Roberto Mancini has been urged to tune out Sir Alex Ferguson's attempts to get into his head, by Fergie's old foe Rafa Benitez.
Former Liverpool boss Benitez knows from bitter experience the effect Fergie's psychological tricks can have on a rival manager, having imploded in spectacular fashion when his Reds battle the Scot's Manchester United for the title in 2009.
With Liverpool top of the league and eight points clear of United in the January, Benitez launched into his now infamous Facts Rant - this astonishing, unprovoked and scripted five-minute attack on the United boss:
United ended up winning the title by four points from second-placed Liverpool that season, with many pointing to Benitez's attack as the moment when he lost the plot, and with it his team's title challenge.
And with the mind games having started between City and United as the title race's finish line appears on the horizon, Benitez warned Mancini not to be taken in by Ferguson's attempts to undermine him and unsettle his players.
"You have to focus on yourselves and forget everything else," said Benitez, speaking at Soccerex in Manchester.
"It's United in this case, but it might be two or three other teams at the top of the table. You can't think, 'He said this or this', you have to concentrate on your job.
"When you are at a top club and are fighting with the other contenders, you don't have problems with the other managers. That is te situation for Mancini or anyone who could now be at the top of the table fighting for the title.
"So I don't think it's about this manager or this manager, it's about the position of the team.
"It depends on your team - if you have a good team, you don't have a problem. If your team is not good enough, then you can lose. But if your team is good enough, it doesn't matter what the managers say.
"It's the players on the pitch who can make the difference.
"The main thing I would say is to focus on your job - it's about good players and a good team. I've not been following this argument between them. I know that it depends on the players more than the managers."
Benitez insisted his dig at Fergie was not the reason Liverpool lost out in 2009, insisting it was decided on the pitch rather than by the spat between the managers.
But just as Kevin Keegan's infamous 1996 'I'd love it' rant was seen as the moment Newcastle's title challenge was finished, Benitez's outburst proved catastrophic for Liverpool.
In its aftermath, the Anfield side picked up just 10 points from a possible 21, surrendering their title advantage to United, and were unable to recover.
But Benitez insisted he had no regrets.
"To be fair, my press conference was because I knew it was the right time to do it," said the Spaniard. "And afterwards we won 12 games so people were like, 'Yeah, Rafa' - it was not true. United were just winning more games than us, that's it.
"Afterwards people said, 'He was affected, the team was affected' but it's not true. We were [still] winning - it was just they won more.
"It doesn't matter [which manager you are up against]. It's the team. I worked in Spain and we [Valencia] went up against Real Madrid and Barcelona, and we won. Why? Because we were doing better on the pitch. So it depends on the team.
"People say, 'The manager said this... the manager said that...' but 50 - maybe 80 - per cent of the players don't read the press, especially the foreign players. They were busy preparing or training for the next game.
"At this stage of the season, the thing is just to concentrate on your team and your performance."
Asked if he could put his personal animosity with Ferguson to one side and admire his managerial record, Benitez added: "He has won a lot of trophies so that's fine but, at the same time, when we were playing against them I was the manager of another team.
"He [Ferguson] has done a great job in England. I have experience in three different countries, so you have to adapt to the situation."
Benitez claimed the title race, with United currently holding a three-point lead over City, is too close to call.
"On the pitch you can see they're both doing more or less well because they're at the top of the table," he said.
"It seems United have a little bit more confidence because they have experience in this situation. But if you analyse the City squad, they have players with a lot of experience at the maximum level, so I think they can win as well.
"They have the quality, they have the experience and they have the character so, for me, they don't need too much, just to say, 'We are good enough and we will win.'"
Roberto Mancini flocks to 'miracle' site as title race with Man United hots up
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has reached out to a higher power as the Premier League title race enters the final stretch, by visiting a renowned religious site of ‘miracles’ in Bosnia.
With the Citizens trailing leaders Manchester United by two-points, the Italian manager took his family for a trip to the holy village of Medjugorje in a bid to clear his mind.
The town is a site of religious pilgrimage due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local Catholics, and Mancini said: 'I feel peace here.
‘I've been waiting to come here for a long time. I feel great here.
‘But this is a private visit and I do not want to talk about football here.’
Devout Catholic Mancini, who used to be an altar boy in his hometown of Ancona, is more frequently known to turn to the pockets of City’s billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour in times of struggle, but maybe the power of prayer is now the only thing that can stop Sir Alex Ferguson’s men claiming a record 20th league title.
United took top spot from City on Monday night courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham, who had a strong penalty shout turned down in the last minute of the match.
Fergie claimed the referee's decision may have been influenced by the fact he missed giving United a 'stonewaller' earlier in the game...
Manchester City and Patrick Vieira blast back at BBC
Manchester City ambassador Patrick Vieira reacted with fury on Wednesday night after he had earlier appeared to stoke up the title mind games with Manchester United once again.
Both Vieira and City hit out at the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of misinterpreting the Football Development Executive’s comments in an interview with the broadcaster.
