On Sunday, City hope to win first championship in 44 years • Abu Dhabi-based owner has seen only one match at Etihad
Sheikh Mansour is not expected to be at the Etihad stadium on Sunday to watch Manchester City take on Queens Park Rangers as they attempt to win a first championship in 44 years.
The decision may suggest he is relaxed about the future of Roberto Mancini, with the Abu Dhabi-based owner of the club pleased at how the manager has rallied the Premier League challengers during the closing phase of the campaign.
Having been eight points behind Manchester United when losing 1-0 at Arsenal early last month, City have only to match their city rivals' result to be sure of the title, unless the champions can overturn their superior goal difference of eight at Sunderland.
Mansour will watch the game with QPR – as he does all matches – on television with his diary thought to currently prevent him attending the decisive fixture, though there may still be a late change.
Since buying the club in the summer of 2008, Mansour's schedule has allowed him to attend a match at the Etihad once – last season's 3-0 victory over Liverpool.
Diego Maradona ready to celebrate Manchester City's title triumph
Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona claimed Manchester City’s recent 1-0 victory over title rivals Manchester United was the game of the season, and the entertainment it served up bettered even that of the recent El Clásico meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Maradona was a guest of honour at the Etihad Stadium on April 30 as a City side featuring the the 51-year-old’s son-in-law Sergio Aguero overcame United to surge ahead in the Premier League title race.
And Maradona claimed the match exceeded what he had hoped to witness on the night, as Vincent Kompany’s first-half header gave the home side a 1-0 win.
“It was the match of the year, especially after the Clasico matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona didn’t live up to expectation. I was very happy to be there, I found my grandson Benjamin waiting for me along with an angel, his mother. I was happy to be in this atmosphere,” said the 1986 World Cup winner.
City are firm favourites to land a first league crown since 1968 when they host Queens Park Rangers on what is sure to be a dramatic final day on Sunday.
Neighbours United travel to Sunderland hoping their ex-player, and current QPR manager, Mark Hughes, can do them a huge favour, and Maradona revealed he’ll be celebrating long into the night with his family should the title be won by the blue half of the city.
“I will be even happier if City can clinch the league so I can celebrate with my family, it will be a great occasion,” said the former Argentina manager.
Should Aguero and City finish the job on Sunday, the Citizens’ forward will be following in the illustrious footsteps of his father-in-law, with Maradona having claimed trophies in Spain, Italy and Argentina, as well as his crowning glory in Mexico ‘86.
YAYA TOURE has dropped a transfer bombshell on Manchester City just days before the Premier League title decider.
Toure admits that if former club Barcelona came calling he would have no hesitation in quitting City, despite having three years remaining on his £220,000-a-week contract at the Etihad Stadium.
His remarks are the last thing City manager Roberto Mancini will want to hear as he prepares his squad for their final game of the season against QPR on Sunday – when a victory would clinch the club’s first title for 44 years.
Midfield powerhouse Toure, who joined City in a £24million move from Barca in 2010, told a Spanish radio station: “I said two years ago that I would return. It has been the most important team for me. And if they call, you don’t think twice. I love Barca.
“In the press conference I did when I left I said I would return. In life, you never know what will happen tomorrow. It has been the team of my life and I would like to finish my sporting career here. If I could return, it would be great.”
I said two years ago that I would return. It has been the most important team for me. And if they call, you don’t think twice. I love Barca
Manchester City's midfield powerhouse Yay Toure
Toure, who will be 29 on Sunday, also believes Barca will be in good hands when Tito Vilanova replaces Pep Guardiola as coach this summer.
He said of Guardiola’s decision to step down: “It was a little strange because Guardiola has been a key person in the success of Barca in all these years. But we are all human and, despite having done phenomenal things, he has decided to go. I know Tito very well and he will apply the same philosophy as Pep. Tito is also a very good person, with a very similar idea of football. I think Tito is a good coach as well.”
Toure’s remarks will come as a shock to City supporters just days after he spoke of his determination to help their club make history after scoring twice in the vital victory at Newcastle.
He is regarded by Mancini as crucial to their plans for taking over from Manchester United as the Premier League’s dominant force as well as turning the club into Champions League contenders.
Manager Mancini is ready to spark a summer clear-out to finance bids for top targets such as Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Lille forward Eden Hazard.
Edin Dzeko and Nigel De Jong are likely to be sold while City will try to offload Wayne Bridge, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, who have spent the season out on loan. Express
Across Manchester, United will delay talks over extending defender Rio Ferdinand’s contract until next season.
Ferdinand, 33, has only a year left on his deal but United want to assess his fitness next season before making a decision.
