Mancini: We cannot waste chances
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that it will be very difficult for his side to contend for the Premier League title if they waste chances in key games.
City lost their first game of the season thanks to a Darren Bent goal late on in the match with Sunderland at the weekend. This is a match where City wasted many chances including Carlos Tevez missing an open goal from 12 yards.
Manchester City were being widely tipped as the best outside chance for the Premier League crown this season. However, they have started inconsistently with a win, a draw and a loss from their first three games.
Mancini's men have to find some form and consistency very quickly because other top clubs will not give them a sniff if they build a lead. There is also more pressure than ever before on Mancini to get things right because of the money he has spent.
Form and consistency
Manchester City have been held back because of their inconsistent form. The club cannot expect to push for the Premier League title if the manager and the fans have no idea over when the team is going to produce the goods.
The reason this is so important is because the club are already conceding ground to their title rivals. These are rivals that are experienced in long Premier League campaigns where fine leads can often make a difference.
Once the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United get their noses in front, they do not give that lead back without an intense struggle. The pressure is already piling up on both Mancini and the team and this could prompt even more errors.
Mancini said: "We played very well in the first half. We had three or four chances in the first half to score and an incredible situation (the Tevez miss), but that's football, it's strange. It can happen, but we had two or three other chances to score. Second half we didn't play very well and a penalty after the 90th minute - that's football."
Pressure on the manager
There is already pressure on the manager to win the next game and the one after that. This is because Manchester City have started the season badly and have not registered three wins like a lot of club officials and fans said they would.
Whoever manages Manchester City will face pressure because it has become clear very quickly that the club will spend in order to get success. If Mancini is not in a position within the next month to be right at the very top of the Premier League season then he could face the sack before the season has even started.
He added: "It's a blow today, sure. The start to the season, we've played very well and played as a team. First half today we played some fantastic football. I think we found that many times they defended with 10 players without the ball and we must pass the ball to find a solution."
Betting advice
As much as the club would like you to think otherwise, Manchester City are still very much a work in progress. This means you are much better off being cautious and backing the team with each game as opposed to having a punt on them to win a particular competition.
It's clear that many members of the team are still a bit rusty from the World Cup and long summer breaks. Stick with them because once everything is in full flow, the club should start producing some very big wins over smaller teams.
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