Mancini: Fight Fire With Fire!

[jrb]

Perhaps Bobby is finally getting it. Sometimes you have to play their way and sacrifice your principals. Perhaps Stoke won't like it back? Perhaps Bobby won't like it either, but if it's get's us through, so be it. (after that we can get back to playing football again)

From the OS site.

Roberto Mancini is ready to rip up his usual game plan in a bid to beat Stoke and keep alive the dream of winning the FA Cup in his debut season as Blues boss.
City's manager delivered the Italian equivalent on cue to mark his first campaign in charge at his three previous clubs Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter Milan.

But Mancini knows City face a huge challenge in Wednesday night's fifth-round replay at the Britannia Stadium following Stoke's 1-1 draw in the first tie at City of Manchester Stadium.

Only Gareth Barry's late strike salvaged a point in last week's 1-1 Premier League draw at the Britannia and Mancini has confessed that "there are no teams like Stoke in Serie A".

Now he will ask his players to counter Stoke's threat by matching their style of play in a bold, calculated attempt to earn a quarter-final date with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Mancini, whose side are at Chelsea in the League on Saturday, said: "Now we have a good game at Stoke. We want to play Chelsea twice so we want to win at Stoke. It's difficult but we will try.

"Against Stoke, the ball will always be in the air. So we will prepare for a different game and not play our football.

"We must work on the high ball, on corners and free kicks, long balls and long passes. If we want to win this game, we must play like them."

City's boss, whose only fully-fit available striker against Liverpool was Emmanuel Adebayor, hopes Roque Santa Cruz's knee will improve for Stoke. Skipper Kolo Toure could also be back.

 

[bluebob]

at least he showing he's aware of the threat they pose and inteads to counter it.... that didn't seem to be apparent in the 1st leg

 

[sheikmedick]

I,d rather we beat them by playing them off the pitch than resorting to stuart pearce tactics

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

Is that the sound of a penny dropping?

 

[PSmyth07]

This is what we should be doing on them throw-ins. ;)

 

[DSG1982]

If this is the case then I would add some height and power to our midfield with Kompany. Then as for the others play with some attacking midfielders for once!

 

[StatesideStokie]

I really hope he is serious because if he is, you can forget any chance you might have had of beating us. Blackburn tried it a few weeks back and were on the end of a 3-0 beating, and they are far better equipped to try and take us on at our own game than your lot. We have built a team that plays the game a certain way week in and week out, and for Mancini to think he can just show up on Wednesday and out play us at our own game is bordering in the ridiculous.

 

[Trigger]

I,d rather we beat them by playing them off the pitch than resorting to stuart pearce tactics

Totally agree, dont lower your standards! (besides who the f*ck do we have who takes Delap like throws? most cant cross it past the first man!)

 

[baldybouncer]

But why broadcast the fact you're going to change your style of play beforehand!

 

[StatesideStokie]

I,d rather we beat them by playing them off the pitch than resorting to stuart pearce tactics

Totally agree, dont lower your standards! (besides who the f*ck do we have who takes Delap like throws? most cant cross it past the first man!)

Our whole game plan at home revolves around sucking teams into playing the game on our terms, because were going to be better at it than the opposition. The best hope you have of getting a result is to get the ball wide to players with pace (SWP, Bellamy) and run at our full backs. Lumping long balls into the box against us will end it tears, without a shadow of a doubt.