Business as usual for Manchester City's Roberto Mancini before derby

• Pressure increases on Italian to defend Premier League title
• Sunday's match difficult to read, says Sir Alex Ferguson

by Jamie Jackson 5 months ago

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Roberto Mancini is not under any immediate threat as Manchester City's manager despite Tuesday evening's 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund which meant their total of three points in group D was the poorest return of any English club during this phase of the Champions League.

Mancini enjoys a healthy working relationship with Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the chairman, and, though the Italian admitted he and the rest of the club's hierarchy are disappointed with the campaign, there is a degree of understanding.

The failure, though, to win a single match in the group and a general lack of conviction throughout the six games have increased the pressure on Mancini to mount a credible defence of the Premier League title.

City's next match is Sunday's visit of Manchester United for the derby and Sir Alex Ferguson believes it could be a "masterclass of attacking football from both teams", with the Scot hinting a draw would be a good result for his side.

"We need to come out unscathed and, with so much at stake, I wonder if there will be a little bit of caution from both clubs," he told United Review.

"Roberto Mancini and I will both have to think deeply about our selections and tactics and there may well be an element of playing safe.

"But don't count on it because it is a derby match when anything can happen and often does. The passion of the fans can easily spill over and affect the players, so that tactics go out of the window as emotion takes over and each side, or both, slide into a gung-ho mood. An early goal can also dictate the shape of the game so, as I say, we could be in for a masterclass of attacking football from both teams."

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