Ferdinand has made a telephone SOS to his younger brother, Anton, to beg for a QPR favour on Sunday.
United can clinch a 20th league title if Rangers draw at City and they win their game at Sunderland.
“Rio has been on the phone, asking for a favour,” said Anton.
“If we get a result and stay in the Premier League and United win the title, then I’ll be chuffed for him.
“If that happens, then he’ll owe me a holiday. But if we stay up and United don’t win the title, then I will still be very, very happy.”
Sunday’s game is even more important for QPR because people’s jobs are at stake.
“I am concentrating on QPR, and we can’t look at City,” he said.
“They have a lot riding on this match, but so have we. This game will determine whether people keep jobs or not at our club, and we have to do our best to stay in the Premier League so that every single person keeps their job for next season.
“If we stay up, the club will probably recruit more people and create jobs. It is in our hands to be able to help people.Express
Manchester City: Why the Citizens Deserve to Win the Premier League By Dan Talintyre
As a Manchester United supporter, I'm bracing for the inevitable this weekend—that Manchester City will win the English Premier league in 2012.
I've cheered on every team they've come up against in recent weeks. I've become a Newcastle supporter, an Arsenal supporter and will probably become a Queens Park Rangers supporter in the hope that the Citizens will fall at the final hurdle.
Obviously I'm just hoping that somehow, Manchester United will win the league and Sir Alex Ferguson will get to lift the trophy once more. Yet as we head into the final match of the Premier League season, I know that this simply will not happen.
Manchester City will win the league.
It's frustrating to write but not difficult as throughout the year, Roberto Mancini's men have been the better of the two Manchester sides. City do deserve the title that they'll lift high on Sunday, and they have been the superior team.This is a side that has found the back of the net 90 times this season, and whilst those numbers aren't quite in the Real Madrid league, they still show City's attacking prowess this season.
That goal tally equates to around 2.43 goals per game—the highest average in the league.
Throughout 37 Premier League matches, the Citizens scored two or more goals on 25 of those occasions and have held a clean sheet at the other end in half of those matches.
In fact, as well as having the best attack, City also can claim the best defense with just 27 goals conceded this season—again, the fewest in the league. For all their away troubles this season, Mancini's men have conceded just 17 goals away and even fewer at home.
At home, they've simply been outstanding this season.
They haven't lost, only had the one draw and have conceded just 10 goals in 18 matches. That's an average of 0.55 goals per game or a clean sheet in 61 percent of their home matches, which, again, is the best in the league.
Keep in mind also that out of those 10 goals they've conceded, three of them came in their 3-3 draw with Sunderland and two of them came in their 3-2 defeat of Tottenham. Taking out those two matches, it's really just five goals conceded in 16 matches then for City.
Manchester United cannot claim the offensive and defensive superiority of Manchester City, nor can they claim the same home-ground advantage.
Few City fans—and few United fans—will be able to forget the 6-1 annihilation that the Citizens put on the Red Devils at Old Trafford back in October last year as it perhaps signaled the changing of the guard in terms of English footballing dominance.
City won both meetings between this year in the Premier League, with their recent 1-0 win over United the win that perhaps sealed the championship for them.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men may have got their revenge to some extent in the FA Cup, but seeing that they were promptly bundled out in the next round, the revenge was only short lived.
Oh, and there was the Community Shield at the start of the year.
So we've got the shield and an FA Cup win that didn't equate to much compared to a 6-1 flogging at their home ground and a 1-0 loss that surrendered the Premier League to our rivals.
I know which one I'd rather have and again, it shows that Manchester City truly were the more superior team in the Premier League this season and that they do deserve their league title.
Against the top five sides in the league, Manchester United has recorded three losses and a draw, whilst City have just the one loss. That's 11 points that the Red Devils have dropped as opposed to just three from City—there's your league title right there.
However, the league has been won and lost in the last six weeks alone—regardless of what else has happened during the year. The last six weeks was where City won—and United lost—the trophy.
Back at the start of April, City had all but surrendered the title to Manchester United. They'd lost another away match to Arsenal and were eight points back in the title race with six weeks to go.
They had a tough run at home too—playing at home to Manchester United, as well as tough away fixtures at Norwich, Wolves and Newcastle United who were eying a Champions League berth next year.
United, on the other hand, were cruising and already had one hand on the trophy.
They won eight in a row and hadn't lost in their past 12 matches. David De Gea hadn't been beaten in his last five matches. They had the return fixture to Manchester City, but other than that, had just an home game to Everton and an away game to Sunderland to worry about.
The title was theirs, so to speak.
Whilst United somehow threw away their title chances with losses to Wigan and City, as well as a 4-4 draw at home to Everton, City did what they had to do and won football games.
