When Sergio Agüero scored the latest of late winners to hand Manchester City the Premier League title in the most outrageous of circumstances, wrapping up the closest title race of all time, few would have expected a Manchester derby in early April to be nothing more than a matter of pride.
It is a reflection of City’s lacklustre season that this, though, is the case. Going into tonight’s game they sit 15 points behind a United side that is far from vintage and has not had to do anything particularly special in cruising to a 20th league title.
Mancini claims the 15 point gap is unfair, that it doesn’t truly reflect how the league has gone, but someone needs to tell Roberto that the table does not lie – if it shows United have been 15 points better than his side, then that’s exactly how much better they are.
Mancini is an awkward manager to watch speak – the way he squirms to protect himself, to save face, is uncomfortable. He is the anti-Mourinho – whilst the ‘Special One’ is happy to focus all attention on himself, indeed does so deliberately and successfully as a tactic, Mancini will always shift the blame.
He is claiming now that the title race was lost not because of defeats to Southampton and Sunderland, and that their Champions League campaign was not cut short by losses to Ajax and Borussia Dortmund, but that City’s season was over before it started – lost in the transfer window.
Van Persie has been critical for United, but he has not made them 15 points better than City. Van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez is not a strike-force 15 points stronger than Agüero, Tevez, Dzeko and Balotelli (who should never have been sold) – it is debatable whether it is a better strike-force at all.
Manchester City have the stronger midfield, United the stronger defence, but it is marginal. Looking at the squads, there is no reason why City, on paper, should not still be in touch going into tonight’s game.
This is why the blame must fall largely on the shoulders of Mancini himself. What is often lost in the haze of euphoria surrounding last season’s climax is that City should have made it much easier for themselves. This season they have been a poor excuse for champions, and it is the manager who must take the flack for this.
With the money they have, City would expect to dominate the Premier League for at least a few years, would have expected back-to-back titles at the very least. They will never achieve domination of this kind with Mancini at the helm. They need a change.
They may come back stronger next season, but Mancini does not come across as a manager who can dominate a league like a Ferguson or a Mourinho. City will never get where they want to with him in charge – it is best that, come May, they make the switch and start over again.
Good article. However, I’m not sure the blame should entirely fall on Mancini’s shoulders. To date, this United team has won an incredible 27 points from losing positions, which is unheard of in the Premier League era. You could interpret this as United conceding more than usual, but more importantly the side has maintained great spirit and belief, despite what happened last season.
What’s more, despite Van Persie’s heroics, Michael Carrick has arguably been United’s best player, bringing a creativity with Tom Cleverley which was lacking to United’s midfield. By contrast, Yaya Toure and David Silva haven’t given their awesome strikeforce the same level of service as last year.
Finally, from City’s perspective, there is the added pressure of being champions and the determination of every other club to take points off you. It’s saying something that even Arsenal, at the peak of their powers, were never able to retain their Premier League crown.
Surely not another club to sack a manager? Hasn’t there been enough of those lately?Admittedly the article does raise good points about Mancini’s ineptitude but if City or any club for that matter want to achieve an era of stability/dominance, wouldn’t the first thing be to have a manager there for a minimum considerable period of time like 5 years at least Although Mourinho would make everything more interesting, but I’d rather see him at Chelsea!
But a good article on the whole, and we’ll see what happens tonight!
It seems weird to be saying this about a manager and the team he stormed to a nigh-on historical League win with last season, but I feel that Mancini and City have always been something of a mismatch. He seems to have consistently struggled over the years to truly get his ideas across to the team, to connect with them and most importantly to gain their full understanding and trust. Look at the problems with Tevez last season, the failure to tame Balotelli into a reliable asset for the team, the disastrous attempts on Mancini’s part to introduce a three-at-the-back system.
It doesn’t have to be anyone’s fault necessarily. Sometimes, for all the quality in the side and the nous of the man in charge, the chemistry just isn’t fundamentally right. And that seems to be the case with Mancini and City.