything and stay calm."
If City beat Stoke they will pass Christmas Day as leaders with 44 points, the highest of any leaders at that stage of the season since Christmas 2006, when Manchester United had 47 points and went on to win the league the following May with 89 points.
Even Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in their first title-winning season only passed Christmas as leaders with 43 points.
Silva said that the victory over Arsenal had been "a must-win game". He said: "I think we needed a morale and confidence-boosting victory after the defeat at Chelsea and I think this will lift us. We did well at Chelsea but didn't manage to win. We are aware that Manchester United are going to be pushing us all the way, but we have to focus on ourselves.
"We have to keep on the road we have been on up to now, keep our own affairs in order and the rest will look after itself. At the moment it is United just behind us, but others will be gathering towards the end of the season. To keep the gap as it is we have to keep winning our games.
"You might say United have been disappointing but they are right there on our heels and you can't knock that. We know they are going to be right behind us so we have to make sure there are no slip-ups and try and win every game."
City have won 17 out of 18 games at the Etihad Stadium since they were beaten there by Everton on December 20 last year. Stoke have won their last four games and are up to eighth position, just five points behind Arsenal in fifth place.
Silva has six goals this season in 22 games and, in becoming one of the outstanding performers in the division, believes that City's more exuberant style suits the way he plays.
"I think Roberto (Mancini) is doing a great job," he said. "He got us into the Champions League for this season and it speaks for itself the fact that we are top. We are playing some good football, the style of football is good and let us hope he is repaid for this style of football with the league title at the end of the season.
"You have to be demanding, and demand the best when you have a squad of top players like this and push them to the limit -- demand as much as you can.
"Let's hope that this demanding style pays off and we can go on and win the title.
"You don't feel tiredness when you're on top. I had a bit of a knock on my ankle a few games back and a bit of swelling that was a worry, but I still managed to turn out every time. I feel good in myself and am ready to carry on. If I have to drop out any time we have plenty of people who can step in and do well."
On Sunday, City took another significant step towards the title with a win over an excellent Arsenal team. Over the last 11 years, the leaders at Christmas have turned out to be the champions in May on seven occasions. Already this title feels like it should really be City's to lose, despite the threat of United just two points behind them. Another FA Cup will not suffice this time around.
"I am really enjoying my football here," Silva said. "It is great, obviously, when you're top of the league and everything is going well and we are playing some really good football.
"It is enjoyable to play in the team when we are playing that way. Let's hope it all pays off. We won the FA Cup last year and it would be nice to repeat that, but the title is the big target." (© Independent News Service)
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are ready to test Everton's resolve to hang on to £20m-rated Jack Rodwell, 20, with a January bid. Daily Mirror
Chelsea duo Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou are being targeted for mega-wages moves to Russia. Anzhi Makhachkala want Malouda and are willing to pay the 31-year-old Frenchman £150,000 a week while they and Lokomotiv Moscow fancy 26-year-old Kalou who could earn £120,000 a week. Daily Mirror
Premier League strugglers Bolton look ready to cash in on in-demand defender Gary Cahill, 26, in the January transfer window. Metro
Arsenal are ready to sell 30-year-old winger Andrey Arshavin and will listen to offers for the Russian forward in January. Daily Mirror
Manchester United head the queue to buy 25-year-old Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote next summer. Daily Mirror
And United are targeting Ajax teenager Christian Eriksen, 19, as the man to solve their midfield problems. Daily Mail
The Old Trafford club are also chasing Xherdan Shaqiri, the man dubbed the new Lionel Messi. The 20-year-old, who helped Basel dump United out of the Champions League earlier this month, is also being tracked by Liverpool. Daily Star
Cash-rich Spanish side Malaga are hoping to tempt Chelsea to part with 27-year-old Fernando Torres for £25m. Caughtoffside
North east rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland are set to clash over the transfer of 23-year-old Celtic striker Gary Hooper. Footybunker
Tottenham Hotspur have lodged a £5m bid for 23-year-old FC Twente goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov. Insidefutbol
Defender Michael Dawson is set to return for Tottenham early in the new year after an Achilles injury. talkSHIT
Former Arsenal manager George Graham believes current incumbent Arsene Wenger needs to sign another striker in the January transfer window if the Gunners are to finish in the top four of the Premier League. talkSHIT
Hong Kong first division player Festus Baise may well have scored the best own goal ever with an overhead, scorpion-style effort from 18 yards. 101 Great Goals