The double blast came after a segment of an interview he gave was posted on the BBC website in which the former France midfielder claimed the Reds received preferential treatment from referees.
During the three minute interview segment, given at the SoccerEx exhibition at Manchester's G-Mex where he was representing Football Against Hunger, a campaign to tackle starvation in Africa, Vieira said he believed the Reds do get preferential treatment in the wake of referee Michael Oliver's controversial refusal to give Fulham a last-minute penalty at Old Trafford on Monday night.
“When United play at home they get some advantage that other teams don't get,” Vieira said. “When you go to United, Madrid, Barcelona, or Milan, it's always difficult for the referee to go against these kind of teams.
“This is the way it is. It’s something the teams who are used to winning get all the time, so we need to win games so we have this advantage in the future.”
But City hit back furiously at the way the interview was both conducted and portrayed, and accused the BBC of a cynical and serious misrepresentation.
They also took the unusual step of announcing that the reporter in question - Dan Roan - was banned from any future dealings with the club.
Vieira also hit out, and in a statement said: “I am very angry with Dan Roan. I feel that he has misrepresented me. I made it clear in the interview twice that I wanted to avoid criticising United and even stated that I didn’t watch their game against Fulham and had not seen the incident to which he referred.
“That part of the interview was ignored and my comments were taken completely out of context. I called the reporter twice to ask for a retraction and an apology which has not come. I feel Dan Roan and the BBC have shown a complete lack of respect for me, the 'Football Against Hunger' charity and City.”
What gave Vieira’s comments added fire was that it was the second time in a week in which he had appeared to criticise the Reds.
Last week, Vieira suggested United’s decision to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement smacked of desperation.
That claim brought a stinging response from Sir Alex Ferguson, who claimed Roberto Mancini was the desperate one for choosing to select Carlos Tevez after stating he would never appear for Cityagain.
City’s strategy had been not to engage United in mind games until Vieira’s initial comments last week.
And Vieira’s BBC remarks drew an immediate response from Reds defender Rio Ferdinand.
The United defender tweeted: “Why is Vieira so concerned with Man Utd... 2 comments in a week or so... c'mon maaaaaan let it go.”
Carlos Tevez: I’ll win it for the Manchester City fans
The Blues striker told teammate Yaya Toure that the reception he got for his comeback game against Chelsea last week has got him buzzing again after six listless months out of the first team reckoning.
Tevez had been worried that he might get a hostile reception, but told Yaya in the dressing room that his confidence received a huge boost when he was applauded onto the field by most fans.
And that morale boost manifested itself in the classy reverse pass to Samir Nasri for the winning goal which kept City’s title hopes alive.
Now Roberto Mancini is considering handing Tevez his first start since his return from his unauthorised absence in Argentina, when the Blues take on Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Yaya is convinced that Tevez has genuine regrets about his actions.
“Carlos is our player – everyone can make mistakes, but he is really a good man,” said the big Blues midfielder. “When you meet him, he is always good fun and a nice guy, even if people may have a different image of him.
“It was unbelievable when Carlos came back and the fans gave him big applause, and tried to support him when he got the ball.
“After the game I talked to him and he said that gave him a lot of confidence, and that helped him give that magnificent delivery to Samir.”
Yaya said that Tevez’s return has been like bringing in a new signing.
“He knew when he came back to the club that he had made a very big mistake, but now everything is over and he is focussed on winning the Premier League,”he said.
“He wants to help the team, and the club, and do as much as possible to say sorry to the fans.
“I think he will be an important player for us, as he wants to prove to everyone he is a top player. I am sure he will be fantastic for the rest of the season.
“In my first year here he was my captain, and was always focussed, always wanting to win – he was unbelievable.
“When people love you, you want to give them something back.
“The fans come to enjoy football and see our best players, like Carlos, and we have to deliver.” MuEN
Wage demands could scupper Adebayor's chances of joining Spurs permanently
Tottenham are considering pulling the plug on their attempts to sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a full-time basis.
Sportsmail revealed earlier this year the White Hart Lane club had entered talks with Manchester City over turning the forward's loan deal permanent.
Adebayor earns £170,000-per-week on his City contract, which still has two years left to run.
And Tottenham are willing to offer Adebayor a basic salary of £100,000-per-week, a range of performance related bonuses and a £4million signing-on fee to clinch the deal.
But it is becoming clear that it will take considerably more to lure Adebayor to White Hart Lane on a long-term contract.
And chairman Daniel Levy is starting to feels throwing more money at trying to land the Togo forward would not represent value for money.
Levy is now preparing to pursue other avenues in the club's search for a centre-forward, with Marseille striker Loic Remy and Villareal forward Giuseppe Rossi high on the agenda.
