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Roberto Mancini: February is crucial for Manchester City
This month will make or break season...
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8 Feb 2010 16:13:00
By James Daly
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has singled out February as the make-or-break period for his club's Champions League push.
Having accused his players of being "on holiday" during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Hull, the Italian will need better performances against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
"We played very hard and we must continue like the second half," he told a press conference. "If we continue in this way we can improve but we must recover all of our players now, this is most important.
"February, this month, is a crucial moment with games against Bolton, Stoke, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham."
Injuries have restricted the Italian's options at Eastlands, particularly in defence where Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards and Wayne Bridge have all suffered problems, while Kolo Toure was away for most of January on African Cup of Nations duty.
The £22 million man Joleon Lescott has yet to feature under Mancini thanks to a knee problem.
"I have many players injured and it's difficult for me," Mancini added.
"If I have three, four, five players always injured it's a big problem so we want changes in this situation because then we have a good chance to play well both at home and away.
"If we want to arrive at our targets we must also be able to play well away."
A run of four consecutive victories had City fans smiling in January, but three defeats in the next six games - including a League Cup semi-final exit to rivals United - and things don't seem so rosy.
"When City play against Bolton or Hull or Wolverhampton they play always at 200%, but this is good for us because we are growing now and when clubs play against us they are playing against a top squad," Mancini said.
"If we want to be up there we must play at the same level. They fight for every ball so we must change our mentality."
The crucial month starts with Bolton on Tuesday night and Mancini expects his multi-million pound team to be in for a tough ride.
"I watched Bolton's last three or four games and they have played very well, very aggressively, and changed mentality under a good manager," he said.
"We must concentrate at 100% because it will be a difficult game.
"Two weeks ago they were 2-0 up [after half an hour] against Arsenal in London and this is important because it shows they play very aggressively.
"This match is very important because after we go to Stoke, which could be a battle, and after that we start playing important matches against Liverpool and Chelsea, so it is important we win this game."
Having accused his players of being "on holiday" during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Hull, the Italian will need better performances against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
"We played very hard and we must continue like the second half," he told a press conference. "If we continue in this way we can improve but we must recover all of our players now, this is most important.
"February, this month, is a crucial moment with games against Bolton, Stoke, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham."
Injuries have restricted the Italian's options at Eastlands, particularly in defence where Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards and Wayne Bridge have all suffered problems, while Kolo Toure was away for most of January on African Cup of Nations duty.
The £22 million man Joleon Lescott has yet to feature under Mancini thanks to a knee problem.
"I have many players injured and it's difficult for me," Mancini added.
"If I have three, four, five players always injured it's a big problem so we want changes in this situation because then we have a good chance to play well both at home and away.
"If we want to arrive at our targets we must also be able to play well away."
A run of four consecutive victories had City fans smiling in January, but three defeats in the next six games - including a League Cup semi-final exit to rivals United - and things don't seem so rosy.
"When City play against Bolton or Hull or Wolverhampton they play always at 200%, but this is good for us because we are growing now and when clubs play against us they are playing against a top squad," Mancini said.
"If we want to be up there we must play at the same level. They fight for every ball so we must change our mentality."
The crucial month starts with Bolton on Tuesday night and Mancini expects his multi-million pound team to be in for a tough ride.
"I watched Bolton's last three or four games and they have played very well, very aggressively, and changed mentality under a good manager," he said.
"We must concentrate at 100% because it will be a difficult game.
"Two weeks ago they were 2-0 up [after half an hour] against Arsenal in London and this is important because it shows they play very aggressively.
"This match is very important because after we go to Stoke, which could be a battle, and after that we start playing important matches against Liverpool and Chelsea, so it is important we win this game."
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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