Decision to sack Mancini could cost City
May 13 2012. It is a date that was inscribed into the history books at Manchester City as soon as Sergio Aguero’s 94th minute winner hit the back of the net, sending the blue-clad fans into delirium and ensuring the club were crowned English champions for the first time in 44 years. It was meant to be the date that signalled the beginning of the Roberto Mancini dynasty.
Football often deals in poetry, and so it dealt with the demise of the City boss. Exactly a year after that most historic of days, Mancini was sacked from his job at the helm of the richest club in England, ending a three-and-a-half year stay at the Etihad.
It had been an outcome that many had been predicting for some months, as City’s bid to retain their Premier League crown faded from existence as the season progressed. Coupled with this failed attempt, their showings in the Champions League were similarly disappointing: in six games, Mancini’s men managed to amass a meagre three points.
The final straw came at the weekend, when relegation candidates Wigan Athletic triumphed over Mancini’s men in the FA Cup final, a last-gasp header from Ben Watson ensuring the Manchester club ended this campaign without a trophy to their name.
Despite the recent disappointments, the speed with which Mancini has been dismissed is somewhat surprising, and the decision could yet prove to be a regrettable one.
With the imminent retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the tormentor-in-chief of all City fans for the past quarter century, next season’s Premier League could well prove to be one of the most open in recent years.
As well as Manchester United’s task of coming to terms with life without Fergie, Chelsea will be bedding down with a new manager, and whether Mourinho returns or not, that relationship will also take time to bear fruit.
With Arsenal and Tottenham still some way off convincingly pushing for English dominance, City could well have found themselves as favourites, with Mancini at the helm of a settled squad.
Given the success of last season, many have been quick to criticise the lack of silverware that Mancini’s men amassed this time out, but such criticism needs to be given some perspective.
Before the Italian joined the club, City had not secured any major silverware for 35 years, and, but for Watson’s 90th minute winner at the weekend, Mancini could well have led his side to three trophies in three seasons.
Even his side’s second consecutive failure in the Champions League needs to be reassessed. Whilst a return of no wins in six games is not in keeping with the ability of Mancini’s squad, the difficulty of their group is undeniable, especially given that two of their opponents made it to the semi-final of this season’s competition.
He has also been the mastermind behind some of the club’s most memorable results. The 6-1 demolition of United at Old Trafford was possibly the Red Devil’s lowest moment at the Theatre of Dreams, but perhaps the 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory in April 2011 was the true symbol of a changing of the guard in the footballing city.
Mancini is by no means faultless. Given the incalculable funds at his disposal, summer signings such as Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair were horribly underwhelming, and they are not the sorts of big name signatures that are going to bolster a championship winning squad.
However, the Italian has proven himself with some important transfers throughout his tenure. Since his arrival from Fiorentina last summer, Matija Nastasić has proven to be an astute signing, and the likes of Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure have been influential since they were brought the to Etihad under Mancini’s instruction.
“Before the Italian joined the club, City had not secured any major silverware for 35 years”
He has also been criticised for his man-management skills, having fallen out with some of the club’s biggest names. Most famously, Mancini caused a media frenzy after a training ground bust-up with Mario Balotelli, although very few managers in world football have the ability to tame the enigmatic personality of the Italian striker.
Since his dismissal, many sources have tipped current Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini to succeed Mancini at the Etihad, an appointment that could prove to justify the decision to sack the Italian.
His tactical astuteness has been well demonstrated throughout his managerial career, and he may well have been taking the Spanish club into the semi-finals of the Champions League this year had it now been for a dramatic denouement in Dortmund.
However, given his displeasure with the ‘Galacticos’ policy at Real Madrid during his tenure there, perhaps a club where money means everything is not the best place for the Chilean manager.
Mancini succeeded in recreating Manchester City and has left his indelible mark on the Premier League. His time at the club may be over, but I am sure that all City fans will acknowledge what good he did for the club. He gave the “noisy neighbours” a real reason to make some noise.
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