In their last five matches where United have secured just seven points, City have secured 15—doing what they had to do and win football games.
And when it appeared the league title would all come down to the Manchester derby, United came out and tried to play defense for 90 minutes, whilst City, you guessed it, did what they had to do and won the football game.
So as Manchester City lift the Premier League trophy high over the weekend, I'll no doubt be disappointed as I wanted my Red Devils to be the ones celebrating—but I won't be confused.
For the better team really will have won, and the better team will have finished first.
It's nothing against United—I think they were the superior side for 35 weeks of the Premier League.
Manchester City simply have been the superior of the two sides this year and have shown it through their dominant record, imposing home-ground advantage and their success over United.
So congratulations to Mancini and the Citizens, the rightful winners of the league.
Doesn't mean I won't be cheering for Queens Park Rangers come Sunday though.
DOUG'S DAILY MAIL'S FIT A STORY TO A TRAINING PICTURE BOLLOX
Talking tactics or a telling off? Balotelli gets private training ground chat with Mancini
So what's he done now then? Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is busy preparing his side for Sunday's title decider at home to QPR.
But he had to take time out during Wednesday's training session at Carrington to pull controversial striker Mario Balotelli to one side.
The pair appeared to hold an animated discussion with Mancini waving his finger at Balotelli, in what looked to be a bit of a grilling.
After he was sent off at Arsenal last month, Mancini initially warned that Balotelli would never play for the club again.
Despite backtracking on that statement days later, the former Inter Milan striker has yet to make an appearance for City since returning from a three-match ban - coinciding with the club overturning an eight-point gap from rivals Manchester United.
They now head into the final day of the Barclays Premier League needing only to equal Sir Alex Ferguson's side's result at Sunderland in order to lift their first championship since 1968.
City host the side with worst away record in the top flight and after last weekend's impressive 2-0 win at Champions League chasing Newcastle go into the showdown with supreme confidence that they can end their 44-year title wait.
But Balotelli - despite his 13 goals in the league this season - looks like he'll have to settle for a place on the bench with Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko all above him in the City pecking order.
Perhaps that was what Mancini was attempting to explain...
OTHER BOLLOX
Juventus have become the first club to publicly express an interest in signing Robin van Persie, 28, but Arsenal are confident they can keep the Netherlands striker at Emirates Stadium. Guardian
Manchester United are lining up a sensational move for 28-year-old Van Persie, who has just one year remaining on his contract, as Sir Alex Ferguson attempts to compete with big-spending Manchester City in the transfer market. talkSHIT
Ferguson is also preparing to make a £10m bid for Everton's 27-year-old left-back Leighton Baines. Daily Mirror
Chelsea are set to defy the wishes of their fans by letting Didier Drogba, 34, leave this month - after the striker's demands for a new two-year deal fell on deaf ears. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are chasing Juventus outcast and 27-year-old Serbia winger Milos Krasic. talkSHIT
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is also eyeing Real Madrid utility man Hamit Altintop, 29, as a possible replacement for Dirk Kuyt, who is wanted by Hamburg. Metro
Goalkeeper Paul Robinson, 32, is considering his future at relegated Blackburn — and West Ham will lead the fight for his signature. the Sun
Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo expects to be axed by Roman Abramovich — even if he wins the Champions League. the Sun
Gus Poyet is on the verge of quitting as manager of Brighton after it emerged he is on the wanted list of three top West Midlands clubs. West Brom and relegated Wolves are on the lookout for new managers and Aston Villa are also considering Alex McLeish's future after a disappointing first season in charge. Daily Mail
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll hopes he has caught the attention of England manager Roy Hodgson after his end-of-season goal flourish. Carroll has scored nine times this season, with three coming in his last six appearances. Daily Telegraph
West Brom striker Shane Long says the Baggies need a "big manager" to replace Hodgson, who takes charge of the club for the last time on Sunday before leaving to lead England at Euro 2012. Express & Star
Paul Gascoigne is worried Newcastle could lose some of their key players to Europe's heavyweights this summer - even if Alan Pardew's side qualify for the Champions League. Newcastle Chronicle
Meanwhile, Newcastle duo Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye are among eight Premier League players who could face England after being named in France's Euro 2012 training squad. Daily Mail
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is ready to raid former club Blackburn for goalkeeper Paul Robinson following Rovers' relegation. Daily Mirror
Former Everton player Ian Snodin insists the signing of Steven Pienaar, who is on loan from Tottenham, must be manager David Moyes's main priority in the transfer window. Liverpool Echo
Graeme Souness has been earmarked for a sensational Ibrox return by two of the groups trying to buy Rangers. Daily Mail
MORE BOLLOX LATER ...
