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Angry Roberto Mancini has promised to rip apart his team in a bid to save the Blues’ season with an FA Cup success.
And the City boss promised to be as harshly critical of his own performance as his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Southampton which virtually ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
The players remained in the dressing room for over an hour at St Mary’s Stadium, firstly to discuss their abject display amongst themselves, and then to be addressed by Mancini.
They emerged tight-lipped afterwards, even refusing interviews with the club’s own website, and leaving Mancini to express his fury and disappointment at perhaps the worst team display of his three-year tenure.
Mancini now faces some tough choices for next Sunday’s visit of Leeds in the fifth round FA Cup tie, but says there will be changes – and Southampton flops Joe Hart, Gareth Barry, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko are likely to be top of his hit list.
In a dire warning to his team, Mancini made it plain he will accept below-par performances from time to time, as that is the nature of football.
But he laid it on the line that what he will not have is the lack of heart and combativeness which were the most worrying aspects of the team’s display at St Mary’s.
“I am sure we will change that, because I will change players next week,” Mancini told M.E.N. Sport.“I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games.
“I am very angry with a lot of my players, and very disappointed at the performance, because it is impossible to play the way we did.
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In pictures: Southampton 3 Manchester City 1
View gallery
“We didn’t fight for every ball. We can’t always win by playing well – that is normal. Sometimes we play well and win, but you also need to be able to win because you fight for every ball, and fight against an opponent who also wants to win the game.
“Every team that plays against us treats it like a Champions League final, but we should know this, it is normal.
“We now have 12 games left, need to do well in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup – there are games left and we can do better. We need to finish the season the way we did last year.”
Mancini conceded the title race is now as good as over, and was left to pick over the ruins of his team’s abject performance – and to wonder what effect it might have had on his superiors.
When he looks back on his own part in a shambolic display, he might reflect on what appears to be confused thinking.
His planning was hit by bad luck, as Carlos Tevez was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a family problem.
That led to some fans, coloured by Tevez’s recent past, to question his commitment, but the club is fully aware of the player’s situation and is supporting him at a difficult time.
He is expected to return to training this week and is likely to be involved against Leeds.
Vincent Kompany is also set to return after Mancini decided not to risk him at Southampton, and plumped for Javi Garcia ahead of both Matija Nastasic, who was left out of the matchday squad, and Kolo Toure.
Nastasic and Kolo were left out as they were deemed to be not quite ready after returning from international duty.
Said Mancini: “Nastasic came back Friday and Kolo came back three or four days ago – plus the last time Garcia played there, he played really, really well.
“On Saturday we played well in defence, but the problem was that we didn’t give the defenders any help. They were left to play alone, and we conceded two goals the like of which I have never seen in my life.
“But it is normal to have so many players away.
“The fixtures are ridiculous sometimes, as we played on Saturday and then had six players who came back on Friday, and five who came back Thursday night.
“Sometimes it is impossible.”
Yaya Toure returned at the same time as his brother, and played 90 minutes, while Aleks Kolarov travelled alongside Nastasic for Serbia’s mid-week game, and played as a substitute. Mancini’s substitutions and switch to a back three also puzzled some, and he explained it thus:
“We tried to change things with two full-backs pushing on, and with Yaya behind the strikers.
“We had two or three chances but when we arrived there, we didn’t score, and that is the problem.
“If you don’t score, you can’t win.
“It’s not enough to score one goal. We need to work hard, for each other.
“I could do nothing. I had no strikers on the bench, but I still thought at half-time we could recover. But then we conceded after five minutes, to a goal like that, and it was over.”
Last season, Mancini famously declared the title race over after defeat at Arsenal, a mantra he stuck to until the trophy was actually in Blue hands. This time, there is no air of mischief, but rather of resignation.
“We didn’t play well, and the gap is too much, especially as we are not playing well, have conceded five goals in two games, and can’t score,” he said.
“We need to change more, and have 11 players working on the pitch, not like Saturday, and not like (against) Liverpool. Now it is really, really difficult. The gap is too much.
“After Saturday, right at this moment, I am really disappointed.
“For me, it is not like being an Englishman, who stays calm – I am really angry about this and over the next few days I need to think about what I did, what mistakes I made in the game. After that I will take decisions.”
