Jack Rodwell injury disappoints Roberto Mancini
Jack Rodwell could be out for a month after a recurrence of a hamstring problem in the 1-0 win at Aston Villa, manager Roberto Mancini has said.
The 21-year-old midfielder, forced off on 25 minutes at Villa Park, has now suffered nine separate hamstring injuries in the last year.
"We are very disappointed for Jack with his hamstring," Mancini said. "Maybe he will be back in three or four weeks."
Rodwell has played only 11 times since signing from Everton in the summer.
"I think it is impossible to resolve his problem after six or seven months because he's had this problem for five or six years and we need maybe more time," Mancini added.
"I am very sorry because he is a young player. He needs to improve but he has played very well against Chelsea and was playing very well tonight."
The England international missed more than three months of action with the same complaint before he came on as a late substitute in the 1-0 FA Cup victory against Stoke on 26 January.
He had previously said the hamstring problem he had experienced since arriving at the Premier League champions was "easily the worst injury setback" of his career.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini wants to keep pressure up
Despite Rodwell's departure, City managed to reduce the gap to leaders Manchester United to 12 points as Carlos Tevez punished a mistake from Villa defender Ciaran Clark.
Mancini said his side would probably need to win all their remaining games to stand any chance of retaining the title.
The 48-year-old said: "It is difficult because we have 30 points to play for and we need to try to win. At the end, we will see what happens. In football everything can happen right up to the last second.
"We probably need to win all 10 matches that are left. If [United] lose three or four or five games... But it is difficult, because they are too strong for this.
"When you have to win always, it is difficult to win every game. But last year we did this. Why can't we do it this year?"
Mancini: Nothing less than perfection will do if we want to win the league
The boss said nothing less than 30 points from the remaining league games will give the Blues even the slightest chance of catching United
Roberto Mancini has demanded 10 out of 10 from his Blue battlers as they seek to return to the top of the Premier League class.
The City boss has admitted maths was not his strong point at school, but he feels nothing less than 30 points from the remaining league games will give the defending champions even the slightest chance of catching United.
Last night the only sums that mattered were that City scored one more than Aston Villa, and though Carlos Tevez bagged it, Mancini made Edin Dzeko his Ed boy.
The Bosnian seized on a piece of hesitant defending from Ciaran Clark to rob the Villa man, surge forward and set up Tevez for the winner.
But Mancini felt Dzeko deserved credit for the goal, which did nothing for Villa’s fight against relegation.
He said: “It felt like Edin had scored, because he did everything, and then played the ball for Carlos, who also did well, and he also played well all game.
“I am happy with the win because we knew it would be a difficult game.
“Villa are a good team and it is strange that they are at the bottom, they are only young players but play very well.
“It was important to win this game because we wanted to stay 12 points behind United, and continue to chase them.
“We showed good commitment and attitude.
“I told the guys it would be difficult, and Aston Villa always start well at home, as they did last night, but after 20 minutes we defended well and began to play better.
“We deserved to win but we still miss three or four incredible chances to close the game.”
The win did keep City 12 points adrift of leaders United, and the equation is a simple one, said Mancini: “It is difficult but we have 30 more points and we need to try and win.
“At the end, we will see what happens. In football, anything can happen in the last second.
“We need to win all our matches and hope they only win three, four or five games – it is difficult because they are strong.
“It is also difficult for us to win every game. Last year we did this – we can’t win it unless we do it this year.”
The night was tarnished by a recurrence of Jack Rodwell’s hamstring injury, which forced the 21-year-old midfielder off after just 25 minutes.
Rodwell had been confident that the work he has put in to strengthening the muscle meant his problems were behind him. He faces another four-week lay-off but Mancini said City have to start thinking long-term about solving the underlying cause.
“We are very sorry for Jack because he is a good guy and a good player but he is unlucky,” said the manager.
“I think it is impossible to resolve this problem in six or seven months because he has had this problem for five or six years.
“Maybe he needs more time. He is now out until after the international break.
“I am very sorry because he is a good player, and played very well against Chelsea and last night.”
Midfielder Yaya Toure admitted he was disappointed Rodwell was facing another spell on the sidelines, but believed the Blues showed their strength in depth to record a vital win.
“We showed we have a fantastic squad, we are sad with Jack but this is an important day for us,” he said. “Twelve points is a lot but it’s not finished.
“There is still hope. We have to keep fighting for the fans and the guys in the club.
“We have 10 games remaining and it is very important for us to continue to be at this level. We will keep battling.”
The Blues also suffered a blow before the game, as Sergio Aguero damaged his knee in training on Sunday and was forced to withdraw from the squad which travelled to
Birmingham. Aguero tweeted before the game: “I felt a crick in my right knee during last training so I won’t make it against Aston Villa today.
“It’s a pity I can’t be there for my team at this moment.
“All I can do is recover, and I’m already on it. C’mon, City!”
