Back me or sack me! Mancini wants talks with City owners as player power struggle spirals
'Mancini has no interest in being a friend of the players. He doesn’t care whether they hate him' says Etihad insider
The Manchester City manager is determined to root out the dressing-room dissenters who are undermining his position at the Etihad with their reluctance and inability to follow his tactics.
Mancini now wants talks with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and new chief executive Ferran Soriano to establish whether he retains their full support as he looks to reassert his authority.
The champions were booed off at half-time yesterday as they struggled to beat a well-organised Swansea at the Etihad.
Carlos Tevez hit a 61st-minute winner in their unconvincing 1-0 win, which also saw Micah Richards carried off with a serious knee injury.
Swansea keeper Michel Vorm did not finish the match either after injuring his groin trying to stop Tevez’s goal – and will be out for up to five weeks.
Mancini is adamant that he will not take a backward step in the power struggle with several senior players that is now threatening to spiral out of control and undermine City’s season.
A City insider said: “Mancini has no interest in being a friend of the players. He doesn’t care whether they hate him.
“He just wants them to do as they are told when they are on the pitch and the training ground. Mancini is like a lot of Italian managers who believe the coach must be dictatorial in their approach.
“He will not back away from an issue if he feels it is undermining his position. Some players will not like his style, but he has the trophies to show that it works. It has also worked for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
“Mancini is in a strong position and he expects the full support of the people who pay him to do his job.”
GARETH BARRY’S READY FOR PAY CUT TO SEAL NEW DEAL AT MANCHESTER CITY
GARETH BARRY will have to take a pay cut if he wants to secure another contract at Manchester City.
The England midfielder, 31, will have one year remaining on his current deal at the end of this season.
Talks on a new contract are expected to start in the new year and City would be happy to strike another deal.
Boss Roberto Mancini still values Barry as part of his squad in a holding midfield role.
And Brian Marwood, the club’s football administration officer, champions him as a role model for City’s academy starlets.
Marwood never tires of recalling the day a player no longer at the club scattered litter everywhere and Barry, following him out of the door, picked all of it up and put it in a rubbish bin.
Barry joined City on a five-year deal for a fee of around £12million in June 2009, after spending 12 years at Aston Villa.
He has amassed 53 England caps since his debut in 2000.
Last season he played in 34 of City’s Premier League games as they won their first title in 44 years.
But Barry cannot realistically expect another £120,000-a-week deal.
New chief executive Ferran Soriano also wants a more sensible approach on wages, certainly for players in their thirties.
City, of course, are also acutely aware that, after their lavish spending, they have to satisfy UEFA’s Fair Play rules on finance.
So midfielder Barry may be offered a new deal at around £70,000-a-week for when his current contract runs out.STAR
Manchester City’s set to announce new director of football - former Barcelona technical director Txiki Begiristain
Txiki Begiristain will begin work as Manchester City’s new director of football within the next fortnight after the former Barcelona technical director agreed to head the Premier League champions’ first-team recruitment operation.
Brian Marwood, currently operating as Manchester City’s football administrator, will move to a new role as managing director of the City Football Academy as the club attempts to create a production line of home-grown talent at the Etihad Stadium.
The capture of Begiristain, targeted by Chelsea in recent seasons, is regarded a s major coup by City and the club’s new chief executive, Ferran Soriano, who worked with Begiristain during his time as a senior administrator at the Nou Camp.
Begiristain said: “I’m pleased to have such an opportunity. I look forward to working with Brian Marwood, Roberto Mancini and Ferran Soriano in building a team and philosophy which will serve City well in the near and long term future.”
Begiristain is set to be handed the role of dealing with contract negotiations and player recruitment at City, a position which will see him deal directly with manager Roberto Mancini, but reporting to Soriano.
Mancini’s criticism of Marwood’s transfer dealings over the past two summers caused friction between the Italian and the club’s hierarchy, but it is understood that Begiristain will operate to the same blueprint laid down by City’s Abu Dhabi management as Marwood.
And despite Mancini’s cool relationship with Marwood and his criticism of the former Arsenal and England midfielder, City chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak remains an admirer of Marwood’s contribution, prompting his re-assignment to the Academy.
AC Milan 'to sell stars to fund move for Mario Balotelli'
Mario Balotelli is wanted by AC Milan - and the Italian club are willing to sell a host of stars in order to fund a move for the Manchester City forward.
The Italy international has been in and out of the City side this season, with boss Roberto Mancini also being able to call upon Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero in attacking positions.
His uncertain status at the Etihad Stadium has alerted a host of clubs across Europe, but none more so than AC, who feel they have the ideal opportunity to lure Balotelli back to his homeland.
But to do so, they will have to sell several players in order to raise the money required first to make an offer for the striker and secondly to afford his hefty wage demands.
Corriere dello Sport has reported that three players have been identified by club bosses as among those who can make way for Balotelli.
Kevin Prince-Boateng, Alexandre Pato and Robinho are the men that AC will attempt to get off their books before placing an offer for the unpredictable City hitman.
As well as trying to bring Balotelli to the San Siro, AC will also make moves for Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic and Montepellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Mirror
MANCHESTER TITLE RACE
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