Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini looks for positives in defeat
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini claims his side to title contenders, stating that the Citizens proved their quality in defeat to Arsenal.
Things may have been very different had City not lost Dedryck Boyata on the 5th minute, which gave Arsenal a mega advantage early on. Boyata caught arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh and was shown the Red Card for his clumsy challenge. Arsenal then
capitalized on the advantage of having more players on the pitch and registered a 3-0 victory over the Blues. It was the side’s first home defeat of the season and was disappointing result for the World Richest club. That loss has put City in the 4th
spot, despite of having the same points as 3rd place Manchester United and 2nd place Arsenal, who lead on goal difference.
However, Mancini was still delighted to be 5 points behind leaders; Chelsea and was proud that his side managed a solid performance despite of being one man down at the 5th minute. Last season, City was too strong for the North Londoners and managed
a 4-2 victory. The side has been outstanding this season as well, having already defeated leaders Chelsea. The side had the perfect opportunity to be just two points behind the defending Champions, but the manager was still happy by his team’s spirit.
"It is a situation that can happen. It was a bad result because we lost, but after the sending-off everything changes. Clearly it would have been better if we had won the game but if you play with 10 men against Arsenal it is difficult”, claimed the former
Inter Milan manager.
The manager appreciated the mentality the City outfit currently have and claimed that the players gave their all despite being one man down.
"I am very proud of my players because we showed we are one of the best teams in the Barclays Premier League. They played like a strong team, they played well. We lost but the way (ahead) is long”, informed the City manager. City started off the game in
emphatic fashion, when in-form striker Carlos Tevez created a good opportunity for David Silva. Silva managed a brilliant back heel, but Gunners goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski managed an amazing save. However, the result was sealed in the 5th minute
when youngster Boyata was sent off for his rash tackle on Chamakh. Boyata was the last line of defence and he never took the ball and was thus sent off.
The resulting free kick lead to Samir Nasri scoring the opening goal for his side. City however, refused to die down and kept attacking in numbers. Arsenal was awarded a penalty after Vincent Kompany brought down Gunners skipper Cesc Fabregas in the penalty
box. It should’ve been 2-0 from the spot kick, but English shot stopper Joe Hart managed to save the penalty kick. At half time, City had every chance of at least getting a draw but when Alex Song found doubled the lead in the 66th minute, it was
all over. Arsenal, however, was not done as Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner, who made his first premier league appearance this season, made it 3-0 for Gunners when he managed an outstanding finish to seal the deal.
City face Wolverhampton Wanderers away next weekend and would be looking for nothing less than a win to get back into the title race. The premier league remains as competitive as ever as there are four to five teams contending for the coveted title.
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