Manchester City boss would be happy with fourth place
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says that he would be pleased to finish in fourth place in the English Premier League this season.
The Italian came within touching distance of guiding the club to qualification for the UEFA Champions League last season, but were pipped to fourth spot by Tottenham Hotspur, finishing the campaign in fifth place.
City are currently holding down the last of the Champions League places, with only Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal above them in the EPL table.
Mancini told reporters, "If the Premier League ended tomorrow, I am happy. Our target is to get to the Champions League. But the season is very long. It is important for us to stay near the top and we can change our target."
The Blues will next play Birmingham City on Saturday 13 November, at the City of Manchester Stadium and the manager is set to make several changes from the side which carved out a goalless draw at home against local rivals Manchester United on Wednesday.
"We are going to change some players. If we play a Europa League game it is usual for us to change six or seven because it is impossible to be a fantastic team when you are playing every three days."
Since the Citizens were taken over by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 2008, the club have gone on a mass spending spree to bring in several world-class players — a move which has heightened expectations among the club’s fans.
But they have yet to win silverware under the United Arab Emirati’s stewardship.
So far this season, City have won six, drawn three and lost three of their 12 EPL games to earn 21 points. They are four points ahead of fifth-placed Newcastle United, but are two behind third-placed Arsenal.
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