Aguero will not be risked in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at home to Barnsley, in the hope that he will be fit to play the following week.
Mancini said: “Sergio did it on Sunday – he was alone, made a movement and had a problem in his knee. We hope he will be OK for Everton, so we won’t take any risks on Saturday.”
The Blues also hope to finally have skipper Vincent Kompany available to play against the Tykes, after more than a month out with calf problems.
The skipper is expected to link up with the first team in training later this week.
In his absence, Kolo Toure has stepped up to the plate with a string of fine performances.
“I’m doing my best for me,” said Kolo, who is set to leave the club in the summer.
“I love football and every time I have the chance I will give 100 per cent.”
And Kolo backed the call from his manager that the title race isn’t yet over.
“It is always difficult to defend a title but the most important thing is the future and for us now every game coming is very important,” Kolo said.
“We can’t think about what has happened, we just need to focus on what will happen.
“We will take it game by game, give 100 per cent and try to make our fans happy.”
VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MANCINI AFTER WIN: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21664590
Maradona Wants Manchester City Star at Real Madrid
Diego Maradona has now urged Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero to join Real Madrid. The Argentine legend believes his compatriot's move to Real will complement their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo and help him score more goals.
"Kun is the solution for the future of Madrid, and Ronaldo, the perfect complement. Sergio is pure movement, while (Karim) Benzema and Pipit (Gonzalo Higuain) are two tanks who can split the defence, yes, but they collide with Ronaldo. One of these days it will take Cristiano ahead to one of the two. Sometimes I think we are going to have to put a traffic light there to regulate traffic between them," the Argentine told the Daily Mail.
Aguero joined the Premier League champions in the summer of 2011 from Real's cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid. The Argentine was the club's top scorer in his debut season in England, with 23 goals. Maradona admitted the striker is currently happy with Roberto Mancini's side, though he feels life in Madrid would be far more interesting than in Manchester.
Nastasic has been one of the signings of the season
As the Premier League reaches it's final furlong, fans and pundits alike are beginning to draw up conclusions to who the signing of the season has been. Robin van Persie, Michu and Eden Hazard will understandably figure highly, such has been their impressive attacking prowess for Manchester United, Swansea City and Chelsea, respectively.
However, one player that may be cruelly overlooked is Manchester City centre-back Matija Nastasic. The Serbia international signed for the Premier League champions from Fiorentina last summer, with Stefan Savic going the other way.
Many a City fan felt this signing of Nastasic would simply be a second coming of Savic, but after making his debut against Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the 19-year-old has won over the hearts of fans following a number of imperious performances that wouldn't have looked over a place from a defender 10 years his senior.
Furthermore, the young defender enjoyed an impressive evening during the victory over Aston Villa on Monday night alongside Kolo Toure, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory at Villa Park, winning all seven of his aerial duels as City shortened the gap at the summit of the Premier League to 12 points once again.
While the aforementioned trio are likely to be mooted as the signings of the season, there is no reason why Nastasic shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath, especially with Vincent Kompany's recent injury problems not aiding to City's quest to retain their title.
Edin Dzeko on Borussia Dortmund’s three-man transfer shortlist
Edin Dzeko admitted he would like to return to the Bundesliga (Picture: Getty)
Borussia Dortmund are set to pursue Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko, after the striker was included on the club’s three-man transfer shortlist.
The Bundesliga side appear to have resigned themselves to losing star striker Robert Lewandowski, whose contract expires at the end of next season, with the Poland international yet to sign a new deal and both Bayern Munich and Manchester United keen on a move.
And Dzeko, according to German newspaper Bild, is among Dortmund’s top transfer targets for the summer having been named on a three-man shortlist.
The 26-year-old joined Manchester City in 2011 from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and hinted last week that he would like to return to Germany.
Borussia Dortmund are keeping close tabs on Edin Dzeko (Picture: AP)
The Bosnian international has made 34 appearances for Roberto Mancini’s side this season, but has struggled to hold down a place in the starting XI and could snap up the chance to make a return to the Bundesliga should Dortmund offer him an escape route in the summer. The reigning German champions, who are currently second in the Bundesliga this term but 17 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, are also thought to be keen on Hannover duo Mame Biram Diouf – formerly of Manchester United -and Mahammed Abdellaoue.
Kompany hopes to rejoin Manchester City first team by end of week
The Belgium international is set to return to action next week following his recovery from a calf injury sustained at the end of January against Stoke in the FA Cup
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is set to step up his return following his recovery from injury.
The Belgium international has been on the sidelines for the past five games following a calf problem he sustained during the 1-0 victory over Stoke in the FA Cup fourth round.
The towering defender suffered a further setback to his recovery when he injured his other calf, but the centre-back is confident of a return to the first team next week.
After being asked on Twitter when he will return, Kompany said: "All goes well, I should be joining up with the team towards end of the week."
Roberto Mancini will welcome the return of his captain as the club face the last 10 games of the season 12 points behind bitter rivals Manchester United in the fight for the Premier League title.