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh, 28, is a £6m target for Paris Saint-Germain. Fiorentina and his former club Bordeaux are also interested. Daily Mirror
QPR striker Bobby Zamora, 31, is not looking for a move to West Ham, according to the player's agent. Metro
Chelsea and Tottenham will have to dig deep if they want to prise unsettled winger Milos Krasic, 27, away from Juventus, according to the player's agent. talkShite
Blackburn manager Steve Kean was in France on Wednesday night watching Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, 26. Daily Mirror
England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce is preparing for the possibility he will be in charge of the national team for Euro 2012 and is speaking to Premier League managers about the fitness and form of players who are up for selection. Independent
Pearce is stepping up preparations to to lead England into Euro 2012 by sending letters to all the players who might be in contention for a place in the 23-man squad, which has to be named in two months' time Daily Mirror
West Brom technical director Dan Ashworth is the shock name on the Football Association's list of candidates to become the man to shape the future of English football as technical director at its National Football Centre in Burton, St George's Park. Daily Express
Alan Shearer has written off Newcastle's Champions League hopes - despite claiming they have overachieved this season. Alan Pardew's side are sixth in the Premier League table, but former Magpies striker Shearer does not believe they are ready for a place at European football's top table. talkShite
Chelsea have reportedly made a fresh approach for Stamford Bridge hero Gianfranco Zola to join the club's backroom staff. Daily Mail
Salomon Kalou has said Chelsea can win the Champions League after he scored the only goal of the game in Lisbon to beat Benfica in their quarter-final first leg. Daily Telegraph
Kalou said he was warned by former Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas that he would not play for Chelsea again unless he signed a new contract. the Sun
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is set to clear out his fringe players, which are currently costing the club £23m a year in wages, to fund a summer spending spree. Among those set to go are Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner. Daily Mail
Juventus are lining up a bid for Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles, according to reports in his native Portugal. They are willing to offer around £9m for the 29-year-old. talkShite
Manchester United are eyeing summer moves for Eden Hazard, 21, and and Athletic Bilbao's 23-year-old midfielder Javi Martinez, with the duo expected to command a joint fee of around £55m. Caught Offside
Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuellar has been offered the chance to return to Spain in the summer with Valencia. The 30-year-old would be available on a free transfer as he is out of contract at the end of the season. Daily Mirror
Newcastle face a fight to hold on to top scorer Demba Ba, 26, with some of Europe's richest clubs prepared to offer the striker a huge payday. Daily Express
Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has warned current Reds boss Kenny Dalglish he must win the title to be considered a success at Anfield. Daily Mirror
Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has admitted he suffered flashbacks to Fabrice Muamba's sudden collapse when he returned to White Hart Lane for Tuesday night's FA Cup replay against Tottenham. Daily Telegraph
Lionel Messi has signed for French second-tier side Angers SCO. The Cameroon Under-17 international shares his name with Barcelona's three-time world player of the year. the Sun
Birmingham fans are unhappy about the club ditching their away kit because boss Chris Hughton does not like it. The supporters feel ripped off having forked out £40 on replica jerseys after Blues wore them during pre-season friendlies. the Sun
GUEST EDITOR OF THE DAY - DOUG HIGGINBOLLOX
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini gives Mario Balotelli a dressing down at Carrington training ground
Mario Balotelli’s strained relationship with Roberto Mancini suffered another blow on Wednesday with the forward on the receiving end of an angry training ground blast from the Manchester City manager.
War of words: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini argues with striker Mario Balotelli Photo: EAMONN & JAMES CLARKE By Balotelli, who was fined one week's wages by Mancini earlier this month for visiting a Liverpool strip club 36 hours before the Premier League clash with Bolton, trained at Manchester City’s Carrington base on Wednesday after returning from a two-day break that saw him gatecrash an Inter Milan press conference.
He had Mancini’s permission to fly to Milan and spared himself a reprimand for returning late by reporting for training in time for breakfast in the Carrington canteen.
But Mancini’s exasperation with Balotelli’s efforts on the training pitch led to him subjecting the Italy striker to a fierce dressing down before coach Attilio Lombardo appeared to urge Balotelli to train elsewhere.
City officials dismissed the spat as simply another example of Mancini’s demand for high standards.
But following a number of poor performances for the first-team in recent weeks, Balotelli’s ability to generate negative headlines is beginning to overshadow his contribution on the pitch.
Balotelli has twice been pictured scrapping with team-mates on the training ground since arriving from Inter Milan in Aug 2010, with Jerome Boateng and Micah Richards on the receiving end.
Earlier this season, Balotelli was rescued from his burning house by fire fighters in the early hours of the morning prior to the 6-1 derby win at Manchester United — when he unveiled a "Why Always Me?" T-shirt after scoring the opening goal.
He has also been rebuked by Mancini for smoking, including a cigarette break in the City dressing-room, while he angered the manager by breaking a pre-match curfew by having a late night curry at a Manchester restaurant prior to the defeat at Chelsea in December.
Today's guest editor is Doug Higginbollox, a freelance reporter for the popular but not overly so Manchester City fansite mancity.net. A full and corrected transcript of the above bollox can be found by visiting the site and reading his Wednesday report. For those of you without internet access you can click the following link. ... viewtopic.php?f=119&t=42269
