Roberto Mancini warns of Manchester City domination
Posted Saturday, December 22, 2012 by The Sun
CROWNING GLORY ... Roberto Mancini ended City's 44-year title wait
ROBERTO MANCINI has warned Alex Ferguson that Manchester City are ready to dominate English football.
Mancini snatched Manchester United’s crown last season as he delivered City’s first top-flight title for 44 years.
That success came after FA Cup glory in 2011. And, on the third anniversary of him taking charge at the Etihad, the Italian has challenged his players to stay on top of rivals United — and the rest of the chasing pack.
Mancini, 48, said: “We have won trophies and I think we can continue to win in the future. I think we need to win more and more.
“It is easy to arrive on top but it will be more difficult to stay there for a long time. This is the big challenge for us.
“I think now our target will be to win the second title because to win two titles in a row will be very important.
“I think we will win, if we work better than in the first five months of the season and forget what we did last year.
“If we win it that will be even better than winning the first title.”
Mancini’s managerial career has taken him to Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and now City.
In that time he has only once failed to win a trophy in a full season. He said: “That was with Lazio but, then, our premier target was to take a Champions League place — and we got it.”
Mancini also guided City to the Community Shield in August and he does not want the winning feeling to stop now.
He was happy to share some champagne with the assembled media yesterday to celebrate Christmas. It was a long way from his first Press conference three years ago.
Former chief executive Garry Cook introduced Mancini — but then had to fend off a storm of questions over his handling of Mark Hughes’ departure.
Mancini said: “I remember that it was a very good Press conference! I remember all the pressure for Garry. I thought I was in a war, a battle.”
Mancini came through that and almost qualified for the Champions League that season.
Then came City’s first trophy in 35 years with the FA Cup triumph over Stoke — before THAT Sergio Aguero strike ended City’s wait for the title.
Mancini said: “I think that in three years we have beaten our targets. I hope the next three years will be even better.
“I think that we worked really well because when I arrived here I didn’t think that, maybe, in two years we would win the Premier League.
“The FA Cup, yes, and I thought that maybe it would take four or five years to win the Premier League.
“But we changed things in England and Manchester in particular because, for 20 or 30 years, United won everything — we changed this because we did well.”
City go into today’s home game against rock-bottom Reading trailing United by six points.
Ferguson’s men earned that advantage with a dramatic 3-2 derby win at the Etihad a fortnight ago. City bounced back with a good away victory at Newcastle.
But Mancini knows that derby triumph for United — ending City’s two-year unbeaten home league record — will have given them a massive boost.
He said: “I think that they have more confidence with that victory.
“They also have more confidence because they are used to winning for 20 years. Their mentality is stronger than ours in this moment.
“But, as a team, our quality is the same level. We showed this in the derby. Although we lost 3-2 we showed we were better in that game.
“We have a big respect for United for what they won for 20 years. We need to have respect for them and for Ferguson.
“I don’t know if, when I am 70 like him, I can have the same attitude that he has. I have a big respect for this.”
Mancini insists he will not take Reading lightly this afternoon.
He said: “I saw them against Everton and United and they are strong up front. We need to play like we did against Newcastle to win.”
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