Tell me why … the abuse I get from Manchester City fans surpasses all other By Ian Herbert
Social networking has myriad upsides, few would disagree. And no journalist working on a national platform can expect that their work will pass without criticism. It’s never been quicker or easier for readers can make summary judgement, for good and ill – and many routinely hurl abuse. Getting that kind of feedback is par for the course for most writers. That’s free speech. But Ian Herbert wonders what on earth he must have done to enrage fans of Manchester City, given acres of positive coverage over numerous years, when the smallest thing can set some of them off into paroxyms of rage and bile. Is it just his name? Or his beard?
Tell me why … the abuse I get from Manchester City fans surpasses all other
“Because you’ve got a name and reputation for dissing our club,” is no doubt one response.
“And you’ve got a beard for it.”
Yes, they’ve certainly been cropping up on Twitter in the past week.
One soul took the time and trouble to share the view that I embody nominative determinism. Herbert by name, herbert by nature. Nice one.
It’s strange, though – the things that can invite rebuke in these days of Twitter which, to quote a mate of mine, would a bit like having all your favourite people in one room if you could only shut the leery gatecrashers who just want to have a go.
One of my heinous recent offences was tweeting a link to a match report on City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea about a week ago and, often lacking originality, I copied out the headline that the folk back in the office at The Independent has used on the paper’s website.
It mentioned that Toure and Tevez had settled ‘El Cashico’.
It wasn’t exactly meltdown – I’ve not got that kind of following – but the red light on the phone did look like it might melt the thing as the tweets came in.
It’s naivity, I’m sure you’ll tell me, but I just didn’t get the Twitter semantics. The case against (me) is that El Cashito is an insult and a putdown, which fans believe define City as the height of chav. “We’ve been waiting all day to see who’d use it,” someone said. Honestly? You did that?
Then I wrote about City’s plans for world domination. This is a club who’ve always been ambitious and resolute about breaking new ground, ever since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan took over and appointed individuals like Khaldoon al Mubarak and Simon Pearce – people who run global businesses and invest petrodollars on a scale way beyond the purlieu of Premier League football – to accomplish the task.
There were serious details in there about how the club will seek partnerships in at least three continents, are overhauling merchandise and re-ordering the business. I’d been poking around at it for three weeks. Just ask the City people I’ve been mithering.
That story got some red light responses too, all right – but not a single one of them about City’s pursuit of globalization.
Every last reaction related to me reporting what I have been privately told about the club – that despite a feasibility study they’ve not been ready to expand the size of the Etihad stadium until they know they can fill the thing. City’s gates a very good, in the league at least, but they don’t sell out every game in every competition.
The club is still growing but there’s not an Arsenal-type fan base just yet. Which intensifies the need for global revenue.
“Why lie?” I was asked, as if I’d invented the fact that seats have been available for some City games this season. “Why didn’t you research?”
I was even getting links three days later to stories of City’s forthcoming game with Newcastle being a sell-out.
The process of establishing facts doesn’t always entail being able to tell who told you them. It’s not every executive who wants his name in lights and speech marks. City’s official capacity from Premier League games is 47,805. The biggest attendance this season is 47,386.
They sometimes manage to re-sell the away quota of tickets which are returned to them but not always. The cup attendances are less than the League: 28,015 against Aston Villa in League Cup, even with discounted pricing. Source: Manchester City’s match programmes. More details here.
City are trying to expand in innovative ways. Social media means we can discuss that, if anyone wants to. Yet all anyone wants to talk about is home attendances. Tell me why?
Because of all that public criticism City got from certain members of the commentariat when they became wealthy overnight?
Because Manchester United happen to be the best example of the way to go and tend to be a point of comparison?
Because Twitter is an overrated pit of abuse? Any one of the above.
I’ve been writing about City for five years. The Sheikh arrived not long after I started writing about football. The club are also one of the most open and willing to engage, which has nurtured a better understanding of what they’re about than any other club, for many of us.
They’ve had managers who’ll talk and who don’t resort to ridicule ands put-down, like Sir Alex Ferguson does, when an individual’s questions are uncomfortable ones.
So I’ve written about their Etihad Campus, their excellent former technical director Mike Rigg – who was installed by Mark Hughes. I’ve always felt that the public ridicule heaped upon former chief executive Garry Cook disguised his brilliance. And I think that Roberto Mancini is too exacting of his players and too willing to censure them publicly to take the club on.
I’m not a Manchester United fan. I was brought up in North Wales and support Wrexham, who do not fill their stadium.
I do have a ridiculous surname . That’s it: off to trim the beard.
Ian Herbert, who has been shortlisted as Sports Journalist of the Year in the prestigious Press Awards, notably for his coverage of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, is The Independent’s Northern Football Correspondent
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Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Man United sporting shorts combined with knee-length socks. BBC Radio 5 live's 606 newsletter
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