Mancini faces lean winter in his bid to lift City's standing
Early European exit at hands of Real Madrid leads to tough questions over club's investments
The Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, will not be given money in January to bolster the squad which has proved inadequate for the exacting challenge of the Champions League. Only an injury emergency will trigger any more player investment this season.
A move for Falcao, the Colombian striker, is out of the question, Daniele de Rossi does not fit the club's age profile and the fact that Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell were among the manager's top-five targets this summer gives him no room to argue that he has not been backed financially to build on last season's Premier league title. The two Englishmen have not featured prominently, and Sinclair barely at all, but they were alongside Eden Hazard and Robin van Persie at the top of Mancini's list, with De Rossi as the back-up option if the move for Javi Garcia failed.
Mancini declared after the draw with Real Madrid saw him fail to deliver on this season's targeted Champions League second-round place that City needed "to be passionate" about succeeding in Europe "and to improve our team." But having completed the first, heavy investment phase of their ownership, the Abu Dhabi owners have now moved to a second "commercial" period, driving up revenues. Mancini has played all his cards in the market and though it is an article of faith for the Abu Dhabis that their manager's door has not been a revolving one, he needs an emphatic Premier League campaign if he is to be confident of extending his City into a fourth full season.
Mancini said on Wednesday night that "six or seven" clubs in European football are better than his own. But the philosophy of the new chief executive Ferran Soriano – who transformed Barcelona between 2003 and 2008 – is that a force in world football must be so dominant that fans from Singapore to Shanghai know their name. Soriano's discussions of how he overhauled Barcelona, who were ranked 13th among world football's revenue earners, with half of Old Trafford's turnover when he took over, reveal a deep fascination with Manchester United.
They also reveal that he will consider City simply incapable of generating returns on Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan's vast spending if they are not capable of beating sides like Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. "Consumers in general are able to remember five or six brands in each category [of business]," Soriano has said. "But not 20. In 2003 [at Barcelona] we were running a very high risk of not being able to bridge the gap with the top clubs and Barcelona remaining a small local brand."
There is no doubt that Soriano will seek to drive down the cost base where he can, at City. He brought the ratio of player wages to turnover down from 88 per cent to near 50 per cent at the Nou Camp. In his early days there he established a cost-cutting team so rigorous that the running joke was that the auditors stalked the stadium corridors wearing helmets and with daggers between their teeth, looking like Rambo. But Soriano will also be looking for City to command global recognition. He tells a story of how a Japanese barman in Tokyo, hearing him talking in Catalan, approached him to say Watashi wa kaiin desu! ("I am a member") and flashed his Barcelona membership card.
With over 70 percent of the TV audience overseas, this is the kind of recognition he will want for City. Such is the size of the task now facing Mancini. His Middle East employers know that it will reflect better on them if he succeeds. They find sackings distasteful. But Soriano, who has maintained a very low public profile to date, is extremely fast-moving in his decision-making. He will act to change the manager if he feels City are not making up the deficit between themselves and the world's best.
Amid the ruins of the Champions League campaign, there must be a discussion of the decision to move to a three-man defence. Pablo Zabaleta yesterday echoed Micah Richards and Aleksandr Kolarov in suggesting that the new rear formation which was overwhelmed by Real Madrid early on Wednesday is something that the players are not comfortable with – an extraordinary admission for the three to make considering the level of investment at the Etihad. "We started the game really slow with some defensive problems, and then we changed to 4-4-2 as we felt more comfortable with that system," Zabaleta said.
Sergio Aguero admitted that City are not displaying last season's flamboyance, though put that down to injuries: "It's not simple when injuries all happen simultaneously. I think I'm correct in saying that we have very few injuries last season."
City understandably cite their current Premier League position when doubts are expressed about their development. "The Premier League table says something different [about our progress]. We are very hard to beat, top of the table and defending well, so we can't be doing that badly can we?" added Aguero. His face currently beams out from the last of an imaginative poster sequence, plastered to the Etihad stadium's exterior, which is a timeline of the afternoon City took the title. That day offered drama of the kind we may never witness again in the Premier League, though a breathless finish might not be enough this season. With Europe gone, Mancini is left needing something more emphatic from the bunch of players with whom he has thrown in his lot. Independent
City swoop for £15m Wilf
MANCHESTER CITY have made their £15million move for Crystal Palace sensation Wilfried Zaha.
The Premier League champions are offering £12m up front — plus another £3m in add-ons — for the England new-boy. And they are happy for him to remain on loan at Selhurst Park until the summer.
City are determined to beat a host of other sides to land the prized signature of Zaha, who made his international debut against Sweden a week ago, in January.
Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are also in the hunt for the Ivory Coast-born player.
The total cost of Zaha’s transfer could be £15m but boss Roberto Mancini believes the player should be able to complete the season with the Championship promotion-chasers.
Palace have made it clear they are not in a hurry to sell and want to keep the player as they bid to reach the top flight.
The Londoners are now on a sound financial footing after years of being called a selling club.
They insist the £20m label put on Zaha, 20, was not a price-tag but a figure to put off clubs.
Incredibly Zaha, who still has 2½ years to run on his deal, could have been available for just £7m in the summer.
The tricky forward may still play for Ivory Coast despite his outing in England’s friendly last week. SUN
Richards to step up recovery from knee injury after doctors give City defender all-clear to start running again
Manchester City defender Micah Richards will next week start running for the first time since undergoing knee surgery.