Angry Roberto Mancini has promised to rip apart his team in a bid to save the Blues’ season with an FA Cup success.
And the City boss promised to be as harshly critical of his own performance as his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Southampton which virtually ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.
The players remained in the dressing room for over an hour at St Mary’s Stadium, firstly to discuss their abject display amongst themselves, and then to be addressed by Mancini.
They emerged tight-lipped afterwards, even refusing interviews with the club’s own website, and leaving Mancini to express his fury and disappointment at perhaps the worst team display of his three-year tenure.
Mancini now faces some tough choices for next Sunday’s visit of Leeds in the fifth round FA Cup tie, but says there will be changes – and Southampton flops Joe Hart, Gareth Barry, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko are likely to be top of his hit list.
In a dire warning to his team, Mancini made it plain he will accept below-par performances from time to time, as that is the nature of football.
But he laid it on the line that what he will not have is the lack of heart and combativeness which were the most worrying aspects of the team’s display at St Mary’s.
“I am sure we will change that, because I will change players next week,” Mancini told M.E.N. Sport.“I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games.
“I am very angry with a lot of my players, and very disappointed at the performance, because it is impossible to play the way we did.
""""""""""
In pictures: Southampton 3 Manchester City 1
View gallery
“We didn’t fight for every ball. We can’t always win by playing well – that is normal. Sometimes we play well and win, but you also need to be able to win because you fight for every ball, and fight against an opponent who also wants to win the game.
“Every team that plays against us treats it like a Champions League final, but we should know this, it is normal.
“We now have 12 games left, need to do well in the Premier League, and we have the FA Cup – there are games left and we can do better. We need to finish the season the way we did last year.”
Mancini conceded the title race is now as good as over, and was left to pick over the ruins of his team’s abject performance – and to wonder what effect it might have had on his superiors.
When he looks back on his own part in a shambolic display, he might reflect on what appears to be confused thinking.
His planning was hit by bad luck, as Carlos Tevez was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a family problem.
That led to some fans, coloured by Tevez’s recent past, to question his commitment, but the club is fully aware of the player’s situation and is supporting him at a difficult time.
He is expected to return to training this week and is likely to be involved against Leeds.
Vincent Kompany is also set to return after Mancini decided not to risk him at Southampton, and plumped for Javi Garcia ahead of both Matija Nastasic, who was left out of the matchday squad, and Kolo Toure.
Nastasic and Kolo were left out as they were deemed to be not quite ready after returning from international duty.
Said Mancini: “Nastasic came back Friday and Kolo came back three or four days ago – plus the last time Garcia played there, he played really, really well.
“On Saturday we played well in defence, but the problem was that we didn’t give the defenders any help. They were left to play alone, and we conceded two goals the like of which I have never seen in my life.
“But it is normal to have so many players away.
“The fixtures are ridiculous sometimes, as we played on Saturday and then had six players who came back on Friday, and five who came back Thursday night.
“Sometimes it is impossible.”
Yaya Toure returned at the same time as his brother, and played 90 minutes, while Aleks Kolarov travelled alongside Nastasic for Serbia’s mid-week game, and played as a substitute. Mancini’s substitutions and switch to a back three also puzzled some, and he explained it thus:
“We tried to change things with two full-backs pushing on, and with Yaya behind the strikers.
“We had two or three chances but when we arrived there, we didn’t score, and that is the problem.
“If you don’t score, you can’t win.
“It’s not enough to score one goal. We need to work hard, for each other.
“I could do nothing. I had no strikers on the bench, but I still thought at half-time we could recover. But then we conceded after five minutes, to a goal like that, and it was over.”
Last season, Mancini famously declared the title race over after defeat at Arsenal, a mantra he stuck to until the trophy was actually in Blue hands. This time, there is no air of mischief, but rather of resignation.
“We didn’t play well, and the gap is too much, especially as we are not playing well, have conceded five goals in two games, and can’t score,” he said.
“We need to change more, and have 11 players working on the pitch, not like Saturday, and not like (against) Liverpool. Now it is really, really difficult. The gap is too much.
“After Saturday, right at this moment, I am really disappointed.
“For me, it is not like being an Englishman, who stays calm – I am really angry about this and over the next few days I need to think about what I did, what mistakes I made in the game. After that I will take decisions.”