We're better than U: Manchester City suit who sacked Roberto Mancini wouldn't swap their squad for Manchester United's
We're better than U: Manchester City suit who sacked Roberto Mancini wouldn't swap their squad for Manchester United's
Italian paid price for not getting the most out of his
players says Sorriano, who "wants very good football - we want to play
better"
Wembley woe: But Mancini's failings went further back then the FA Cup FInal say City
Getty
From David McDonnell in New York
Roberto Mancini was sacked as Manchester City manager because his bosses insist he failed to win the title with a team better than neighbours United.
City chief executive Ferran Soriano also admitted for the first time that Mancini’s fate was sealed before the embarrassing FA Cup Final loss to a relegation-bound Wigan side earlier this month.
Soriano
said: “We believe we have a fantastic squad. It would be very hard for
us to change the players for any others - and that includes the
champions of the league.
“My position is that we don’t need to
change our players for other players. We have a very good squad. We want
to play very good football, we want to play better.”
Soriano claimed the Blues'
failure in the Champions League's group stage for a second year running
was also a black mark, and that Mancini was dismissed because the
standard of football was simply not good enough.
The club's top-brass also believe the Italian's poor man-management skills meant a change was required.
Soriano
said: “The squad we have is a squad capable of winning the Premier
League, and not a squad that should be kicked out at the group stage of
the Champions League.
“These things can happen - this is football and we all understand football - but we have better players than that.
“Nobody wants to change a manager, but we all want to play good football and we all want to win.
“I
think for the new owners of City to have had only two managers in five
years is very good. It shows the willingness to have a very stable
managerial team.
“Roberto did very good for the club. He changed
the mentality, he changed it from a club that was not winning to a
winning club, and that’s very hard.
“That’s all good, but we are now looking for several things.
“We are looking to play good football and to win - and I said that in the right order.”
Asked
if Mancini could have survived had City not lost the FA Cup Final,
Soriano said the decision to replace him had already been made before
the match.
“We’re not taking decisions based on one game, even if
it is a final,” said Soriano. “This is a long-term decision, taken with a
lot of careful analysis.
“No-one wants to change a manager, so once you go down this path you have to be very sure. It didn’t depend on one game.
“We can’t complain too loudly about being second in the league and runners-up in the FA Cup - but we want more.
“We want more of playing better and we want more of developing of a football concept shared across the teams.” Showing their metal: Man United have the trophy - but do City have the squad?
AP
Mancini’s abrasive, divisive style with players was another reason for his dismissal, with Soriano adamant that Mancini's expected replacement Manuel Pellegrini will handle the squad far better.
“To
change the mentality of the club and create this winning attitude from
Roberto was great,” added Soriano. “Other areas were different and more
challenging.
“But to the new manager we are asking this: 'We know
we have very good players, very mature players, so if they are in an
environment where there are fewer tensions, they will be able to deliver
more on pitch.'
“I’ve seen dressing rooms with tensions before.
Those tensions come from the competition and that fact all the men want
to win all the time.
“They want to play all the time and that is
impossible. So we’re not too worried about this and it’s not the reason
why we decided to change the manager.
“Having said that, with the
new manager we are asking him that the dressing-room has as much harmony
as possible, knowing that total harmony is impossible.
“We’re changing because we want to improve, even though what we had was very good.
“We believe that the new manager we choose will do those things, and that’s why we’re changing.”
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