Roberto Mancini feels Manchester City’s inexperience in Champions League will not be a problem
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is confident that the Citizens have the quality and depth to play in the UEFA Champions League in 2011-12 and their lack of European experience will not affect their campaign.
Mancini said, “In football, never say never - anything can happen. It is clear that we are not like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604, Real Madrid, Milan or Inter, teams that have played in the Champions League for a long time. But after this year, if we do well in the Europa League,
it will be a good experience and all our players play for their national teams.”
Manchester City, who missed on a UEFA Champions League place in the 2009-10 season and finished fifth in the Barclays Premier League, are well on course for qualifying for the elite European competition in the ongoing 2010-11 season.
The Citizens have been in the top four of the Barclays Premier League since the start of the season. Roberto Mancini’s men inspiring league form has made them favourites to qualify for the Champions League ahead of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Eastlanders are currently placed third in the Barclays Premier League, two points above fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur and three ahead of the Barclays Premier League champions, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mancini-c23323’s men were also tipped as one of the favourites to win the domestic league in the current season. However, City’s recent defeat against their rivals Manchester United have put them 10 points behind the Red Devils, eventually ending their hopes of
winning the Premier League crown of the season.
Despite being in the Barclays Premier League title hunt for major part of the season, Roberto Mancini and his players had publicly claimed that their main target is to qualify for the Champions League.
However, the Citizens are still favourites to win the Europa League, having finished first in the group stage which included the likes of Juventus, Salzburg and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lech-Poznan-c39779.
Roberto Mancini insisted that Manchester City’s impressive form in the Europa League will help them set the pace for next Champions League.
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan boss added, “When you play in the Champions League for the first time, maybe you can have problems, but when I played for Sampdoria 20 years ago we got to the final (of the old European Cup) the first time we qualified.”
It would be Manchester City’s first-ever participation in the elite European competition if they qualify for the Champions League.
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