The 24-year-old met with his surgeon last week for a routine three-week check up.
And the defender was given the all-clear to stop using his crutches and start applying weight to his injured right knee.
Richards has already made trips to the club’s Carrington training ground to complete post-surgery sessions before starting his main rehabilitation plan.
And Richards will start jogging from Wednesday as he starts on his long road to recovery.
It is hoped Richards will be back in contention for a first team return by January.
The news will come as a much-needed boost to manager Roberto Mancini who is still reeling from his side’s early Champions League exit.
Richards has been out since tearing the miniscus in his right knee during the 1-0 win against Swansea on October 27.
It was originally feared Richards could miss up to four months with the injury, but he is now on schedule for a much earlier return. DSSC
Wenger – City’s Euro exit a massive satisfaction
Written by: LadyArse
Let’s face, which one of us didn’t laugh when Manchester City drew with Real Madrid on Wednesday night, thus sealing their fate of a second successive season failing to get out of the group stages in the Champions League? We’ve watched them inflate the market and buy success while we’ve penny pinched, hamstrung by the move to the Emirates Stadium.
So, it is not surprising then, that Arsene Wenger, who has been fiercely criticised for his unwillingness to spend outside of Arsenal’s means, would take great pleasure in their elimination. Speaking to the press ahead of Arsenal’s Barclay’s Premier League match against Aston Villa, Wenger said
It’s a massive satisfaction because at times I have had my back to the wall being accused of not spending fortunes.
We showed that we can do it the way we do it and with the club in a financially good situation, and with players coming from our youth development. There’s many ways to be successful and ours is one of them.
In England if they want a player they get him, still. As long as that happens you will be the most powerful in Europe. There’s something more here. It’s not only linked with what you see on the pitch but how you experience football. That’s what I believe and when I speak to the players they say the same.
Manchester City Complete The Signing Of 16-Year-Old Real Madrid Prodigy
Real Madrid may have sealed Manchester City's early exit from the Champions League yesterday evening, but Roberto Mancini's side may have the last laugh, having completed the signing of 16-year-old José Ángel Pozo, parting with €3 million to finally secure the talents of the youngster was dubbed one of Real Madrid’s most promising youngsters.
Spanish newspaper Marca report that the Premier League champions have completed the final details of the move having held secret talks with Real Madrid Florentino Perez. Pozo has already linked up with his new Manchester City teammates, but the agreement upon a fee between the two clubs has sealed the proceedings, Marca suggest.
Roberto Mancini’s side began negotiations to take the teenager to Manchester before he turned 16, meaning that the Premier League side could have completed the swoop for nothing. However the clubs have agreed on a sizeable €3 million compensation package, a huge step up from the original fee of £100,000 that was suggested when Pozo initially garnered the interest of City’s scouts.
The Malaga-born forward has already featured for Man City’s U18 side and the team representing City in the NextGen series, despite his tender years.
Mr Potatohead gets his chips
Manchester City's Champions League shambles went from bad to worse last night when David Platt was hit with a touchline ban by UEFA.
Assistant boss Platt was sent to the stands during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Etihad.
Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi showed Platt a red card for swearing at the officials as the Blues crashed out. He will now be banned from the touchline for the final Group D encounter at Borussia Dortmund next month.
UEFA will hold a disciplinary hearing at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
Platt is not expected to attend and could even be punished by having to serve a longer ban. Express Bollox
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is planning bids for 26-year-old Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, Porto winger James Rodriguez, 21, and 25-year-old Napoli forward Edinson Cavani. London Evening Standard
Tottenham appear to have failed in a second bid to sign 22-year-old Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are keen on Blackpool winger Tom Ince but will have to pay £10m to prise the 20-year-old away from Bloomfield Road in January. Manchester United and Ince's former club Liverpool could offer competition to Spurs. Sun
Blackburn have told goalkeeper Paul Robinson that he is no longer required at Ewood Park as Rovers attempt to lure Tottenham veteran Brad Friedel to the club. Robinson, 33, will be allowed to leave for free and may attract interest from Fulham boss Martin Jol, who worked with Robinson at Spurs. Daily Mirror
Arsenal are leading the race to sign German side Schalke's Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, 29, in January, says former Netherlands forward Erik Meijer.
Everton manager David Moyes was in Norway on Thursday, along with assistant Steve Round and coaches David Weir and Andy Holden, to watch Molde defender Vegard Forren, 24, in the Europa League against FC Copenhagen. VG (
Aston Villa are battling Fiorentina to sign 19-year-old Nancy left-back Massadio Haidara. talkShit
Former Spurs and West Ham boss Harry Redknapp, 65, has been lined up by Queens Park Rangers to take over from Mark Hughes after the London side face Manchester United on Saturday. Daily Mirror
Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has touted fellow Brazilian Leandro Damiao, currently plying his trade with Internacional, as the man to bolster the Reds' forward line. FourFourTwo
Manchester United defender Phil Jones, 20, says he has been working hard in the gym to build up his physique and overcome his injury problems. Manchester United Evening News
Arsenal are set to announce a new kit deal with German sportswear giant Adidas to replace their current agreement with Nike. The Gunners will receive £22m a year, an increase on the £8m a year they earn currently. The Times
Azerbaijani club Baku FC have appointed Vugar Guloglan oglu Huseynzade, aged just 21, as their new manager in preference to French former European player of the year Jean-Pierre Papin - based on his experience of playing the computer game Football Manager. Metro
MORE LATER
