Manchester City boss Mancini came out fighting yesterday on the eve of a season when he will walk on a knife-edge.
City’s owners took their summer spending spree to £100 million last night with the capture of Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan for £22m. And the chequebook remains open in the hope that a deal can be struck with Aston Villa for James Milner next week.
The Abu Dhabi United Group’s outlay since their takeover almost two years ago now stands at more than £300m, but Mancini shrugged off the pressure of expectation, saying: “We spent this year but we’ve built a good team. We have added five players who can change our history.
“Can we win the league? Why not? We have a chance. We know that Chelsea and Manchester United are on the top but the Premier League is very long and if we work well in the next two or three weeks we have a chance.”
Mancini also traded verbal blows with Craig Bellamy, saying the striker does not figure in his plans and accusing him of lying about being frozen out. Bellamy claimed that Mancini had not spoken to him since February, but Italian Mancini said: “It is false
because I work with the players every day and I speak with the players
every day.
“Craig played always with me last
year, but this year I choose other players. I’m a manager and I have to
make this choice. What he says after that is not important.
“I
have to put 25 players on the list and there are players who will be
out who probably must choose another team. Craig is out of the list.”
With
Bellamy on his way – Mark Hughes is planning a reunion at Fulham –
Mancini said his replacement, Balotelli, has the potential to become a
huge hit in the Premier League despite his bad-boy image.
“Balotelli
will be a fantastic player. In one or two years he will be one of the
best players in the world,” said Mancini, who first worked with him at
Inter.
“Although sometimes his behaviour is not good I know him and he is a good man. It’s false to say that he is not a good man.”
Mancini
is also confident Milner will join his City revolution early next week
– providing Stephen Ireland plays ball and agrees to become the
makeweight in a £26m deal. Mancini said: “We need another two or three
days. I am confident it will go through. Stephen is a good player but
he needs to change clubs.”
Mancini will also
hold talks with City’s record signing Robinho next week to discuss his
future, with Barcelona reportedly interested.
Mancini
confirmed that the player, who spent the end of last season on loan at
his home club Santos, was in the list of 25 players for the Premier
League.
But he is unlikely to play against Tottenham after returning “tired” from duty with Brazil.
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy